Preparing for the New School Year #2

Planning for Reliable and Valid Evidence of Learning

Planning the evidence of learning is critical to ensuring that teachers have what they need to guide instruction and make informed professional judgments about student learning and achievement.

Big Ideas:

In classroom assessment, evidence of learning is carefully planned so that it is reliable and valid – that is, collected from multiple sources – a process called triangulation of evidence.

Law 30 Evidence

It goes without saying that evidence of learning is important. It used to be that we thought “important evidence” was limited to numerical data. Now we know that everything a learner says, does, or creates is potential evidence of learning.

As you consider the learning destination – what students need to know, understand, do and articulate – ask yourself, “What could students do, create, or say that would provide evidence they know and understand, can do, and can articulate what is needed?”

Language Arts Evidence

Make a list.

Reflect upon it.

Add to it.

Think possibilities.

Remember these are working lists. They are in 'draft' mode which signals our flexibility. Our students show what they know in a variety of ways – and today’s students have an ever-increasing list to show what they know given the gifts of technology. As teachers we need to be open to evidence of learning that is far different than what we might have expected even just a few years ago.

Teachers – Taking Action

Performs Musical Works Evidence

1     Make your list in relation to the learning destination you worked on in the first 'Back to School' blog. Here are photographs of teacher’s lists of evidence of learning in relation to a variety of subject area learning destinations. Review them to stimulate your own thinking and your own list of possible evidence from multiple sources over time.






2      Read Chapter Five of Making Classroom Assessment Work  Pay attention to the process you can use to plan to collect evidence from multiple sources over time – the process of triangulation – in relation to the learning outcomes or standards so that the evidence of student learning they do collect is reliable and valid. Then do the task on page 54. Find a trusted colleague with whom to share your work. When we express our learning and ‘teach’ it to someone else, we learn more.

Leaders – Taking Action

High School Science

1.    Consider using Chapter Five of Making Classroom Assessment Work as a key learning resource in this area for classroom teachers. For leaders, use Chapter Five of Leading the Way to Assessment for Learning: A Practical Guide. Pay attention to the process by which teachers plan to collect evidence from multiple sources over time – the process of triangulation – in relation to the learning outcomes or standards so that the evidence of student learning they do collect is reliable and valid.

2.    Download  Preparing for a New School Year: Building an Assessment Plan. It is a nine-page resource that provides a detailed ‘walk-through’ of the key steps for building an assessment plan.

Social Studies Evidence

3     Join an online learning opportunity about this topic. We suggest Topic 8 – Planning Reliable and Valid Evidence or Topic 9 – Collecting Evidence of Learning.

Call our office and speak with our helpful staff. They will connect you to the resources and support that will best suit your learning needs.    

Enjoy your learning!

All our best,

Anne and Sandra 

Mathematics Evidence