Assessment for Learning Practices

Pathway: Assessment

SRSN is excited to once again offer an Assessment Series led by Lindsey Troutman in partnership with Marzano Resources. Lindsey’s sessions were highly attended last spring, and we are thrilled to bring her expertise back. Please note that, per the Marzano contract, recordings of these sessions can only be shared for one-year.

This series will revisit key topics, including proficiency scales, innovative and authentic assessment practices, and the use of portfolios—all from the perspective of personalized, competency-based learning. Participants are encouraged to join all sessions or select those most relevant to their interests.

Developing and Utilizing Assessments in a Competency-Based Systems

Intended Audience: Leaders of SRSN Districts and State and Regional Organizations, Principals, Instructional Coaches, Teachers

Outcomes

  • Design assessments aligned with proficiency scales and competencies.

  • Implement strategies for using assessment evidence to provide targeted feedback.

  • Explore how to use assessment as evidence to measure student progress, provide feedback, and adjust instruction.

  • Understand the types and uses of assessment.

Explore the essential role of assessment/evidence of student learning in competency-based learning environments. Participants will take measure of their assessment practices and learn research-based practices for using quality, diverse assessments to gather evidence of student learning, provide feedback, and monitor and adjust instruction.

Designing and Implementing Authentic Assessments

Intended Audience: Leaders of SRSN Districts and State and Regional Organizations, Principals, Instructional Coaches, Teachers

Outcomes

  • Create authentic assessments aligned with proficiency scales and competencies.

  • Integrate multiple pathways for students to demonstrate mastery.

  • Evaluate student work using clear, consistent, and competency-aligned criteria.

Delve into the design of authentic assessments that mirror real-world tasks and align with competencies. Learn strategies for creating performance-based assessments that allow students to demonstrate mastery through practical application.

Leveraging Proficiency Scales for Effective Assessment Systems

Intended Audience: Leaders of SRSN Districts and State and Regional Organizations, Principals, Instructional Coaches, Teachers

Outcomes

  • Understand the structure and purpose of proficiency scales in competency-based assessment.

  • Avoid common assessment pitfalls by aligning assessments with proficiency scales.

  • Develop a system for recording and interpreting student scores over time and assigning summative or current status scores.

Discover how to use proficiency scales to build a robust, reliable, and valid classroom assessment system. Participants will explore common assessment pitfalls, such as violating unidimensionality and over-testing, and learn strategies for consistent scoring and recording practices.

Collaborative Data-Driven Decision-Making

Intended Audience: Leaders of SRSN Districts and State and Regional Organizations, Principals, Instructional Coaches, Teachers

Outcomes

  • Utilize classroom assessments to identify areas for growth and inform teaching strategies.

  • Use data to set goals and track progress within a growth-to-mastery system.

  • Collaborate with colleagues to make data-informed instructional decisions.

Learn how to use assessment data to gather evidence of student learning and drive instructional practices. Participants will examine tools and strategies for analyzing data collaboratively in Collaborative Teams or Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and identifying actionable steps for growth.

Portfolio Work in a Personalized Competency-Based Learning Environment

Intended Audience: Leaders of SRSN Districts and State and Regional Organizations, Principals, Instructional Coaches, Teachers

Outcomes

  • Design student portfolios that align with growth-to-mastery principles.

  • Use portfolios to support student reflection, self-assessment, and goal setting.

  • Apply knowledge of assessments of student learning to “assess more and test less.”

Understand how to integrate student portfolios into a competency-based system. Participants will explore how portfolios showcase student growth, support assessment literacy, and provide a platform for reflection and goal setting.

Building Assessment Literacy in Competency-Based Systems

Intended Audience: Leaders of SRSN Districts and State and Regional Organizations, Principals, Instructional Coaches, Teachers

Outcomes

  • Support students in understanding and using growth-to-mastery assessment tools.

  • Engage families in conversations about student progress and assessment practices.

  • Build teacher capacity to interpret and act on data from growth-to-mastery assessments.

This session in the series provides an opportunity for leaders to share their questions and needs for support in order to personalize the concepts shared in sessions 1-5 as well as examine strategies for fostering assessment literacy among students, families, and teachers.

Facilitator

Lindsey Troutman

Lindsey Troutman

Lindsey Troutman has had the opportunity to serve as an educator (grades 5-12) and in district leadership roles as a Curriculum Coordinator in English Language Arts and Social Studies (K-12), Director of Advanced Academics and Gifted and Talented Services, and as an Executive Director of College, Career, and Military Readiness. She is passionate about high-quality teaching and learning and supporting transformative education to ensure learning for all.

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Visit the Deeper Learning Pathways webpage to select your next learning experience.

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