1. Using the Sun
West Rubric to
Align
Achievement
Indicators
Jade Ballek
Sun West Learning Consultant
I Learn 2012
August 27, 28, 2012

2. Session Goals
Explore the purpose of assessment
Clarify the 5 levels of the Sun West
Rubric to achieve alignment
Provide some techniques for making
assessments more consistent and
more accurate
Analyze measurement tools

3. Ground Rules
Honour the time – 1 hour
Communicate effectively
Respect the learning

4. Personal Learning
Focus
Use a sticky to write a question you
have about the Sun West Rubric.
Or, write a sentence that describes
what you hope to learn during this
hour.
Please post it on the board.

5. Why Assess?
What is the purpose of
assessment?
What is your biggest concern
about the Sun West Rubric?
Think/Pair/Share

6. Assessment Should Be
Consistent
Accurate
Meaningful
Ken O’Connor – A Repair Kit for
Grading: 15 Fixes for Broken Grades

7. Fix 8
Don’t assign grades using
inappropriate or unclear
performance standards; provide
clear descriptions of
achievement expectations.
This is what is meant by aligning
achievement indicators.

8. Sun West Rubric
How many “points”? … 6? … 5?
…4?
Why 5?
Provincial assessment: where are
we now?

10. Knowing,
Understanding, Doing?
What is the difference?
Know:
Understand:
Do:
Think/Pair/Share

11. “Understanding”
"Non satis scire — "To know is not
enough.”
Motto of Hampshire College
Wiggins and McTighe – Facets of
Understanding

12. 6 Facets of
Understanding
When someone truly understands, they:
 Canexplain concepts, principles, and
processes
 Can interpret
 Can apply
 Can demonstrate perspective
 Can display empathy
 Have self-knowledge

13. Performance Tasks –
Applying Learning
The performance tasks ask
students to apply their learning to
a new and authentic situation as
means of assessing their
understanding.
UbD FAQ - McTighe

15. TECHNIQUES FOR
YOUR CLASSROOM

16. Technique #1 – Know,
Understand, Do (KUDs)
Know – nouns
Do – verbs
Understand – big idea, enduring
understanding, essential question
Health 7.6

17. Technique # 2 – Level
of Thinking
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy, choose
the level that applies to each
indicator for Science LT 1.1

18. Technique #3 – Levels
of Importance

20. Technique #4 – Co-
Constructing Criteria
Bring students into the process
What does quality “look like”?
Build the assessment with your
students.
Cleaning the bathroom

21. Technique #5 – Use
Anchors
Anchors show students what
quality looks like
Use samples of different levels

22. Technique #5 –
Collegial Discussions
How are you using the rubric with
your students? e.g. Davidson School
Provincial – ELA Expressive Strands
Project; Math Pre- and Post-
Assessments Grades 1-9; Sun West
Rubrics – Reading Assessment
Divide and conquer!

23. ANALYZING
MEASUREMENT
TOOLS

24. Analyzing Measurement
Tools
Choosing the right tool is important if
the assessment is to be accurate.
Math Summative Assessments –
levelling by question
Analyzing Current Assessments – e.g.
Bio 20/30

30. Clear targets for
Assessment
Clarify curriculum outcomes - unpacking
High quality assessment tasks - analyzing
Rubrics to describe what quality looks like -
creating
Anchors to show what quality looks like - creating
Checklists to enable students to monitor their own
progress - listing
Damian Cooper, 2010

31. Feedback
More questions about the Sun
West Rubric?