In the present anti-testing climate how can we gather relevant data on student achievement and use that information to improve classroom instruction?  One initiative that holds great potential is a regional assessment consortium, organizing teachers from multiple districts to develop a common assessment for their classes.  My district is presently involved in such an initiative through the Peconic Teacher Center in Southampton, New York.  There are seven districts committed to this effort.  Each assessment will require three days of collaboration under the guidance of a data analyst (Randy Simmons) who specializes in assessment development.   

This process has the potential to produce many positive outcomes which, taken together, can have a significant effect on classroom instruction.  Some of the expected outcomes are: sharing of ideas between professionals from a number of districts;  cultivating teachers support of the process and product;  end of year assessments that provide rich data to inform instruction; improved teacher's skill in the development of balanced assessments and rigorous assessment items; and for teachers to develop the skills needed to design rigorous questions worthy of student inquiry.  

Teachers often work in isolation.  Even in a large high school, there may be two or three teachers teaching the same subject and in smaller districts, there may be only one teacher for a specific content area.  Added to this is the difficulty in creating time in the schedule for teachers to plan together.  Every school culture is unique and collaboration between schools will bring different perspectives to the process and shed light on the many similarities and shared challenges we all face.  There are many on-line resources and technology allows for collaboration from different locations but there is something special about sitting around a table collaborating with like-minded professionals.  To begin the process teachers will determine which standards represent the most important knowledge and skills students should master in their class.  They will then be guided in the development/selection of assessment items that give students the opportunity to demonstrate mastery. The Depth of Knowledge (DOK) construct will be used to rate question complexity and provide a balanced assessment that can shed light on the level of student mastery.  Involving teachers in all phases of the process should decrease their anxiety about the form and content of the assessment and create a link between assessment and instruction.  It is also hoped the relationships formed lead to continued professional collaboration. 

Data from the assessments will be shared between all districts in the consortium.  Each teacher will be able to see how their student's achievement compared to the combined consortium results.  An item analysis will provide school, class, and student level data for each question and data can be disaggregated by a number of demographic factors.  Right Reason Technology will store the data and provide the reports.  The data can be used by teachers to adjust instruction based on the item analysis.  Each year the data will be reviewed by the teachers during a half-day workshop to determine if the assessment items acted as anticipated and to improve the assessment based on evidence. 

Most teachers have never received training on the development of assessments.  In many schools, test creation is a scavenger hunt for questions on a topic that mimic, or come directly from, state assessments.   The item creation and test development skills developed through the consortium can be used to improve assessments throughout the year.  Although scavenging for questions will probably remain as the most common method of creating assessment items, the selection process and the balance of DOK levels used in each assessment can provide relevant data on student learning throughout the year.  

The process of using the standards to develop rigorous questions that will drive our units of study and developing assessments that will illuminate student thinking is nothing new.  It is accomplished in the "pockets of excellence" we find in many schools.  What is rare is this being the cultural norm for unit preparation in a school or district.  The Peconic Teacher Center Assessment Consortium is attempting the systemic change that is often discussed but rarely achieved.  These assessments will not have the validity and reliability we look for in standardized assessments from the State or the well-known vendors.  They will be significantly better than what is now used in most classrooms.  There is a chance these assessments and the skill set that is required to develop them, will have a positive impact on classroom instruction.

Read more at

http://www.assessmentsynergy.com/