Sample AFL Growth Objectives - Created BY Educators FOR Educators

[Scott Habeeb]

This Forum Discussion began on 3/18/11 at the City of Salem Schools' Professional Development Day.  Teachers who attended the session on The Heart of AFL discussed the core/key concepts of Assessment FOR Learning.  They then worked together to create sample AFL professional growth objectives that they could use in their own classroom and/or that could be used by other teachers interested in incorporating more AFL strategies into their daily classroom practices.

 

While AFL activities can be isolated/specific lesson plans, AFL is most effective when it is woven into the fabric of the teacher's style and methods.  Therefore, the goal for these objectives is that they be ones that could be used on a regular - even daily - basis as opposed to being used with a specific unit of study.

 

Below are four key slides from the Heart of AFL breakout session.  The ideas in those slides should serve as the foundation for the growth objectives added to this forum. 

Want some good ideas for AFL activities/objectives?  Be sure to look through the blog posts on this site, but here is one post that has many different Practical Examples.

[Scott Habeeb]

The following objective was created and shared by a Salem High School PE teacher:

 

Periodically, students will be requested to formulate questions that accent their strengths and weaknesses each class.  Toward the end of class, each student will write 2 to 3 questions regarding the class objective that will be used the next class as a means of connecting the current and preceding classes.  

[Derek Wray]

During the 2010-2011 school year I have implemented the following AFL strategies:

Using rubrics which exactly describe the expectations of the assignments. Followed by guided practice, observation of performance, and followed by an eventual graded final product, after mastery. We repeat as necessary until each skill is completed. A shop class has more flexibility when it comes to allowing more time as needed, however our end result must be a job completed properly as our assigments roll out the door and go back to customers. The ultimate goal for my students is for them to master each skill to such a level that they could teach that skill to other students.

[Valerie Furrier]

Have a roster of the class that students write a 1, 2, or 3 in the box for that day (on the way out of class). Check 1 if you have a vague understanding of the material, 2 if you understand, and 3 if you totally understand it. Check numbers at end of day and assess students knowledge of the material. If mostly 1's go over material again the following day. If mostly 2's continue with original lesson. Mostly 3's, go on to next topic. If mixed, have students assist each other during work time (1's with 3's).

[Beth E. Moody]

As a strategy for garnering the maximum participation and feedback from students (regardless of whether they brought pencil and paper to class or not), I will have them answer several DO NOW questions at the start of class through the TI Navigator.  Responses are immediate and can be  kept anonymous.  Incorrect responses can be used as a springboard for discussion and review.  The same tool can be used thoughout the lesson as a check for understanding and at the end of the lesson for a summarizing activity.

[James Forester]

During the 2011-12 school year, I will utilize a unit checklist with major skills that students will need to master to be successful on the end of unit assessment.  The checklist will have a place for students to indicate they are proficient with each skill and a problem/question for the students to ensure they have mastered the concept.  Edvidence of this objective would be a sample checklist.

[Karla Sharrer]

During the 2011-12 school year, I will utlize rubrics to grade projects as I have been, but at the beginning of the process present some past examples and have the students use the rubric to grade the examples. As a class, we will discuss what was effective and ineffective about the example projects. Before the projects are due, the students will use the rubrics again to self-grade their own projects. They must cite reasons why they earned a good or poor grade for each section.

[Lewis Armistead]

Prior to a graded assessment, I will provide students with a math problem similar to those on the assessment.  After students have had time to work the problem, I will provide them with the solution to the problem, an explanation of what components of the solution I'll be looking for, and a rubric that will be used to grade their solution.  Students will use the rubric to grade themselves and submit their solution and score.  I will use these to discuss with students individually how to improve their score on the upcoming graded assignment.

[Danielle Derringer]

Students will receive feedback on practice before taking a quiz or test. This feedback will allow me to gauge individual and class performance in addition to providing students with individualized direction.

 

It requires extra "grading," but I have found this easier since points are not assigned!

[Hannah Simpson]

Ideas for 2011-2012

 

Implement journal writing into warm-ups. Example topics: "Write a letter to a student who was absent yesterday describing what we learned." or "How does the Cartesian coordinate system relate to a world map?" or "Write an analogy describing the relationship bewteen a square and a rectangle."

 

Integrate K-W-L(-H) charts into instruction and revisit them at the end of a unit. [K - What we already know about a topic; W - What we want to know about a topic; L - What we learned about a topic (to be completed after intruction); H - How we could find out more information about the topic (other resources - textbook, YouTube, MASH, etc.)]

[Mary Norris]

I will use Quia to provide my students with a way to review the factual information that they need to learn on their own.  This will allow them to assess what they do know and help them learn what they don't.  If my resource is 1/100th as good as Wes' then I will be happy and my kids will be well served!