Edu 429 Assessment Profile

Assessment,
Grading, and
Data Profile
Table of Contents
Purposes and principles of Effective, Quality Assessment 3
Assessment Beliefs 14
Purposes and Principles of Effective Grading 17
Grading Beliefs 24
Purposes and Principles of Effective Data Use 30
Data Beliefs 35
Assessment, Grading, and Data Communication Plan 37
Hypothetical Unit Plan with Formal Summative Assessment 45
Two Interim Assessments 82
Two Formal/Informal Formative Assessments 98

Purposes and principles of Effective, Quality Assessment
What is assessment?
According to Stiggins et al. (2006, p.12), “high-quality classroom
assessment equals accurate information-clear purposes, clear learning
targets, and an appropriate design, used effectively to help students
learn.” Further, Stiggins contends that sound assessments are built on five
key dimensions.
Five dimensions of sound assessment

Arise from and be designed to serve the specific information needs of
intended user(s)
Arise from clearly articulated and appropriate achievement targets
Accurately reflect student achievement
Yield results that are effectively communicated to their intended users
Involve students in classroom assessment, record keeping, and
communication
What are the different uses/purposes for

assessment?
Stiggins et al. (2006) makes the distinction between two types of
assessment: assessment FOR learning and assessment OF learning.
Assessments for learning are those formative assessments that can be used
as tools to improve students’ mastery of content. In contrast, assessments
of learning often occur at the end of learning to see what learning has
occurred. It is a snapshot of student learning on one particular assessment,
acting as a measuring stick to see how they are able to perform. A teacher
can make adjustments based upon scores on formative assessment before
they even take the summative assessment, so that by the time that final test
is taken, students have mastered even those objectives in which they were
weakest at the beginning of learning. The following table makes even
clearer the distinction between these two types of assessment:
Assessment FOR Learning vs. Assessment OF Learning
Assessments Assessments OF
FOR learning learning
Reasons for Increase student Document achievement
assessing achievement to help or mastery of standards
them meet standards by measuring
and support their achievement status at a
ongoing growth particular point in time,
often for accountability
Audience Students and teachers Others (parents,
districts,
administration)
Focus of Achievement targets Measure the
assessment selected by teachers that achievement standards
help students build their to hold teachers,
way toward standards schools, and students
accountable
Place in time During learning After learning
Examples Using rubrics with Achievement tests, final
students; student’s self- exams, placement tests,
assessment, descriptive short cycle assessments
feedback to students
(Stiggins et al., 2006)
What are the different assessment item types and

why would you use one item type over the other?
Stiggins et al. (2006) argues that all assessment items fall under one of four
broad categories:
1. Selected response and short answer
Students select the best response from a provided list (includes multiple
choice, true/false, matching, short answer, and fill-in-the-blank questions).
Students are assessed by the number of correct answers they have out of the
total number of questions.
2. Extended written response
An extended written response is a response at least several sentences in

length. Correctness is determined by criteria created ahead of time in one of
two ways: giving points for specific information being present or grading
using a rubric.
3. Performance assessment
This assessment item takes a performance or product and assesses its

quality. It is graded similarly to extended written responses in one of two
ways: if the performance or product contains specific items or if the
performance/product meets the criteria of a rubric.
4. Personal communication
Personal communication assessment items require the teacher to gain

information about what the students has learned through talking with them
and listening to what they have to say. Students can be evaluated in one of
two ways. For short responses, students can be graded similarly to written
selected responses. For longer oral responses, a rubric can be used to assess
their quality and if students have met requirements.
So… which one should be used?
Each item type can be legitimately used to assess student learning well, as
long as it matches the learning targets provided to the students and the
intended use of information (Stiggins et al., 2006). Fortunately, the authors
provide a table detailing which types of learning targets best match the
assessment methods described in detail above.
Using the chart, found below, the teacher can take their learning target and
decide which category it falls under, and then decide which assessment
method best tests if the students have gained mastery in that target area.
For example, if their target is a knowledge mastery target, they may wish to
consider selected response or extended written response items on their
assessment, since performance assessments are not a good match and since
personal communication would be very time consuming.
(Stiggins et al., 2006)
What are the components of a balanced
assessment system?
A balanced assessment system includes three types of assessment:
formative, interim, and summative. The difference between these three
types of assessment is shown in the graphic below:
Formative Interim Summative
Quickly inform Benchmark and monitor Evaluate learning

instruction progress
Specific, immediate, Multiple data points Cumulative snapshots

actional feedback across time
Daily, ongoing Periodic diagnostic/ Standardized

instructional strategies common assessments assessments
Student/classroom- Grade-level/School- School/District/State-

centered centered centered
What comes next for What progress are students Are our students meeting
student learning? making? Is the program the standards?
working?
(Wisconsin Department of Education, 2020)

What does the research say about how often I should use these
assessments? The Wisconsin Department of Education (2020) provides an
excellent graphic, shown below, to illustrate the different frequencies that
these assessments should be given and measuring what scope of content.
For example, they would urge that summative assessments should be used
least frequently, whereas formative assessments should be used most
frequently. An interim assessment may measure student achievement in a
unit, but a summative assessment is used to measure student performance
in an entire course.

What processes and tools in your classroom must
occur to have an effective, quality assessment
system?
A quality assessment system has quality assessments created with a
purpose. Wiggins and McTighe (2011) insist that the backwards design
method is the best way to build assessments and finally the curriculum and
instruction that is used in the classroom. In the backwards design method,
the instructor looks at the standard, decides what performance would
qualify was evidence of learning that standard, and then derives their
curriculum and instruction from that. This process is outlined in the
diagram below.
(Wiggins & McTighe, 2011)
They note that architects, dancers, and engineers are mindful of their
audiences and allow standards to shape their work, teachers should not
freely determine what to teach and when. They must be guided by the state
and national standards which illustrate what their students are expected to
know. If they begin with their end goal front-and-center, the instructor has
a better chance of reaching their goals for their students.
Another aspect of quality assessment is ensuring that it adheres to six

non-negotiable quality filters outlined by Sheldon (2008) which ensure the
assessment items are accurately measuring student performance on specific
standards. Quality filters ensure that the assessment item has one clear
target, matches the content noun offered by the state standard, and
matches the performance verb required by the state standard. This process
makes certain that the test item is measuring one standard only in an
accurate manner, so that if students get an item wrong, the instructor
knows that they do not understand that one specific standard at the level
required by the state standard. Quality filters also guarantee the question
stem is readable to all students, even those who do not know the answer.
Therefore, if a student gets a question wrong, it is not because they cannot
read the question stem, but because they are not proficient in the standard.
The answer choices must have one correct answer with plausible distractors
which tell the instructor something about student misconceptions. This way
even if a student gets a question incorrect, the student and the teacher are
learning something (the table below offers a summary).
How do national, state, local, and classroom-
based assessment impact your balanced system?
The standards set forth by the national and state standards should
inform instruction immensely. One plan delineated by the Wisconsin
School of Education (2020) in their description of balanced assessment
systems connects the state standards all the way to the curriculum,
describing the process in-depth. They call for using the national/state
standards and course expectations described by the school district to create
tests by grouping standards into “big ideas.” Then, they urge the instructor
should deconstruct each standard inside each big idea into individual
learning targets in student-friendly language. Following this crucial step,
the teacher breaks each standard into two groups, content nouns and
performance verbs. Next, they will make sure to distinguish what language
within each content standard the student will need to be successful,
building a vocabulary plan for each standard. Finally, the teacher decides
how best to assess the students on these standards and build the
assessment. This process is summarized in the flow chart below:

Assessment Beliefs
What will be done in my classroom?
I will use a backwards design, as described by Wiggins and McTighe

(2011). [This is merely a condensed version of the Wisconsin Department of
Education (2020) diagram shown above, which I will also be using in
creating my assessments.] Since this design begins with the end in mind,
helping guide students towards the goals by considering the goals first, it
seems to be regularly suggested in the research. This is why I plan to use it.
I will use item types that align with the learning targets, as Stiggins et
al. (2006) recommends. Using the table Stiggins provides, I will decide
what item type will be used to best measure my students’ proficiency on
each learning target. This process will ensure my assessment questions are
actually measuring how proficient students are on a standard in the best
and most efficient way.
I will use formative assessment to inform my instruction and make

necessary adjustments to my teaching plans to make my students more apt
to succeed. Formative assessments are assessments for learning. According
to the Wisconsin Department of Education (2020), formative assessments
should quickly inform instruction so the teacher can decide what comes
next in student learning. This is precisely why I will use it!
I will write my learning targets in student-friendly language. My

learning targets will directly determine the assessment method I use and
will be directly embedded in my summative assessment, so students need
to be aware of them. Stiggins et al. (2006) argues that students’ chances of
success grow immensely when they have a clear sense of where they are
going. In particular, Stiggins notes that students need to “play a role in
tracking and communicating about their own progress along the way” (p.
15). They cannot do this if they do not understand the learning targets.
Thus, my targets will be in student-friendly language and accessible to the
students at all times.
I will use the six non-negotiable quality filters articulated by Sheldon

(2008) when writing my assessments to ensure the assessments that I
make have high quality and that they are reliable in their reporting. For
example, all of my questions will discuss one content expectation, so that if
students get it wrong, I immediately understand in which area they lack
understanding. These filters are discussed in the diagram above.
What will not be done in my classroom?
I will not teach only from a textbook. Wiggins and McTighe (2011)
directly advise against it, as it is not the best way to create curriculum. The
standards must be considered when creating a curriculum plan, as
textbooks often have chapters that do not need to be taught or that are not
taught well enough, needing supplemental material. Teaching in this
manner does not take standards into consideration, which could let the
students down in the end when they take summative assessments
measuring their proficiency on these standards.
I will not create the assessment after the unit has already been taught.
If I wait to create the assessment until after the unit is finished, I run the
risk of not preparing my students well to show their proficiency on the test.
I need to have the assessment in mind while I am creating lesson plans,
formative assessments, and interim assessments so I can prepare my
students best and help them master the standards, as Wiggins and McTighe
(2011) suggest in their description of the backwards design.
I will not create test questions that are unfair to my students.

Specifically, I will not create test questions with more than one correct
answer, with distractors that are not plausible, or with a question stem that
puts students with literacy troubles at a disadvantage. Sheldon (2008)
illustrates that none of these practices are appropriate when measuring
student achievement, which is what an assessment should do. Therefore,
they will not occur in my classroom.
Purposes and principles of Effective Grading
Historically what are the different purposes/

reasons teachers and other stakeholders have
used grades?
It is interesting to note that although assessment of students has been
around since the times of the ancient Greeks, grading as we know it is
relatively new (Guskey, 1994). Particularly in the United States, grading
was unheard of until the 1850s. By the late 1800s, teachers were writing
down what content students have mastered, and once they had mastered
one level of content, they moved to the next. Percentages begin to enter the
scene in the secondary classroom in the early 1900s, as the number of
public high schools sharply increases. One study by Starch and Elliot
challenges the newly popular notion that percentages are reliable measures
of student achievement, but their cries about the subjectivity of grading
largely go unheard (Guskey, 1994).
In 1918, teachers began to use fewer and larger categories to assign

grades. However, when the 1930s come, there is much debate over what the
best practice of grading is. Grading on the curve becomes increasingly
popular, since student intelligence on the large scale is represented by a
bell-shaped curve. Some schools decided to throw out grades altogether,
whereas some advocated for a pass-fail system. In 1958, research conducted
by Ellis Page concludes that individualized comments on papers to
accompany the letter grade improve student achievement. Thus, the
conclusion can be drawn that grades can be beneficial to students, but only
when helpful feedback is also included (Guskey, 1994).
Why are some purposes more accepted than
others?
Some purposes of assessment are more accepted than others because
they are widely used and because they have been used historically. Teachers
have been using percentages to assign grades on a categorical basis (A, B, C,
D, E, F) for decades, and it is easy to assume that what has been used
historically is the best method of practice. Current teachers were graded
themselves with percentages and mathematically averaging different points
in class, and it is easy for teachers to teach in the way they were taught. In
addition, at the surface level, averaging does seem like a fair way to
determine grades. However, when one digs deeper, they will realize that
averaging all assignments in class has no place in the classroom.
Further, some teachers may feel constrained by their district to use a

certain grading system. Obviously, the grading system used by the district
would be much more accepted than attempting to chart one’s own course as
an individual teacher. If an entire district uses a four-point scale to assess
their students, and one teacher wishes to use percentages, the report card
could confuse parents. Is a four-point the same as a 90%? Did my child
achieve mastery level of 3 points if they received a 78%? These are
questions parents could be asking themselves if they are used to one
grading system or the other, and one teacher decides to grade differently.
Thus, it makes sense that the purpose defined by the district is often more
accepted by those teachers in the district.
What are the similarities and differences between

feedback and grading?
Feedback BOTH Grading
Specific written or Provide the student A symbol that
verbal instruction with information represents student
which tells the student which describes what mastery of particular
how to improve. they can improve. learning targets.
Can occur during or Can be used by the Often occurs at the end
after the learning has teacher to track of learning to show
occurred. misconceptions across what students know.
many students.
What are three or more different grading scales

currently being used?
9 Point Scale
A+ = 9.0 B+ = 6.0 C+ = 3.0 F=0

A = 8.0 B = 5.0 C = 2.0
A- = 7.0 B- = 4.0 C- = 1.0
13 Point Scale
A+ = 13.0 B+ = 10.0 C+ = 7.0 D+ = 4.0 F = 1.0

A = 12.0 B = 9.0 C = 6.0 D = 3.0 U = 0.0
A- = 11.0 B- = 8.0 C- = 5.0 D- = 2.0
Leveled Grading Scale

Level 4 = A or excellent (80 – 100%)
Level 3 = B or good (70 – 79%)
Level 2 = C or average (60 – 69%)
Level 1 = D or passing (50 – 59%)
Level R = F or failing (0 – 49%)
Standardized Test Scale
Numeric Performance Definition

Representation Level
1 Advanced Students at this level demonstrate a
comprehensive and in-depth understanding of
rigorous subject matter and provide
sophisticated solutions to complex problems.
2 Proficient Students at this level demonstrate a solid
understanding of challenging subject matter
and solve a wide variety of problems.
3 Partially Students at this level demonstrate a partial
Proficient understanding of subject matter and solve some
simple problems.
4 Not Proficient Students at this level demonstrate a minimal
understanding of subject matter and do not
solve simple problems.
*Note 1 and 2 are passing
What does research – and experience – say about
the following debated fair grading practices?
Should I use zeros?
According to Guskey (2001) and Guskey (2002), grading has some value as
a reward, but no value as a punishment. From my own experience, I know
this must be true, as many students in my school would get zero upon zero
without changing their behavior at all. They felt as though they were too
deep into their grading pit after the first zero, so why attempt to dig
themselves out? Thus, assigning zeros as a punishment for missing work is
an altogether worthless endeavor. The student will not be more likely to
turn in the homework the next time anyways. Other researchers confirm
this opinion, urging that teachers should “crunch numbers,” taking
averages including zeros and weighting grades, as little as possible
(O’Connor, 2002). If a student gets all perfect scores, but their dog chews
up one assignment, their grade could be impacted immensely, even though
they really are an A student! Therefore, one can conclude that the debatable
practice of assigning zeros for late or missing work should be eliminated.
Should you grade homework or other formative

assessment? What should get graded?
It is clear from the research that not all grades should be included in a
student’s final grade (O’Connor, 2002). This practice leads to attempting to
be mathematically precise and crunch numbers in a way that accurately
represents student data, which researchers insist is a futile effort, as
mathematical precision does not produce fair grading (Guskey, 2001 &
Guskey, 2002). Further, in no field of work are adults graded on their
practice. People are graded on the final product they produce after research
and learning has occurred. If this is what we expect out of adults, how can
we expect children to be perfect on their practice? Thus, it is imperative
that initial practices should not be put into a student’s grade. When I was in
high school, it always frustrated me when teachers would grade my first
attempt at learning complex material. Every time they would give us a
homework assignment which required solving complex problems, my
anxiety would increase as I realized this would impact my grade, even
though I was unfamiliar with it. It felt unfair that my teachers were grading
my mastery of content that I learned only that day. From both my
experience and the research, one can conclude that only select assessments
which highlight the student’s level of proficiency and mastery of a specific
content standard should be graded.
Should academic and non-academic work be represented in

one grade?
O’Connor (2002) is adamant that grades should be limited to measuring

student achievement, not measuring any other attributes. Grades should be
based on the intended learning goals which are based on the academic
standards required for students to master in the classroom. One grade at
the end of a marking period on a report card is only one way teachers can
communicate performance with parents, according to Guskey (2001) and
Guskey (2002). One way to still communicate student attributes to parents
apart from their grade is providing individualized feedback or providing a
separate grade. I know that in my school, non-academic work was
represented in how well students followed a code of conduct. Students were
rewarded with highly valued prizes and events for following the code of
conduct. This kept non-academic work out of our grades while also holding
the students accountable, and it was very powerful in our school.
Should students be allowed to re-do/retake?
As discussed previously, grades should be used to show student

achievement based upon standards offered by the state and the nation
(O’Connor, 2002). If a student is able to show that they can achieve mastery
on a test the second time they take it, it would be easy to make the
argument that they have mastered the content. As a matter of fact, they
proved that they knew the content by taking the assessment. Thus, their
grade should be reflective of this mastery, since grades are meant to show
how much students know and what areas/standards they have not
mastered yet. Although this takes more effort on the teacher’s part, grading
in this manner provides a more accurate picture of the student’s
achievement, and thus retakes should be allowed.
Should extra credit be allowed?
If a teacher takes state standards and builds their learning targets from
these standards, using the performance verbs to derive accurate assessment
items, a student’s grade at the end of the semester will be representative of
their mastery of content. Extra credit only skews this accurate
representation of what students know, because it changes the grade without
showing the student knows those learning objectives. If grades are truly
meant to show what students have achieved and mastered, grades should
be limited to the assessments that highlight this mastery (O’Connor, 2002).
Grading Beliefs
Retakes will be allowed in my classroom. As discussed previously, grdes

need to represent student mastery of content (O’Connor, 2002). If a
student shows me they have mastered standards, then their grade should
be reflective of that. However, I plan on changing the test before the
student retakes it so that their grade is a representation of their mastery of
learning targets and not their ability to memorize the test questions from
the last test.
Students will be assessed on non-academic criteria in my classroom, but

separately from their final class grade. I wish to hold my students
accountable for maintaining the routines and procedures in my classroom.
I would love to compliment students also on their study habits and personal
characteristics that make them unique and will make them successful
someday. I will use a student letter to home at the end of the semester to
help students and parents track their non-academic progress, accompanied
by a reward if the student performed their non-academic duties in a
satisfactory manner. However, researchers agree that grades should only
measure academic achievement, so their final grade will only be reflective
of those measures (O’Connor, 2002).
Students will not be graded on any other attributes apart from their own
personal achievement. Multiple researchers have suggested that this
practice is harmful, as grades are supposed to represent student mastery of
content standards, not how well they followed classroom routines and
procedures (O’Connor, 2002).
Zeros will not be given in my classroom. If a student does not have an

assignment turned in, they will be required to meet with me after school,
missing their athletic practices, or during lunch, missing time with peers, in
order to get the assignment completed. The research shows grades cannot
be used as a punishment to change student behavior, so I will not wield
zeros to my students in an attempt to get their work (Guskey, 2001 &
Guskey, 2002).
My students will never receive less than 50% on an assignment they

attempted. Grades can be used as a reward, but not as a punishment,
according to the research (Guskey, 2001 & Guskey, 2002). I cannot punish
a student by giving them 50 ways to fail, based on the 50 percentage points
that account for failure, and only 10 ways to earn an A grade. I need to
promote the success of my students by not digging them into a hole with
zeros that they cannot dig themselves out of. A 50% is still a failing grade,
and representative of their mastery of content at that time.
Extra credit will not appear in my classroom.
Practice will not be included in a student’s final grade in my classroom.
What will be included in student grades?
Summative assessments- projects, tests, essays, presentations, or

anything that occurs after the learning has taken place.
*Rationale- summative assessments are derived straight from the
standards themselves. they are created to accurately measure student
achievement and mastery of standards, which is what grades are
intended to report. Therefore, they must be included in grades.
What will not be included in student grades?
Student practice- formative/interim assessments, homework, guided

notes
*Rationale- student practice should not be measured for mastery and

applied to their final grade. Grades should be a reflection of their level
of mastery, and students should not be expected to show mastery on
their first attempt. Thus, practice should not be included in grades.
Nonacademic attributes- attendance, participation, timeliness,

classroom manners, effort, etc.
*Rationale- grades should be a reflection of student achievement, not

their classroom behaviors and organizational habits. These can be
assessed apart from the final grade, while still impacting the student
positively.
***Note that the classroom rules and procedures will ensure these things
still happen – If a student does not complete homework, they miss lunch or
their after-school sports practice in order to complete it. If a student breaks
classroom rules and procedures, they will face disciplinary action. Their
grades just will not be affected by these things.
Is this fair?
These practices are research-based and ultimately for the benefit of

the student, so that they may have every opportunity to show mastery of the
content and to earn a great grade in my class. Unlike many other classes,
my classroom has 10 ways to earn any letter grade they desire, so my
students are set up to earn the score they desire. My grading system
benefits those who wish to learn the content and show their mastery, not to
benefit those who have good organizational habits or who can perform well
on an assignment the first time they see a new concept. Students will be
told up front that this is how the grading will be conducted in my
classroom. I am more than willing to hear them out if they have any issues
with the grading practices, as I am aware that student involvement in
adapting assessment and grading is essential.
What grading system will I use in my ideal classroom?
I will grade each assignment and find the percentage of points the
students earned out of the total points allowed. I will find the average of
their percentages to determine their total grade. In this way, students will
be held responsible to master each standard, since one failure will still
affect their grade. However, they will not be stuck in a pit they cannot get
out of if they fail- the lowest failing grade they can get is a 50%. Further,
since their summative assessments are the only things entering the
gradebook, and summative assessments are tailored to directly measure
their achievement, the student grades will accurately reflect their mastery
of content. I understand that summative assessments being the only grades
in the gradebook will stress some students out, but they have every
opportunity to retake the assessment to prove mastery, so there should be
no added concern. Their final letter grade will be determined by the
percentage grade system widely used in the United States, shown below.
Percentage Grading System
A = 90 – 100%
B = 80 – 89%
C = 70 – 79%
D = 60 – 69%
F = 0 – 59 %
Notice that since the lowest grade I am willing to give is a 50%, there
are only ten ways for a student to earn each grade. Therefore, I am not
setting my students up for failure with 59 ways to fail my class. I feel as
though this is the most accurate way to measure their master of every
standard. Dropping their lowest grade or using their median score would
allow students to have low outliers in their grades, showing that they did
NOT master certain content standards. Dropping these scores would make
their final grade appear as though they did master those standards, when
they did not. This is why I have decided to average their summative
assessment scores to determine their final score.
What does this look like in my classroom?
Let’s look at an example student to see how this grading system would work
in my classroom.
Student 1
Test Unit 1 – 97%
Test Unit 2 – 79%
Project Unit 3 – 98%
Essay Unit 4 – 19% → 50%
Test Unit 5 – 100%
Final grade – 84.8%

B
Student 1 is very evidently a very good student who struggles a bit

with expressing the ideas of the Unit 4 material. They received mostly A
and B range scores across the semester. It is possible that this student
struggles with writing as well. Since this student did not show mastery of
unit 4 material, they still received a failing grade of a 50%. Their grade still
reflects that they did not master unit 4’s content, but it did not damage
their grade beyond that (as it would have if they received that 19% - they
would have gotten a final grade of 78.6% or a C. This would not
represent this student’s work across the semester, which was mostly A and
B work).
Purposes and principles of Effective Data Use
What are the different measures of data?

There are multiple measures of data that can be used to learn things
about students. The Multiple Measures of Data diagram below describes
these measures individually and what they tell us in their combinations
(Bernhardt, V. L., 2003).
Who uses these different measures?
Teachers use these measures to inform their instruction and make
appropriate decisions to help maximize their students’ learning. Student
learning data tells teachers if their kids are keeping up with state and
national standards. If they are not, immediate remediation needs to take
place. Teachers also use student perception data to see how the students
perceive different subjects. Student perceptions sometimes need to be
improved before learning occur. Teachers also use demographic data to
decide how best to teach to a diverse group of students.
Parents use student learning data to make sure their child is staying on
track with their classroom and the nation as a whole. Parents also use data
about school processes to make sure the school their child attends is
keeping their child safe and offering them the best education with
accompanying programs possible.
Students use student learning data to make sure they are keeping up with
the classroom, state, and national standards. Standardized assessments are
a great way for students to use data to compare themselves to other kids
their age and see in what areas they need to improve.
Administrators use all types of data in their daily work. Administrators

use school process data to ensure their school programs and processes are
running smoothly. Principals want to ensure their school programs are
performing the duties they are meant to. Superintendents need to know
that disciplinary processes are successful in their district. Administrators
also need to use student learning data to hold different programs
accountable and ensure their students are keeping up with state standards.
What are additional types or kinds of data?
Additional types of data include student interests outside of school.
Some students are really interested in music, while others are interested in
sports. There are other students who are heavily involved in their Quiz Bowl
team, chess club, or Science Olympiad team. This data could be incredibly
beneficial to use in the classroom for a number of reasons. Teachers can
tailor their lessons to include things that interest students. Instead of using
tests as summative assessments, a teacher could make a project that
involves student interests to measure their mastery of content in a fun way.
Other types of data not found in the Multiple Measures diagram by

Bernhardt (2003) are the little assessments in the classroom that occur
throughout lessons and units that lead the class to the conclusion of units
and semesters. Examples of these pieces of data include performance on
pre-tests versus interim assessments versus post-tests (Brookhart, 2015).
Additionally, it includes formative assessments that occur both formally
and informally to inform the teacher about their students thinking. These
types of data are summarized in the chart below. Each of these types of data
tell the teacher the effectiveness of their teaching and the effectiveness of
their assessment.
Why use one type of data over another?
Different types of data are useful to different people. For example,
demographic data may not be helpful to a parent who is trying to help their
child achieve the standards, but it would be helpful to a teacher who is
building their lesson plan. School process data may not be helpful for a
student trying to assess how well they are learning standards and how they
compare to other students their age, but it is helpful for a vice principal
studying a suspension rate increase in his school.
Why do teachers need to effectively utilize data?

Teachers need to effectively use data to inform their instruction. After
assessments, teachers need to take in the enormous amount of student data
and come to conclusions about their instruction. They can compile their
data in tables and see which learning objectives students struggled with the
most. They can also put demographic data and perception data in their
table to see how they interact with one another. For example, if more girls
are reading the novel outside of class that they are going to be tested on,
which made them perform really well on the book test, maybe that book is
only appealing to girls. If more boys indicate on the test that they perceive
reading to be boring, which made them score really low on the reading
standardized test, their teacher may need to go out and get books that
interest boys. Data can be used in this way to radically change the
classroom to fit the individualized needs of students if used properly.
One practice that teachers can use to effectively utilize data is creating
a table with each student as a row and each learning objective as a column.
The teacher can then fill in the table with the number of correct answers
each student had under each learning objective in order to see if some
learning objectives were not taught well enough or if a test question is
faulty. The teacher can add a test question asking how much students
studied for the test to add a demographic measure to their data. Using this
study data, the teacher can see if studying is correlated with success on
their tests. If it is not, the teacher may need to teach study strategies to help
their students make better use of their study time. An example of a data
table that works much like this can be found here.
Data Beliefs

I will use student data to constantly inform my instruction. Specifically, I
will use data that reflects student proficiency of standards to evaluate my
teaching and assessment to come to conclusions for the good of the
students. I will also use data about student interests to build my lessons
around the things student likes in order to build engagement and help my
students learn.
I will compile both student learning data and demographic data to predict
the best processes that will meet my students’ needs (Bernhardt, 2003).
Processes that work for one demographic of students do not always work
for another demographic of students, and this is represented in the student
learning data. Ultimately, using these types of data I can improve my
classroom processes for the benefit of my students.
I will use student perception data as a way to inform the way I teach
mathematics, as student perception of mathematics plays a huge role in
how much they think they can succeed. Students all too often fall into a
fixed mindset about mathematics, thinking that mathematics is a subject
about pure talent rather than hard work (Moser et al., 2011). This
perception is damaging, because it discourages students who do not feel
naturally gifted in math. If students have this perception, I need to know
about it and change it so that they can learn to be okay with making
mistakes and learning from them, because that is how our brain grows
(Moser et al., 2011).
**Rationale- these practices will ensure that I build a body of
evidence demonstrating the quality of my teaching and the depth of student
learning. The data will show student proficiency in different learning
objectives that have different cognitive demand levels, highlighting how
many students have different levels in their depth of knowledge. The data
will also show student growth from the beginning pretest to the final post-
test, which speaks to my quality as an educator. This practice ensures that I
have the ability to bring quality reasoning into an evaluation setting to
prove that I am an effective educator.

I will not grade tests and throw them into the recycling bin after putting
them in the gradebook. I have seen many teachers in my high school career
put the tests in the grade book and literally throw away data that would be
imperative to their instruction. As Bernhardt (2003) notes, student data
tells us so much about how to help our students and throwing that away
would be doing my students a disservice.
I will not translate all of my data into the report card. As mentioned
previously, non-academic attributes should never be included in the final
grade, as grades are meant to reflect student achievement alone (O’Connor,
2002). Therefore I must refuse to include data such as attendance,
participation, and other non-academic measures in the gradebook.
Assessment, Grading, and Data Communication Plan
A teacher is responsible to create a grading system and keep track of

the student data in a fair manner so that at the end of a semester or year
they can give each student a final grade. I will plan to grade and return
student work within 24 hours so the students do not spend days and days
stressing themselves out about what grade they may have received, as I did
in high school. This will give students time to think over their score, wait 24
hours to schedule a conference with me, and then plan to take their retake
test within a short enough span of time that they still remember the
content. Students should only be involved in their own grade, not in the
grades of others. FERPA requires that I would never share student data
and grades with another student, which means that having students grade
one another’s work is strictly prohibited.
Completed student assessments will be handed back to the student

the next day so they can review it themselves and see which lesson
objectives they struggled with the most. They will then write down which
lesson objectives they received points off in and take this information with
them to a conference with me if they wish to retake the test. Between
handing the test back and the conference, the test will be in my possession
for safe keeping. In the student-teacher conference, the student and I will
look through their test once more, discussing each question they missed
and planning their studies before the retake test. Then, the test will be
placed in my possession again.
Student Letter – My Grading System
Hello class!
Now that you have finally arrived in my classroom, I wanted to let you
know a little bit about my grading system. I know each teacher has a
different system, but fortunately mine is very easy to follow. I do not grade
homework and practice, because I do not feel like practice is representative
of what you all know. I cannot expect you guys to be perfect the first time
you try something. Do not think this gets you out of homework! If you fail
to turn in a homework assignment, you spend your lunch hour with me
making it up.
I only grade one summative assignment per unit (test, project,

presentation… you name it!). You will receive a percentage score on each
unit assessment, and I will average these percentages to get your final
grade. I do not give any grade lower than a 50%, as research suggests this is
an unfair way to grade. Any grade below 50% will be rounded up to a 50%.
Your final grade will be given on this scale:
Percentage Grading System
A = 90 – 100%
B = 80 – 89%
C = 70 – 79%
D = 60 – 69%
F = 0 – 59 %
What does this mean? Take Student 1 as an example…
Test Unit 1 – 97%
Test Unit 2 – 79%
Project Unit 3 – 98%
Essay Unit 4 – 19% → 50%
Test Unit 5 – 100%
Final grade – 84.8%

B
If you have any questions about where I got this grading system or why I
grade in this way, please do not hesitate to ask! Also, if you would like to
ask me to change my grading system, I will always hear what you have to
say. Contact me via email at stracey.64@gmail.com or through my website
at samanthatracey64.weebly.com
Thanks again!
Your teacher, Miss Tracey

2 sample progress reports
High level student (Student A)
Test Unit 1 Test Unit 2 Paper Unit 3 Progress

9-20-20 10-13-20 10-22-20 Evaluation
Grade: 94% Grade: 89% Grade: 95% Grade: 93%

Congrats! You
have received an
A grade thus far!
Hello parent or guardian of Student A,
I am writing to report to you that exactly halfway through the semester,

your child has an A grade in my class. Classroom grades in my class are
determined by averaging the scores your student receives on the summative
assessments. This half of the semester, we have had three summative
assessments, Test Unit 1, Test Unit 2, and Paper Unit 3. Your student’s
grades on each of those assignments are above.
Behaviorally, your student is doing a superb job in my classroom. They

always show up on time, with their homework in hand, ready to learn. This
is all I can ask for out of my students. Student A is absolutely on track to
receive the reward at the end of the semester for non-academic attributes
such as behavior, attendance, participation, effort, etc.
If you have any questions at all about this progress report and update,
please don’t hesitate to email me back!
Thanks so much,
Miss Tracey
Low level student (Student B)
Test Unit 1 Test Unit 2 Paper Unit 3 Progress

9-20-20 10-13-20 10-22-20 Evaluation
Grade: 60% Grade: 50% Grade: 75% Grade: 62%

You have
received an D
grade thus far
Hello parent or guardian of Student B,
I am writing to report to you that exactly halfway through the semester,

your child has a D grade in my class. Classroom grades in my class are
determined by averaging the scores your student receives on the summative
assessments. This half of the semester, we have had three summative
assessments, Test Unit 1, Test Unit 2, and Paper Unit 3. Your student’s
grades on each of those assignments are above.
Behaviorally, your student is struggling in my classroom. Although they

arrive to my class most days, it is often late and without their homework
assignment. This means that we often spend our lunches together
completing the assignments. For this reason, Student B is not on track to
receive the reward at the end of the semester for non-academic attributes
such as behavior, attendance, participation, effort, etc. However, there is
still time to change this with a few behavioral adjustments heading into the
second half of the semester.
If you have any questions at all about this progress report and update,
please don’t hesitate to email me back!
Thanks so much,
Miss Tracey
2 sample final report cards

High level student (Student A)
Test Test Paper Test Presenta- Test Progress

Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 tion Unit 5 Unit 6 Evaluation
9-20- 10-13-20 10-22-20 11-2-20 11-10-20 12-1-20
20 Grade: 93%
Grade: Grade: Grade: Grade: Grade: Grade: Congrats! You
94% 89% 95% 90% 98% 100% have received
an A grade thus
far!
Low level student (Student B)
Test Test Paper Test Presenta- Test Reporting

Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 tion Unit 5 Unit 6 Grade
9-20- 10-13-20 10-22-20 11-2-20 11-10-20 12-1-20
20
Grade: Grade: Grade: Grade: Grade: Grade: Grade: 63%
60% 50% 75% 70% 50% 67% You have
received a D
grade this
semester.
What is the teacher’s involvement in gathering and using data?
A teacher is required to gather data in order to report student grades

at the end of the semester in the most accurate way possible. They should
use data to inform everything they do, in building instruction, adjusting
lessons, and creating tests. Ultimately, they are also required to report
various data pieces to all educational stakeholders.
I will personally communicate with…
Students to give them their grades in a timely manner and in a way that
makes sense to them in addition to the non-academic grade I give them at
the end of the entire semester which determines if they receive a reward or
not.
Parents to show them their child’s grades as well as the grade I give them
relating to non-academic factors.
PLC teammates to ask them questions about what my data is saying to
them. Often times they may see things that I do not see myself in the data,
recognizing patterns or outliers that I could not see.
Principal my class’s progress across the year as it relates to the state

standards we are supposed to master, along with the non-academic grades
of my students and those in need of remediation in this category.
Hypothetical Unit Plan
State standards:
My hypothetical unit plan (linked here) is a high school psychology

unit discussing Classical and Operant conditioning. In the creation of this
unit, I referenced an online textbook for interesting examples and detailed
descriptions of content involved. I also provided my students with
numerous supplemental online resources, including review videos, practice
questions, and articles which provide in-depth descriptions of the content.
(NOTE: all resources discussed below are found in the unit plan link)
Day 1: We begin the unit by taking the pretest, which includes actual test
questions. There are two questions per lesson objective learned during the
unit.
Day 2: On the second day, we learn what classical conditioning is by

actually performing an experiment on the students during the class period.
Using skittles, I attempt to condition them to salivate at the sound of a bell
to make a memorable learning experience. So, throughout the PowerPoint,
which they follow in their guided notes, I will ring the bell which triggers
them to eat a skittle. The students’ guided notes and ticket-out-the-door
inform me about how the students are understanding the content.
Day 3: Day three involves an in-depth discussion about the things we

learned the previous day. Before the discussion begins, we watch a fun
review video that will make the students laugh while they interact with
yesterday’s content. I will lead the conversation through pre-planned
questions and ensure the conversation is productive with our classroom
discussion procedures. I will be listening intently to the classroom
conversation and the students will give me a self-assessment so I know if I
need to reteach anything after this day.
Day 4: We review classical conditioning before moving to learning about

operant conditioning, since many students confuse these two types of
learning. Through fun examples from TV and movies, interesting examples,
in-depth explanations, and partner practice, the students become familiar
with operant conditioning. The students’ guided notes and ticket-out the-
door inform me about how the students are understanding the content.
Day 5: We begin class with a video review of the four types of operant
conditioning. Many students mix these up, so I want to reinforce these
ideas whenever possible (corny reinforcement joke!). Then, the students
will condition two volunteers from the class using operant techniques,
which is an activity that will be filled with both the classroom content and
tons of laughter. Students will give me a ticket-out-the-door so I know if I
need to reteach anything after this day.
Day 6: Today is the ultimate review day! To begin class, we will synthesize
the main ideas from a more formal review video. Then, we will play review
jeopardy with questions from the test. I do not want the test questions to be
a surprise. I want students to feel prepared and confident going into test
day.
Potential reteaching day: If the students are struggling with the review
jeopardy, I will push the test back one day and perform any reteaching
necessary so my students have mastered these lesson objectives.
Day 7: After 6 days of hard work, it is time to take the formal summative
assessment, the test. The test includes four questions for each lesson
objective (listed below). Lesson objectives are written before the
corresponding test questions so the students know just how interconnected
the lesson objectives are to the questions.
State standards and lesson objectives:
Classical conditioning:
1.1 Describe the principles of classical conditioning
LO: The student will describe the principles of classical conditioning.
1.2 Describe clinical and experimental examples of classical

conditioning
LO: The student will describe clinical and experimental examples of

classical conditioning.
LO: The student will apply classical conditioning to everyday life.
Operant Conditioning
2.2 Describe the principles of operant conditioning
LO: The student will describe the principles of operant conditioning.
2.3 Describe clinical and experimental examples of operant

conditioning
LO: The student will describe clinical and experimental examples of

operant conditioning.
LO: The student will apply operant conditioning to everyday life.

Assessment titles:
Day 2: K-W-L Chart – Formal Formative Assessment
Day 3: Classical Conditioning Discussion – Informal Formative

Assessment
Day 4: Classical Conditioning Review – Formal Interim Assessment
Day 6: Operant conditioning Review – Formal Interim Assessment
Day 7: Classical and Operant Conditioning Test – Formal Summative

Assessment
Classical and Operant Conditioning Test NAME:_____________
LO: The student will describe the principles of classical conditioning.
1. When performing classical conditioning, one must pair the ______________ with the
_______________ in order to gain the desired learning outcome.
a. unconditioned stimulus, unconditioned response
b. unconditioned response, conditioned response
c. unconditioned stimulus, neutral stimulus
d. neutral stimulus, conditioned response
2. You can tell learning has occurred when the _____________ ____________ creates a
response by itself.
a. unconditioned stimulus
b. conditioned response
c. unconditioned response
d. neutral stimulus
3. Ivan Pavlov was able to teach his dogs to ___________ when the researcher entered the room,
since the researcher often had food with them when they met with the dogs.
a. salivate
b. wag excessively
c. become hungry
d. become distressed
4. Classical conditioning can teach only teach human beings ______________, making this type
of learning substantially more simple than operant conditioning.
a. behaviors
b. reflexes
c. ideas
d. jobs
LO: The student will describe the principles of operant conditioning.
5. Skinner was able to prove that behaviors lead to ______________ responses that make the
behavior more or less likely to happen again.
a. environmental
b. conditioned
c. unconditioned
d. behavioral
6. B.F. Skinner thought that human behavior was too __________ to be described by classical
conditioning alone.
a. negative
b. intentional
c. complex
d. positive
7. If a behavior becomes more likely to happen after a stimulus is removed, what type of operant
conditioning is this?
a. positive reinforcement
b. negative reinforcement
c. positive punishment
d. negative punishment
8. If a behavior becomes less likely to happen after the addition of a stimulus, what type of
operant conditioning is this?
LO: The student will describe clinical and experimental examples of classical conditioning.
9. Describe one clinical or experimental example of classical conditioning. Be sure to include the
major components of classical conditioning and why this is an example of classical conditioning.
LO: The student will describe clinical and experimental examples of operant conditioning.
10. Describe one clinical or experimental example of operant conditioning. Explain which type
of operant conditioning this example is, and be sure to include the major components of operant
conditioning and why this is an example of operant conditioning.
LO: The student will apply classical conditioning to everyday life.
11. Jordan was dancing with her boyfriend when the band started playing “Marry Me” by Train
and her boyfriend gave her a kiss that Jordan found very enjoyable. Now every time Jordan hears
“Marry Me” on the radio she experiences a rush of excitement. In this example, the kiss is the
a. conditioned response
b. unconditioned response
c. conditioned stimulus
d. unconditioned stimulus
12. John is fighting cancer and has to get chemotherapy at the Doctor’s office every week. The
chemotherapy makes him feel very nauseous. Now even the smell of the doctor’s office before
he actually gets the treatment causes John to feel nauseous. In this example, the smell of the
office is the
13. Pearl used to really enjoy tuna salad. At a recent company party, Pearl became quite ill after
eating tuna salad that had been sitting in the sun for too long. Now even the sight of a can of tuna
in the grocery store makes her feel sick. In this example, the sick feeling Pearl experiences when
she sees tuna in the grocery store is a
14. George does not like the dentist’s office at all, because the dentist often has to drill into his
teeth, causing George a lot of pain. Now, George winces at the mere sound of the dentist’s drill.
In this case, the pain caused by the drill in George’s teeth is a
LO: The student will apply operant conditioning to everyday life.
15. If your dog begs for food at the dinner table and you allow him to eat whatever falls on the
floor, he will continue to beg because the food scraps on the floor have served as a
16. When you get into your car and start to drive, the car makes that annoying sound indicating
that you have not put your seat belt on. To stop the car from making that sound, you buckle your
seat belt. In this case, your behavior to buckle up is maintained by
17. You have come home late again and missed curfew. Your father tells you that he is taking the
keys to your car and you will not be able to drive for 2 months. In this case, taking the keys to
your car is
18. Your teacher is angry with you for disrupting class. She decides to give you extra homework
because of your misbehavior. In this case, the extra homework is a
How much did you study for this test?
a. More than 30 minutes
b. 15-30 minutes
c. 5-15 minutes
d. 0 to 5 minutes
Assessment blueprint:
Level of Ans
wer
Item # GLCE Benchmark Code (with Lesson Objective Cognitive Demand Other Notes/
(A,B,
description if necessary)
(Evaluation, Synthesis, C,D)
Comments
Analysis, Application,
Comprehension, and
Knowledge)
1 1.1 Describe the principles LO: The student will describe the Knowledge / C Worth 1 point
of classical conditioning principles of classical
Comprehension
conditioning.
2 1.1 Describe the principles LO: The student will describe the Knowledge / D Worth 1 point
Comprehension
conditioning.
3 1.1 Describe the principles LO: The student will describe the Knowledge / A Worth 1 point
Comprehension
conditioning.
4 1.1 Describe the principles LO: The student will describe the Knowledge / B Worth 1 point
Comprehension
conditioning.
5 2.2 Describe the principles LO: The student will describe the Knowledge / A Worth 1 point
of operant conditioning principles of operant conditioning. Comprehension
7 2.2 Describe the principles LO: The student will describe the Knowledge / B Worth 1 point
9 1.2 Describe clinical and LO: The student will describe Ans Worth 4
experimental examples of clinical and experimental wer points – see
Describe
classical conditioning examples of classical conditioning. s rubric on
Var Answer Key
y
10 2.3 Describe clinical and LO: The student will describe D Worth 4
experimental examples of clinical and experimental points – see
Describe
operant conditioning examples of operant conditioning. rubric on
Answer Key
11 1.2 Describe clinical and LO: The student will apply Knowledge / D Worth 1 point
experimental examples of classical conditioning to everyday Application
classical conditioning life.
12 1.2 Describe clinical and LO: The student will apply Knowledge / C Worth 1 point
13 1.2 Describe clinical and LO: The student will apply Knowledge / A Worth 1 point
14 1.2 Describe clinical and LO: The student will apply Knowledge / D Worth 1 point
15 2.3 Describe clinical and LO: The student will apply operant Knowledge / A Worth 1 point
experimental examples of conditioning to everyday life. Application
operant conditioning
16 2.3 Describe clinical and LO: The student will apply operant Knowledge / B Worth 1 point
17 2.3 Describe clinical and LO: The student will apply operant Knowledge / D Worth 1 point
18 2.3 Describe clinical and LO: The student will apply operant Knowledge / C Worth 1 point
19 Demographic question
Why this plan?
Items are organized so that they increase in level of difficulty based

on the cognitive demand of the problem. Questions 1-4 measure basic
knowledge and comprehension of the issues we discussed in class. Next,
students are asked to describe an example of both classical and operant
conditioning, which is a bit of a higher level of cognitive demand. Finally,
students are asked to apply their knowledge to situations that are given to
them to show they understand these concepts. For each level of difficulty,
the students are asked questions about classical conditioning and then
operant conditioning before moving to the next level of difficulty.
Administration process
My administration process will be consistent across all tests. I will

give the students the test and provide them with verbal directions. I will
walk them through the test, saying “the first eight questions are multiple
choice. Only one choice is correct. Please circle the letter next to your
response. The next two questions, number 9 and 10, are written. I am
looking for specific words to occur in your response, like we have talked
about. Finally, the next eight questions are multiple choice. Again, circle the
letter next to your response. Any questions? [wait time] You may begin
working. Feel free to ask me questions at any point.”
Assessment Answer Key:
Answer key:
1. C
2. D
3. A
4. B
5. A
6. C
7. B
8. C
9. (Answers will vary) 2 points for necessary components-
Unconditioned stimulus, neutral/conditioned stimulus,
unconditioned response, conditioned response (1/2 for each). 2
points for correct description of each component in their example
(EX: the bell is the NS and then CS, the skittles are the US, salivation
is the UR and then CR).
10. (Answers will vary) 2 points for necessary components- 1 of
these 4 (positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive
punishment, negative punishment). 2 points for correct description
of each component in their example (EX: time with video games is a
positive reinforcer to do your homework because it is introduced to
make doing homework more likely- make sure they include the
WHY).
11. D
12.C
13.A
14.D
15. A
16.B
17. D
18.C
Application of the grading system
I will take the student scores and add up their points out of the 24
possible points. Then, I will find the percentage of points they had correct
on this assessment. Since each of the six learning objectives is worth four
points, dividing their points by the total points provides the average
amount they had correct on each learning objective. Thus, this score will be
reflective of how well they understood each learning target in the entire unit
and can be used in calculating their final grade, which reflects how well
they mastered each unit.
Gathering Data
To gather data, I will enter each student’s number of correct and

incorrect responses to each learning objective to see if I can identify any
patterns (a possible set of classroom data organized this way can be found
below in the fabricated data section). This will allow me to see if many
students are not understanding one learning objective in particular, which
would call for potential remediation. Some questions I can ask using this
data are: Did my students struggle more with classical or operant
conditioning? Were my students able to describe classical and operant
conditioning in their own words? What objective did they score the lowest
on? Which (if any) objective did they succeed with across the board? Did
these trends occur across multiple class periods? Having the data
organized by learning objective for each class period I teach will help me
more easily identify the answers to these questions.
I will be communicating the findings of this data review and

aggregation to my students, as well as their individual test score and the
questions they personally got wrong. I will have each student identify which
learning objective they struggled with most, having them write it down.
Then, I will remind them they can retake the test at a later date if they wish.
I will also inform the students that the grade going into the gradebook is
their percentage, located at the top of the front page of their test.
Samples of completed assessments
High performing student
Low performing student
Medium performing student
Fabricated Data
The data is separated by lesson objective for each student. The lesson
objectives are written below for reference:
First period
First period- Summary chart
Class Performance on Lesson Objectives

60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1 2 3 4 5 6
First period- students who did poorly
First period- students who did well

Third period
Third period- Summary Chart
Class Performance on Lesson Objectives

60
Number of Points Earned (Total)
50
40
30
20
10
0
1 2 3 4 5 6
Lesson Objective
Third period- students who did poorly
Third period- students who did well
Facts deduced from the data

Questions to consider from the blueprint: Did my students struggle
more with classical or operant conditioning? Were my students able to
describe classical and operant conditioning in their own words? What
objective did they score the lowest on? Which (if any) objective did they
succeed with across the board? Did these trends occur across multiple
class periods?
Fact Hypothesis
1 First period scored lower on classical First period did not understand
conditioning questions than operant classical conditioning as well as they
conditioning questions with the same understood operant conditioning.
cognitive demand.
2 Both class periods scored the lowest Both classes struggled to use the
on Question 9 complex language/vocabulary
involved in describing classical
conditioning
3 In first period, students who did Studying made a difference for those
poorly on the test did not study as students who performed well.
much as those who did well.
4 Third period annotated their question I could have forgotten to emphasize
stems much less than first period did. how helpful annotation is to
understanding what the question is
asking.
5 In third period, Students 2 and 12 These students may not know how to
studied over 30 minutes for the test maximize their study time or what to
but still did poorly on the test. study.
6 In first period, Student 2 annotated This student may not know how to
the question stems but still did poorly annotate in order to gain
on the test. understanding of the question stem.
7 Student 10 in first period understood Higher cognitive demand questions
the principles of both classical and are tough for this student, meaning
operant conditioning but failed the they cannot apply their knowledge in
rest of the test. more complex ways.
8 In first period, all the students who Question 9 was hard for all students,
failed received a 0 or 1 on question 9. but students who struggled found it
even more difficult.
9 In both periods, the people who did The girls are more apt to study on
well all studied and they were mostly their own time.
girls.
10 First period scored highest on the We did a lot of practice with
application questions at the end of the application questions like these, which
test. likely helped them when the test came
around.
Action plans based on these facts and hypotheses
2 Both class periods scored the lowest Both classes struggled to use the
on Question 9 complex language/vocabulary
involved in describing classical
conditioning
Action: In order to do well on question 9, the students needed to
understand how to use the complex vocabulary associated with classical
conditioning enough to write about it in their own words. Since both class
periods did poorly on this question, it is obvious that I did not teach this
vocabulary well, and remediation is required to reteach my students this
concept. I could reteach this concept and have both classes retake that
question, or a question like it, to see if they have mastered it.
10 First period scored highest on the We did a lot of practice with

application questions at the end of the application questions like these, which
test. likely helped them when the test came
around.
Action: It seems as though allowing the students to practice repetitively the
same types of questions allowed for them to be more successful on those
questions. Therefore, I should have my students explaining concepts in
their own words more often so that questions like number 9 and number 10
do not screw them up as much.
6 In first period, Student 2 annotated This student may not know how to
the question stems but still did poorly annotate in order to gain
on the test. understanding of the question stem.
Action: Since the student tried to annotate, but still got the questions
wrong, I would open up their test and see what their annotations look like.
Once I have an idea of what the annotations look like, I can see what this
student is doing wrong. In a one-on-one setting, I would teach this student
how to underline, circle, and write alongside the questions on the tests
using this past test to illustrate how annotation can be helpful in
understanding the question, if used properly.
5 In third period, Students 2 and 12 These students may not know how to
studied over 30 minutes for the test maximize their study time or what to
but still did poorly on the test. study.
Action: I will have a conference with these two students to give them study
strategies, point out which items in the unit are important to study in order
to maximize their study time, and provide them each with a study log. This
log will be signed by their parents ensuring that the students studied using
the specific strategies I gave them.
9 In both periods, the people who did The girls are more apt to study on
well all studied and they were mostly their own time.
girls.
Action: I will give each student in my class a study log and create a
competition between boys and girls in the class. Every day the students can
add how many minutes they have studied to the running tally for their
gender. Whichever gender has the most study minutes by the time test day
comes will receive a pizza party. I know how competitive boys are and I am
using that against them by pitting them against the girls, who they will
refuse to lose to. All in all, this will increase everyone’s studying, which has
been linked in the “Fact” to higher achievement on the test.
Two Interim Assessments
Day 4: Classical Conditioning Review – Formal Interim
Review
Directions: You practice like you play… take this like it is your test
Name:_______________________
Recently we have been discussing _____________ ______________.
This occurs when a ___________ ____________ becomes paired with a

meaningful ______________ to create a response.
Researcher Ivan _________ discovered this when his dogs began to ___________
whenever his researchers entered the room, since the researchers often had food with
them.
Although classical conditioning is a powerful way to learn new things, it can only teach
human beings ______________, not behaviors.
Describe one example of classical conditioning in real life, including each of the four
components.
Review (cont.)
Growing up, my mother used to slap my wrist with a ruler every time I reached for the
cookie jar before dinner. Now, even when I reach for the cookie jar in my own house, the
skin on my wrist hurts. In this situation, what is the pain in my wrist when I reach for the
cookie jar in my house? (worth two points)
Every time I put on my running shoes I take my dog for a run. I have done this ever since
my dog was a puppy, to the point that now, when I put on my running shoes, my dog
jumps around in pure excitement. What are the running shoes in this situation, making
my dog incredibly excited even when I go to the grocery store? (worth two points)
How confident do you feel about each of these objectives? Rate 1-5, 5 being most
confident and 1 being not confident.
_____1. The student will describe the principles of classical conditioning.
_____2. The student will describe clinical and experimental examples of classical
conditioning.
_____3. The student will apply classical conditioning to everyday life.
Have you viewed this content outside of class since the last class period?
Yes No
The objectives measured by this assessment are all three classical
conditioning learning objectives:
1. The student will describe the principles of classical conditioning.
2. The student will describe clinical and experimental examples of

3. The student will apply classical conditioning to everyday life.
Although my grading system requires that this assignment should not

be included in the overall student grade, I will still grade this review
assignment and assess how well my students understand each objective,
since these questions look quite a bit like the test questions the students
will come into contact with when they take the summative assessment. This
is why I will grade this assessment and provide feedback to it in the same
way as I would the test. The first four questions assess learning objective
one, the second question assesses objective two, and the last two questions
assess objective three. I will use this information to collect data, just as I
would with the test. Desired answers can be found below.
Review (ANSWER KEY)
Name:_______________________
Recently we have been discussing Classical_ _Conditioning_.
This occurs when a neutral _stimulus becomes paired with a meaningful

__stimulus_ to create a response.
Researcher Ivan Pavlov_ discovered this when his dogs began to salivate whenever his
researchers entered the room, since the researchers often had food with them.
Although classical conditioning is a powerful way to learn new things, it can only teach
human beings _reflexes_, not behaviors.
components.
Answers will vary
Answers will vary) 2 points for necessary components- Unconditioned stimulus,

neutral/conditioned stimulus, unconditioned response, conditioned response (1/2
for each). 2 points for correct description of each component in their example
(EX: in class recently, the bell was the NS and then CS, the skittles were the US,
salivation was the UR and then CR).
*****Graded exactly like the summative assessment
Review (cont.)
Growing up, my mother used to slap my wrist with a ruler every time I reached for the
cookie jar before dinner. Now, even when I reach for the cookie jar in my own house, the
skin on my wrist hurts. In this situation, what is the pain in my wrist when I reach for the
cookie jar in my house? (worth 2 points)
Conditioned response
Every time I put on my running shoes I take my dog for a run. I have done this ever since
my dog was a puppy, to the point that now, when I put on my running shoes, my dog
jumps around in pure excitement. What are the running shoes in this situation, making
my dog incredibly excited even when I go to the grocery store? (worth 2 points)
Conditioned stimulus
conditioning.
Answers vary
Yes No
Answers vary
Fabricated data for this interim assessment
Table 1 = Achievement-measuring lesson objective mastery
Table 2 = Perception- measuring confidence with learning objectives
Table 3 = Demographic- measuring who interacted with content outside

of class
Student Performance
35
30
25
20
15
10
0
1 2 Lesson Objectives 3
Student Perceptions
50
45
40
Student confidence 35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1 2 3
Lesson Objective
Facts Hypotheses Action Plan

Students were not Application problems are Discuss with students that most of the
very confident with often intimidating to problems we do in class are actually
objective three. students because they application problems, so they have
require higher cognitive every reason to be confident.
demand.
Student 8 is lacking They could be struggling Pull that student aside and ask them
in confidence and with the difficult vocabulary how best I can help them. Encourage
struggling with the involved in this topic. them, saying they should feel
content. confident as long as they put in time to
study.
Students who had Even pulling out your Show students the data indicating that
perfect scores notebook outside of class the only students who scored 100% on
looked at the increases familiarity with the the interim assessment also viewed
content outside of subject matter which the content outside of class.
class. ultimately increases Encourage others to do the same
achievement. before the summative assessment.
Student 8 and Perhaps they did not take the Have a conference with these two
student 4 received activity seriously or they do students to get to the root of the
under a 50% grade not know this content. problem before the test. If the
on this activity. problem is a lack of mastery, we can
fix it with study tips. If it is lack of
effort, I will have them retake the
interim assessment with me watching.
Day 6: Operant Conditioning Review – Formal Interim Assessment
Review
Name:_______________________
B.F. __________ thought human behavior was too ________ to be described by

classical conditioning alone.
Skinner proved that behaviors lead to __________ responses that make a behavior
more or less likely to occur again.
If a behavior is more likely to occur after a stimulus is added, what type of operant
conditioning is it?
If a behavior is less likely to occur because of the subtraction of a stimulus, what type of
operant conditioning is it?
components.
Review (cont.)
Growing up, my mom would give me a twenty dollar bill every time I scored a goal. The
money served as a ______________
Positive / Negative Reinforcer / Punisher
My math teacher in high school would make us stay after class if we had been talking
during the class period. Staying after class served as a ____________________
conditioning.
Yes No
The objectives measured by this assessment are all three classical
conditioning learning objectives:
4. the student will describe the principles of operant conditioning
5. The student will describe clinical and experimental examples of operant

conditioning.
6. The student will apply operant conditioning to everyday life.
Although my grading system requires that this assignment should not

be included in the overall student grade, I will still grade this review
assignment and assess how well my students understand each objective,
since these questions look quite a bit like the test questions the students
will come into contact with when they take the summative assessment. This
is why I will grade this assessment and provide feedback to it in the same
way as I would the test. The first four questions assess learning objective
four, the second question assesses objective five, and the last two questions
assess objective six. I will use this information to collect data, just as I
would with the test. Desired answers can be found below.
Review (ANSWER KEY)
Name:_______________________
B.F. _Skinner thought human behavior was too _complex to be described by classical
conditioning alone.
Skinner proved that behaviors lead to environmental responses that make a behavior
more or less likely to occur again.
If a behavior is more likely to occur after a stimulus is added, what type of operant
conditioning is it?
Positive reinforcement
If a behavior is less likely to occur because of the subtraction of a stimulus, what type of
operant conditioning is it?
Negative punishment
components.
(Answers will vary) 2 points for necessary components- 1 of these 4 (positive

reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, negative
punishment). 2 points for correct description of each component in their example
(EX: time with video games is a positive reinforcer to do your homework because
it is introduced to make doing homework more likely- make sure they include the
WHY).
Review (cont.)
Growing up, my mom would give me a twenty dollar bill every time I scored a goal. The
money served as a ______________ (worth 2 points)
My math teacher in high school would make us stay after class if we had been talking
during the class period. Staying after class served as a ____________________
(worth 2 points)
conditioning.
Answers will vary
Yes No
Answers will vary

Fabricated data for this interim assessment
Table 1 = Achievement-measuring lesson objective mastery
Table 2 = Perception- measuring confidence with learning objectives
Table 3 = Demographic- measuring who interacted with content outside

of class
Student Performance
40
35
Student Performance
30
25
20
15
10
0
Lesson Objectives
Student Perceptions
50
45
40
Student Confidence
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Lesson Objectives
Facts Hypotheses Action Plan

Students were all very After dealing with the difficult We need to use more
confident with operant vocab in classical classical conditioning vocab
conditioning, apart from conditioning, students feel verbally and written in class
student 8. confident with familiar so students feel as confident
operant vocab. in classical conditioning.
Most students have not viewed The test is not for another few Encourage students to open
the content outside of class. days, so students do not feel their notes even for a few
the need to study. minutes tonight to look over
these difficult concepts.
Student 4 was confident in Student 4’s studying outside Give student 4 a suggested
their skills with the learning of class and subsequent study plan to use before the
objectives, having studied confidence must not translate actual summative
outside of class, but struggled to performance, which could assessment with tips that
to perform. mean they have poor study will maximize their time.
habits.
Student 1 understands the We have not practiced We need to begin practicing
content enough to recognize it, putting operant conditioning putting operant
but has a hard time putting it in our own words much, so conditioning examples into
in their own words. this student is not as our own words verbally and
confident with this. in written form.
s
Two Formal/Informal Formative Assessments
Day 2: K-W-L Chart and Ticket-Out-The-Door – Formal

Formative Assessment
Students will be given directions to fill out the K and W portions of

the following K-W-L chart for the topic of classical conditioning. Some
students may have past knowledge of what conditioning is, who Pavlov is,
and that it could be used on dogs, for example. This is always a fun way to
see what students know and discuss common ideas about these topics. The
wonder section will be used to help me craft my questions for the
discussion the next day.
At the end of the lesson, the students will fill out the What I Learned
section of the K-W-L chart. I will use this as a formative assessment to
decide how well my students understood the content we discussed that day.
I will also ask the students to cross off everything in the wonder column
which they no longer wonder, and to fill in more questions in this category
if they have them.
Then, I will have them fill out a Ticket-Out-The-Door which directly

assesses how well they understand the three lesson objectives.
Ticket-Out-The-Door
• What are the basics of classical conditioning?
• Who discovered classical conditioning, and how?
• Create an example of classical conditioning in real life.

Identify the US, UR, NS, CS, and CR in your example.
This assessment method is formal formative assessment, because

it is a paper copy turned into me which gives me a glimpse into my
students’ thinking and ultimately their understanding of the content. This
assessment is FOR learning, as the students learn as they are filling out the
chart. The students have not yet mastered the content, so I am not ready to
give them a summative assessment, which is why this is merely formative.
Also, this method provides a great connection between what the students
know and what they have learned in the current class period, and since they
are learning brand new content, this is why I chose it.
This method would assess the three classical conditioning lesson objectives:

As stated before, this would be implemented at the very beginning

and the very end of the lesson. I would be looking for responses which show
the students are understanding the three lesson objectives which we have
been discussing the entirety of class.
I would immediately assess the K-W-L chart to see if my students are

loaded with questions or if they are feeling confident in what they learned.
If they are loaded with questions, I would spend some time the next day
reteaching to improve these knowledge gaps. Then, I would assess the
Ticket-Out-The-Door for correctness, as these questions assess items much
like the summative assessment at the end of the unit. If students are
struggling with these questions, they will struggle with the test down the
road. So, I can use this TOTD to influence my next class period and make
corrections.
Day 3: Classical Conditioning Discussion – Informal Formative
Assessment
The entirety of Day 3 in this unit is in the form of a discussion with targeted
questions coming from me that assess the three lesson objectives related to
classical conditioning:

These questions include…
(NOTE: the responses I am looking for are in bold beneath the question.
For the first question, answers vary a ton!)
Starter question:
For a moment, think about the sound of a dentist’s drill. Did you cringe? If
yes, then you have been classically conditioned. Young children find the
sound of a dentist’s drill amusing; however, one pairing of that sound with
pain conditions a quite different response.
Discuss examples of how you have been classically conditioned to different
sounds, smells, foods, or such.
I am not a fan of the dentist AT ALL. I never have been.
When I was little, I had a few cavities, which meant the
dentist had to use his drill on me. One time, he knocked me
in the gums and I bled everywhere. Now, when I hear the
dentist’s drill, I freak out.
One time I threw up after eating mac-n-cheese at Tim
Horton’s. Now, the smell of Tim Horton’s makes me feel
sick.
Other questions:
What does it mean for something to become extinct?
Ceasing to exist
What could extinction mean in relation to classical conditioning?
Having the conditioned response ceasing to exist
How do you think we could make extinction happen?
Present the meaningless stimulus over and over again
without the unconditioned stimulus or bio significant event
so the animal learns there is no more connection
Since you can learn anxiety responses through classical conditioning (heart
rate increases, sweating, intense breathing), do you think you could reduce
anxiety through this same process?
How?
Systematic desensitization
Pairing relaxation responses (calm breathing, low heart
rate)
These questions are meant to activate students’ prior knowledge

about classical conditioning that they may not even know they had through
having them close their eyes and picture a specific conditioning situation. if
students show during the discussion that they are struggling with content, I
can guide the conversation in a way that students gain understanding on
these difficult concepts.
This assessment method is informal formative. It is informal

because students are not turning something in to me on paper, and it is
formative because it is an assessment FOR learning. This discussion’s
purpose is to reinforce the ideas of classical conditioning and provide the
students with more examples to solidify the principles of classical
conditioning in their heads. We are using this type of assessment because
students are still not ready for the summative assessment: they only
learned this content yesterday. They need more time to develop these
concepts in their brain and connect them with their prior knowledge so it
“sticks” by the time the summative assessment comes.
This formative assessment needs to be implemented carefully, with

many norms and procedures in place to make sure students do not take
advantage of the classroom discussion time. The discussion norms in my
classroom are posted on the walls, and they are:
Norms:
1. This is a safe environment, so feel free to share!
2. Participation is not optional.
3. Respectful listening is required- one person talks at a time.
4. We discuss- we do not argue.
5. Relevant comments only
With this data, I can immediately shift the conversation to involve

some reteaching, having students teach one another and having discussions
about the principles of classical conditioning and how they appear in our
daily life. I can also use this data to assess if the students are ready to move
onto operant conditioning the next day, as was originally planned, or if I
need to adjust to allow for more learning about classical conditioning.
Works Cited
Bernhardt, V. L. (2003). Using data to improve student learning in Elementary
Schools. Eye on Education.
Brookhart, S. M. (2015). How to make decisions with different kinds of student
assessment data. ASCD.
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/116003/chapters/An-
Introduction-to-Different-Kinds-of-Data.aspx
Guskey, T. R. (1994). Grading and reporting student learning. Educational
Leadership, 52(2), 14-20
Guskey, T.R., Bailey, J.M. (2001). Expert In Assessment Series: Developing
Grading and Reporting Systems for Student Learning. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Corwin Press, Inc.
Guskey, T. R. (2002). How’s My Kid Doing: A Parent’s Guide to Grades, Marks,
& Report Cards. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Moser, J. S., Schroder, H. S., Heeter, C., Moran, T. P., & Lee, Y. H. (2011). Mind
your errors: Evidence for a neural mechanism linking growth mind-set to
adaptive posterior adjustments. SAGE Journals, 22(12), 1467-1471.

O’Connor, K. (2002). How to Grade for Learning: Linking Grades to Standards,
2nd Edition. Arlington Heights, IL: SkyLight Professional Development.
Sheldon, T. (2008). Proceeding from Creating Quality Assessments Professional
Development: 6 Non-negotiable Quality Filters and 17 Quality Filters.
Jackson, MI: Jackson County Intermediate School District.
Stiggins, R., Arter, J., Chappuis, J., & Chappuis, S. (2006). Classroom
assessment for student learning. Pearson Education, Inc.
WDE (2020). Balanced Assessment Systems. Wisconsin Department of
Education.
Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2011). The understanding by design guide to creating
high-quality units. ASCD.

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Assessment,

Purposes and principles of Effective, Quality Assessment 3

Purposes and Principles of Effective Grading 17

Purposes and Principles of Effective Data Use 30

Assessment, Grading, and Data Communication Plan 37

Hypothetical Unit Plan with Formal Summative Assessment 45

Two Interim Assessments 82

Two Formal/Informal Formative Assessments 98

Five dimensions of sound assessment

What are the different uses/purposes for

Assessment FOR Learning vs. Assessment OF Learning

(Stiggins et al., 2006)

What are the different assessment item types and

1. Selected response and short answer

2. Extended written response

An extended written response is a response at least several sentences in

This assessment item takes a performance or product and assesses its

Personal communication assessment items require the teacher to gain

So… which one should be used?

Formative Interim Summative

Quickly inform Benchmark and monitor Evaluate learning

Specific, immediate, Multiple data points Cumulative snapshots

Daily, ongoing Periodic diagnostic/ Standardized

Student/classroom- Grade-level/School- School/District/State-

(Wisconsin Department of Education, 2020)

(Wisconsin Department of Education, 2020)

(Wiggins & McTighe, 2011)

Another aspect of quality assessment is ensuring that it adheres to six

(Wisconsin Department of Education, 2020)

What will be done in my classroom?

I will use a backwards design, as described by Wiggins and McTighe

I will use formative assessment to inform my instruction and make

I will write my learning targets in student-friendly language. My

I will use the six non-negotiable quality filters articulated by Sheldon

What will not be done in my classroom?

I will not create test questions that are unfair to my students.

Historically what are the different purposes/

In 1918, teachers began to use fewer and larger categories to assign

Further, some teachers may feel constrained by their district to use a

What are the similarities and differences between

What are three or more different grading scales

A+ = 9.0 B+ = 6.0 C+ = 3.0 F=0

A+ = 13.0 B+ = 10.0 C+ = 7.0 D+ = 4.0 F = 1.0

Leveled Grading Scale

Level 3 = B or good (70 – 79%)

Level 2 = C or average (60 – 69%)

Level 1 = D or passing (50 – 59%)

Level R = F or failing (0 – 49%)

Standardized Test Scale

Numeric Performance Definition

Should you grade homework or other formative

Should academic and non-academic work be represented in

O’Connor (2002) is adamant that grades should be limited to measuring

Should students be allowed to re-do/retake?

As discussed previously, grades should be used to show student

Should extra credit be allowed?

What will be done in my classroom?

Retakes will be allowed in my classroom. As discussed previously, grdes

Students will be assessed on non-academic criteria in my classroom, but