Setting and Using Criteria (Knowing What Counts)

Setting and Using Criteria is chock full of practical ways to help teachers increase student engagement, learning and achievement by involving students in the process of classroom assessment. This book shows teachers how to co-construct criteria with students using a simple four-step process and then how to use the co-constructed criteria for assessing products, processes and collections of evidence of learning. In Chapter 1 the authors also provide five different classroom models for setting and using criteria, and show how these ideas are adaptable to any classroom setting. In Chapter 2 there are ten ways to give students descriptive, specific feedback to improve the quality of their work, while keeping them engaged and focused on the criteria that lead to quality and success. To complete this powerful little book is a Foreword written by Sandra Herbst that focuses on the power of these ideas to engage learners and increase achievement. Mark Twain once wrote, "If I had more time I would write you a shorter letter." The authors of these books worked to write a shorter book in order to save you time!

Sections include:

What are criteria and why do we set them?

A four-step process for setting criteria with students

Scenarios for setting criteria with students

Shifting to criteria-based assessment

Ten ways to give specific feedback

Questions and responses

Includes reproducibles for teachers to adapt for their own use in schools and classrooms.

Digital copies can be ordered directly from Connect2Learning

Kathleen Gregory, BA, MEd, has more than 30 years experience teaching at secondary, elementary, and middle schools. With a background in assessment practices and literacy strategies, she has also been a district curriculum coordinator and a support teacher for classroom teachers and school teams who are integrating students with special needs. A former teacher-in-residence at the University of Victoria, Kathleen is currently an instructor for literacy and assessment courses for pre-service teachers and is a consultant to many school districts in developing their own approaches to conferencing, reporting, and authentic assessment strategies. Caren Cameron, MEd, has worked as a teacher, a District Principal of Educational Programs, and a sessional instructor at the University of Victoria. Currently she is an educational consultant working with school districts across Canada on a variety of topics including assessment and leadership. She is the coauthor of a dozen practical books for colleagues, including a series for middle and primary years called Voices of Experience. Anne Davies, PhD, is an author, a consultant, and a researcher. With more than 30 years of experience in education, Dr. Davies has worked in a variety of positions, including classroom teacher, school district coordinator, department of education planner, school administrator, and university instructor. She applies her expert knowledge of developing quality assessments toward her mission to increase the possibility of learning for all our students. A world-renowned keynote presenter, her genuine care and commitment to support educators and their important work make her an approachable and insightful specialist. Educators at every grade level throughout Canada, the United States, and other countries have benefited from the high-touch support Dr. Davies provides during professional development events and multiyear projects. She has worked with the University of Southern Maine; University of Victoria, Victoria, BC; University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK; McGill University, Montreal, QC; Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Oregon; and the University of New England, Portland, Maine. Dr. Davies is author/coauthor of more than 30 books and resources, including the bestseller Making Classroom Assessment Work, the Knowing What Counts series, the award-winning two-book set, Classroom Assessment, and The Facilitator s Guide to Classroom Assessment K 12. She has written book chapters, including Involving Students in the Classroom Assessment Process in Ahead of the Curve, and articles for educational journals and publications worldwide. Dr. Davies earned a doctorate in education from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada.