Below you can find the summaries of the five teacher professional development interventions included in our learning theory-based analysis. The results of the analysis of all teacher professional development interventions based on the criteria (Slavin, 2008; What Works Clearinghouse, 2020) can be found here. The coding scheme which we used to analyze this interventions regarding their use of learning theory-based principles can be found here.
Summary Embedding Formative Assessment - Educational Endowment Fund (Anders et al., 2022; Speckesser et al., 2018)
The Embedding Formative Assessment programme is a two-year teacher professional development programme for both novice and experienced teachers of all subjects in secondary education, organised by the Education Endowment Fund. Teachers, 10 to 12 per school, participated with year-10 students (average of 100 students per school), for the purpose of the evaluation of this programme, which was executed by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
Teachers participated in monthly TLC meetings of 75 – 90 minutes, which were led by a trained teacher leader. Each meeting had the same structure: teachers (a) were given the learning intentions for that session, (b) reflected on previous try-outs of formative assessment (including peer feedback), (c) were introduced into a new formative assessment strategy, and (c) planned new actions regarding a specific formative assessment strategy. Teachers were required to address all five broad formative assessment strategies, but the focus within a formative assessment strategy was based on teachers’ individual desires, which could decide the content of the TLC meeting and influenced teachers’ personal planning.
Between TLC meetings, teachers were asked to observe each other based on a feedback sheet (20 minutes), discuss this feedback with each other (15 minutes). After two years of participation, teachers had participated in 18 meetings (9 per year) with a total of 22.5 – 27 hours per teacher.
Questions interview Corinne Settle
Summary Professional Development Program (Andersson & Palm, 2017)
The professional development programme, developed, executed and evaluated by Catarina Andersson and Toruf Palm, took place during the spring of 2011. Teachers, one or two per school, in primary education teaching one year-4 mathematics class, participated in this PDP. Teachers participated in weekly 6-hour sessions (a total of 144 hours), led by one of the developers of the PDP during one semester. Each meeting included the following (a) theory of formative assessment and preparing corresponding formative assessment activities, (b) group discussions about how to implement formative assessment activities in their lessons (contributing to the ‘big idea’ of formative assessment), and (c) discussions about the experiences gained during the previous week's implementation. In the discussions, the teachers evaluated the try-outs, shared experiences of success and also discussed how they could overcome specific obstacles and further develop the use of a particular activity. The trainer supported these discussions and provided suggestions when deemed useful. Between each meeting, the teachers were supposed to put theory into practice by trying out the formative assessment activities that had been introduced and discussed. In addition, the teachers had another 72 hours for reading literature, and planning and reflection with respect to the new formative assessment activities.
Questions interview Catarina Andersson
Summary Looking at Student Work (Heller et al., 2012)
In the school year 2007-2008 three professional development (PD) models with a focus on science for primary school teachers with grade 4 students were implemented and evaluated in primary education. The PD models consisted of two parts common for all teachers: (1) a Science Content Component and (2) a Pedagogical Content Knowledge Component.
Teachers were randomly assigned to a follow-up course, of which the goals comply with the idea of formative assessment (data-informed decision making for learning and development). For the review, we have focused on the Looking at Student Work course. During this course, teachers used a written protocol to practice a variety of skills related to analysing student responses, and evaluating the utility of different tasks. During each session, teachers engaged in a subset of the following activities:
(a) identifying science concepts that were central to a student task
(b) completing the task and analysed its cognitive demands
(c) identifying assessment criteria or constructing an assessment rubric for the task
(d) analysing the student work in terms of correct and incorrect ideas, as well as common mental models
(e) considering the implications for teaching and learning
(f) describing the merits and limitations of the task
(g) reflecting on the process of looking at student work. As with the science investigations, teachers engaged in the analysis of student work via small-group work and whole-group discussion.
Each intervention included 24 hours of contact time, divided into eight 3-hour sessions spread over a period of one schoolyear. They were led and supported by trained teacher leaders.
Questions Joan Heller and Kirsten Daehler
Summary Classroom Assessment for Student Learning (Randel et al., 2012)
During the schoolyears 2007-2008 the CASL training, developed by the Assessment Training Institute, was implemented by 33 schools and evaluated by Randel et al. (2014). A total of 175 grade 4 and 5 teachers, who provided math instruction, participated in learning teams who met in at least nine team meetings (two or three weeks apart). The CASL team meetings, which were managed by a team manager within the learning team group, included the following cognitive and practical steps:
(a) Thinking about classroom assessment.
(b) Reading and reflecting on new classroom assessment strategies.
(c) Shaping the strategies into applications.
(d) Trying out applications, observing, and drawing inferences about what does and does not work.
(e) Reflecting on and summarizing learning and conclusions from that experience.
(f) Sharing and problem solving with team members.
Between meetings, teachers spend two to four hours reading the CASL textbook or ancillary books, viewing the video, and practicing the CASL techniques in the classroom. The progress of teachers was evaluated by the administration of a 60 items questionnaire on classroom assessment. Students’ scale scores on the 2009 administration of the mathematics portion of the Colorado Student Assessment Program were used to estimate the impact of CASL on student achievement. The outcome of student motivation to learn was measured using the Ongoing Engagement and Perceived Autonomy (Self-Regulation) subscales of the elementary student Research Assessment Package for Schools (IRRE 1998) and the Academic Efficacy subscale of the Patterns of Adapted Learning Scales (Midgely et al. 2000).
Questions interview Rick Stiggins
Summary (Schneider & Meyer, 2012)
The South Carolina Department of Education developed a formative assessment PD program that addressed classroom assessment broadly with video presentations, coaching, and collaborative assessment development over one year that includes approximately 30 hr of PD per teacher along with approximately 24 hr of independent study. The program focuses on improving teacher skills in developing and interpreting classroom assessments to support student learning. The content of the professional development comprised the following nine modules:
(a) aligning assessments with the cognitive level and content of the curriculum standards;
(b) developing and implementing performance tasks;
(c) developing and implementing checklists;
(d) developing and implementing rubrics;
(e) formulating high-quality, multiple choice items;
(f) analyzing the quality of multiple choice items to guide the determination regarding what students know;
(g) developing portfolios;
(h) using valid grading procedures; and
(i) interpreting standardized test scores.
In the school year 2004 - 2005, 151 teachers in English language arts or mathematics participated in the study. The effects on of student achievement was evaluated by using the English language arts and mathematics scale scores of the students on the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT), the state’s high-stakes accountability testing program at the time.
Questions interview Christina Schneider
References
Andersson, C., & Palm, T. (2017). The impact of formative assessment on student achievement: A study of the effects of changes to classroom practice after a comprehensive professional development programme. Learning and instruction, 49, 92-102. doi: 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2016.12.006
Heller, J. I., Daehler, K. R., Wong, N., Shinohara, M., & Miratrix, L. W. (2012). Differential effects of three professional development models on teacher knowledge and student achievement in elementary science. Journal of research in science teaching, 49(3), 333-362. doi: 10.1002/tea.21004
Randel, B., Apthorp, H., Beesley,A.D., Clark, T.F.,& Wang, X. (2016). Impacts of professional development in classroom assessment on teacher and student outcomes. The Journal of Educational Research, 109(5), 491-502. doi: 10.1080/00220671.2014.992581
Schneider, M. C., & Meyer, J. P. (2012). Investigating the efficacy of a professional development program in formative classroom assessment in middle school English language arts and mathematics. Journal of Multidisciplinary Evaluation, 8(17), 1-24. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ971499
Speckesser, S., Runge, J., Foliano, F., Bursnall, M., Hudson-Sharp, N., Rolfe, H., & Anders, J. (2018). Embedding Formative Assessment: Evaluation report and executive summary. Retrieved from https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/EFA_evaluation_report.pdf