Bliss Tobin, Elementary Division Head

During the report-writing process, teachers are deep in reflection, combing through student work, and thoughtfully considering each child’s strengths and goals. They easily log an additional work week into the month of January, between writing narratives and completing the learning outcome criteria. However, the summative evaluations reported in the mid-year and end-of-year reports are hardly the only assessments in place.

The goal of summative assessment is to compare student learning to curricular expectations at the end of a given period of instruction. Formative assessments may well occur on a daily basis, and are defined by researcher Robert Marzano as “any activity that provides sound feedback on student learning. Characteristics of sound feedback include that it should be frequent, give students a clear picture of their progress and how they might improve, and provide encouragement.”

In the Elementary Division, teachers employ a wide variety of assessments, both formative and summative, to learn about their students’ progress, and to evaluate their own instruction, while also helping children gain a clear understanding of their own learning. Of course we place a high value on observational assessments, such as noticing a pattern in the way a child approaches a new task. Equally important are “running records”, a tool to evaluate the specific elements of a child’s reading progress as he or she reads aloud; teachers use these frequently to inform their instruction. Additionally, teachers make their assessment criteria for specific activities visible to their students, ensuring that learners can assess their progress and products using appropriate objectives. For example, when creating a board game in math, fourth graders are required to apply probability concepts at each space on the board, and are assessed (in part) for the accuracy with which they do so.

When students enter fourth grade, TBS faculty begin to augment their assessment data by using a norm-referenced assessment tool — the MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) test. Teachers administer the MAP test three times per year, which yields evaluative data in specific areas of literacy and mathematics; that data is then shared with families and used by faculty and administration to inform instruction and program improvement work. MAP is formative assessment in that teachers use this data to tailor current instruction for the group and for individuals. It also serves as a summative assessment to validate observed progress, and to clarify understanding of each student’s strengths and challenges.

MaryBeth Ventura, Middle School Division Head

By the time TBS students reach Middle School, they are accustomed to teachers regularly assessing their progress towards a learning objective. Middle School assessments continue to build students’ ability to self-assess, and also help prepare them for their various high school experiences. In Spanish class, students receive explicit feedback about their accent and pronunciation while reading aloud in class. Math students complete regular “check-in” assessments to establish current levels of skill acquisition and concept understanding. Humanities students share GoogleDoc-based writing with teachers and peers, all of whom can make suggestions for revision. The revision history of each document helps students and teachers see, together, what progress has been made and where areas for future growth lie. At the same time, teachers work explicitly to build students’ ability to prepare successfully for summative assessments, such as unit tests in Science or debates about alternative energy resources.

Students who move through nine years at the University Avenue Campus graduate with the understanding that both formative and summative assessment are essential components of learning. They expect to be assessed thoughtfully and thoroughly, in multiple ways, and they understand how to assess themselves objectively. We know of few better ways to empower students to be active, reflective learners, and to give them the agency that they need to engage a changing world successfully.  

Bliss Tobin
Elementary Division Head
btobin@theberkeleyschool.org

MaryBeth Ventura
Middle School Division Head
mventura@theberkeleyschool.org