Engaging

the Learner

Use of Proficiency Scales to Activate Student Learning & Engagement

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https://tinyurl.com/PSDPSPD

Session One

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October 27, 2023

Providing clear and measurable learning objectives

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How could you implement and maintain the strategies you learned today within your practice?

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WHAT are we doing today:

Creating a path to mastery for our learners by setting clear & measurable learning goals within our proficiency scales.

WHY are we doing this:

Empowering learners leads to better outcomes in the classroom and for students’ futures.

Success Criteria:

• You will leave today’s session with at least one proficiency scale that reflects best practices outlined in the Proficiency Scale rubric.
• You will set a Professional Practice Goal for your PD Pathway.

Session CLARITY

HOW we are doing this:

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Collaborate

Data Review

New Learning

Work Time

• How do students know what they are learning & why?
• How are students reviewing, reflecting on, and revising their work?
• When students reflect on their own assessments, how accurate would they be in assessing a grade prior to or after submitting it?
• Are students presented with reflective questioning opportunities:
• Where are you now with your learning?
• Where are you going? (What are you learning goals?)
• How are you getting there? (What skills and/or knowledge do you need to achieve your goals?)
• How might these questions provide the framework for increased student engagement and higher outcomes in your classroom?

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“Self-reported grades” refers to the idea that students can predict how they will perform on a task or assessment based on their creation and self-assessment of clear learning goals.

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John Hattie’s research identifies Self-reported grades/Student Expectations as having the largest effect size on student achievement (1.44). Creating activities for students to reflect and/or predict their academic progress can reinforce student expectations.

Proficiency Scales provide the structure for students to set goals, track, and take ownership for their learning.

Why does this matter?

Successful adults model this behavior in the workplace. The ability to take ownership for learning, track progress, and set goals leading to success transfers outside of school walls.

Per Hattie’s research…

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The goal is to develop student ownership of their academic ability and to monitor progress towards success criteria.

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Participants are all 8th grade Entrepreneurship students.

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• Control Group (26):
• No student choice of assessment
• Rubric available but not used as an instructional tool

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• Variable Group (27):
• Student choice of assessment
• Rubric & Unit Plan provided in hard copy
• Rubric used daily as an instructional tool

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Summative Class Grades

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Within the Control group, re-takes were taken 7 times. The Variable group did not request any retake opportunities.

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The percentage of students within the 3-3.5 range for the Control group was 53.8%, compared to

74.2% within the Variable group.

Pre/Post Quiz on Business Topics (Kahoot)

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14 questions pertaining to key topics covered in Entrepreneurship.

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Both groups scored similarly at the start of the quarter in November.

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The Variable Group outpaced the Control Group scores at the end of the quarter in January, with 45% of students scoring 93 and above, as compared to 5.8% in Control.

Clarity in Learning

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January Data (End of Quarter)

More than half of students in both groups were able to explain what they were doing in class and why they were doing it.

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Variable students reported this to be true 79% of the time, as opposed to 57% of the time with Control students.

Short Answer Responses: January

What was one thing in this class that you feel helped you to be successful? Is this something that you wish all classes incorporated? Please be specific.

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NEW LEARNING: Priority vs. Reportable Standards

Reportable Standard

• Written by state or national entities, chosen by staff, & adopted by the PSD School Board
• Cannot be re-written
• The “bones” of your curriculum
• Each Priority Standard must have its own Proficiency Scale
• Each Priority Standard must be assessed for each student

• Appear in Skyward
• Created by us & can be changed without Board approval
• “Buckets” containing grouped Priority Standards
• Easy for students/parents to access
• Each Priority Standard must appear in one “bucket” but not in multiple “buckets”

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• While you cannot re-write your Priority Standards, you can explain what the standard means to your learners in ways they understand. Try Brisk!
• The language on your proficiency scale should be:
• Strengths based
• Student friendly
• Calibrated to levels of learning (surface, deep, transfer)
• What is a “3”?
• What is a “4” or a “2”?
• Consider the “.5”!

NEW LEARNING: Language Matters

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…articulate learning progressions for each priority standard. Priority standards provide the focus, scales provide the path.” Proficiency Scale PD Slide Deck

PROFICIENCY SCALES…

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NEW LEARNING: Fidelity to the Priority Standard

“Unpack” your standard. Evaluate the nouns & verbs in the Priority Standard. Although you are interpreting the standard, you must stay true to the original written intent of the standard.

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Each item on your scale should reflect the knowledge (noun) AND skill (verb) your students should be able to demonstrate.

Your Proficient (3) level should fulfill the knowledge and skills required within the original standard, but not verbatim.

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NEW LEARNING: Fidelity to the Priority Standard

Project specific requirements, including a progression of proficiency throughout a course or unit of study, should be incorporated into a rubric or rubric hybrid.

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Proficiency scales are guideposts used to track progress and guide students through a continuum of learning in support of the Priority Standard.

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NEW LEARNING: Fidelity to the Priority Standard

Your projects & activities, and their rubrics, evolve as your course progresses. These rubrics should align to the activity or project being assessed and also be presented in student friendly, strength based language.

The standard stays the same, as do your proficiency scales. The proficiency scale applies for the duration of your course, each time you assess the standard.

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• Learning is a process, not a hierarchy. Learning is cyclical, not linear.

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• Surface, deep, and transfer are fluid - all three are equally important.

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• Teaching and learning require a balance of surface, deep, and transfer opportunities.

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NEW LEARNING: Phases of Learning

Surface, Deep, and Transfer

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NEW LEARNING: Phases of Learning

Surface, Deep, and Transfer

• Learning is a process, not a hierarchy. Learning is cyclical, not linear.

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• Surface, deep, and transfer are fluid - all three are equally important.

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• Teaching and learning require a balance of surface, deep, and transfer opportunities.

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NEW LEARNING: Phases of Learning - Surface

“Surface learning does not mean superficial learning. Rather, surface learning is a time when students initially are exposed to concepts, skills, and strategies. Surface learning is critical because it provides a foundation on which to build as students are asked to think more deeply.” - Hattie, Fisher and Frey (Visible Learning for Mathematics, 2017)

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• Surface = Knowing
• Building knowledge
• Checking for understanding

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NEW LEARNING: Phases of Learning - Deep

“We define deep learning as a period when students consolidate their understanding and apply and extend some surface knowledge to support deeper conceptual understanding… We think of this as a ‘sweet spot’ that will often take up more instructional time, but can be accomplished only when students have the requisite knowledge to go deeper.” - Hattie, Fisher and Frey (Visible Learning for Mathematics, 2017)

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• Developing conceptual understanding
• Applying conceptual understanding
• Consolidating Learning
• You can’t teach deep learning; Students have to communicate (speaking, writing)

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NEW LEARNING: Phases of Learning - Transfer

“Transfer learning [is] the point at which students take their consolidated knowledge and skills and apply what they know to new scenarios and different contexts. It is also a time when students are able to think metacognitively, reflecting on their own learning and understanding.” - Hattie, Fisher and Frey (Visible Learning for Mathematics, 2017)

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• Making meaning
• Building contextual understanding
• Solving complex problems
• Expanding breadth of learning (vs. depth)

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NEW LEARNING: PS/R for CREATING Proficiency Scales

Reportable Standard

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NEW LEARNING: PS/R for USING Proficiency Scales

Reportable Standard

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• Structured prompts for collaboration
• Proficiency Scale/Rubric Hybrid for Creating and Using Proficiency Scales
• Updated PSD Slide Deck on Proficiency Scales (slide 10 has links to great templates)

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WORK TIME: Resources

Looking ahead, we will use this scale to develop strategies for implementation in the classroom, student engagement & self-assessment, formative & summative assessments, and the relearn-redo process.

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Session Two

02

November 27, 2023

Providing clear and measurable learning objectives & paths to mastery

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How could you implement and maintain the strategies you learned today within your practice?

02

WHAT are we doing today:

Creating a path to mastery for our learners using our proficiency scales in a personalized, workshop-type environment.

WHY are we doing this:

Empowering learners leads to better outcomes in the classroom and for students’ futures.

Success Criteria:

• You will leave today’s session with at least one proficiency scale that reflects best practices and/or engaging strategies for implementing it in your classroom.
• You will set a Professional Practice Goal for your PD Pathway.

Session CLARITY

HOW we are doing this:

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Self & Peer Reviews

Workshop Choice:

• Creating & Refining

• Employing & Engaging

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REVIEW: Self & Peer Assessment

1. Self-assess your proficiency scale and/or rubric. Where are your strengths? What could be improved?

• Find a partner and peer review each others’ proficiency scale and/or rubric. Where are your strengths? What could be improved?

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What do we want our students to learn?

How will we know if students are learning?

How will we respond for students when they do not meet proficiency?

What will we do for students who are already proficient to stretch their learning?

REVIEW: Prompts for Self and Peer Review

Marzano Resources, 2020

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WORKSHOP: Determine your next steps

• Do you need support in revising existing proficiency scales? Creating a hybrid? Creating a project specific rubric?

• Does your proficiency scale and/or rubric meet the criteria for best practice? Are you ready to learn how to employ this tool in your classroom during Semester 2?

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WORKSHOP: Resources for Creating & Refining PS/R

• Clarifying the meaning of the priority standard
• Evaluate your language
• Calibrate for surface, deep, and transfer learning
• Use a rubric, linked to your priority standard & proficiency scale, to guide and assess project work
• Exemplars for inspiration are linked on the next slide

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• Picture-based PS: Elementary focus
• Code to Create: 7th/8th Grade PS 1, 2 and Project Rubric
• Entrepreneurship: 7th/8th Grade PS and Project Rubric
• Math: 7th Grade PS/R Hybrid
• Art: Ben Lamp’s Hybrid
• World Language: MLH’s Hybrid
• PS/R Hybrid Template

WORKSHOP: PS/R Exemplars

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WORKSHOP:

Engaging Students with Proficiency Scales or Rubrics

What?: Creating a path to mastery for our learners using our proficiency scales in a personalized, workshop-type environment.

Why?: Empowering learners leads to better outcomes in the classroom and for students’ futures.

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How?: Participate in strategies which you can turn and use with your students.

Success Criteria: Leave this session with a strategy you can use to empower students to better own their learning through engaging with proficiency scales

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Resources: Rubric | Rubric Worksheet | 3 Big Question Strategy Matrix

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02

WORKSHOP:

Engaging Students with Proficiency Scales or Rubrics

Driving Questions:

• How have you systematized student agency for their learning?
• How are students reviewing, reflecting and revising their own work?
• Are there intentional opportunities or teaching of strategies for student ownership built into your class?

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• When you go to grade student assessments, how accurate would you be in assessing their proficiency prior to looking at the actual assessment? Why or why not?
• When students reflect on their own assessments, how accurate would they be in assessing their proficiency prior to or after submitting their actual assessments? Why or why not?

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WORKSHOP:

What COULD we do?

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WORKSHOP:

What COULD we do?

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Potential Practices

• Consider using a student friendly version of a scale. Each student might have their own and/or you might use a large copy for the whole class.
• Have students paste it in their subject notebook if you use one. Use it periodically as a method for them to reflect on their growth in learning.
• Begin the new topic or unit by teaching and reviewing the entire scale and focusing on the level of proficiency as the desired goal for students. (In other words, show them where they are going on this learning journey).

WORKSHOP:

What COULD we do?

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WORKSHOP:

What COULD we do?

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Potential Practices

• Identify the skills or cognitive processes that represent each level of the scale and how those represent a progression of student’s ability to demonstrate what they know and can do. (For example, if level 3 requires students to explain and level 4 requires them to analyze, help them understand the specific differences in the cognitive processes.)
• Have students highlight/track/discuss things they already know using the scale. Do this to begin the topic and also for periodic reflection on their learning.
• Use a pre-assessment of the level 2 skills to get an initial read on where students are starting in their knowledge and skills for this topic or standard.

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WORKSHOP:

What COULD we do?

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Potential Practices

• Periodically, use the scale or specific levels of the scale as a reference for closure at the end of specific lessons or activities.
• “Talk to someone about something you learned related to the scale today.”
• Use the scale to develop a sequence of questions that you can use and reuse as a method of informal assessment of the whole class.
• Use the scale for individual conferencing with students to discuss where they see themselves and what they feel they have mastered at each level.

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WORKSHOP:

Engaging Students with Proficiency Scales or Rubrics

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Let’s do some annotation…

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WORKSHOP:

Engaging Students with Proficiency Scales or Rubrics

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Let’s do some text coding…

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WORKSHOP:

Engaging Students with Proficiency Scales or Rubrics

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WORKSHOP:

Engaging Students with Proficiency Scales or Rubrics

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Student Self Reported Learning

3 Questions Strategy Matrix

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Using Proficiency Scales PS/R Hybrid - Participant Copy 11/27/23

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Session Three

03

January 22, 2024

Providing clear and measurable learning objectives & paths to mastery

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Each participant should:

• Make a copy of the PPG for Proficiency Scales document. Upon completion, upload it to the Shared PPG’s folder for our group.
• Please note, in the last section of this document, you should link a completed Proficiency Scale that you worked on in past sessions, or plan to work on today.

01

How could you implement and maintain the strategies you learned today within your practice?

HOW we are doing this:

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Self & Peer Reviews

Workshop Choice:

• Creating & Refining

• Employing & Engaging

02

WORKSHOP:

Engaging Students with Proficiency Scales or Rubrics

Driving Questions:

• How have you systematized student agency for their learning?
• How are students reviewing, reflecting and revising their own work?
• Are there intentional opportunities or teaching of strategies for student ownership built into your class?

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• When you go to grade student assessments, how accurate would you be in assessing their proficiency prior to looking at the actual assessment? Why or why not?
• When students reflect on their own assessments, how accurate would they be in assessing their proficiency prior to or after submitting their actual assessments? Why or why not?

02

WORKSHOP:

Engaging Students with Proficiency Scales or Rubrics

What?: Creating a path to mastery for our learners using our proficiency scales in a personalized, workshop-type environment.

Why?: Empowering learners leads to better outcomes in the classroom and for students’ futures.

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How?: Participate in strategies which you can turn and use with your students.

Success Criteria: Identify a student reflection question where you would like to focus your efforts along with a strategy you can use to empower students to better own their learning through engaging with proficiency scales

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Resources: Rubric | Rubric Worksheet | 3 Big Question Strategy Matrix

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02

WORKSHOP:

How and Where should I Focus My Efforts?

Teacher Reflective Question:

Where do my classroom systems need the most work based on…?

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Student Reflective Questions:

Where am I now (with the learning)?

Understanding my Proficiency

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Where am I going (with my learning)?

Goal Setting & Progress Monitoring

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How am I getting there?

Reflection & Metacognition through the Learning Process

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Resources: Rubric | Rubric Worksheet | 3 Big Question Strategy Matrix

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Session Four

04

February 23, 2024

Refining our tools & learning how to implement them

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01

WHAT are we doing today:

Refining your proficiency scale & leveraging your work to create a hybrid rubric.

WHY are we doing this:

Empowering learners leads to better outcomes in the classroom and for students’ futures.

Success Criteria:

• You will leave today’s session with at least one proficiency scale and rubric hybrid.
• You will refine your Professional Practice Goal for your PD Pathway.

Session CLARITY

How could you implement and maintain the strategies you learned today within your practice?

HOW we are doing this:

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Finalize PPG/Reflection

Build Your Own Hybrid

Collaborate: Finalize your PS or engagement activities

Hybrid PS/Rubric

PPG for Proficiency Scales document

• In the last section of this document, link a completed Proficiency Scale from our sessions (artifact).
• EOY meetings are coming up fast…remember to add this to your reflection!

HYBRID Rubric: Example (“I do”)

Draft 1: What was the process??

Draft 2: Refined via student feedback & discussion

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What did I learn??

HYBRID Rubric: Build Your Own (“You Do”)

Session Four

05

May 3, 2024

Celebrating our work & sharing our learning

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01

WHAT are we doing today:

Celebrating what we have learned, risks we’ve taken, and progress we’ve made.

WHY are we doing this:

Acknowledging accomplishments & identifying next steps is the basis of continuous improvement.

Success Criteria:

You will leave today’s session with key best practices to use next year and goals for advancing your practice in the future.

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Session CLARITY

How could you implement and maintain the strategies you learned today within your practice?

HOW we are doing this:

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Skill: Annotate Level 3/4

Complete PPG Artifact

End of Pathway Survey

Gallery Walk w/ Feedback

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WORKSHOP:

Engaging Students with Proficiency Scales or Rubrics

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Let’s do some annotation…

Thank You

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Thank You for your time, attention, and great work on refining your proficiency scales during this session!

Please complete this survey before leaving today:

End of Pathway Survey