Strong Teams, Strong Results

FOCUS

Strong teams, strong results

Formative assessment helps teacher teams strengthen equity

By Michelle Crowell and Nancy Love

October 2018

Vol. 39 No. 5

At a diverse elementary school, a grade-level planning team is meeting about an upcoming lesson and creating an exit ticket, a brief formative assessment tool to check for students’ understanding. School administrators have recently asked special educators and language development specialists to become part of the collaborative team. As the group begins working on the exit ticket, one special education teacher expresses concern: “My students couldn’t do that. It’s too hard for them. They will get discouraged.” Teams can strengthen courage, conviction, and cultural proficiency to make progress toward equity, one team meeting at a time. Embedded in each step are high-expectations messages that teachers continually communicate to students. Her teammate pushes back gently, “I think with modifications this assessment can work for all our

Read the remaining content with membership access. Join or log in below to continue.

Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem.

Authors

Nancy Love and Michelle Crowell

Nancy Love ([email protected]) is a senior consultant at Research for Better Teaching. Michelle Crowell ([email protected]) is principal of Parlin School in Everett, Massachusetts.

References

Black, P. & Wiliam, D. (2009). Developing the theory of formative assessment. Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Accountability, 21(1), 5-31.

Cohen, G.L. & Steele, C.M. (2002). A barrier of mistrust: How stereotypes affect cross-race mentoring. In J. Aronson (Ed.). Improving academic achievement: Impact of psychological factors on education (pp. 305-327). Oxford, England: Academic Press.

Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching & the brain: Promoting authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Hattie, J. (2017, December). 250+ influences on student achievement. Available at www.visiblelearningplus.com.

Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing the impact on learning. New York, NY: Routledge.

Love, N., Stiles, K.E., Mundry, S., & DiRanna, K. (2008). The data coach’s guide to improving learning for all students. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Popham, J. (2017). Classroom assessment: What teachers need to know (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Saphier, J., Haley-Speca, M., & Gower, R. (2018). The skillful teacher: The comprehensive resource for improving teaching and learning (7th ed., p. 410). Acton, MA: Research for Better Teaching.