Venue: Riffa Views International School, Bahrain
Full Bio
TOM SCHIMMER is an independent education consultant from Vancouver, BC. Over the course of his career he has been a classroom teacher, school administrator, and district level leader.
Mr Schimmer is an internationally recognized leader and expert in the areas of assessment, grading, RTI, and educational leadership. He has delivered both keynote and workshop sessions at several national and international conferences.
Additionally, he has worked directly with schools and school districts throughout Canada, the United States, Vietnam, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Japan, Qatar, India, the U.A.E., the U.K., Russia, Singapore, and Spain.
He is the author and co-author of three books: Ten Things that Matter from Assessment to Grading (2013), Grading from the Inside Out: Bringing accuracy to student assessment through a standards-based mindset (2016), and Essential Assessment: Bringing hope efficacy, and achievement to the classroom (2017).
Institute Description
Assessment 2.0: Going Deeper with Assessment and Grading
You know the fundamentals, but now it's time to go deeper! This session is designed for those wishing to take their assessment and grading practices to the next level.
Day One will focus on formative assessment strategies that maximize student growth toward proficiency. Specifically, you will learn how to be more instructionally agile in response to formative assessment, how to provide more effective and efficient feedback, and how to develop student self- and peer-assessment skills.
Day Two will focus on sound grading practices that lead to accurate grades and confident learners. Specifically, you will explore and develop the implementation aspects of developing a standards-based mindset. Whether through practices that ensure students earn full credit for their learning, that redefine accountability, or that repurpose homework, you will develop ways to address the gap that sometimes exists between the theoretical ideal and the practical application.
As this two-day institute is designed to a hands-on, practical approach to sound assessment and grading, participants are encouraged to bring (or have access to) unit plans, rubrics, classroom-based assessments, as well as policies, practices, and procedures.
Target Audience: K-12
Continuum Levels: 3, 4, 5 = Initiating Implementation (setting structures, developing skills, piloting practice, scaffolding support) | Extending Implementation (reflecting, evaluating, modifying practice, improving skills) | Refining Practice (sustaining, embedding in practice)
NESA's Learning Continuum:
Outcomes
Participants will. . .
- understand how to create an assessment plan that distinguishes formative and summative purposes of assessment.
- understand how to refine the relationship between formative and summative assessment.
- come to know the five characteristics of effective feedback.
- understand how to be instructionally agile by using assessment to make real-time adjustments.
- develop and refine grading practices that reflect a standards-based mindset.
- explore potential imperfect solutions to real grading dilemmas.
- develop or refine current practices and policies around reassessment, accountability, approaches to learning, and homework.
- explore ways to determine proficiency levels with both individual assessments and overall grade determination.
Advance Prep/Prereqs
- Participants should have some level of fluency and capacity with formative assessment practices and the principles of standards-based grading.
- As this two-day institute is designed to a hands-on, practical approach to sound assessment and grading, participants are encouraged to bring (or have access to) unit plans, rubrics, classroom-based assessments, as well as policies, practices, and procedures.
Handouts
Save paper and effort where possible!
For your convenience, and to support our efforts in being "green", all handouts/files posted here have been notated with an A, B, C or D indicating the following:
(A) hardcopies needed at workshop
(B) electronic version on laptop is sufficient (for viewing during the workshop)
(C) required reading PRIOR to the workshop
(D) file not needed for workshop itself, but simply material of additional interest/reference