And they have the numbers to prove it
Some big numbers have come out of Hockinson Heights Elementary School this month that indicate teaching and learning has gone to a whole new level up on The Hill. As of mid-March, 452 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students have completed over 1,700 formative assessments in an effort to better develop their English-Language Arts and Math skills and bolster confidence and preparedness for the Smarter Balanced Assessment later this spring.
This is not about "teaching to the test" nor are students spending hours of class time taking assessments. "We are focusing on skill development and these check-ins give us a quick snapshot of where our students are currently so we can be intentional with our instruction moving forward," said HHES Associate Principal Michael Olson. According to Olson, students have taken nearly 1,200 "Focused Interim Assessment Blocks" in total that measure their ability to write and revise informational texts, make and support literary inferences, and write and revise narratives. Students have also taken assessments that measure reading skills as well as their ability to multiply and divide fractions and demonstrate other math standards.
Performance data is entered in a shared spreadsheet that gives teachers and school leaders a better idea of how students are doing in the classroom. "These assessments are brief, but really useful," said Meredith Gannon, HHES Principal. "They enable our teachers to pinpoint the skills that students have mastered and those where additional help is needed. The data helps our teachers plan timely instruction to help our students grow," she added.
Both Olson and Gannon expect the large number of measurements and the big spreadsheet to add up to some sizable gains on math and ELA tasks as well as the Smarter Balanced Assessment in May.