Using Assessment Information in Real
Time: What Teachers Need to Know and
Be Able To Do
Margaret Heritage
CRESST/UCLA
11th Annual Maryland Assessment Conference
October 20-21, 2011
University of Maryland
Overview
• A System of Assessment
• Teacher Knowledge and Skills
• Teacher Support
Real-time Data
• Data that are
generated and used
by teachers and
students during the
ongoing course of
instruction to keep
learning moving
forward to reach
desired goals
A System of Assessment
Student
Minute-byminute
Daily
Weekly
Unit
Quarterly
Comprehensive, Coherent, Continuous (NCR, 2001)
Annually
Different levels of
granularity needed for
different decisions related
to student learning
Herman, 2011
Teacher Knowledge and Skills
Fit data into a
structure for
interpretation
Data analysis
skills
Decide on
appropriate
action to
improve
learning
Posthoc
Data
Understand
data
properties
Understand
the purpose of
the
assessment
Nature of Real-time Information
• Individual
• Proximately timed
• Reveal insights into thinking
• Instructionally tractable
• REFLEXIVE
Teacher Knowledge and Skills
Making
pedagogical
moves to
advance
learning
Knowledge
of likely
outcomes/r
esponses
Knowledge of
a fully-formed
understanding
/skill
Realtime
Data
Place in the
“rhythm” of
teaching and
learning
Formulate/sel
ect data
gathering
opportunities
Supporting Teachers: Teacher
Knowledge
 Develop models of how student thinking and skills develop
in a discipline/across disciplines
 Understand barriers, difficulties, common misconceptions
and challenges to student learning in a discipline
 Develop knowledge of what a “good performance” looks
like
 Deepen pedagogical content knowledge
 Involving students
Supporting Teachers: Resources
Provide better descriptions of learning
pathways
Provide resources that support interpretation
and action
Supporting Teachers: Teacher
Development
Versus
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