Download Liturgical Catechesis - Catechetical Resources

Assessment Strategies:
How Do You Know That They
Know?
Catechetical Module
(Revised 2/2017)
Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Opening Prayer
James 2:14-24
 Sign of the Cross
 Reading
 Pause for Reflection: Pause and reflect a
moment on your role as a catechist.
Opening Prayer (Continued)
ALL: Oh, good and gracious God, we thank you for the
gift of your Son, Jesus Christ.
In Baptism, we became members of the Church, the
Body of Christ.
Make us forever mindful of our duties as catechists.
Give us the strength to share our talents and gifts,
to respond willingly to the Church’s teachings and
requirements,
and to assume the responsibilities that our
membership implies.
AMEN + Sign of the Cross
Elements of Curriculum “Resources”
Lesson Design Instruction
Textbooks 
Curriculum
(HOW we
teach?)
(WHAT we
teach?)
Assessment
(Did they learn as a
result of HOW and
WHAT we taught?)

Formative & Summative
When planning catechetical
lessons/sessions…
…what “tools” are in
your toolkit that answer
the Cardinal’s question:
How do you know that
they know?
Essential Question
for this Module…
How do effective assessment strategies
promote lifelong learning?
[An “Essential Question” is YOUR focus for learning and my goal for teaching.
While you may not be able to answer this question at this time, hopefully you
will be able to answer it by the end of this two-hour module.]
Group Discussion:
As a group…
• Share your personal attitudes about
testing that were evoked when listening
to this narrative.
• Select TWO common among your group
members.
• Write each on a sentence strip & post.
Assessment vs. Testing
Assessing Prior Knowledge
Sequence for This Module:
Focus on Assessment, NOT Testing
Universal Performance Tool
Tool Assessment Kit
• What is assessment? (clarify terms/
vocabulary)
• When is it needed within a lesson?
• Demonstration Lesson (to model strategies)
• Discern/Cite strategies modeled
Assessment Vocabulary
Formative (called informal or INFORMative) – any
classroom activity that informs teachers/
catechists about their students’ learning AND
their own teaching.
Summative – end of lesson activity that holds
the learner accountable and confirms whether
or not s/he has learned the lesson content.
Formative Assessment defined:
“Formative assessment is a process used
by both teachers and students during
instruction that provides feedback to
adjust ongoing teaching and learning to
improve students’ achievement of
intended instructional outcomes.”
(W. James Popham, Transformative Assessment, 2008)
When is Assessment Needed?
Google Maps
• Starting Point
Lesson Sequence
• Beginning - diagnostic/
inquiry; assess prior knowledge
& misconceptions
• Best/Alternate
Routes
• During – inform/guide
• Final Destination
• End
teacher decisions during
“journey”
Demonstration
Lesson
1st
2nd
Rules…..laws….
3rd …
Self-Assess & Self-Check
On a piece of paper, list the 5
precepts of the Catholic Church.
Use the handout & self-check.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION…
…the conceptual frame
(or guiding question) for the lesson
Why does the Church prescribe five
precepts or rules for the faithful to
follow?
By the end of this lesson, YOU should be able to
answer this ESSENTIAL QUESTION!
CFLFF Learning Target: MA 3.7.21
The precepts of the Church set in the
context of moral life, bound and
nourished by the liturgical life of the
Church, guarantee the faithful a
minimum spirit of prayer and moral
effort for growth in love of God and
neighbor.
Group Work
Precept #1
You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on Holy
Days of Obligation and remain free from work
or activity that could impede the sanctification
of such days.
1. Restate this “rule” in your own words.
2. Explain how this precept assists Catholics to
“grow in love of God and neighbor.”
Comments from Your Group
Evaluate/EXIT SLIP
Let’s return to our Essential Question!
Exit Slip: [Write you answer to this question on a slip of
paper and leave it with the catechist as you “exit” this
session.]
Why does the Church prescribe five
precepts or rules for the faithful to
follow?
Self-Reflect/Assess
What new ah-ha (or reaffirmation) about the
precepts of the Catholic Church did you
experience as the result of having engaged in
this lesson?
Let’s pause to reflect on the
ASSESSMENT strategies in this
demonstration lesson!
As a group, list all examples of formative
assessment in the DEMONSTRATION lesson.
Discuss WHAT was done & WHY it was done.
Checking Your Understanding
(Whole Class Sharing of Group Activity)
Engage & Explore activities…
access learners’ brain
Formative (Diagnostic) Assessment
@ beginning of lessons
ENGAGE
…the “warm-up” for the brain
WHAT we did…
(1) Define “rules.”
(2) What are some
rules you follow?
(3) What is the
purpose for rules
and laws?
WHY we did it…
 To focus on the topic;
 To motivate by making
personal connections;
 To scrape away mental
“cobwebs”
 To clarify misconceptions
EXPLORE…the diagnostic check
to discern what is known
WHAT we did…
1) List the 5 precepts of
the Church.
2) Self-check.
Catechist Decision-Point:
Do I continue with this
lesson plan as planned?
WHY we did it…
 To inquire what is
already known;
 To affirm correctness/to
discern misconceptions;
 To clarify & solidify the
meaning of key Catholic
concepts (critical
vocabulary/our Catholic identity).
EXPLAIN…
…activities to assist learners
being able to answer the EQ
WHAT we did…
(1) Modeled the
first precept
(2) Group work to
focus on the
other precepts
WHY we did it…
To clarify expected
thinking by groups
To assess correct or
incorrect group
processing
EVALUATE…
…to check understanding
WHAT we did…
Exit Slip to answer
lesson’s EQ
WHY we did it…
To evaluate each
individual learner to be
accountable for own
learning;
To assess effectiveness
of catechist/ activities
Summative Assessment (Evaluation)
@ end of lessons
Debrief/ Checking for Understanding
(Summative Assessment)
When is Assessment Needed?
Google Maps
• Starting Point
Lesson Sequence
• Beginning - diagnostic/
inquiry; assess prior knowledge
& misconceptions
• Best/Alternate
Routes
• During – inform/guide
• Final Destination
• End
teacher decisions during
“journey”
Module’s Key Ideas
ASSESSMENT is needed before,
during and at the end of
lessons.
Formative assessment is for
learning; summative
assessment is of learning.
Learner’s Self-Assessment
Final Thoughts & Comments
Old Paradigm:
“Sit & Get”
If all teachers are doing is covering
content, then they should take a shovel
and cover that content with dirt since it is
dead to memory.
Madeline Hunter (1916-1994)
20th c. Designer of Teaching/Learning Model,
Research Summary:
Formative Assessment
“If done appropriately, formative assessment ranks fourth
among all of the influences that positively impact student
learning.” (John Hattie, 2009).
“The minute-to-minute and day-to-day use of classroom
formative assessment could increase student achievement
by 0.4 to 0.7 standard deviations.” (Williams, 2007) [Based
on 4,000 studies over the past 40 years.]
When planning catechetical
lessons/session…
If you always do what
you’ve always done,
you’ll only get what
you’ve always gotten.
[Author: Unknown]
We have to
formatively
assess!!!
Lifelong Learning:
Faith & Pedagogy
“The greatest impact on
learning is the daily lived
experiences of students in
classrooms, and that is
determined much more by
HOW teachers teach than by
WHAT they teach.”
(Slavin & Lake, 2003; Slavin, Lake Chambers,
Cheung & Davis, 2009; Slavin, Lake & Groff,
2009)
Evaluation / EXIT SLIP
(Let’s return to our Essential Question…)
How do effective assessment
strategies promote lifelong learning?
Reflections, Comments,
Questions?
Closing Prayer