WestEd’s content and assessment experts are available to conduct standards-to-standards alignment studies, which provide: findings to meet rigorous evidence requirements, such as federal peer review guidelines; and key feedback that contributes to quality content standards. This service is available for a range of grade levels and content areas.
WestEd’s Item‐to‐Standards Alignment Studies
WestEd’s content and assessment experts are available to conduct curriculum-to-standards alignment studies, which provide: findings to meet rigorous evidence requirements, such as federal peer review guidelines; and key feedback that contributes to quality assessments. This service is available for a range of grade levels and content areas.
WestEd’s Curriculum‐to‐Standards Alignment Studies
WestEd’s content and assessment experts are available to conduct curriculum-to-standards alignment studies, which provide: findings on the alignment between local curricula and state content standards, and key feedback that contributes to quality standards-based curricula. This service is available for a range of grade levels and content areas.
Argumentation in History and Science
Boston College professor and scholar Katherine L. McNeill developed a series of resources to support middle school science and social studies teachers’ use of argumentation. The resources are organized in a course format and include a syllabus, slide decks and class materials for each session, and assignments. As teachers work through each session, they learn about the claim, evidence and reasoning (CER) framework, and how to use this framework to engage students in argumentation. The resources support teachers’ understanding of evidence and reasoning, as well as distinctions between science and history. The resources also support teachers’ instructional planning of lessons to support students’ development of argumentation.
CSAI Presentation at CERA 2017
At the 2017 California Educational Research Association’s (CERA) annual conference, CSAI Director Deb Sigman and Assistant Director Bryan Hemberg presented a session called Designing a Comprehensive Assessment System. Co-presenting were Marie Mancuso, Associate Director of the West Comprehensive Center, and Corey Greenlaw, Director of Assessments with the Frenso County Superintendent of Schools. (Please access the presentation slides by clicking the Download Resource button to the right.)
Summary of the session: An assessment system must provide decision-makers at all levels with sound information on which they can base their decisions in support of learning for all students. A comprehensive system includes different types of assessment tools and processes, used for different purposes at different levels of the system: national, state, district, school, and classroom. Designing, developing and implementing such a system is challenging, but necessary when instructional time is at a premium and evidence-based decisions are critical.
During the session, Sigman and Mancuso discussed the attributes of a comprehensive assessment system and outlined practical steps that policymakers and stakeholders might consider in developing a comprehensive assessment system (see handout).
Hemberg demonstrated an assessment visualization tool, called the CSAI Assessment System Visualizer (linked here). This tool provides states, local educational agencies, and schools with the opportunity to visualize, with graphic displays, their assessment systems by grade, content, and a variety of filters. When changes to the assessment system are being considered, this tool can serve as a valuable resource for determining redundancies and gaps in information.
Lesson Revision with Formative Assessment
The purpose of this resource is to help teachers revise existing lesson plans so that they incorporate the formative assessment process and align with College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS). We conceptualize lesson planning with formative assessment as four complementary steps:
Determine learning objectives,
Articulate instructional steps,
Integrate assessment, and
Plan to adjust instruction.
As you read through this resource, definitions and examples of the formative assessment terms used throughout. We hope you will have the opportunity to discuss these steps with peers and make connections to the instructional practices you already use. Revising a lesson plan with formative assessment is like a treasure hunt. This resource is the map to help you locate the best parts of an existing lesson plan and make them your own.