Alternative and Authentic Assessment

In the Mathematics Classroom

@zachherrmann
#IAG16

The Typical Problem with Assessments

Well intentioned assessments too often turn
into silly guessing games that teachers play
with students. The teacher knows what he or
she wants, but wont tell his or her students.
Students are therefore charged with the task
of guessing what the teacher wants. Students
are then rewarded with grades based on how
accurately they are able to guess whats in the
teachers head, instead of sharing whats in
theirs.
-Zachary Herrmann

Am I sick?

WHAT?
What do I want to
know?
Go to Doctor?
Stay home?

WHAT NOW?
How will I change
my practice?

HOW?
What is my tool for
knowing?

Take Medicine?
WAIT. WHAT?
How do I interpret?

WE VALUE

WHAT?
What do I want to
know?

WHAT NOW?
How will I change
my practice?

WAIT. WHAT?
How do I
interpret?

HOW?
What is my tool for
knowing?

Standards-Based
Measurable
Reliable
Valid
WE
ASSESS

 Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Collaboration Across Networks and
Leading by Influence
Agility and Adaptability
Initiative and Entrepreneurship
Effective Oral and Written
Communication
Assessing and Analyzing Information
Curiosity and Imagination

WHAT?
What do I want to
know?

WHAT NOW?
How will I change
my practice?

WAIT. WHAT?
How do I
interpret?

HOW?
What is my tool
for knowing?

Differentiation

In the Mathematics Classroom

@zachherrmann
#IAG16

Meeting Everyones Needs in the Classroom

Create the right classroom culture
Utilize the right participation structures
Give the right tasks

There are only group questions

CREATE POSITIVE
INTERDEPENDENCE
Host huddles

Ask random students to justify groups work

Participation Structures
that support Students

Perfect Schedule
Group Challenge
Groupworthy Tasks

When working on a problem

that does not have a clear
answer or standard way to
come to a solution, a group can
be smarter than any single
individual member.
-Elizabeth Cohen and Rachel Lotan

Students have to be given

tasks that require
interpretation and involve
uncertainty, the kind where
you cant always specify
how to do something and
you dont always end up
with a tidy solution.
-Alfie Kohn

Group Challenge

Why Mathematically Proficient Students

Will Rule the World

@zachherrmann

 Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Collaboration Across Networks and
Leading by Influence
Agility and Adaptability
Initiative and Entrepreneurship
Effective Oral and Written
Communication
Assessing and Analyzing Information
Curiosity and Imagination

21st Century Skills

Standards of
Mathematical Practice

Effective oral and written

communication

Construct viable arguments and

critique the reasoning of others

Assessing and analyzing

information

Reason abstractly and

quantitatively

Agility and adaptability

Use appropriate tools

strategically

Critical thinking and problem

solving

Make sense of problems and

persevere in solving them

Tony Wagner and CCSS Mathematical Practice

MATHEMATICS

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

LEARNING

PROBLEMS

Public Health Strategy

Rural city of 1000 people. Any given individual
has a .001 chance of contracting a disease in any
given month. If gone untreated, an infected
person will typically only live for 3 months.

Public Health Strategy

Test A: Detects disease 99% of the time. Falsely gives positive
reading 2% of the time. Costs $50.
Test B: Detects disease 93% of the time. Falsely gives positive
reading 30% of the time. Costs $15.
Treatment: If disease is caught within first month treatment is $500
and is 90% effective. But, if caught in the second month, treatment
is only 85% effective and costs $1000.
You have $240,000 to implement a testing and treatment strategy.

include relevant probability calculations and expected

valuesmathematical justification for your procedures.
How much is your plan expected to cost? How many
lives is your plan expected to save? Sacrifice? Make
your mathematical and ethical assumptions clear and
explicit.

Projects that Help Students

Solve the Worlds Problems

@zachherrmann
#IAG16

Life expectancy Lower

for Trump voters

Boeing, Iran Air clinch Billion Dollar Deal

Call for Action on
Russian Hacking

1395 Chicago Flights Canceled

Istanbul Stadium Bombings

Priebus wont say if he

believes CIA Report

25 Killed in Cairo Bombing

How this ice hotel stays
open year round

Kenya Tanker Explosion

Kills 39

Mumps Cases at 10 year high

Miami free of locally transmitted Zika virus

The World is Full of

Problems.
We are in the business of making
Problem Solvers.

 Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Collaboration Across Networks and
Leading by Influence
Agility and Adaptability
Initiative and Entrepreneurship
Effective Oral and Written
Communication
Assessing and Analyzing Information
Curiosity and Imagination

If students learn by doing, what are schools

having them DO to learn how to solve
problems?
We give them questions
to which we, and many
others, already know
the answer.
Whats the alternative?

Students Struggle!
They Struggle to

Define the problem

Figure out what they need to do
Figure out what tools they know that would help
Figure out what tools they need to learn/invent
Delegate tasks and hold each other accountable
Communicate Effectively
Monitor their progress
Develop a plan
Execute their plan
Defend their plan

Why is it so difficult?

I dont give them enough time

They often dont know all that they
need to know
They have too much work to do
Group member schedules dont line up
The task is big and complex, contains a
lot of information, for all of which they
are held accountable

In other words...
Students struggle with the same challenges adults
struggle with when they tackle these problems:
Life expectancy Lower
for Trump voters

Boeing, Iran Air clinch Billion Dollar Deal

Call for Action on
Russian Hacking

1395 Chicago Flights Canceled

Istanbul Stadium Bombings

25 Killed in Cairo Bombing

How this ice hotel stays
open year round

Mumps Cases at 10 year high

Priebus wont say if he

believes CIA Report
Kenya Tanker Explosion
Kills 39

Miami free of locally transmitted Zika virus

So what do we do?
We TEACH them!

Daily Progress Logs

Group Roles
Constant Feedback
Accountability

Problems that are...

Non-routine, complex, interesting, important,
require creativity, and have stakes:

Change the dynamic in the room

Class is a resource for itself
Teacher doesnt know answer- or
even sometimes the question!
Class gets to see teacher model
good struggling and problem solving

Change the ownership in the room

What should I do? vs. What do you intend to do?

Are more like REAL WORLD problems

Redefining Real World

The Inflables Project is not a real world problem
because students will make inflatables when they
are older.
The Inflatables Project is a real world problem
because the way students must work to complete
the project mirrors the way they must work to solve
problems in the real world.

Shift in the Teacher-Student Relationship

Silliness:
Student: Mr. Herrmann? How do you do this?
Mr. Herrmann: I dont know, what do you think?

Better:
Student: Mr. Herrmann? How do you do this?
Mr. Herrmann: I really dont know Lets figure it out!

Thank you!

www.zacharyherrmann.com
zachary_herrmann@mail.harvard.edu

@zachherrmann