Webinars/Videos
Previously Recorded Webinars/Videos
Press Conference: Comprehensive and Balanced Assessment Systems
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
On March 26, four of the world’s top authorities on formative assessment will release a paper about urgent equity problems they’ve discovered in American assessment systems.
“Most current district assessment systems are not comprehensive or balanced,” say the authors. “The most vulnerable, especially students who struggle, students of color, and students in poverty, are disproportionately harmed.”
America Doesn’t Have an Education System—It Has 13,491 of Them
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Dylan Wiliam, the author of Creating the Schools Our Children Need, believes America’s education systems are not creating the schools our children need. Wiliam breaks down the gaps between what research tells us works and what American schools actually do.
There Is No Such Thing as a Valid Test (Part 1)
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Dr. Dylan Wiliam explains how to think about validity and reliability in a way that means that our assessment practices can both support learning and provide meaningful information about our students.
There Is No Such Thing as a Valid Test (Part 2)
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
A continuation of Part 1 in which Dr. Wiliam shows that all those who produce tests claim that their tests are valid and reliable. He then explains why such claims are meaningless, because tests cannot be valid or reliable.
Different People Use the Term Formative Assessment Differently
There are many different uses of the term formative assessment, however it’s best to reserve the term for things focused on the classroom. Here is why that’s important.
Embedding Formative Assessment
Personal coaching has proven to help teachers improve performance. Here’s how teacher communities can provide the same results without having to find a coach for every single teacher.
PLCs and TLCs are Complementary Processes and We Can Have Both
What are professional learning communities are about? Why is it important to get teachers focusing on improving pedagogical skills with regard to classroom forward assessment?
We are Preparing our Students for a World We Cannot Imagine
Learning how to learn is a survival skill. In fact, most of what your students need for the rest of their lives hasn’t been discovered or invented yet. Here’s what can be done.
Strategy 1: Clarifying, Sharing, and Understanding Learning Intentions
What is the proper role of learning intentions and how do their applications vary from classroom to classroom and subject to subject?
Strategy 2: Eliciting Evidence of Learning
PE or Music teachers don’t ask questions to understand student proficiency, they get the student to perform. There are many alternate ways to discover where a student is in their learning.
Strategy 3: Providing Feedback that Moves Learning Forward
In 1998 it was found that comments are more effective than scores or grades. However, the feedback student receive should be helpful and forward looking. Here are best practices.
Strategies 4 and 5: Activating Students
The most important decisions taken in the classrooms are taken by students. They must be activated as a learning resource for one another. So, what that should look like?