Using CTS to Develop Formative Assessment Probes

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Using CTS to Develop Formative Assessment Probes

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  www.ncosp.wwu.edu

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Teacher Leadership
Leadership skills
Content and pedagogy
Enhancing Student Learning
Professional Learning Communities
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Where are we going?

• February
• March
• Summer 2007

• Content and Pedagogy
• Developing Formative Assessment Probes
• Looking at Student Work for evidence of learning
• Establish Professional Learning Communities to
  routinely use these practices

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Goals for Today

• To learn about a CTS process for developing
  assessment probes that uncover students ideas
  and inform instruction (see CTS Chapter 4 pp
  80-83)
• To provide additional guided practice in using
  CTS to explore a topic using key ideas from
  standards and research on students ideas
• To develop your own assessment probe using the
  CTS development process

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Formative Assessment Probes

• A probe is a purposefully designed question
  that reveals more than just an answer. A probe
  elicits a response that helps teachers identify
  students ideas about phenomena or a concept.
  Probes are also used to encourage thinking and
  sharing of ideas.

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Science Preconceptions

• Naïve Ideas
• Commonly Held Ideas
• Incomplete Ideas
• Alternative Conceptions
• Misunderstandings
• Facets of Understanding

They can be a good thing!
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Probe vs. Task- Websters Definitions

• Probe- a usually small object that is inserted
  into something so as to test conditions at a
  given point a device used to penetrate or send
  back information a device used to obtain
  specific information for diagnostic purposes
• Task- a usually assigned piece of work often to
  be finished within a certain time something hard
  or unpleasant that has to be done

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Developing Probes
Specific learning goal(s)
Commonly held ideas

Assessment Probe
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Specific Learning Goals (NSES)

• K-4 Light can be reflected by a mirror,
  refracted by a lens, or absorbed by the object.
• 5-8 Light interacts with matter by transmission
  (including refraction), absorption, or scattering
  (including reflection). To see an object, light
  from that object- emitted by or scattered from
  it- must enter the eye.

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Commonly Held Ideas

• Middle school students will accept the idea that
  mirrors reflect light but may not accept the idea
  that ordinary objects reflect light (AAAS, 1993).
• Students ideas about reflection may be context
  bound. Some students describe light as bouncing
  off mirrors but not other objects. A few lacked a
  conception of light bouncing or reflecting off
  any objects. A majority of the sample of K-8
  children surveyed thought color to be a property
  of an object rather than reflected light off an
  object (Driver et al., 1994).

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Putting the Two Together

• Specific Learning Goal
• To see an object, light from that object- emitted
  by or scattered from it- must enter the eye.
• Commonly Held Idea
• Some students describe light as bouncing off
  mirrors but not other objects.

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Three Probe Components

• Assessment Prompt
• Forced Choices
• Justification

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Prompt
Forced Choice(s)
Justification
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Types of Probes

• Justified List
• Determines how students apply scientific ideas to
  a variety of objects or phenomena.

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Types of Probes (continued)

• Prediction Probe
• Asks students what they think will happen in a
  familiar situation

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Types of Probes (continued)

• Familiar Phenomena Probe
• Elicit thinking about relevant, everyday
  phenomena.

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Types of Probes (continued)

• Friendly Talk Probe
• Set in a context where two or more individuals
  talk about their ideas of science concepts.

Can also be in the form of a Concept Cartoon
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Types of Probes (continued)

• Comparison Probe
• Students are given contrasting objects or
  processes to compare and are asked to select and
  justify which one matches the given statement.

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Assessment Probes Developed Using CTS

• Uncovering Students Ideas in Science- 25
  Formative Assessment Probes (Vol 1 2)

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Stop- Think- Share

• Why do we need these types of assessments?
• What do teachers need to know to develop these
  types of probes?
• How can the CTS tools and resources support
  development of probes ?

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Guided Practice CTS Formative Assessment Probe
Scaffold
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Anatomy of CTS Study GuidesExample page 163

• Section I. Identify Adult Content Knowledge
• Section II. Consider Instructional Implications
• Section III. Identify Concepts and Specific Ideas
• Section IV. Examine Research on Student Learning
• Section V. Examine Coherency and Articulation
• Section VI. Clarify State Standards and District
  Curriculum

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Designing Formative Assessment Probes - Scaffold

• Identify the CTS guide
• List specific ideas
• List research findings (preconceptions)
• Match
• Select probe format
• Develop prompt and response
• Get feedback and pilot
• Give probe, analyze data and use results to take
  action

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Step 1 Identify a CTS Guide for the topic you
want to assess- Conservation of Matter p 163
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Step 2- List Specific Ideas

• Working with one other person, find the yellow
  ideas on your table and group them by grade level.

In chemical reactions, the total mass is
conserved. NSES, p. 154
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Step 3- List Findings from the Research

• Find the blue ideas on your table and group them
  by related concepts

Chemical or physical change may determine whether
students regard mass as being conserved. (Making
Sense of Secondary Science)
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Step 4- Matching an Idea with a Research Finding
(Science)
Look for matches between the ideas on the yellow
cards and the research ideas on the blue cards.
Select one match to focus on.
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Step 5 - Select a Format

• Select a match between the specific ideas and the
  research findings that you identified in Step 4.
• Determine a format for your probe (Justified
  List, Prediction, Familiar Phenomena, Friendly
  Talk, or Comparison Probe)

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Step 6- The Probe
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Steps 7 and 8

• Share draft of Probe for feedback.
• Pilot with a sample of students and modify as
  needed.
• Use the probe to collect data on students
  thinking.
• What do the responses tell you about your
  students ideas and ways of reasoning?
• What will you do with this information?

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Reflection

• Think about how you have developed and used
  formative assessments in your classroom.
• Review the Designing Formative Assessment Probes
  Scaffold and compare how you have used
  formative assessment in your classroom with the
  CTS process.
• Share with others at your table.

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Developing Your Own Probe!

• Choose a topic. Focus on a single grade level.
• Use the scaffold to complete Steps 1-6.
• Use the probe development worksheet to track your
  work.
• Post a draft on chart paper for feedback
• When finished, save onto a flash drive and give
  to facilitator.

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Reflection

• How does the collaborative process of designing
  CTS assessment probes contribute to and enhance
  professional learning?
• What central role does CTS play in this process?
• How might you use this process in your work?