1. ONTARGET
Assessing the Divergent
Learner
Chris Burkett, Ed.D
David M. Mathis, Ed.D.
ASCD Annual Conference 2015
Houston, TX

2. ONTARGETONTARGET
Divergent Learners
On your notecard, please brainstorm
a list of the characteristics of a
divergent learner.

3. ONTARGETONTARGET
Who is a Divergent Learner?
A Divergent Learner
● is a person of average to exceptionally bright intelligence;
● does not easily relate to traditional curriculum, methods, school rules, and
values;
● is no more likely to have learning disabilities than others; and
● experiences difficulty unless the school recognizes his/her innate
personality traits and employs strategies to engage the divergent learner.
Recognizing the characteristics of divergent learners and knowing how to relate
to these students is critical to teaching them effectively.

4. ONTARGETONTARGET
How Can We Best Understand
Divergent Learners?
Ranking Guide
Learning Style Inventories
Dunn and Dunn
4MAT
DiSC
Multiple Intelligences
Emotional Intelligence

5. ONTARGETONTARGET
Divergence Ranking Guide

6. ONTARGET

7. ONTARGET
Getting to
Know DLs
DiSC Personality Inventory
https://kc.columbiasc.edu/ICS/icsfs/disc_behavioral_tendencies_i
nventory.pdf?target=7dab11ee-4767-4507-8fc7-0713c9081be8
DiSC Inventory for Children
https://kc.columbiasc.edu/ICS/icsfs/disc_for_children.pdf?target=
ecee49a6-6665-4c1f-9c11-c52d8a52abfd
Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles Inventory
https://kc.columbiasc.edu/ICS/icsfs/dunn___dunn_instrument_20
07.pdf?target=efa8bdb0-3ffd-4a34-8b3a-66292fc03f20
4MAT
https://kc.columbiasc.edu/ICS/icsfs/4MAT_instrument3.pdf?target
=565cfc6f-7a9f-45a0-98aa-03880e0b4fdc
Multiple Intelligences Inventory
http://surfaquarium.com/MI/inventory.htm
Easy to administer
inventories that provide
information about all
students--especially
divergent learners.

8. ONTARGET
Assessment:
It depends upon
your perch…

9. ONTARGET
The teacher’s view of
assessment:
9
•To gather evidence of student
learning on the progression to
learning target
•To inform instruction
•To motivate students and
increase student achievement

10. ONTARGET
The divergent learner’s view of
assessment:
10
• I don’t see the purpose.
• I am going to fail, so why try?
• This is a waste of my time.
• I am not prepared.
• Is this going to count?

11. ONTARGET
Types of Assessments
11
• Portfolio Assessment
• Checklists
• Surveys
• Traditional Assessments
• Performance Assessments

12. ONTARGET
How can divergent
learner’s demonstrate
what they know?

13. ONTARGET
Begin with the end in mind.

14. ONTARGET
Types of
Assessments
Performance Assessments
“Performance assessments
are multistep assignments
with clear criteria
expectations, and
processes that measure
how well a student
transfers knowledge and
applies complex skills to
create or refine an
original product.”
Quality Performance Assessment:
A Guide for Schools and Districts

15. ONTARGET
Quality Performance
Assessment: A Guide for
Schools and Districts
"This is a first rate, highly creative
guide to implementing education
and assessment based on
competency rather than on
standardization, testing, and
promotion. It offers tools to assess
what students actually know and
can do, along with invaluable
guidance for teachers seeking to
apply such authentic assessment in
their classrooms.”
Jay McTighe, Co- Author of
Understanding by Design Guide to
Advanced Concepts in Creating and
Reviewing Units

16. ONTARGETONTARGET
Performance Assessments Focus on Meaningful Student-
Centered Learning
• Quality Aligned Instruction
• Personalized Learning
• Aligned to Content Standards
• Aligned to 21st Century Skills
• Quality Aligned Task
• Appropriately designed so expectations are clear
• Quality Data Analysis
• Determine if what is being taught is being assessed
• Determine if sufficient evidence
is demonstrated

17. ONTARGET
21st Century Learning

18. ONTARGET

19. ONTARGET
Quality Task
Design
1.Select an objective to be measured by the
performance task.
• What content does the objective measure?
• If a student has mastered this objective, what would
that look like?
2. Write out the expected content learning
outcomes for the task.
• What are the most important facts that a student
must know for this task?
• What big ideas and generalizations should a student
show in the task?
3. Write out the expected skill learning
outcomes for the task.
• What skills should this task measure? Reading,
writing, speaking?
• Do the skills in the task align with the content?
Hanover County Schools
North Carolina

20. ONTARGET
Quality Task
Design
4. Brainstorm a task that tests the content
and skills together.
• What is a possible project that could be used?
• What projects have you used before that could be re-
evaluated?
5. Use GRASPS to frame the performance
expectations.
• Does the project mirror a real-world task?
• Does the project ask the student to mimic the role of
an expert?
6. Use the 6 Facets of Understanding to
check for depth and rigor.
• Does the project ask students to regurgitate
memorized information?
• Does the project involve deep understanding of the
content?
Performance Assessments:
Portfolios in Civics and Economics
This is the link to a teacher's guide
re: performance assessments from
Hanover County Schools in North
Carolina. Although it is created to
assist a civics and economics
course, provides awesome
background information re:
performance assessments as well
as models for creating them in all
subject areas.
http://www.nhcs.net/socialst
udies_worldlanguages/Perfor
mance%20Assessment%20in%2
0Civics.pdf

21. ONTARGET
Quality Task
Design
7. Write a rubric that guides students to a
successful performance.
• Is the rubric clear and understandable?
• Could students use the rubric to self-evaluate their
progress?
Resources for
developing quality
rubrics:
Saluda County Schools
/ Overview

22. ONTARGET
GRASPS
Understanding by Design
Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe

23. ONTARGET
Performance
Assessment:
GRASPS
Goal: • Your goal is to help a group of foreign visitors
understand the key historic, geographic and economic features of
our region.
Role: • You are an intern at the Regional Office of Tourism.
Audience: • The audience is a group of nine foreign visitors
(who speak English).
Situation: • You have been asked to develop a plan,
including a budget, for a four-day tour of the region. Plan your
tour so that the visitors are shown sites that best illustrate the key
historical, geographic and economic features of our region.
Product/Performance and Purpose: • You need to
prepare a written tour itinerary and a budget for the trip. You
should include an explanation of why each site was selected and
how it will help the visitors understand the key historic,
geographic and economic features of our region. Include a map
tracing the route for the tour. [Optional: Provide a budget for the
trip.]*
Standards & Criteria for Success: • Your proposed
tour plan needs to include... - an itinerary and route map - the key
historical, geographic and economic features of the region - a
clear rationale for the selected sites *- accurate and complete
budget figures
This is a great performance
assessment exemplar using
GRASPS. It was developed by
Jay McTighe, co-author of
Understanding by Design.

24. ONTARGET
Six Facets of
Understanding
Understanding by Design
Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe

25. ONTARGET
Performance Assessment
Exemplars
25
Saluda County
Schools / Overview

26. ONTARGET
Feedback Through
Formative Assessments
http://store.scholastic.com/content/stores/media/pro
ducts/samples/21/9780545087421.pdf
https://docs.google.com/a/saludaschools.org/presenta
tion/d/1nzhdnyMQmio5lNT75ITB45rHyLISHEEHZlHTWJR
qLmQ/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide
=id.p
“Students learn more
during performance
assessments as they
adjust their approach
to a problem and
make corrections in
response to targeted
feedback from their
instructors and
peers.”
Quality Performance Assessment: A
Guide for Schools and Districts

27. ONTARGET
http://www.qualityperformanceassess
ment.org/wp-
content/uploads/2014/09/Tool_1.pdf
Assessment Validation Checklist

28. ONTARGET
Assessment Validation Cover Sheet
http://www.qualityperformanceassessment.org/w
p-
content/uploads/2013/06/Tool2_AssessmentVali
dationCovSheet.pdf

29. ONTARGET

30. ONTARGET
Common Performance Assessment
Curriculum Planning Template
http://www.qualityperformanceassessment.or
g/wp-
content/uploads/2013/06/Tool8_CommonPerf
AssessmentCurrPlanningTemplate.pdf

31. ONTARGET
Quality Assessments are
best done in
collaboration, not in
isolation.

32. ONTARGETONTARGET
Hitting the Center of the Target with Divergent Learners
• Clearly define the Learning Target to Students
• Align and Design Quality Assessments
• Reflect on Needed Improvements
• Work Collaboratively
• Provide Students with Quality Feedback

33. ONTARGET
Contact Information
Chris Burkett, Ed. D.
Head, Division of Education
Associate Professor of Education
chrisburkett@columbiasc.edu
David M. Mathis, Ed. D.
Superintendent
Saluda County Schools
dmathis@saludaschools.org