Implementing a Learning Progression–Based Approach to Student Learning Objective Development: Results From a Pilot Test in Three Schools

• In Event: 35.049 - Teachers' Use of Learning Progressions for Formative Assessment: Implications for Professional Development and Further Research

Abstract

Objective

During the 2013-14 school year, at the behest of a large urban school district, we collaborated with mathematics teachers at three schools (elementary, middle and high) on a pilot project that proposed a new approach for the development of Student Learning Objectives (SLOs).

Theoretical Framework

Although SLOs are being used in many school districts as measures of student growth for teacher evaluation purposes, the theoretical basis for their development has received little attention. In this work we use the assessment triangle (Pellegrino, Chudowsky & Glaser, 2001) and learning progressions (LPs; Clements & Sarama, 2009; Masters & Forster, 1996) as a framework for writing and evaluating SLOs.

Methods

This was a qualitative case study in which a new model for teacher professional development in the writing of SLOs, with LPs as the conceptual framework, was explored across three school sites that differed in grade level configuration. Methods of inquiry included direct observations of teachers, surveys and the gathering of artifacts (e.g., drafts of LPs, assessment tasks and scoring rubrics). We focus on similarities and differences in SLO development across the three sites.

Results

Most participants provided positive feedback about the opportunity for vertical collaborations across grades and the use of the learning progression as an organizational tool for instruction. However, teachers also struggled to shift from a “get it or they don’t” conception of student learning to a conception rooted in growth. We discuss lessons learned and implications for generalizing the approach across all grades and subjects within a school district.

Authors

• Derek C. Briggs, University of Colorado, Boulder

• Frederick Peck, University of Montana - Missoula

• Jessica Alzen, University of Colorado - Boulder