Elements of Excellence
#CSDMission #CSDVisibleLearning #Allmeansall
Chapter 2: I see assessment as informing my impact and next steps
In case you missed previous newsletters (September, October), our district is going deep on “10 Mindframes for Visible Learning”. The administrators began the book study this fall to prepare for the school-based book study second semester. In the monthly newsletter, I will share with you videos from our teachers along with a short overview of what we are learning.
This month, the focus is on the Mindframe: “I see assessment as informing my impact and next steps,” covered in Chapter 2 (pp. 12-23)
The book authors invite readers to reflect on these statements around their practice:
I am very good at …
- Adapting my teaching when students do not achieve their learning goals
- Using the achievement of my students to draw conclusions on my thoughts concerning goals, content, methods, and media
I know perfectly well …
- That student achievements are feedback on the success of my teaching,
- That student achievements allow me to draw conclusions on my thoughts concerning goals content, methods, and media
My goal is always to …
- Measure the achievement levels of my students regularly and systemically
- Use objective methods of measuring student achievement to assess the success of my teaching
I am thoroughly convinced …
- That I need to check the achievement levels of my students regularly and systemically
- That I need to use objective methods of measuring student achievement to assess the success of my teaching
As I read through the vignette in this chapter, memories of my own teaching experience came to mind. I recall questioning “Why [do] I go through all the trouble to grade assignments, when the learners cannot even be bothered to take a look at how they did?” Students would just glance at their grade and then stuffed their paper into their binders. I had not created a culture of self-reflection for my students or for myself. I would lament over the concepts the students had not grasp. I needed to intentionally guide students’ learning using questions such as: “Which of my goals did I achieve in my lesson?; What material did I successfully get across to the learners?; Which methods turned out to be useful for fostering learning?” Then using these same questions as a basis to guide students.
Reflecting on this chapter, reminds me of the importance of being intentional in lesson preparation, in formative assessments, and in providing purposeful feedback.
In the next section, our Chief Academic Officer, Jodie Mills, talks with Lewis & Clark Elementary School teachers about their reflections on this chapter. Please take a moment and watch this short video.
Thanks for your commitment to our shared work!
Dr. French
Elements of Excellence - Mindframes for Visible Learning
The Elements of Excellence are powerful behaviors or mindframes teachers adopt
and apply in order to maximize student success.
I am an evaluator of my impact on student learning
I see assessment as informing my impact and next steps
I collaborate with my peers and my students about my concepts of progress and my impact
I am a change agent and believe all students can improve
I strive for challenge and not merely “doing your best”
I give and help students understand feedback and I interpret and act on feedback given to me
I engage as much in dialogue as monologue
I explicitly inform students what successful impact looks like from the outset
I build relationships and trust so that learning can occur in a place where it is safe to make mistakes and learn from others
Superintendent N. Shalene French
Email: NFRENCH@CALDWELLSCHOOLS.ORG
Website: WWW.CALDWELLSCHOOLS.ORG
Location: 1502 Fillmore Street, Caldwell, ID, USA
Phone: 208455-3300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caldwellschools.org/
Twitter: @CSD132Sup