How To Align A Student With A Teacher

Transcription

1 ALIGNING CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION, CLASSROOM ASSESSMENTS AND STANDARDIZED TESTS (Supports PEPE Teacher Indicator 3.1, 3.4) Alabama Department of Education Dr. Ed Richardson, State Superintendent of Education Dr. Judith Boser, Dr. Russell French, Mr. Joel McCay Institute for Assessment and Evaluation University of Tennessee Developed with funding by Alabama's Title II Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant Copyright Alabama Department of Education All Rights Reserved.

2 Welcome Message Dear Alabama Teacher or Administrator: The Alabama Department of Education is happy to make available to you this professional development module. Created as part of Alabama's Teacher Quality Enhancement Project, these modules are intended to help you augment your knowledge and skills in the PEPE competencies and indicators. These competencies and indicators are the descriptions of teaching performance that serve as the basis for the PEPE Teacher Evaluation System. As you know, this information is based on research in effective teaching; i.e., teaching that produces student learning and best practice in Alabama classrooms and classrooms throughout the country. We hope that this module, and the others that you may study, will be an enjoyable approach to professional growth. More importantly, however, we hope that it will be valuable to you and, ultimately, to those you teach. Sincerely, Ed Richardson State Superintendent of Education

3 Alignment - Section A: Introduction To Aligning Curriculum, Instruction, Classroom Assessments and Standardized Tests A. Introduction To Aligning Curriculum, Instruction, Classroom Assessments and Standardized Tests This module has the following parts: A. introduction to the module B. an information section on alignment C. a self quiz titled "Check Your Knowledge" D. classroom application (Textbooks Audit) E. references and resources To complete this module you will need pencil or pen and paper. Copyright Alabama Department of Education All Rights Reserved.

4 Section B: Alignment B. Alignment Alignment In The Classroom The term "alignment" is heard frequently in educational circles. The definition, however, may vary from one situation to another. There is talk of alignment of curriculum and assessment, standards with assessment, and just curriculum alignment, without specifying what is supposed to be aligned. Teachers need to be skilled in aligning all of these elements so that the assessment provides an accurate reflection of the student's accomplishments and an effective indicator of the teacher's success. Appropriate assessments measure the objectives set out at the classroom level. They also should reflect curriculum (or content) that has been selected to reach the specified objectives. Instruction and the classroom learning activities should have given the student opportunities to experience the way(s) in which learning will be assessed. A visual model of the classroom level alignment process appears below. Alignment starts with objectives. What is it you want your students to know after instruction? What is it you want them to be able to do? Once you have formulated objectives (proposed student outcomes) for your instruction, you have usually defined the way in which accomplishment of those objectives can be evaluated or measured. (Help in writing goals and objectives can be found in another PEPE module: Developing Long-Range Goals and Short- Term Objectives. Consult that module if you lack confidence in your ability to write classroom objectives.)

5 Section B: Alignment It is the verb in the statement of the objective that provides a clue for assessment. If one of your objectives is "The student will recognize incorrect use of quotation marks," determining whether or not a student has met this objective will need to take the form of providing students with examples of correct and incorrect use of quotation marks and asking them to identify those which are incorrect. If the objective had been that "The student will use quotation marks correctly, the content taught would probably be the same. The instruction and the assessment for measuring accomplishment of objectives should, however, be directed toward students' writing and correct use of quotation marks in what they write. Remember that objectives can (and should) be written at various levels of learning, with some directed toward higher order thinking skills. Two other critical elements also need to be aligned with objectives and assessment, if the student is to succeed on the assessment: curriculum (the content that is taught) and instruction (the methods used by the teacher to teach the content). In our example the teacher knows that the content has to include how and when to use quotation marks (curriculum). The teacher also knows that in order for the student to recognize incorrect usage, (the first example), some of the instruction has to give students opportunities to do just that. Being clear in our minds about what outcomes we are pursuing gives focus to our constant selection and classroom activities. The quotation marks example points up the distinctions among objectives, instruction, and content. It is important that you understand those distinctions because they are often lost in dayto-day classroom activities, and they are essential to alignment. Objectives are specifications of desired outcomes of instruction. Content is the body of knowledge in which the objectives are embedded, and instruction is the means of delivering the content so that the desired objectives can be achieved. In other words, objectives and content are very much related, but they are not the same thing. Decisions regarding objectives and content focus on what is to be taught. They are curriculum decisions. Instructional decisions; i.e., decisions about teaching strategies, methods, and resources, focus on how the content will be taught, how the objectives will be achieved. Why objectives, content, and assessments need to be aligned is probably quite clear. Assessments must be matched to objectives if a teacher is to know when/if the objectives have been achieved. If the content selected does not enable students to master desired objectives, it will be extremely difficult for students to perform well on assessments.

6 Section B: Alignment Why instructional methods need to be aligned with both objectives and assessments may not be quite as apparent. The relationship between objectives and instruction has already been explained and illustrated. A well-written objective will almost always suggest the types of activities that will need to be included in instruction. Remember the example of the objective calling for students to recognize incorrect uses of quotation marks? The objective tells us that instructional activities must include practice in recognizing incorrect uses. It also tells us that the assessment of the students' accomplishment of the objective must be a recognition activity. You need to assess student learning using the same types of activities that you used to teach the desired knowledge or skill. Consider another example, that of a high school mathematics teacher who taught certain geometric concepts and processes at a pool table. (This really happened!) Students had to name angles and figures while calling their shots. When it came time to test their knowledge, the teacher repeated the activity at the pool table. To have used a traditional paper-pencil test would have been an invalid and unfair means of assessment, unless the teacher had also taught students how to transfer the knowledge gained at the pool table to more traditional settings and situations. A Broader Perspective While the classroom teacher usually has the power to determine what assessments he/she uses in the classroom, students also take standardized achievement tests, specified by the state, and may participate in other external assessments. It is important to learn what content standards and test objectives form the basis for these assessments to make sure that the content is taught and that instructional methods are relevant to the items and form found in these externally developed assessments. A more complex model of alignment with which teachers and administrators must be concerned is presented below. In this model, alignment at the classroom level also reflects state level curriculum requirements and external assessments.

7 Section B: Alignment At the state level, content standards (goals and objectives) are the targets. Curriculum frameworks specify those standards and content to be covered at given grade levels. In addition, they often include suggested instructional activities. If you do not have a copy of the curriculum framework for your grade level and subject area(s), it can be obtained from the Alabama Department of Education website or your principal. Information about the state-mandated standardized achievement tests and the objectives being assessed in those tests can be found in publications from the test publisher. One or more of these publications should be available in your school or school system. If not, they can be obtained from the Alabama Department of Education. Ask your principal for this information. There should be alignment between the state content standards and these tests. A mismatch between what is designed and delivered by the classroom teacher (objectives, content, instruction and assessments) and state content standards and assessments can result in standardized test performance that is not truly representative of a student's achievement. One example of a mismatch between state assessment and classroom instruction and assessment practices occurred when a nearby state began implementing a state writing assessment. Schools across the state were dismayed when no school had an average score that was considered passing. It was later determined that students were not being instructed and assessed in the classroom in the same manner as on the state assessment. On the state assessment, students were given a writing prompt and a limited amount of time (25-30 minutes) to produce their work. However, classroom writing assessments were seldom conducted with a time limit. Another disparity occurred when it was found that few teachers ever addressed one of the criteria on the scoring rubric (writing with a sense of audience). Although the criteria had been provided to schools statewide, most teachers had not bothered to obtain and read the documents, and few principals had taken leadership in getting the criteria to teachers. As teachers became more familiar with the format of and scoring criteria for the writing assessment, they were better able to prepare their students.

8 Section B: Alignment Assessing The Situation The first step in improving alignment is to assess your situation. Ask yourself (or yourselves, if you are a group of teachers completing this module) the following questions and try to answer them: 1. What related objectives, topics, and activities are targeted in state curriculum frameworks and local curriculum guides for your subject area(s) and grade levels? 2. What knowledge/skills are measured on the standardized test? (What are the objectives covered by the test?) 3. How is knowledge/skills measured on the standardized test? (What kinds of items are used?) 4. How are responses scored on the standardized test? (What are the scoring criteria?) 5. Where and how am I (we) currently addressing the knowledge and skills identified in response to questions 1 and 2? (Are we attending to them? How? At what grade levels? When during the year?) 6. How do our textbooks and instructional materials treat the knowledge/content that is tested? (See information below on textbook audits.) 7. How am I teaching this content? (Are my instructional methods and activities aligned with content, objectives, and standardized test requirements?) 8. How am I assessing student knowledge/skills in the classroom? (Are at least some of my assessments aligned with the assessment methods used in the standardized tests? Are my assessments measuring what my objectives call for?)

9 Section B: Alignment Conducting A Textbook Audit While it may be tempting to use the textbook as the curriculum, beginning on page one and continuing page by page through the year, it is not unusual to find that some objectives being tested are not covered in the textbook at a particular grade level. While there should be good correspondence, it will probably not be perfect. The same can be said for other primary sources of content, such as computer-based instructional programs. Checking the state and local curriculum/objectives/standards and the standardized test objectives against the content of the textbook or program (a process called a textbook audit) can be valuable in identifying areas that will be tested, but are not addressed in the text or primary curriculum resource provided, as well as topics that may be in the text/program, but are not assessed. This is not to say that teachers should teach only what will be tested, but preparing students for standardized tests is one expectation of teachers. Knowing when tests will be administered is also important in conducting textbook audits. This information can be helpful in making decisions about the order in which to teach different topics. Content and objectives covered on the test need to be addressed prior to testing, and topics that aren't included on the tests might wait until after the tests are completed. A textbook may contain the right content, but in the wrong order. Following are an explanation of and a form for use in conducting a textbook audit. Study these carefully because the classroom application activity for this module will be to conduct such an audit. A textbook audit is not complicated and is appropriate for any teacher. To do a textbook audit, select a subject or course you teach, then complete the following steps. 1. Make a list of the curriculum/objectives/standards established by the state and your local school system for that course or subject. 2. Consult materials for the state-mandated achievement test administered to your students. If any of the objectives are not already on your list, add them.

10 Section B: Alignment 3. Beside each item in your list write the page(s) or section(s) in your textbook relating to that objective. 4. After you have finished, identify any objectives that aren't addressed by your textbook and seek supplemental materials to use for them. 5. If there are topics in your textbook that are not related to the objectives, exercise your professional judgment regarding their applicability for your students. If they are applicable, how and when should they be covered? If they review material or skills your students have mastered, you may decide not to include them at all. On the other hand, if they represent advanced skills it may be best to use them near the end of the school year or use them for students who seek an additional challenge. Once you have completed a textbook audit for one course or subject, you may wish to continue to other subjects or courses you teach. When teachers collaborate by grade level or by subject area, they are able to allocate the various subjects or courses among them and share the results, thus speeding the process. Curriculum Alignment and Test Validity Historically, we have thought of a test being valid, if it measured what it purported to measure. Therefore, a test that is supposed to measure in a specific content area would not be valid if what is measured is not what is taught. When invalidity occurs, there are two possible reasons for it: selection of a test that doesn't fit curriculum content or failure of the teacher to teach appropriate ways. Most of us who teach would like to attribute students' poor performance on standardized tests to a "poor" test. In many cases, the problem may be "poor" teaching; i.e., failure to align content and instruction with the test. A survey of math and science teachers in grades 4 and 8 showed an overlap of what was being taught and what was being tested that ranged from a high of 46 percent to a low of 5 percent. These teachers certainly could not be accused of teaching the test or even teaching to the test. It would appear that most of them gave little though to alignment. By the way, "teaching the test" means teaching the items/questions that will be on the test. "Teaching to (or for) the test means teaching content and gearing instruction to objectives that will be assessed by the test. The former is an unethical practice. The latter reflects common sense and good alignment.

11 Section B: Alignment A newer concept relates validity to the inferences that are made on the basis of test scores. For example, this understanding of validity indicates that basing placement of students in special programs on the basis of test scores that do not accurately portray their achievement would be inappropriate. THIS CONCLUDES THE INFORMATION ON ALIGNMENT. GO TO THE NEXT SECTION TO CHECK YOUR KNOWLEDGE. Copyright Alabama Department of Education All Rights Reserved.

12 Alignment Section C: Check Your Knowledge C. Check Your Knowledge DIRECTIONS: For each question below, write the letter corresponding to your answer on a sheet of paper. True False 1. Alignment is needed between the classroom and state objectives. True False 2. Teachers have little control over alignment in the classroom. True False 3. Lack of alignment can result in standardized test scores that are lower than the students' actual level of knowledge. True False 4. If there are links between objectives, curriculum, instruction, and assessment, there is said to be alignment. True False 5. Teaching the content in the approved textbooks, in order, produces the necessary alignments. True False 6. Knowledge of state standards, objectives, or curricula is optional for the classroom teacher. True False 7. A teacher's objective specifies that the students will be able to list the steps in scientific method and explain them. An appropriate test item would be one in which the students are asked to identify a "wrong" step. True False 8. A textbook audit is a process for determining if the content of your textbook is consistent with state standards/objectives and what is measured on the standardized tests.

13 Alignment Section C: Check Your Knowledge DO NOT CONTINUE UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED ALL 8 QUESTIONS. Copyright Alabama Department of Education All Rights Reserved.

14 Alignment Section C: Check Your Knowledge - Answers Check Your Knowledge - Answers CORRECT ANSWERS ARE INDICATED BELOW. True 1. Alignment is needed between the classroom and state objectives. False 2. Teachers have little control over alignment in the classroom. True 3. Lack of alignment can result in standardized test scores that are lower than the students' actual level of knowledge. True 4. If there are links between objectives, curriculum, instruction, and assessment, there is said to be alignment. False 5. Teaching the content in the approved textbooks, in order, produces the necessary alignments. False 6. Knowledge of state standards, objectives, or curricula is optional for the classroom teacher. False 7. A teacher's objective specifies that the students will be able to list the steps in scientific method and explain them. An appropriate test item would be one in which the students are asked to identify a "wrong" step. True 8. A textbook audit is a process for determining if the content of your textbook is consistent with state standards/objectives and what is measured on the standardized tests.

15 Alignment Section C: Check Your Knowledge - Answers If you answered two or more of these questions incorrectly, reread Section B. If you answered most of the questions correctly, proceed to the classroom application in Section D. Copyright Alabama Department of Education All Rights Reserved.

16 Align Section D: Classroom Application D. Classroom Application (Textbook Audit) Select a course or subject you teach. Determine the curriculum/objectives/standards established by the state and your local school system. (Check the state Department of Education web site.) On a sheet of paper or in a computer file, make a list of these down the left margin of the document, extending only to the middle of the page so that the right half of the page is blank. Consult materials for the state-mandated achievement test that your students take. There may be teachers' manuals or other information available in your school and/or your school system as well as from the test publisher. Determine what objectives are being tested in the content area you have selected. If there are objectives that are being tested that do not already appear in the list on your paper, add them to the bottom of the list. In the right half of the paper, write the textbook pages or sections that provide content relative to each objective on the left side of the page. There may be some objectives for which you do not find content in your textbook. When you have finished, answer the following questions: 1. What topics/objectives, if any, are not addressed in your text? 2. What other resources can you identify to use for those topics/objectives you identified in question 1? 3. What parts of the text, if any, are NOT related to the components on the left side of the paper? 4. What implications does your answer to question 3 have for the planning and scheduling of instruction over the course of the year? Discuss what you have learned with your evaluator, mentor, or one or more faculty colleagues. If you had difficulty finding supplementary materials in question 2, ask them for suggestions. Copyright Alabama Department of Education All Rights Reserved.

17 Align Section E: References and Resources E. References and Resources For best information, see State Departments' of Education websites. Alabama State Department of Education: U.S. Department of Education, Research and Stats: U.S. Department of Education, Assessment: Copyright Alabama Department of Education All Rights Reserved.