ASSESS INITIATIVES

Standards Based Grading

Standards based, or proficiency based grading is one of the most transformative, yet controversial, pieces of educational reform to hit the schoolhouse in sometime. At its core the principles of SBG/PBG are simple...

Clear expectations of learning goals
Students evaluated against the standard
Assessments are standards based
Formative assessments provide feedback, but don't count against the student
Only summative assessments go in the gradebook
Grades report progress, but are not rewards or punishment
Behavior is not factored into grades
Students have multiple opportunities to retakes assessments
Students have multiple paths to demonstrate learning
Students have ownership of learning

Student Centered Assessment

At North Marion School District we are committed to "lead productive lives as stewards of their world." In the classroom this means providing opportunities for student ownership of the learning process. One way to provide this ownership is through student centered assessments. The term student centered assessments can refer to a lot of things. It most commonly focuses on creating authentic assessments where students are able to apply their learning in new and novel ways. These assessments typically provide students some real world experiences, some degree of choice, and an authentic audience to present to (think PBL). But Student centered can also refer to how the student is provided opportunities to gather feedback and grow through the assessment process.

Depth of Knowledge

Webb's Depth of Knowledge came onto the Oregon educational landscape with the development of the Smarter Balanced Assessment. The SBA's goal was to develop questions at level 3 and 4 of Webb's Depth of Knowledge. This was due to the shifts in rigor and cognitive demand of the Common Core State Standards. While preparing our assessments we must consider the verb being uses in our learning target, and the appropriate cognitive level for tasks associated with that target.

Assessment Literacy

Assessment literacy is key to an effective teaching and learning framework. Few of us, however, received adequate training on effective techniques for creating powerful assessments. At North Marion we are seeking to change this by providing staff the training and support needed for creating assessments that are well aligned to the standards, and provide all stakeholders with the information necessary to support learning and growth. This training includes understanding assessment and target alignment, formative vs. summative assessments, development of grading rubrics, and effective ways to communicate feedback.