Assess for Success: Purposeful Planning with Danielson 3d

Understanding the connection between what is taught and what is learned is a vital part of your classroom practice.

G. FAITH LITTLE
Initiative Director, 21st Century Learning
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One effective tool we use when delving into new content is the resource It says...I say...So... With this tool as our guide, we can explore Danielson’s Framework for Teaching, 3d Using Assessment in Instruction.

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Danielson 3d says...

“Assessment of student learning plays an important new role in teaching: no longer signaling the end of instruction, it is now recognized to be an integral part of instruction. While assessment of learning has always been and will continue to be an important aspect of teaching (it’s important for teachers to know whether students have learned what teachers intend), assessment for learning has increasingly come to play an important role in classroom practice. And in order to assess student learning for the purposes of instruction, teachers must have a “finger on the pulse” of a lesson, monitoring student understanding and, where feedback is appropriate, offering it to students.”

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This means...
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• Assessment isn’t something that we do only at the end of a lesson or unit. Now, we know that assessment is essential in all parts of the learning process. 
• It has been and will be important for us, as teachers, to see clearly what students have learned. Assessments show me if what I intended to teach is actually what students learned. This understanding of the connection between what I teach and what is learned is a vital part of my practice. 
• I must be fully present in my lesson and with my students in order to assess their learning. I need to notice what is happening for students and offer feedback in the moment, based on what I’m seeing. ​

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This looks like...
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• Paying close attention to evidence of student understanding
• Posing questions specifically created to elicit evidence of student understanding
• Circulating to monitor student learning and to offer feedback 
• Students assessing their own work against established criteria

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This is challenging, because...
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• We often have MANY students! Monitoring all students' learning can be challenging. 
• Offering and providing feedback to large numbers of students can feel overwhelming. 
• It’s difficult to know how to respond, in the moment, when a student doesn’t understand. 
• When helping one, it often means we’re leaving all the others behind. 
• We were often taught that assessment is at the end of a lesson or unit.

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So...

Let’s consider formative assessments. They are most helpful to us when making instructional decisions. They are used to monitor student learning and inform feedback. They help give us an overall picture of a child’s achievement. Formative assessments are used throughout the lesson. 

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You can try...

Below are a few examples of practical pre-instruction assessments you can try in your classroom.

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What are you trying in your classroom? What do you want to integrate into your practice? Tell us more in the comments! Learn more about opportunities to Design Coherent Instruction for your students. 

PURPOSEFUL PLANNING

UNPACK THE DANIELSON FRAMEWORK

RETHINKING BASELINE ASSESSMENTS