Ambitious Teaching and Formative Assessment: Creating Conditions for Equity
Remote and online learning is surfacing existing inequities in schools and classrooms across the country and is raising critical questions about how we support students to develop the agency and autonomy required for learning.
This recorded session is the first in a series of online conversations, Perspectives on Formative Assessment, Student Agency, and Equity, that highlights both scholarly and practitioner perspectives on the intersections between student identity, classroom culture, and formative assessment as levers for promoting agency and equity.
Led by WestEd’s Nancy Gerzon and Barbara Jones, these conversations explore emerging ideas, practices, and research, and professional contributions to the study and promotion of student agency.
This archived session features Lorrie Shepard, University Distinguished Professor and Dean Emerita at the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education. Her research focuses on psychometrics and the use and misuse of tests in educational settings. She has led research on the use of assessment and testing in a wide range of testing areas, including the effects of high-stakes accountability testing, grade retention, teacher testing, and the use of classroom assessment to support teaching and learning.
In 2019, in preparation for the National Council of Measurement in Education Special Conference on Classroom Assessment, she and her colleagues convened national experts to develop Classroom Assessment Principles to Support Teaching and Learning, a publication that describes how classroom assessment can best be enacted to support deep learning. These principles provide a framework for teachers, leaders, and policymakers to develop new conditions for learning that foster student agency and self-regulation.
View suggested readings and materials for this session.
View additional session recordings from this series.
Listen to the Audio Recording
Projections of California Teacher Retirements: A County and Regional Perspective
In recent years, education policymakers and researchers have expressed concern about how the anticipated retirements among baby boomer educators in public school systems will affect the ability to meet workforce needs.
Teachers are more likely than nurses, social workers, and accountants to retire before age 65; meanwhile, the number of new teachers in California has been declining.
This REL West report projects California teacher retirements at the state and county levels for 2014/15–2023/24, updating a previously published report that projected California teacher retirements for 2006/07–2015/16.
This projection of California teacher retirements over the next 10 years found that:
- One fourth of teachers who were teaching in 2013/14 are projected to retire over 2014/15–2023/24
- Projected retirement rates varied greatly by county — from 19 percent to 61 percent — suggesting that counties across the state will confront very different staffing situations in the coming years because of projected retirements
- The range of projected retirement rates statewide in math, science, English language arts, history, special education, and elementary school is 23–26 percent
These findings suggest that careful local workforce planning will be essential, particularly in counties projected to experience high teacher retirement rates.
Local and state education leaders might consider policies to increase teacher supply, such as alternative certification options, signing bonuses, and/or loan forgiveness for student teachers.
Ready Now: Science and Engineering EdTech Guide
This digital EdTech guide contains a variety of K-12+ education technology offerings focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). These applications can be used in-class, for hybrid learning, or for remote learning and include a mix of no-cost and fee-based products.
This guide is intended to raise awareness of digital learning applications that may be useful to teachers, schools and districts navigating the education challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research-backed applications use a variety of technologies, including an assortment of digital courses and learning activities, educational games, and maker platforms. This guide offers an evaluation of the applications’ usability, feasibility for use in remote settings, promise of learning and efficacy.
WestEd served as a research partner for the applications Happy Atoms and Vidcode, and developed the application ChemVLab+ in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University.
Topics Covered:
- Early science learning
- Earth & Environmental science
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Engineering
- Neuroscience
- Coding skills
The Science and Engineering Education Network (SEEN) is a group of edtech creators looking to share science learning options during a challenging era.
These applications were developed through innovation grants from federal government programs including at the U.S. Department of Education, National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
English Learner Students' Readiness for Academic Success: The Predictive Potential of English Language Proficiency Assessment Scores in Arizona and Nevada
When is the right moment to transition an English learner student from part-time participation in English language development classes into full-time participation in mainstream English-only classes?
Currently, transition criteria center on meeting the English language proficiency levels that each state sets for reclassification of English learner students as fluent English proficient at each grade level. However, no studies describe the extent to which such criteria work as intended.
This REL West report examines the relationship between the English language proficiency level of English learner students and their subsequent performance on English language arts and math content tests.
The study followed two cohorts of students over three years, beginning in 2009/10: one cohort in grade 3 (elementary) and one in grade 6 (middle school).
Key Findings
- Higher English language proficiency levels among English learner students in grades 3 and 6 in Arizona and Nevada were associated with higher passing rates on subsequent English language arts and math content tests
- Grade 3 English learner students in Arizona and Nevada could score below the threshold for English language proficiency in 2009/10 and still have a 50 percent or higher probability of subsequently passing the English language arts and math content tests in 2010/11 or 2011/12; however, grade 6 students had to score above the proficiency threshold in order to have a 50 percent probability of subsequently passing the content tests
The Keys to Success in K-6 NGSS Implementation I: Well-Prepared Teachers, Excellent Programs
Learn how to prepare teachers for Next Generation Science Standards success.
The presenters focus on two Next Generation Science Standards-aligned engaging programs: Engineering is Elementary (EiE) and NextGenPET.
EiE is the most widely used engineering K-6 curriculum in the United States and includes resources for developing teacher expertise in engineering design.
NextGenPET helps K-6 teachers address the physical sciences in their classrooms with confidence and conceptual understanding.
Presenters
- Joan Bissell, Director, Teacher Education & Public School Programs, California State University (CSU) Chancellor’s Office
- James Postma, Professor of Chemistry, CSU, Chico
- John Keller, Associate Professor, Department of Physics, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
- Christine Cunningham, Developer of EiE and Vice President, Boston Museum of Science
- Anne Marie Bergen, Science Teaching Specialist, Liberal Studies, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
- Fred Goldberg, Professor, Department of Physics, San Diego University
- Stephen Robinson, Professor, Department of Physics, Tennessee Technological University
- Danika LeDuc, Associate Director, Institute for STEM Education, CSU East Bay
This webinar is the first in a series hosted by the California State University (CSU) Chancellor’s Office with support from CSU East Bay and WestEd. The series is aimed at a broad group of stakeholders in education—university faculty, district administrators, and STEM coordinators.
Other Webinars in This Series
The Keys to Success in K-6 Next Generation Science Standards Implementation III: Learning Through Scientific and Engineering Practices
Sponsored by the CSU Chancellor’s Office with support from CSU East Bay and WestEd.Â
The scientific and engineering practices in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) focus on the central practices used by scientists and engineers. These include asking questions and defining problems, modeling, investigating, analyzing and interpreting data, using mathematics, developing explanations, engaging in augmentation, and evaluating information.
The presenters describe approaches for preparing current and future teachers to advance their students’ understanding of the NGSS scientific and engineering practices. They also talk about engaging experiences that directly involve students in using the practices.
Who Will Benefit
The series is aimed at a broad group of stakeholders in education—university faculty, district administrators, and STEM coordinators.
Other Webinars in This Series
Culture and Assessment: Discovering What Students Really Know
How can we know what students know?
At first glance, the answer seems simple. After teaching students new information and giving them time to practice the concepts or skills, we assess their understanding with a quiz or test. To find out how one student or a group of students compares to peers, we standardize the tests so that all students answer equally challenging questions.
But what if the way we ask the questions unintentionally causes some students to fail? What if our assessments miss uncovering the depth and complexity of knowledge because they contain assumptions about language, culture, values, and experiences that these students don’t share?
These concerns have inspired decades of work by Sharon Nelson-Barber, former Director of WestEd’s Center for the Study of Culture and Language in Education. The center’s research focused primarily on how culture, language, and socioeconomic status influence the ways people think and solve problems.
More recently, Nelson-Barber has been exploring how cultural background, particularly of indigenous students, may affect performance on large-scale standardized achievement tests and what can be done to make the assessments more accessible and equitable.Â
Leading Voices Podcast Series Episode 12: Cultivating Belonging, Inclusive Spaces, and Reflective Practices—A Conversation With Monica Mathur-Kalluri
“It’s been so inspiring really to watch providers from across the country as they’re slowly breaking through these barriers and dreaming about what if. And the truly powerful part in my mind has been, not only are they dreaming about what if, but then they’re stepping up. A lot of them are feeling like I have some power.” — Monica Mathur-Kalluri, Project Director
Early childhood practitioners face various challenges in the field, including staffing shortages, lack of funding for programs and professional development, and insufficient cultural representation in the workforce.
In this episode of the Leading Voices podcast, host Grace Westermann talks with Monica Mathur-Kalluri, Project Director within WestEd’s Early Childhood Intervention, Mental Health, and Inclusion team. As a Project Director, Monica engages with practitioners, parents, and state and community leaders to enhance the well-being of infants and toddlers and providers working with children ages 0–5.
Together, they discuss the transformative power of reflective practice spaces for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) practitioners and how these spaces help prevent burnout and create a more sustainable and supportive environment for those dedicated to early childhood care.Â
Listeners will also hear from early childhood practitioners from California and Virginia and what they had to say about their experience participating in the Revolutionary Reflective Practice retreat hosted in August 2023 for BIPOC practitioners.
Their conversation covers the following topics:
- Reflective practices for BIPOC practitioners
- The essential elements for creating a sense of belonging and inclusion in professional learning settings
- The value of creating welcoming BIPOC-only spaces for practitioners
- Learnings from the Revolutionary Reflective Practice retreat held in August 2023
Resources Mentioned in this Episode
Accommodations for English Language Learner Students: The Effect of Linguistic Modification of Math Test Item Sets
This study, prepared by Regional Educational Laboratory West at WestEd, found that simplifying the language—or linguistic modification—on standardized math test items made it easier for English language learners to focus on and grasp math concepts, and thus was a more accurate assessment of their math skills. The results contribute to the body of knowledge informing assessment practices and accommodations appropriate for English language learner students.
The study examined students’ performance on two sets of math items—both the originally worded items and those that had been modified. Researchers analyzed results from three subgroups of students—English learner (EL), non-English language arts proficient (NEP), and English language arts proficient (EP) students.
Key results include:
- Linguistically modifying the language of mathematics test items did not change the math knowledge being assessed.
- The effect of linguistic modification on students’ math performance varied between the three student subgroups. The results also varied depending on how scores were calculated for each student.
- For each of the four scoring approaches analyzed, the effect of linguistic modification was greatest for EL students, followed by NEP and EP students.
Information about the regional educational laboratory (REL) system and other REL publications can be found at the National Regional Educational Laboratory Program website.
Simulations Signal a New Era in Science Assessment
Students taking a standardized science test might read a passage describing an underwater ecosystem and then answer a series of related multiple choice questions. One day soon, students could be asked, instead, to demonstrate how well they understand the way an underwater ecosystem works.
Students would respond using computer-based simulation activities—making observations, inferring relationships, predicting outcomes, and analyzing data about the ecosystem. In short, they would use scientific inquiry.
This type of test question might require students to design an experiment to determine what would happen if too many of a particular species of fish were introduced into the ecosystem, or to predict how pollution or global warming would affect the system over time.
As part of their investigation, students would be able to observe various organisms and their interactions, create food webs, and explore and graph population models.
SimScientists is developing such science test formats—prototypes that will usher in a new era of computer-based assessment. The program encompasses five separate research projects, all on the role science simulations can play in improving middle school science instruction and assessment, and the optimum design of such simulations.