Feedback is Our Life

Click on the link and view Bill Gates take on Feedback.

Feedback through Common Formative Assessment created by Learning Teams

"One of the most powerful, high-leverage strategies for improving student learning available to schools is the creation of frequent, common, high-quality formative assessments by teachers who are working collaboratively to help a group of students develop agree-upon knowledge and skills (Fullan, Hargreaves & Fink)  We can no wait for District assessment results or IAS results to develop a plan of action to change the outcome of achievement.  This can only be accomplished through a structured look at student achievement through student work and assessments.  These assessment serve the purpose that others can not.  They measure learning and help to create targets for you.  You will have the direction to identify which students have learned the skill or strategy (GLE) and which have not.  You will them be able to create an action plan that creates intentional direction toward intervention.  These team assessments when combined with your daily checks create a "powerful synergy for learning."  Dufour states in Learning by Doing  "Common, team-developed formative assessments are such a powerful tool in school improvement that, once again, no team of teachers should be allowed to opt out of creating them."  What do you assessments look like?  Do they directly measure an I can statement targeting specific skills or strategies like those created by  6th and 7th grade mathematics teams? or Do have you created a common formative assessment measure a variety of GLE (I can) statements like those developed by 6-8 language arts teams.  Consider either option and report to your team weekly the results you gather.  Most importantly ask yourself what are you doing with the results.  Measuring student achievement is not enough you must develop an international plan of action that will change the outcome at the next assessment event.  Common assessments facilitate a systematic, collective response to student who are experience difficulty.  If you have developed a common understanding of proficiency and misconception you have created a road map to guide students with support and toward achieving proficiency.

Don't hesitate or underestimate the power of feedback in your instructional plan!