1st Edition

Formative Assessment in a Professional Learning Community

By Betsy Moore, Todd Stanley Copyright 2011
    160 Pages
    by Eye On Education

    160 Pages
    by Eye On Education

    The ideas and examples in this book help teachers successfully collaborate to raise student achievement through the use of formative assessments. Here, Todd Stanley and Betsy Moore, educators with over 40 years of combined experience, offer proven formative assessment strategies to teachers in a professional learning community.

    Contents include:

    • Why a PLC?
    • How to Work Effectively in a Group
    • How to Write Assessments
    • Adjustments in the Classroom
    • Keeping Up with Collaboration

    If you’re looking to extend the benefits of formative assessments throughout your school, this user-friendly guide will help to unite teachers in improving classroom learning!

    Introduction: Why Use Short-Cycle Assessments in a Professional Learning Community? 1. Why Work in a Professional Learning Community (PLC)?
    What is a PLC?
    Advantages to Working in a PLC
    Disadvantages to Working in a PLC
    Different Types of PLCs
    2. How to Work Effectively in a Group
    Creating a Good Group Environment Using Norms
    All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy
    Group Building Activities
    Cancer in the Clubhouse
    Good Meetings vs. Bad Meetings
    3. Starting the SCORE Process
    What Does Everyone Know?
    Understanding the Standards
    Identifying the Level of the Standards According to Bloom's
    Coding the Test
    4. Aligning the Curriculum
    Figuring Your Pacing Chart
    Types of Pacing Charts
    Identifying Power Standards
    Skills Needed for Success in the Area
    More...
    5. Writing Assessments
    Design Assessments to Standards
    How to Work as a Group on Short-Cycle Assessments
    The Format of the Questions
    How to Write the Questions
    More...
    6. Administering and Grading the Assessments
    Administering the Assessment
    Creating the Proper Environment
    Creating the Answer Key
    Anchoring
    7. Data Analysis
    Looking at the Results
    Organizing the Data
    Why Analyze as a PLC Group?
    Leaving Your Ego at the Door
    More...
    8. Adjustments in the Classroom
    Data-Based Instructional Adjustments
    How to Use the Data to Make Adjustments
    Grouping of Students
    Chances for Collaboration
    9. Keeping Up With Collaboration
    Revising the Process
    Revisiting Assessments
    Celebrate Your Success
    Classroom Visits
    More...
    Epilogue
    BluePrints for the Process
    References

    Biography

    Todd Stanley began teaching in 1997. A National Board Certified Teacher, he started out in the traditional classroom, teaching junior high students for two years, but quickly was given different growth experiences as a teacher. He taught on a gifted-accelerated team for three years, compacting three years of curriculum into two years of classroom time. He then taught at the Christopher Program, a project-based, integrated curriculum that serviced juniors and seniors, providing many outside learning experiences for students. During this time he also trained teachers from all around the state of Ohio for the Literacy Curriculum Alignment Project (LCAP), helping teachers to align their lessons to state standards and best prepare students for the state achievement tests. Next, Todd created the Ivy Program, a pull-out gifted program for third and fourth graders relying heavily on project-based learning. He currently teaches in the Reynoldsburg School District on the Quest Program, teaching Social Studies and Science to fifth and sixth graders and is the leader of the Critical Friends Group in his school. Todd lives in Pickerington, Ohio with his wife Nicki and his two daughters Anna and Abby., >Betsy Moore is a veteran teacher who retired from Reynoldsburg City Schools after 30 years of service and is currently the Executive Director of Teacher 2 Teacher (www .teacher2teacher.info), a national educational consulting company based in Ohio. Betsy began her career as a special education teacher, eventually moving on to the regular education classroom. While in the regular classroom she worked on many cutting-edge strategies including student-led conferences and short-cycle assessments. From 2000-2007 Betsy worked in the Literacy Curriculum Alignment Project (LCAP), training over 1500 teachers in more than 60 schools. She co-authored the book Short-Cycle Assessment: Improving Student Achievement through Formative Assessment, which details the process developed in the LCAP work. Betsy co-authored a second book titled Critical Thinking and Formative Assessments: Raising the Rigor in Your Classroom, which provides strategies to teach critical thinking skills to all students. In her role with Teacher 2 Teacher, Betsy provides quality professional development in the areas of differentiated instruction, vertical alignment, short-cycle assessment development, and developing critical thinking skills, to name a few. Betsy lives with her husband Dave, a retired high school assistant principal, in Columbus, Ohio. She has two grown children: Amy, who lives in Hilliard, Ohio, and Bryan, who lives in Lake Elsinore, California. Also living in Temecula are Betsy's grandchildren Aria Nicole and Micah Rhys.