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Good morning, awesome people!

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Because common assessments are the LINCHPIN of collaborative work, results should be present on a frequent basis. If you don't have time for a full-fledged data meeting, try to at least have data moments in EACH meeting.

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Common Assessments do not have to be exactly the same, especially when assessing skills. They do require the exact same skills, to be assessed in the same manner, at the same level of rigor, and with the same scoring criteria. This resource provides examples of how to structure UnCommon Common Assessments.

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If you prefer to use a QR code on a phone or tablet, please skip this link and see below.

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Post your notes, questions, or ideas here to keep a running dialogue with your peers as you navigate the learning provided in this workshop.

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Post your notes, questions, or ideas here to keep a running dialogue with your peers as you navigate the learning provided in this workshop.

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New materials that are discussed during the training experience will be added here.

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New materials that are discussed during the training experience will be added here.

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Common Assessment Ex. with Information Literacy

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Common Assessment Ex. with Information Literacy

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Interested in sharing your good work and spreading the good news on how to improve classroom assessments and increase student investment?

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Interested in sharing your good work and spreading the good news on how to improve classroom assessments and increase student investment?

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Join Cassandra Erkens (casserkens@gmail.com) to conduct classroom action research and publish your findings.  Together, we can change the face of education!

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Use this less formal form to design a project you would like to explore on your own. Even though your project might feel less formal, don't hesitate to consider writing a blog post regarding your findings. Include little artifacts or data as proof of your results. Contact casserkens@gmail.com if you would like help finding places to publish your post.

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Less Formal Action Research Template for an Individual

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This form offers a more formal option for a team to conduct action research at the school level. There are hyperlinked examples to guide your efforts throughout the document. At the end of the form, there are some considerations for parent communications and school wide approval of the proposal.  You can use this form in its entirety, or you can feel free to only go as far in the form as you feel is necessary.

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Assessment Collaborative Solutions - YOUR action research findings could be shared here!

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Website, White Paper, and Action Research Postings

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Website, White Paper, and Action Research Postings

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https://www.solutiontree.com/assessment-collaborative   The blog site is getting a face lift now, but check back soon:  http://allthingsassessment.info/

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Accurately Assess Student Success

Assessment Collaborative will help you develop assessment literacy across your school or district to ensure every student, regardless of background, is college and career ready.

At Assessment Collaborative, we are committed to putting hope, efficacy, and achievement at the core of all assessment practices. Join us in our efforts to support learning for all through powerful, productive assessments.

Cassandra Erkens, Assessment Collaborative expert

Ready to start improving your assessments? Take the first step by downloading a white paper created by Cassandra Erkens, Tom Schimmer, and Nicole Dimich.

Access your white paper

Books & Videos

Our popular assessment resources offer tried-and-true strategies and techniques you can use immediately to improve assessment across your school or district.
Explore resources

Events

Enhance your knowledge by joining our all-star lineup of assessment and grading authors and experts.
Find an event

On-Site Professional Development

Bring Assessment Collaborative experts to your school or district for customized professional learning. Your team will receive in-depth training on assessment practices that have the power to reduce failure rates and increase achievement in every classroom.
Learn more

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Build authentic assessment practices in your school or district with the Assessment Collaborative. Use common formative assessments and summative assessments in ways that increase student achievement, cultivate hope, and build confidence in all learners.

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Collaborative Common Assessments Workshop  |  Madison, Wisconsin | October 11–12, 2023

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https://www.solutiontree.com/collaborative-common-assessments-workshop-madison.html

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Attend a Solution Tree educational conference, workshop, institute, or summit, to get a full professional development experience that you can bring back to your own schools and districts.

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Futureproof Your Students' Success: Developing and Assessing 7 Must-Have Lifelong Skills | St. Louis, Missouri | December 4–5, 2023

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https://www.solutiontree.com/futureproof-your-students-success-st-louis.html This workshop is about designing 21st Century assessments based on 7 Core Student Competencies

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For students to succeed today, they must acquire the knowledge and 21st century skills required for college and career readiness. While most assessment fundamentals remain timeless, there are others that have become antiquated as critical competencies-including self-regulation, critical thinking, collaboration, creative thinking, communication, digital citizenship, and social competence-become the prioritized student learning outcomes.

Over the course of two days, our experts outline how to make the shift to next-generation learning and assessment. Participants will discover how to create personalized learning experiences, support student skill development, and effectively measure student mastery of critical competencies. Educators are encouraged to attend in teams, as time will be made available for collaborative action planning.

Design assessments that elicit sophisticated, authentic evidence of the critical competencies.

Understand the big picture of curricular reforms and the ways to communicate that vision to all stakeholders.

Learn the fundamental principles of performance assessments (including project- or problem-based learning) and how they can transform the assessment norms of every classroom, school, and district.

Develop working definitions of the seven critical competencies.

Learn from leading experts
Agenda and speakers are subject to change.
Monday, December 4th

7:00-8:00 a.m.

Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:00-8:15 a.m.

Welcome and Introduction
Getting Connected
Shape of the Day

8:15-9:30 a.m.

Growing Tomorrow's Citizens: Laying the Foundation for 7 Critical Competencies

9:45-11:30 a.m.

Laying the Foundation for 7 Critical Competencies (continued)

11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Lunch (on your own)

1:00-2:30 p.m.

Defining the 7 Critical Competencies

2:45-3:15 p.m.

Team Time for Collaborative Planning

3:15-4:00 p.m.

Developing Next-Generation Assessments

Tuesday, December 5th

8:15-9:30 a.m.

Reviewing Assessment Implications of the 7 Critical Competencies

9:45-11:30 a.m.

Reviewing Assessment Implications of the 7 Critical Competencies (continued)

11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Lunch (on your own)

1:00-2:30 p.m.

Designing Assessment Tasks

2:45-3:15 p.m.

Team Time for Collaborative Planning

3:15-4:00 p.m.

Closing Activity

Events reach capacity quickly. Please confirm your registration before making travel plans.

Parking information: Complimentary

In order to receive the discounted hotel room rate, please mention Solution Tree. After the deadline listed below, rates will be determined by the hotel.

Primary Hotel

Sheraton Westport Plaza Tower Hotel

900 W Port Plaza Drive
St. Louis, MO 63146
314.212.2100

Discounted Rate: (single or double) $149/night
Deadline: November 19, 2023

Venue

900 W Port Plaza Drive

St. Louis, Missouri

Participation Information

You will receive a certificate of participation 6 weeks after the event concludes. Please check with your state department of education for CEU availability.

Additional Information

Included with your registration

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Futureproof Your Students' Success: Developing and Assessing 7 Must-Have Lifelong Skills

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Over the course of two days, our experts outline how to make the shift to next generation learning and assessment. Participants will discover how to create personalized learning experiences, support student skill development, and effectively measure student mastery of critical competencies.

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The Assessment Collaborative Institute - Explore the full Assessment Framework with keynote and breakout presenters/authors.  Bring a team!

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https://www.solutiontree.com/assessment-collaborative-institute-cedar-rapids.html

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Using Classroom Assessments and Sound Grading Practices to Bring Hope to Every Learner

Is assessment working for or against learning in your classroom, school, or district? For teachers, effective assessment serves as a powerful ally in the teaching and learning process. For students, assessment-done right-provides the understanding, hope, and motivation to build efficacy on the path to achievement. Join an all-star lineup of assessment and grading experts and master practitioners, and get ready to turbocharge learning.

Teachers and leaders will learn how to:

Spark a growth mindset in students

Avoid the most common mistakes in assessment design and analysis

Collaborate in teams to identify specific learning issues for targeted instructional solutions

Design structures, protocols, and schedules that empower collaborative teacher teams to develop, score, analyze, and respond to assessment

Sessions deliver the following learning outcomes:
Assessment Architecture

Recognize and write meaningful multiple-choice items at various cognitive levels.

Write constructed-response items that give better information about student learning.

Create and utilize assessments that stimulate growth of 21st century skills.

Apply tools to review and revise assessments to effectively guide instruction, involve students, and communicate learning.

Acquire a complete process for creating and using common assessments.

Instructional Agility

Discover how to map an assessment plan, write learning targets, and use data.

Analyze data/student work to determine next steps and to give effective feedback.

Engage students in developing their own goals and tracking their learning while developing ownership, motivation, and a growth mindset.

Design and use homework as a formative assessment tool to impact student learning.

Student Investment

Understand how and why to develop and scale proficiency-based learning targets.

Learn how to engage learners in collaboratively scoring work using quality rubrics or scales.

Examine protocols and tools to help students monitor and reflect on progress data.

Identify ways to establish a growth mindset and approach to results.

Assessment Leadership

Build effective teacher professional development plans around standards-based grading.

Create a balanced system of assessment with options for skill-specific interventions and extensions during the school day.

Learn the systems, structures, and routines that can redefine accountability and reshape a school's culture.

Explore the most productive approach to creating district, school, department, or team reassessment policies.

Learn from leading experts

Keynote speakers
On-Site Solution Tree Bookstore Open Throughout Event Agenda and speakers are subject to change. Agenda and session descriptions
Wednesday, June 26th

Thursday, June 27th

Friday, June 28th
Events reach capacity quickly. Please confirm your registration before making travel plans.
Parking information: $12 Daily

Primary Hotel

DoubleTree by Hilton Cedar Rapids Convention Center Complex

350 First Avenue NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 524019
800.445.8667

Discounted Rate: $153/night (singles/doubles)
Deadline: May 31, 2024 or until group rate is sold out.

Venue

350 First Avenue

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Participation Information

You will receive a certificate of participation 6 weeks after the event concludes. Please check with your department of education for CEU availability.

On-Site Solution Tree Book Co-Op Discounts

Buy 5 or more Solution Tree titles or resources and receive 30% off and free shipping

On-site book co-op open daily throughout the event

Discounts above are for on-site purchases only. Does not include any non-Solution Tree product, toolkit, or sale table items. Purchase orders and credit cards accepted onsite. Continental US only.

Additional Information

Included with your registration

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Join an all-star lineup of assessment and grading experts and master practitioners, and get ready to turbocharge learning. Teachers will learn how to spark a growth mindset in students, avoid the most common mistakes in assessment design and analysis, and collaborate in teams to identify specific learning issues for targeted instructional solutions.

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Cassandra Erkens is the author of eight books, with more currently in progress. Additionally, she is a facilitator, educator and coach with Solution Tree. Her work focuses on assessment, instruction, leadership, school improvement, and professional learning communities.

Cassandra Erkens talks about how assessment practices can build hope, efficacy, and achievement for learners and teachers.

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This is the foundational book in the series for The Assessment Collaborative.  It outlines the framework.

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https://www.solutiontree.com/essential-assessments.html

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This book outlines the best ways to nurture student investment in the assessment process.

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https://www.solutiontree.com/jackpot.html

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This is one of the tenets in the framework.  It provides strategies for formative assessment in action.  

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https://www.solutiontree.com/instructional-agility.html

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This book outlines considerations for developing 21st century assessments and tools.  It's full of examples of strategies and tools. 

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Growing Tomorrow's Citizens in Today's Classroom

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Growing Tomorrow's Citizens in Today's Classroom

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https://www.solutiontree.com/growing-tomorrows-citizens-in-todays-classrooms.html

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The Assessment Collaborative team gathered to answer real educator questions in concise ways.

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Concise Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Grading and Assessment

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Concise Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Grading and Assessment

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https://www.solutiontree.com/concise-answers-to-frequently-asked-questions-about-assessment-and-grading.html

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These two books are being updated!  Watch for new copies in 2024.

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https://www.solutiontree.com/assessment-leaders-set.html

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Each tenet outlined in Essential Assessment will have it's own book. Watch for the next book in the series - Assessment Architecture.  It will be a toolkit to help educators design high quality formative or summative assessments and the appropriate attending tools.

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https://www.solutiontree.com/collaborative-common-assessments.html

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The Handbooks for Collaborative Common Assessments

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The Handbooks for Collaborative Common Assessments

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https://www.solutiontree.com/handbook-collaborative-common-assessments.html

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In a PLC, EVERYONE is a leader!  This book outlines how leaders from the classroom to the boardroom lead collaborative efforts.

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https://www.solutiontree.com/leading-by-design.html

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These anthologies were written by PLC experts helping educators understand how to function differently in a collaborative culture.

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Anthologies:  The Collaborative Teacher and The Collaborative Administrators

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Anthologies:  The Collaborative Teacher and The Collaborative Administrators

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https://www.solutiontree.com/the-collaborative-teacher.html  and  https://www.solutiontree.com/the-collaborative-administrator.html

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This digital, fillable copy is the same as printed handout.

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The blog posts below would normally be found on the allthings.info website which is undergoing an update at this time.  Each is in some way connected to the work of empowering students to be invested in their own learning.

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Learning targets for the PLC overview:

Understand the work and products created by PLCs

Explore the depth of collaborative work required of a Professional Learning Community (PLC)

Identify strategies and tools for working effectively as a team

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Please provide feedback at the conclusion of the workshop.