How Teachers Use Students to Assess Learning

This post is third of a series based on excepts from my book on Student-Engaged Assessment: Strategies to Empower All Learners by Laura Greenstein and Mary Ann Burke (2020). You can purchase the book from Roman and Littlefield for charts, examples, and worksheets on how to engage students to become owners of their learning successes.

Example of How Academic Standards Are Applied to Individualized Student Assessed Learning

As teachers increase their use of students to assess their own learning, lesson plans can include the academic standards that will be used in various project-based learning activities. The table below illustrates how specific academic standards can be integrated in various subject areas. Once the standards and activities are defined, teachers can assess each students’ learning readiness. Additionally, students must clarify how each standard can support a learning intention. Once students define a learning intention relevant to specific standards, they are able to identify how they will demonstrate their learning outcomes and rely on their own selection of resources to support their learning successes.

Student Readiness for Applying Standards to Learning Assessments

As students become confident in their abilities to apply academic standards to specific learning activities, they will develop self-confidence and achieve academic successes.

Our November 16th post will explain how students assess their learning outcomes. For more charts, examples, and worksheets on how to engage students to own their learning, you can purchase Student-Engaged Assessment: Strategies to Empower All Learners by Laura Greenstein and Mary Ann Burke (2020) from Roman and Littlefield.

What Teachers Can Do To Increase Student Learning

This post is second of a series based on excepts from my book on Student-Engaged Assessment: Strategies to Empower All Learners by Laura Greenstein and Mary Ann Burke (2020). You can purchase the book from Roman and Littlefield for charts, examples, and worksheets on how to engage students to become owners of their learning successes.

Student Ownership of Their Learning

Student ownership of their learning abilities encourages deeper learning. This means exploring learning through multiple lenses to uncover the complex intricacies of learning. For younger children, it is not attending a field trip to a bee farm, but thinking about what would happen if there were no longer bees in the world. Or perhaps, learning about dinosaurs and then creating a dinosaur that could live in today’s environment. Deeper learning helps students recognize that straightforward information often has weightier and broader meanings: And that it can be fun and creative to delve into these ideas.

When students in Ms. Ems’ fifth-grade class were asked to think about a world with no bees, Aman said, “That would be great, because my sister is allergic.” Amira added, “But, I would really miss honey on my peanut butter sandwich.” Ms. Ems explained the importance of bees in pollination and then asked students to imagine a world without whales, or hate, or even teachers.

Student Development of Individualized Learning Intentions

As students become owners of their learning, they begin by identifying the central ideas of a topic, pair these with big-picture standards, develop local learning intentions, and then plan and personalize those aims and goals. In the past, all the students would have watched a video, gone on a field trip, or invited an expert, such as a beekeeper to visit the class to talk about pollination and the production of honey.

Student-Engaged Classrooms

In a student-engaged classroom, students demonstrate their understanding of the broad learning intentions. For example, students can explain the life stages of the honey bee, the construction of their hives, how bees communicate, their role in pollination, and the production and uses of honey. They can then choose a path and strategy for further learning.

Marcella prefers to work solo and wants to create a precise diagram of the inside of a hive. Chester and Deshi want to work together to present the stages of a honey bee’s life. Chara wants to do “something” with honey but isn’t sure yet. She begins by exploring the source, types, nutrients, and uses of honey.

Each student or group then develops and describes their purposes and strategies for learning. They also consider how they can show what they learned and have it assessed in relation to their learning purposes. Each step in the learning process includes specific and intentional learning actions and also how each action and outcome will be assessed. This doesn’t mean there is a quiz after each step. Students monitor progress, adjust their progress, and display evidence with narratives and reflections.

Applying Standards to Student-Owned Learning Intentions

Today’s classrooms are standards-based places. Learning begins with large-scale standards (i.e. reading for information, solving real-world mathematical problems, planning and constructing explanations, and developing solutions). In relation to the honey bee project, those types of large-scale standards are too broad. They need to be customized so that students can understand the purpose and fine-tune their own learning intentions. Here are some examples:

• Reading for information is the foundation for identifying parts of a honeybee or illustrating their life cycle.
• Solving real-world problems can mean planning design specifications for a beehive or a garden that supports pollinators.
• In science, constructing explanations and designing solutions for vanishing bee populations leads to predicting a world without bees and proposing ways to prevent that from happening.
• Social studies standards can be used to explain how a hive is a culture and each type of bee has a specific role.
• Mapping the places in the world where bees are increasing and decreasing can lead to problem-solving.
• Reading materials can be as diverse as the straightforward “Flight of the Honey Bee” by Raymond Huber, “The Case of the Vanishing Bees” by Sandra Markle or for older students, the multilayered “The History of Bees” by Maja Lunde.

Aligning Learning Intentions to Student-Engaged Assessments

From these examples, you can see how student-engaged assessment can be specific to learning intentions and success criteria while being customizable and flexible. It’s not difficult to stretch beyond traditional standards and assessment methods such as quizzes that ask students to define vocabulary or to sequence the life cycle of bees. Higher level thinking such as critical thinking can be self-assessed using a rubric. Self-reflection of problem-solving skills can rely on an annotated checklist of the steps. Alternatively, students can design and create products such as an “Illustrated Guide to Honeybees” that aligns with the content standards and student learning intentions and also includes an assessment for the audience to complete.

Our November 9^th post will focus on how teachers can use students to assess learning in the classroom. For more charts, examples, and worksheets on how to engage students to own their learning, you can purchase Student-Engaged Assessment: Strategies to Empower All Learners by Laura Greenstein and Mary Ann Burke (2020) from Roman and Littlefield.

How Parents Can Support Student Success

This post is a parallel commentary from the parent perspective on Mary Ann Burke’s October 19, 2021 post “How You Can Support Student Success” from her series Student Engagement Assessment: Strategies to Empower All Learners.

Students Must Feel Safe and Secure

One of the basic foundational steps parents could take to foster success is to make sure your child has a designated spot for their studies. When children return home from school, this specific spot signifies a consistent, regular rhythm in their school day. They know that their learning and studies continue in this spot because it is reserved especially for them. When all their learning supplies are in one, accessible location, this spot becomes a reliable source for students to meet the challenge of learning something new, applying knowledge, and accomplishing their dreams. Students feel safe knowing that they can complete assignments and projects in this one spot.

Likewise, students feel secure knowing that a trusted adult has made their education and learning a priority. This adult role-model could show interest in assignments and projects, attend school events with the child, or ask the student if they need help on school studies. In addition to all things related to learning, students also need reassurance that a grown-up has invested time and energy to advocate for their mental health and well-being. A parent or trusted adult could also ask the student about social activities at school, friends they hang around, or for older children, how they feel about external influences like the news, social media, or politics. Asking for a young person’s opinion and respecting their viewpoints is a sure way to help students feel safe and secure.

Students Must Learn How to Ask Teachers to Clarify Learning Intentions

Communication in a classroom must be a two-way street. In order for students to have ownership of their learning, they must also learn how to ask for clarification from the teacher. In moments of frustration, it is easy for students to throw up their hands and say, “I don’t get it!” Parents can be instrumental in guiding students towards articulating and communicating what their learning needs might be from the teacher.

The first step you can take is to ask your child for the learning context. Ask your child “Can you explain what you are learning?” If your child is able to give you general background information about the class content, this is a good start!

Next, ask your child if they understand the learning task. It might sound something like “Do you know what the instructions are asking you to do?” or “What do you think you are supposed to do with the information the teacher gave you?” If your child is able to rephrase the learning task in their own words, they have a good idea what they are supposed to do. If they have difficulty understanding the directions, or they don’t understand what the outcome of the project is supposed to look like, help your child to articulate their question to ask the teacher. If your child is in one of the primary elementary grade levels, you may need to help compose an email to the teacher. As much as it is possible, encourage your child to ask the teacher directly for clarification, whether in class the next day, or by sending an email. This will inform the teacher whether or not they have made their learning intentions clear. With parent or adult support, this is a very valuable lesson for your child to take ownership of their learning!

Learning Assessments Must Inform and Guide Students

Within the range of classroom learning and performance assessments, teachers may give authentic assessments like projects or portfolios for students to demonstrate their learning. Inasmuch as these give students to flexibility to design how they will be assessed, parents must also frame the “traditional” pen and paper test as an informative assessment.

All too often, students receive a chapter review guide, take the chapter test, receive the score, and then quickly file away the test and disregard any learning opportunities from taking the test. Recently, my seventh-grade daughter took a math unit test. They did a lot to practice at home and review in class. Alas, she did not do well on the test! The teacher took the opportunity to use the assessment to inform and guide students to extend learning. He took the time to review the test in class and then gave a couple of options for students who wanted to learn from the assessment; they could either submit a “redo” of the missed test questions or retake the entire test. Either of these options would give them a chance to improve their grade. Additionally, the teacher also offered office hours during lunch and after school. As a parent, encourage your child to learn from their mistakes and take advantage of every opportunity to improve.

Ask the teacher what their policy is about using assessments to inform and guide students. Whether it be authentic assessments or the traditional test, communicate with the teacher that your ultimate goal for your child is that they be able to learn and improve with each learning opportunity.

Students Can Define How They Learn Best

Even as teachers are designing a variety of learning activities and assessments for students, parents can also encourage their children to take initiative to discover a wide spectrum of topics as they desire on the home front. Children may be interested in learning hands-on, kinesthetic activities like automotive mechanics, learning and applying a physical technique or skill in sports, or maybe even playing a musical instrument. Still yet, other children love challenging themselves to conquer math and engineering tasks, tackle outdoor survival skills, or immerse themselves into film production and editing. The possibilities are endless. As we nurture our children’s passions and infuse that with the foundations of learning at school, we support student success!

How You Can Support Student Success

This post is first of a series based on excepts from my book on Student-Engaged Assessment: Strategies to Empower All Learners by Laura Greenstein and Mary Ann Burke (2020). You can purchase the book from Roman and Littlefield for charts, examples, and worksheets on how to engage students to become owners of their learning successes.

Students Must Feel Safe and Secure

If children are to be successful, they must first feel safe and supported. Maslow taught us this in 1943 through his hierarchy of needs. Yet, for some learners, life is not safe. They may live in crime-ridden neighborhoods where it’s not safe to walk home from school. Others are chronically hungry. A student named Jake qualified for free/reduced lunches, but his mother was too proud to accept help. Jake would routinely show up at the learning lab, hoping there were some leftovers from the day’s snack. The teacher always put a little aside for him, and he was always appreciative in his own shy way.

By his junior year, he had taken and did well on ASVAB (the military aptitude test) and enrolled in the Delayed Entry Program. Two years after his high school graduation, he returned to his school to tell his story and thank his teachers, counselors, and especially the principal who mentored him through the process. He was proud of his promotion to Specialist and had already earned a service ribbon. Privately, he told me that he was glad to finally be able to pay his mother back for all the sacrifices she made for him. For Jake, building foundations of food, medical care, and stability in his life were essential foundations for success.

Teachers Must Clarify Learning Intentions

Well-being in assessment comes when students have a clear understanding of the learning intentions and also have opportunities to personalize and adjust them in ways that make sense to them and support their success. This may mean deconstructing large-scale standards into actionable and measurable interim steps. For example, “Compare two decimals by reasoning about their size” (CCSS Math 4.NF.C.7) becomes “I can read and understand decimals and put them in order.” When Carlita is asked on a test which answer is true (A) 0.7 > 0.4 or (B) 0.4 > 0.7, she becomes apprehensive when she can’t remember what that the “<” and “>” symbols mean. Fortunately, when her teacher posts that “>” means “is greater than,” she has an aha moment and completes the task accurately.

Once learners’ needs for safety and well-being are met and they feel academically and emotionally secure in their classroom, inclusion and belonging is another step towards personal achievement. Standardized tests are mandatory, but may not sustain these basic needs for struggling learners. Our series of blogs will preview classroom techniques and assessments that are inclusive of all learners, relevant to the student, and aligned with learning.

Learning Assessments Must Inform and Guide Students

Informative assessment is essential for all students, especially those who may feel disenfranchised or have experienced failure. Instructionally supportive assessment relies on frequent check-ins for understanding as well as feedback that provides clarification on misunderstandings and guidance on next steps. These assessments give learners voice, such as adding annotations to their responses or asking lingering questions within the assessment. Feedback can come from teachers as well as peers with these prompts: “What you said about ___ is very clear, but I’m still confused on___” or “I see you included ___ but have you also thought about ___?”

As students mature, they develop clearer ideas about who they are and how they think. They begin to recognize their strengths as well as struggles. This development of self-awareness and self-esteem can be fostered by assessments that encourage and guide students in monitoring their learning.  When students become reflective and flexible assessors, they can also personalize learning intentions. For example, when given a choice in showing understanding of event sequences, Wei decides to make an instructive video on writing a graphic novel, while Fiona wants to illustrate a user’s guide to sustainable gardens.

Students Can Define How They Learn Best

One day, Max said to his teacher, “I want to try something new for my project, but don’t want to be penalized for lack of creativity since it’s the first time I’m using Piktochart, an infographic maker.” After a brief conversation, they mutually agreed to count the content ratings of the rubric at 80% and the design ratings at 20%. With the pressure off, Max was inspired to try a new way to show his learning. In all these examples, consistency and clarity of learning objectives are central to success.

Our November 2^nd post will discuss what teachers can do to increase students’ learning successes. For more charts, examples, and worksheets on how to engage students to own their learning, you can purchase Student-Engaged Assessment: Strategies to Empower All Learners by Laura Greenstein and Mary Ann Burke (2020) from Roman and Littlefield.

Nurturing Our Kids’ Health and Spiritual Growth

It is important to guide children in their healthy growth by helping them select a balanced diet of fruit, vegetables, grains, dairy products, and protein foods each day. Parents can model healthy meal preparations that can have a significant impact on children’s health, academic performance, and sense of well-being throughout life. Parents must take the time to ensure that their children have time for outside daily play for healthy growth and development. Children can play at parks and participate in afterschool sports, recreational activities, and performing arts activities.

Teaching Kids About Nutrition

From an early age, parents try and provide their children with a balanced diet. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, children should eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, grains, and protein plus a side order of dairy for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and for snacks. By using a plate for portion control, fruits and vegetables should take up half the plate while grains and protein each take up one fourth of the plate. Parents can encourage their children to plan and prepare nutritional meals by having them help when preparing a nutritional meal. They can:

• Organize the kitchen before cooking by wiping down counters, setting up a recycle bin, and placing recipe ingredients and utensils on the counter for a recipe.
• Assemble recipes and adjust the quantities of ingredients for a larger or smaller family.
• Pick vegetables and fruits from the family vegetable garden or a neighborhood community garden.
• Wash fruits and vegetables and slice them in salads and for cooking as a side dish.
• Help prepare meat for grilling, baking, or mixing into a recipe.
• Clean up the kitchen as the meal is prepared.
• Set the table while the meal is cooking.
• Clean up after dinner by washing the dishes, taking out the garbage, and recycling.

Training Kids as Meal Planners

As students enter middle school, they can shop and plan for nutritional meals while using a budget. High school students can prepare nutritional meals for the family one night a week.

Added heathy living includes sharing quality time with your children each day. Activities may include outside play, a family dinner, homework time, family recreational time, time for reading, and talking to individual children each night before they go to bed. Most children cherish these times to share their personal growth successes and fears. Some families share these successes and challenges during the family dinner each night as a daily check-in activity. Families can celebrate successes and help each other problem-solve challenging situations.

Nurturing Family Recreation and Physical Fitness Activities

Family recreation and physical activities can include park days, family hiking days, and cultural experiences. Families can plan mini getaways that include camping, hiking, bicycling, and nature explorations. Middle school and high school kids can plan the family’s annual vacation by:

• Researching various destinations while considering the costs for lodging, meals, and activities within a specified budget and timeline
• Reviewing travel options and selecting an option when considering the budget, driving requirements, and road maps to the destination
• Creating a schedule of daily activities that meets the needs of family members

Providing Moral and Spiritual Guidance

As children venture into the world of school, playdates, and community activities, they will meet children and families with different moral and ethical values. It is important that parents clarify their family values and help their children problem-solve when introduced to moral and ethical challenges. A family can identify their values by:

• Convening a family meeting to discuss expectations for daily life with each family member
• Having each family member share what they think are the important values for their family
• Making a list of what each family member has shared and voting on four values
• Creating a family symbol that artistically represents the four values that received the most votes
• Framing and displaying the family values symbol in a prominent location at home

Reinforcing Family Values

Families can review their list of values weekly at family meetings and when trying to decide on activities that the family will participate in that may reinforce these values. Families can consider adding or changing values over time. For example, families wanting to raise culturally sensitive children will encourage their children to invite friends from various cultures to their home for dinner. These families may participate in a cultural exchange program while their children attend high school and host a student from another country in their home for part of the school year. Spending quality time with grandparents and seniors can provide children with expanded exposure to different lifestyles, values, and activities.

Applying Family Values to Safety Concerns

As family members share their values, they can also discuss safety concerns regarding personal care, conflict resolution, sex, drug abuse, and alcohol use and abuse. Children can learn how to respond to situations that may not be safe. The chapter describes various case studies with worksheets on how family members might respond when exposed to challenging situations. For example, some families have a policy of having their children phone home for a ride if they feel uncomfortable at a party or a friend’s home. They can have an agreement that no questions will be asked when a child phones home for a ride to leave a party early.

Modeling Spiritual Growth through Community Services

Families can model spiritual growth and their love and care for others in need through church related activities, community service days, and school service-learning days. Community service and service-learning activities help children learn about different needs of families in their communities. Activities can include:

• Making cards and blankets for seniors
• Creating dog toys
• Collecting books, clothes, and toys for families in need
• Adopting a family or senior during the winter holidays
• Creating community garden decorations

May you treasure your shared healthy and spiritual growth activities with your family.

Mary Ann