TOM SCHIMMER
Author – “Grading from the Inside Out”
Tom Schimmer is an independent education author, speaker, and consultant from Vancouver, British Columbia. He is recognized as a leader and expert in the areas of assessment for learning, sound grading practices, educational leadership, and positive behavior interventions and supports.
Tom is an experienced, sought-after presenter who has delivered both keynote and workshop sessions and major conferences, as well as for schools and/or school districts, internationally.
Tom’s two most recent books are “Grading from the Inside Out: Developing a Standards-Based Mindset,” and “Essential Assessment: Six Tenets for Bringing Hope, Efficacy, and Achievement to the Classroom.”
April 3rd
Instructional Agility & Assessment: Practical Strategies for the Classroom
Being instructionally agile is about making seamless instructional adjustments at a moment’s notice. This session takes participants back to the core fundamentals of classroom assessment. Rather than creating assessment events that require teachers to stop teaching in order to conduct their formative assessments, the focus will be on the more organic process of infusing assessment experiences into any activity or strategy.
Specifically, participants will come to know the two, non-negotiable characteristics that make an activity a formative assessment experience as well as some practical strategies that can be used for assessment purposes.
Focus on:
• Real-time decision-making
• Practical formative assessment strategies
• Providing time for participants to discuss new learning
April 4th
A Balanced & Authentic Approach to Assessment in Mathematics
An over-reliance on a narrow set of “traditional” math assessment formats can lead to misinformation about student learning. This session will focus on the development of a balanced, authentic assessment approach to math. Specifically, participants will understand how to deconstruct curricular outcomes into enabling targets, how to match those targets to the appropriate assessment methods, and how to ensure that our assessments are both authentic and accurate.
In addition, a variety of feedback methods will be explored that describe where students can improve rather than simply how many questions were correct.
Focus on:
• Grading and scoring, including the use of rubrics in mathematics teaching and learning
• Performance tasks in mathematics
• Triangulation of evidence of learning with emphasis on the use of observations and conversations in the mathematics classroom
• Providing time for participants to discuss new learning
What to bring?
Samples of math assessments, including student samples, rubrics, learning goals and success criteria
Please Note:
- Registration is open from February 8th to February 22nd.
- The London PNC will pay for registration, refreshments, and lunch.
- Accommodations for those traveling more than 100km will be made by and paid by the PNC.
- Accommodations are only available for the night before your scheduled event.
- Event Address: Best Western Lamplighter Inn, 591 Wellington Rd, London, ON N6C 4R3
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. Please contact Michael Townsend at pgaolie@sympatico.ca for more information.