What is LfA? LEARNING FROM ASSESSMENT: Tools for Examining Assessment Through Standards A Professional Development Resource for Middle School Mathematics Teachers Overview | Professional Development Sessions | Module 1 | Module 2 | Module 3 Feedback OVERVIEW LEARNING FROM ASSESSMENT (LfA) WAS DESIGNED as a resource for district-level professional developers and teacher leaders who work with middle school teachers of mathematics. A bridge between standards and the classroom, LfA offers opportunities for teachers to examine the inter-relationships between assessment, standards, and instruction in order to improve student achievement in mathematics. Items from large-scale assessments (TIMSS, NAEP, and other national projects) are used as focal points for discussing critical issues that support student learning. LfA provides tools for examining assessment through standards to help teachers: Interpret and reach consensus about the meaning of specific standards. Choose or modify assessments aligned with local, district, or state standards. "Cross-map" assessments with selected standards to identify gaps and overlaps in testing of important mathematics content. Plan student learning experiences that reflect standards-based teaching. Examine instructional materials and assessments in terms of standards alignment within and across grade levels. ONE ASSUMPTION IN CREATING THESE MATERIALS WAS that teachers need to understand their own local (district or state) standards before they can use them effectively. They need to engage in serious discussions with colleagues that help them reach shared interpretations of the standards that can inform instruction. The materials and tools in the Learning from Assessment package support this collegial process, prompting serious and deep discussions about the things that matter to teachers of mathematics. Teachers can learn to use these tools in a short period of time. Then, they can apply the approach to local standards as they design and select better assessment items and plan instruction aligned with standards. PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK FROM PILOT AND FIELD TEST SESSIONS INDICATES that the materials supply a missing link in the building of a coherent system of mathematics instruction (i.e., alignment of standards, instruction, and assessment). Observation and feedback also confirm that the materials, combined with the process of inquiry, open up substantive discussions of mathematics among teachers. This is the true value-added component of Learning from Assessment, and we take pride in providing teachers with new ways to think about mathematics content, teaching, and learning. Next