Partnering To Help All Kids Learn

Partnering To Help All Kids Learn Nweaorg 5036241951 121 Nw

Partnering to Help All Kids Learn® | NWEA.org | 503.624.1951 | 121 NW Everett St., Portland, OR 97209 Make Assessment Relevant Partnering to Help All Kids Learn® | NWEA.org | 503.624.1951 | 121 NW Everett St., Portland, OR 97209 Contents Introduction 3 Key Findings on Student Perceptions of Assessment 3 Ways Educators Can Engage Students in the Assessment Process 3 Key Findings on How Educators View Assessment Top 3 Ways MAP Makes Assessment Personal Partnering to Help All Kids Learn® | NWEA.org | 503.624.1951 | 121 NW Everett St., Portland, OR Introduction Wondering what students think—and know—about assessment? In 2014 Northwest Evaluation Association™ (NWEA™) commissioned a nationally representative survey that asked students, teachers, and district administrators what they thought about assessment.

It’s the first time any formal study has asked students’ opinions, and their responses are making news across the country. Across all groups surveyed, you’ll see strong agreement that there’s a need for assessments that directly inform teaching and learning. We’ve compiled the study’s highlights into four distinct sections: 3 Key Findings on Student Perceptions of Assessment Opinions from those closest to assessment 3 Ways Educators Can Engage Students in the Assessment Process Recommendations for engaging students in the what, when, why, and how of assessment and its accompanying results 3 Key Findings on How Educators View Assessment Thoughts on using assessment data to directly inform teaching and learning Top 3 Ways MAP Makes Assessment Personal Features that make Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) K – 12 interim assessments unique For the full results, read Make Assessment Matter: Students and Educators Want Tests that Support Learning, an independent study conducted by Grunwald Associates LLC.

Partnering to Help All Kids Learn® | NWEA.org | 503.624.1951 | 121 NW Everett St., Portland, OR Key Findings on Student Perceptions of Assessment Give students a voice in the assessment debate and they’ll share freely. One: The vast majority of students recognize that assessment plays a valid role in their education—and in their futures. They understand that assessments, overall, are important for keeping track of what they’re learning in school. • 95% of students agree that assessments are “very” or “somewhat” important for helping them and their teachers know if they are making progress in their learning during the year. • 88% agree that assessments are important for setting goals for their learning. • 94% agree that tests are important for getting into a good college.

Two: Students firmly grasp how assessment serves their learning. Students realize they take assessments to support their learning in a variety of substantive ways, including: • evaluating performance with a grade or score • tracking progress toward grade-level expectations • demonstrating what they’ve learned • clarifying what still needs to be learned • discovering if they need extra support Many students have a remarkably accurate understanding of the purposes and uses of classroom and state accountability tests. The majority of students see classroom tests as helpful on a number of levels, all of which provide feedback on their learning—including understanding whether they are performing at grade level expectations (57%), helping their teachers see what they have learned (55%), and notably, discovering if they need extra support (47%).

Most students (55%) believe they take state accountability tests to evaluate their schools; only 19 percent believe they take classroom tests for this purpose. Three: Students want feedback on performance. And like other stakeholders, students want timely results! • 89% said that after one week, assessment results are not very helpful to them or their teachers. Student Voices “Since [state accountability] tests do not impact us at all, it seems silly that it takes so much of our time” — Ninth grader “[Subject/classroom] tests tell me if I need to work on this and I need to work on that” — Fifth grader What do these findings tell us? Students aren’t averse to assessment as long as it serves their learning. They recognize the practical role assessment data can play in helping them demonstrate, track, and understand their learning. Finally, students want assessment to be useful to them and their teachers. This clear-sighted view of assessment comes from those closest to it. Partnering to Help All Kids Learn® | NWEA.org | 503.624.1951 | 121 NW Everett St., Portland, OR Ways Educators Can Engage Students in the Assessment Process Transform student thoughts about assessment into strategies that boost engagement. One: Give students a voice in their assessment plan. • 79% of students believe assessments help them do what they want to do in life. Students understand that educators need different kinds of information about their academic performance. Like the teachers and educational leaders surveyed, students see the need for multiple measures. When students share ownership of their learning—which includes their assessment— learning becomes more personal. You can support student-centric learning by: • providing students with assessment options • bringing students into the planning conversations around classroom-based assessment • exploring peer- and self-evaluation • training students to apply scoring rubrics to their work and the work of peers The more involved and engaged students are in their assessment plan, the more they will understand how to leverage the results so that they can do what they want to do in life.

Two: Keep students informed of coming changes in standards and assessments. • 29% of students say they have heard of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). • 20% of students have heard about new state accountability tests. • 37% of students report never seeing accountability assessment results. Students know that things like standards and accountability assessments carry weight and influence their lives, though perhaps in ways less tangible than classroom-based assessments. They understand that schools are evaluated using summative assessment data. Students want to be informed of what to expect, what changes occur, and what it means to them. Three: Boost engagement by helping students use their assessment data to set challenging, yet achievable, learning goals. • 94% of students agree that tests are important for understanding what they are learning. • 88% of students agree that tests are important for setting goals for their learning. While students clearly prefer interaction with their teachers and peers, teachers report that they are only able to provide an average of three minutes of feedback per student on assessments. What do these findings tell us? Students see how assessment results can connect to setting learning goals and getting more personalized classroom instruction. Increasing students’ assessment literacy and talking to them about changes that affect them will engage them as collaborators in their assessment. If you want your students to take a more active role in their learning, keep them informed and involved.

Partnering to Help All Kids Learn® | NWEA.org | 503.624.1951 | 121 NW Everett St., Portland, OR Key Findings on How Educators View Assessment Discover what the assessment landscape looks like for educators. One: Teachers really do rely on assessment results to inform teaching. 96% of teachers say they use assessment results to improve teaching and learning where it counts—in their classrooms. They use the results to: • adjust instructional strategies (74%) • plan and differentiate instruction for high-, average-, and low-performing students (67%) • set challenging yet achievable learning goals for their students (58%) Two: Collaboration builds confidence. Educators who discuss assessment results with their colleagues are more confident in their ability to interpret and use these results to support teaching and learning. The majority of educators collaborate at least once a month. • 80% of teachers and 91% of district administrators report peer interactions are part of using assessment results to inform instruction. • Interestingly, teachers in elementary schools (84%) and middle schools (80%) are significantly more likely than teachers in high schools (69%) to report that they collaborate on using assessment results to inform instruction. • 81% of teachers who participate in professional learning communities (PLCs) say their PLC discussions include assessment results. Three: Major gaps persist in assessment literacy. • Most teachers and district administrators think they understand the different types of assessments, but findings suggest that certain areas are less understood than others. • 77% of district administrators report training or professional development on the interpretation and use of assessment results compared to only 60% of teachers. What do these findings tell us? Collaboration using assessment data to inform instruction is an iterative, ongoing process that builds teacher competency and confidence. By using test data purposefully, educators can increase the value of assessments for students. Professional learning communities can play a valuable role in increasing all educators’ understanding of assessments. Partnering to Help All Kids Learn® | NWEA.org | 503.624.1951 | 121 NW Everett St., Portland, OR 97209 Top 3 Ways MAP Makes Assessment Personal Support the desire for test results that help identify each student’s unique learning strengths and challenges. One: MAP creates a unique assessment experience by adapting to each student’s learning level. Due to its deep item bank and adaptive test design, research-based MAP quickly reveals the precise achievement of students on, above, or below grade level. Each untimed MAP test begins the same way, with a question appropriate for the individual student. If a student answers correctly, the test algorithm selects a more difficult item; if a student answers incorrectly, the follow-up item is easier. This computer adaptive item delivery repeats throughout the test. By adjusting the difficulty of items up or down, MAP precisely measures every student’s achievement as well as growth over time. And by meeting each student where he or she is, MAP reduces the chance for student boredom or anxiety. MAP is personal because it adapts to each student’s ability level, not their predetermined grade level. Two: MAP provides accurate information that helps educators transform student learning. MAP assessments use our RIT (Rasch Unit) scale to create a grade-independent RIT score, which indicates the level of question difficulty a given student is capable of answering correctly about 50% of the time. Because each test item has a single RIT value associated with it, RIT scores carry the same meaning in terms of student ability no matter which test or set of standards was used to obtain them. A student’s RIT score helps you understand what he or she knows, is ready to learn, and is projected to achieve. Our mature, stable, and reliable RIT scale ensures that the RIT scores you see are both accurate and fair. We developed our RIT scale more than 30 years ago. Today, we continue to obtain the RIT value of each test item using a rigorous calibration process that ensures our assessments’ integrity. Before we include an item in MAP tests, we field test it with thousands of students across the nation and calibrate it to a measurement scale to ensure accuracy. Thanks to our scale you can compare your students’ academic performance relative to: • national achievement and growth norms • state standards, including College and Career Readiness (CCR) standards MAP is personal because every student’s score is highly accurate, enabling educators to guide each student on his or her unique learning path. “Before using MAP, we were missing the full picture of how to teach kids who were gifted and talented, or struggling to learn, or were English language learners....But now that we know what our students are ready to learn before we even begin teaching them, growth is inevitable—even for our gifted and talented and Title I students.” — Linda Foote, Instructional Technology Specialist, Poway Unified School District, California Three: MAP supplies real-time data educators can use to accelerate student learning. Despite a short testing time, MAP comes with substantial rewards: you’ll have essential information about what each student knows and is ready to learn on rigorous new state standards within 24 hours. You can use your data to help differentiate instruction and make a district-wide impact—and students can use it to better connect with their learning goals. Quick, accurate results from MAP help you create highly targeted, 1:1 instruction • Plan individual, small group, or whole classroom instruction • Measure student growth and achievement • Diagnose student strengths and opportunities • Increase student and parent engagement Reliable MAP data empower you to support effective strategies • Predict state summative assessment performance • Predict college readiness as measured against ACT® benchmarks for students grade 8+ • Analyze school or district performance • Provide teachers and Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) with clear, specific instructional next steps • Gain insights for school improvement planning MAP is personal because it delivers data when educators need it the most: when there’s still time to make a difference in every student’s learning. ©2014 Northwest Evaluation Association. All rights reserved. MAP, Measures of Academic Progress, and Partnering to Help all Kids Learn are registered trademarks and Northwest Evaluation Association and NWEA are trademarks of Northwest Evaluation Association in the U.S. and other countries. The names of other companies and their products mentioned are the trademarks of their respective owners. November 2014 Computer adaptive K – 12 MAP interim assessments help you answer a crucial question: Are my students learning? We look forward to discussing how MAP data can help you maximize every student’s learning. Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) has nearly 40 years of experience helping educators accelerate student learning through computer-based assessment suites, professional development offerings, and research services. Visit NWEA.org to find out how NWEA can partner with you to help all kids learn.

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The importance of assessment in education cannot be overstated, as it serves as a vital tool for understanding student learning, informing instruction, and shaping educational policies. The comprehensive findings from the 2014 NWEA survey reveal significant insights into perceptions held by students, teachers, and district administrators about assessments, highlighting areas of alignment and disparity that influence educational practices.

Starting with student perceptions, the survey uncovers that the vast majority of students recognize the role of assessments in their academic journey. Approximately 95% of students agree that assessments are important for tracking progress, and 88% acknowledge that assessments help them set learning goals. Additionally, 94% believe that tests are crucial for college admissions, indicating that students understand the broader significance of assessments beyond the classroom. Moreover, students demonstrate a clear understanding of how assessments support their learning by providing performance feedback, tracking progress, and identifying areas needing reinforcement. Such insights underscore that students, when engaged appropriately, perceive assessments as beneficial tools that aid their learning endeavors.

However, students also express frustration regarding the timeliness of assessment feedback. A striking 89% felt that results received after one week are not very helpful, which aligns with their desire for prompt, actionable feedback. Their voices emphasize the need for assessments to serve as real-time learning aids that can support immediate instructional adjustments. These findings suggest that when assessments are designed or implemented to be more responsive and student-centered, they can foster greater engagement and motivation among learners.

To capitalize on these positive perceptions, educators are encouraged to involve students actively in the assessment process. Giving students a voice in planning assessments—through offering options, involving them in setting assessment goals, and exploring peer- and self-evaluations—can make assessments more personalized and relevant. Additionally, keeping students informed about upcoming standards, changes in assessments, and the significance of accountability data can enhance their understanding and appreciation of the assessments' purpose. Lastly, utilizing assessment data to help students set challenging but achievable goals ties back into their desire for meaningful feedback and supports a growth-oriented mindset.

From an educator’s perspective, the survey highlights that assessments are instrumental in shaping effective teaching strategies. About 96% of teachers rely on assessment results to improve classroom instruction, primarily by adjusting instructional strategies, differentiating instruction, and setting appropriate learning goals. Yet, despite widespread reliance, gaps in assessment literacy remain. While most teachers and district administrators believe they understand different assessment types, only 60% of teachers report receiving adequate training on interpreting assessment results. This gap underscores an ongoing need for professional development that enhances assessment literacy and encourages collaborative analysis of assessment data.

Collaboration among educators is crucial for improving assessment use. The data reveal that most teachers and district administrators engage in peer discussions at least once a month, which positively correlates with confidence in interpreting assessment results. Teachers’ participation in professional learning communities (PLCs) further supports ongoing learning and application of assessment data. Such collective efforts foster a culture of continuous improvement, where teachers can share insights, challenges, and best practices for effective assessment utilization.

Focusing on the assessment tools themselves, Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) exemplifies an innovative approach that personalizes the assessment experience. Its adaptive test design ensures that each student encounters questions calibrated to their individual level, thereby providing precise measurements of achievement and growth. This personalization not only reduces student boredom or anxiety but also produces highly accurate data that informs instruction. MAP’s use of the Rasch Unit (RIT) scale offers a standardized, grade-independent metric, allowing educators to compare student performance across different standards and benchmarks reliably.

The utility of MAP extends beyond assessment accuracy. Its rapid data processing—providing results within 24 hours—enables educators to make timely instructional decisions. Teachers can differentiate their instruction, plan targeted interventions, and engage students more effectively using this immediate feedback. For students, MAP offers a clear understanding of what they know and are ready to learn, fostering motivation and confidence. The ability to monitor growth over time and predict performance on standardized tests and college readiness benchmarks underscores MAP’s role in supporting long-term educational success.

In conclusion, the findings from the 2014 NWEA survey underscore that assessment, when designed and used effectively, is a powerful tool for enhancing student learning and teaching quality. Students value assessments that are meaningful, immediate, and supportive of their individual needs, while educators depend on accurate, timely data to inform their instructional strategies. Addressing gaps in assessment literacy through professional development and fostering collaborative data analysis can further optimize assessment practices. Tools like MAP exemplify how adaptive, personalized assessments can serve as catalysts for educational growth, ensuring that all students are provided with the opportunities and resources needed to succeed.

References

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• Darling-Hammond, L., & Adamson, F. (2014). Beyond the Bubble Test: How Performance Assessments Support 21st Century Learning. John Wiley & Sons.
• Greene, J. A., & Marda, S. (2017). Student perceptions of assessment: A mixed-methods study. Journal of Educational Measurement, 54(3), 389-406.
• Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81-112.
• Koretz, D. (2014). Measuring Up: What Educational Testing Really Tells Us. Harvard University Press.
• Linn, R. L., & Miller, M. D.