Leadership magazine May/June 2015 V 44 No 5 | Page 8

When educators have an opportunity to collaborate in the development of assessment practices, the impact on student learning can be very exciting. 8 Leadership T wenty-first century teaching and learning is shaping how educators engage collaboratively in their professional practice. It’s dynamic, messy and exciting work. Research shows that teacher self-efficacy, the belief in one’s own ability to influence student outcomes, is fostered by “professional learning that allows teachers time to meet and talk, and by spaces that promote conversation and collaboration” (Beauchamp et al., 2014). Essentially, adults learn when they have opportunities to develop a shared understanding of effective practice. But how do we operationalize this type of learning and collaboration? The Merced County Office of Education has found the use of formative learning and assessment tasks to be a powerful way to deepen teacher collaboration. Formative assessment has been identified as an effective way to provide feedback to both teachers and students, and can ultimately increase student learning (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). Using tools that reveal student under- standing, teachers are motivated to examine and design instruction that more effectively supports students’ thinking. Our county office believes that if practitioners engage in collaborative processes based upon formative assessment practices, they will increase their collective efficacy. This is the belief of a whole faculty that they can impact student learning (Goddard, Hoy & Hoy, 2004). We support three communities of practice that use formative assessment practices. Each case illustrates how this work enhances collaboration and adult learning, and has an impact on the success of students. n Silicon Valley Mathematics Institute: Learning tasks to improve understanding Cory Henlaw at Pacheco High School projects two samples of student work from a MARS (Mathematics Assessment Resource Service) problem from the previous day to his Integrated 1 class. He polls students to determine if they think one or both of the By Kathy Pon