Collaborative Common Assessments. Cassandra Erkens

enhances teaching and learning experiences for everyone involved.

Assessments at the Classroom Level

      In figure 2.1 (page 25), classroom assessments are pictured at the bottom of the image. This does not mean they are the least important; on the contrary, classroom assessments provide some of the most significant tools, data, and evidence that schools have at their disposal to positively impact student achievement. In the SAGE Handbook of Research on Classroom Assessment, McMillan (2013b) states, “Our collective assertion is that CA [classroom assessment] is the most powerful type of measurement in education that influences student learning” (p. 4). Classroom assessments provide the bedrock of the entire assessment system. An expert in special education and disability policy, Professor Yaoying Xu (2013) observes that “CA can be defined as a process of collecting, evaluating, and using information gathered before, during, or after instruction to help the classroom teacher make decisions on improving student learning” (p. 431). Collaborative common assessments, then, should be designed at the classroom level, leading the team to collective and individual success with clarity in focus, consistency in application, accuracy in interpretation, and equity in responses.

      Experts in the field of formative assessment have shared research that classroom assessments—those that are closest to the learners and the learning—provide the best vehicle for supporting learning progressions and certifying mastery (Black & Wiliam, 1998; Chappuis, 2009; Chappuis et al., 2012; Hattie, 2009, 2012; Hattie & Timperley, 2007; Heritage, 2010; Wiliam, 2011; Wiliam & Thompson, 2007). Assessment researchers and authors Rick Stiggins and Mike Herrick (2007) state that:

      Average score gains of a full standard deviation and more have been attributed to the effective use of classroom assessment to support day-to-day student learning, with a major portion of such gains attributable to the continuous delivery to students of accurate descriptive feedback arising from high-quality classroom assessments. (p. 1)

      Only at the classroom level can teachers tap into the top strategies that support student learning: clarity of learning expectations, clarity of criteria for quality, and descriptive feedback.

      However, classroom assessment can only be as accurate and powerful as the knowledge and skill base of the individual teacher running the classroom. To date, international experts who contributed to the SAGE anthology of research on classroom assessment (McMillan, 2013b) consistently claim that current practices with classroom assessments have missed the mark on the following critical features.

      • Using formative processes and tools to promote success on summative indicators

      • Constructing assessments that accurately measure what matters

      • Gathering relevant data

      • Drawing accurate and meaningful inferences with data and evidence

      • Diagnosing learning strengths and weaknesses for instructional implications

      • Providing feedback that reduces discrepancies based on errors

      • Building a sense of hope and efficacy in learners based on results and future opportunities

      • Engaging learners as partners in the journey

      It has become commonplace for nationally recognized experts to call for a redefinition and better understanding of the practice of classroom assessment. McMillan (2013b) defines classroom assessment as “a broad and evolving conceptualization” (p. 4) that involves both teachers and learners taking an active role in gathering and using data as a means to diagnose strengths and weaknesses, to set goals, to monitor proficiency levels, and to communicate about performance. As a decision-making tool, assessments must gather relevant data that can lead to healthy and accurate inferences regarding what students know and can do in regard to the standards at hand. He notes that the emphasis behind classroom assessment must change in that classroom assessment becomes “a vehicle through which student learning and motivation are enhanced” (p. 4).

      Teams immersed in the work of exploring accurate assessment design and effective assessment use together can better develop their individual and collective assessment literacy (Chappuis, Chappuis, & Stiggins, 2009; Shepard, 2013). Learning by doing is powerful. Shepard (2013) states: