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Authentic Assessment – jen – 9
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7 thoughts on “Authentic Assessment – jen – 9”
The rate of acquisition is different for everyone. I found this in lances latest doc.
Rubrics are good for showing completeness of a task. Ex: mt freewrites need to be all in French except names and need to have a comprehensible message. So its two categories along an axis.
Great example Steven. Super simple. I need to remember to simplify. I like that you have specifics: all French / comprehensible message. I’ve done so few of these free writes because they freaked the kids out earlier. Likely bc I introduced them too early.
And…I keep hearing BVP say “There is no such thing as an 88 or a 92 in language acquisition. You either complete the task independently, with help or don’t complete it (paraphrasing him talking about his 0-1-2 communicative task rubric). In terms of comprehension it seems even more binary: you either understand or you don’t (0-1)???
So, it seems like our version of the 0-1 rubric is our process…looking at the eyes, asking a question and getting a weak or strong response. But then for the “tasks” or “summatives” it gets a bit muddier. I don’t want to “give As Bs Cs.” But I have to. How do I make that call? Each kid is where he is given his set of converging histories in that moment (ability and willingness to attend and engage…influenced by affective filter…influenced by what’s going on in the hallways / at home / how much sleep they got / how hungry they are / the big math test they have next block / a break up / ???) If each kid is working at his edge, and the edges are largely out of his and certainly our control, who are we to stamp a letter on a kid, marking him as “exceptional, good, average?”AAAAHHHH! Does a slower processor get a C because of his internal wiring? Does everyone get an A because I trust that they are doing the best they can given their current state of awareness? Makes me crazy. And I need to deal with it bc for now, I am choosing to be in the school. And I can hear a lotta folks yelling at me / rolling their eyes telling me (and kids) to “suck it up.” I kind of default to “everyone gets a B” unless they are radically beyond or behind that “level” meaning “they are mostly engaged in the process and understand the basic messages.”
I have lots of As and Bs. I love what you said about kids working at their edge. Everyone’s edge is different. I just wrote a long response about Teachers College’s tools. They are designed to support kids at all different levels, in one class, and might be worth our looking at. They are quick to acknowledge that all kids start at different places and our job is to get growth to happen for everyone, starting where they are. Do not know what that would look like for us…just hoping that maybe someone here can help me see.
I’ve never taken for granted the fact that in ESL I have the privilege of meeting kids right where they are: I get to grade them on growth. I don’t have “benchmarks” of where ESL I and ESL II are “supposed to be.”
I am with Tina that “our job is to get growth to happen for everyone, starting where they are.” But I think this might be hard to sell to administrators.
From their perspective, principals face a lot of “data” heat. I always get called into those meetings for SACS accreditation; federal monitors come and drill our principals on how we are assessing students. There is pressure from the powers that be to make sure kids with passing grades from Algebra I are actually prepared for Algebra II. Also, federal (titled) programs like ESL require strict documentation (my portfolios) of summative assessments.
I know from our perspective, we want to grade for growth and we take retention or failing students seriously (as we should). A lot of this need for vertical alignment doesn’t apply: we just cast a wide net and most kids grow.
But administrators need data. Their hands are sometimes tied.
“Does a slower processor get a C because of his internal wiring?”
Unfortunately, I think that’s what’s supposed to happen in foreign language; I don’t think we’re supposed to weigh “growth” on summative assessments (that determine placement).
Grades stink, and you can try to fight this, but we might not be able to just grade for growth. Grades and summative assessments might just be a sad fact of life us. All I know is I am on better standing to defend my grades with my portfolios.
Sorry to hijack the thread…Tina, how did your conference go? Do you have any video to share/sell? I’d love to see Stolz’s presentation!
The Spring conference? It went great! We had a good turnout, Stolz had more people than other presenters (just slightly, like three people more, but still). He certainly had more laughter and smiles than the others!! We filled the elections slate for the first time in a long time, and with CI people too. Not all, but lots of the candidates are CI folk. I love it! The ship is taking on a new crew and we will go in a new direction. COFLT needs much much more membership because we have been using money from a Language in Motion grant for the past two years, which is why we are able to pay FOUR TPRS and CI presenters (Krashen, Rowan, Gaab, and Bex) this fall for the October COFLT/WAFLT bi-state joint conference. (WAFLT is bringing Bex, to be fair).
But that $$ is not going to be available after this conference. So we need to be a vibrant, sought-after, cutting-edge organization that people are dying to join! I sadly do not have video of Stolz in March, but I do have video of his session he came here to do in October. I can share it with you if you ask Chris and get his permission. So far I think only he and I have looked at it, but it is on Vimeo (set to private). You coming to the conference in October? Hey PLC people, you come in October and I will personally buy you as much coffee as you want for THREE DAYS, and I will even drive you wherever you need to go in my Corolla. And I will get you a house to stay in, with friends of mine.
OH! Also our very own friends Grant Boulanger and Lance Piantaggini are coming out to present as well. YAY YAY YAY, I am so excited. So please get on Hipmunk or Southwest and get yourself out here in October. It is going to be the best time ever had in the great state of Oregon. Besides, Portland is fun to visit.
My summatives are more CI. More reading, a do a MEGA dictee on words I know that know how to spell ( well mostly) and I grade easy.
I think part of that whole data gathering is really because language electives are considered “academic” and have its roots in being being exclusive (Robert expounded on this as did the “Discriminatory” post) — for the privileged and for the 2%s. We’re changing that. Now.