AUDIENCE: Administrators and Instructional Leaders are encouraged to attend.
Assessment has the potential to support hope, efficacy, and achievement for students, but inviting educators to safely and critically reflect on their assessment practices in order to achieve these ends is no easy task. Leading an assessment focus in schools and systems is emotional, identity-focused work. Digging into the narratives that serve as the foundation of current assessment practices, exploring effective assessment as part of instructional design. This leadership series will help leaders understand and acquire processes and protocols that advance adult learning and practice-shifting all critical aspects of effective assessment leadership.
In each session of this 3 part series, we will:
- Explore the research that illuminates effective assessment practice and ways this research might manifest within everyday classroom spaces.
- Experience first-hand the practices and protocols that leaders can leverage in their daily work in order to facilitate adult learning.
- Gain tools to support a personalized approach to assessment leadership.
Session One: Narratives, Relationship, and Holistic Assessment
Ideally assessment processes are best when they address holistic needs that are aligned with the beliefs and values of students and teachers. In this session, we will explore assessment using the analogies of hard and soft edges within the paradigm of assessment that powers learning. We will discuss assessment decisions that ensure efficacy and positive outcomes for learners and educators.
Session Two: Assessment through a Leadership Lens
This session will explore creative and practical frameworks, tools, and strategies for leaders to facilitate assessment conversations and action-planning in non-threatening, emotionally safe ways while still moving in the direction of change and growth. Together, we will experience these frameworks, tools, and strategies, with time to then imagine how to adapt them to personally relevant contexts.
Session Three: Assessment that Powers Learning: Effective Design and Response
Assessment is only truly powerful when the response to information gathered leads to effective action. At the same time, response is only powerful when assessment design is strong. The relationship between assessment design and assessment response is inseparable—they fundamentally depend on each other.
This session will explore elements of effective assessment design, analysis of the information gathered, and responses that advance learning. Together, we will investigate foundational approaches to creating assessment tools and processes that support growth when focusing on any learning goal. We will also explore ways we might build capacity when examining assessment artifacts and designing responses.
