Course Outline with Assessment Ideas and Activities

Course Title: Common Assessments for Student Learning

Required Textbook: Common Formative Assessments, A Toolkit for Professional Learning Communities At Work (2012)

Module 1: Professional Learning Communities (PLC)

Objective

Assessment
Ideas

1. Identify the three

big ideas
characteristic of a
professional learning
community
2. Draw conclusions
for the benefits of
instructional
collaboration for
oneself and your
colleagues

Infographic
Generation

Reflection
(written or
recorded)
or creation
of a
generalization
graphic
organizer

Absorb

Do

Connect

Read: Ch. 1 from required textbook

View YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLGHY9-sibA

Share personal opinions of the

big ideas with peers through
discussion post

Infographic will be
used as a reference
for your schools
PLC

View videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

leB13CFt8a8 and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
U0tMDxhLRaA
Read: Three Types of Collaboration
https://productfour.wordpress.com/2010/03/20/its-notthe-same-thing-the-3-types-of-collaboration/
Read: Why Teams Dont Collaborate
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ronashkenas/2012/03/21/
why-teams-dont-collaborate/
Read: Why Should We Collaborate Reproducible
(Learning By Doing)

Complete the teacher needs

online survey; review survey
results.
Compare your needs with
needs of other.
Identify common needs among
the group.

Needs survey will

align to personal
needs and current
work environment
needs

Form adapted from Smith, R. M. Conquering the Content. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008.

Reflection will list

personal opinions
for the benefits of
instructional
collaboration for
yourself and for
colleagues

Module 1: Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Cont.

Objective

Assessment
Ideas

3. Evaluate the
purpose and
necessity of
professional
learning
communities for
student learning
4. Develop
common
vocabulary for key
professional
learning
community
processes

Discussion Post

Absorb

Word Cloud

Do

Read: PLCS Impact on Student Learning

https://www.naesp.org/resources/2/Leadership_Com
pass/2007/LC2007v5n2a3.pdf
Read: What Does The Research Say by Anne Jolly
http://learningforward.org/docs/defaultsource/docs/teamtoteach-tools.pdf (Tool 1.7)

Use readings/videos throughout Module 1

Review additional reference materials through
internet search

Connect

What does research say

mastery quiz
Select a pre-set discussion
prompt to respond to

Response will
include connect to
self, connect to
others, and/or
connect to current
environment

Knowledge Rating Scale

(pre- and post-module)
Student will add key
vocabulary terms throughout
module and add descriptive
text for each term

Vocabulary
selection in word
cloud will include
terms/words
significant to
students
understanding of
PLCs
Create word cloud

Form adapted from Smith, R. M. Conquering the Content. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008.

Module 2: Power/Priority Standards

Objective

Assessment Ideas

1.Evaluate need for

powering or
prioritizing standards

Discussion post

Read: Ch. 3 from required textbook

Read: Jigsaw responses

Absorb

2. Summarize the
benefits of endurance,
leverage, and
readiness for students.

Graphic organizer/
organizational chart

Read: Designing Essential Standards

http://plc.sdcoe.net/Resources/Focus%20on%2
0Learning/Designating_Essential_Standards.pd
f
View Video: How Many Power Standards Do I
Need?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6R7soPQ
3gE

Do
Offer Summary to a
supplied question (jigsaw
method) using post-its on
http://scrumblr.ca/Why%20
Power
Respond to discussion post
Research additional internet
sites and videos on topic of
endurance, leverage, and
readiness.
Search for graphic icon or
key word to explain
definition of endurance,
leverage, and readiness.
Post in group mind map
identifying benefits of
endurance, leverage, and
readiness

Connect
Collaborative
sharing

Organizer will
include key phrase
or icon for meaning
of each term
(endurance,
leverage, readiness)
aligned with
personal correlation
Collaborative
mind-mapping

Create Graphic Organizer/Organization three

column chart identifying benefits and including
icons/key definitions

Form adapted from Smith, R. M. Conquering the Content. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008.

Module 3: Unwrapping A Power Standard

Objective

Assessment
Ideas

Absorb

1.Identify key skills and

concepts contained with
a standard

Step 1 of
Unwrapping
Template

Read: Ch. 4 from required textbook

View Video: Unwrapping the Standards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzamOB1ztxo
View Video: Unwrapping the Common Core Standards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XePuQLxGqOU

2.Organizing skills and

concepts into what
students should know
and be able to do and in
what context

Step 2 of
Unwrapping
Template

View Video: Unpacking the Standards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl5VmqiciIo
View Video: Unwrapping a standard-A 5 step process
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emL6NDq29qE
View Video: How to Read and Unpack Standards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TITyhE4Y3DE

3.Analyze the learning

target for level of
thinking

Step 3 of
Unwrapping
Template

Review Chart: Blooms Taxomony

http://www.fresnostate.edu/academics/oie/documents/asses
ments/Blooms%20Level.pdf or
http://www.apu.edu/live_data/files/333/blooms_taxonomy_
action_verbs.pdf
Review Chart: Marzanos Taxonomy
http://www.greatschoolspartnership.org/wpcontent/uploads/2014/06/x3B_Marzano_New_Taxonomy_
Chart_with_verbs_3.16.121.pdf
Review Chart: Blooms Vs. Webbs Depth of Knowledge
http://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/turnaroundprinciples/bloom-vs-webb-chart.pdf

Do

Connect

Self-checking
Simulation activity
Map It Out Template

Using PLCs
chosen power
standard for unit
of choice identify
the skills and
concepts in the
standard(Job aid)
Transfer data from
Map It Out
Template to
Complete Step 2
of unwrapping
template (Job aid)

Interactive selfchecking activity

Learning Target
Analysis Chart

Transfer data from

Map It Out
Template to
Complete Step 3
of unwrapping
template (Job aid)

Form adapted from Smith, R. M. Conquering the Content. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008.

Module 4: Guiding Questions

Objective

Assessment
Ideas

1.Determine big
ideas aligned to a
specific standard
of choice

Complete Step 4:
Determining Big Ideas
for unwrapping
template

Absorb

2.Develop guiding
or essential
questions aligned
to a specific
standard of choice

Complete Step 5:
Guiding/essential
section for
unwrapping template

Powerpoint: Determining Big Ideas

Read: Big Ideas
https://www.teachervision.com/specialeducation/teaching-methods/3764.html and
http://www.slideboom.com/presentations/149872/Pres
entation-for-508
Big Ideas & Essential Questions:
http://www.powershow.com/view/3b7554YTVjY/Big_Ideas_and_Essential_Questions_powerpo
int_ppt_presentation
Big Ideas & Essential Questions Prezi
https://prezi.com/slznnsvsjc6a/big-idea-and-essentialquestions/
Big Ideas Checklist
Read: What are essential questions
http://cpssocialscienceinstruction.wikispaces.com/file/
view/What+Are+Essential+Questions.doc
Read: What is an essential question
http://www.authenticeducation.org/ae_bigideas/article
.lasso?artid=53
Read: Crafting Enduring and Essential Questions
http://olc.region10.org/21/wpcontent/uploads/2013/07/Essential-Question-andEnduring-Understanding-Tutorial.pdf
Read: List of Essential Questions
http://www.teachthought.com/learning/examples-ofessential-questions/
Essential Questions
What do you know about essential questions
How do we write an essential question
Essential Questions Checklist

Do

Connect

Jeopardy PowerPoint
activity
Big Idea Example/Non
Example matching activity
Virtual community
brainstorming by posting
big ideas to google doc
Complete a survey to rate
big idea choice

Collaborative
decision making;
Transfer to Step
4 of unwrapping
template (Job
aid)

Develop (2) essential

questions and post to slide
share
Complete group survey to
identify (2) essential
question choices

Collaborative
brainstorming;
Transfer to Step
5 of unwrapping
template (Job
aid)

Form adapted from Smith, R. M. Conquering the Content. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008.

Module 5: Common Assessments

Objective

Assessment Ideas

1.Differentiate characteristics of common

formative and summative assessment
2.Evaluate assessment approaches and
methods
3.Create an assessment aligned with the
learning target

Venn Diagram
(readwritethink.org)

Defend the use of an assessment as

formative or summative

Absorb

Do

Connect

Absorb

Do

Connect

Matching Assessment
Completion of
Assessment Plan aligned
with selected power
standard
Written response

Module 6: Data Driven Decision Making

Objective

Assessment Ideas

1. Assemble team data into an

organizational structure
2. Identify student current performance
3. Defend the purpose of common
assessment data
4. Evaluate data to adjust instructional
practice

Participation of adding
student results from class
Alternate ranking form
Discussion Post
Data Team Meeting
Template

Form adapted from Smith, R. M. Conquering the Content. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008.

Module 7: PLC in Action

Objective
1. Relate continuous improvement with
common assessment
2. Compare the use of common
assessments with big ideas and core
values of a PLC

3. Reflect upon the purpose and necessity

of professional learning communities for
your profession growth.

Assessment Ideas

Absorb

Design a graphic
comparing continuous
improvement (plan do
study act) with continuous
improvement
Final reflection post

Form adapted from Smith, R. M. Conquering the Content. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008.

Do

Connect