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Backward Assessment Model |
| An emphasis of the Regional Professional Development Program is increased student achievement by using the Backward Assessment Model (BAM) that emphasizes stability, consistency, and balance in the delivery of instruction and assessment of student knowledge. Educational research strongly suggests that professional interaction-at times informal and teacher structured-is often far more influential than formally organized professional development, and is more likely to result in changed behavior. The BAM changes the way professional development is delivered. Rather than having an outside expert tell teachers what needs to be done, the assessment model uses the expertise of the school's staff. Professional development should primarily be on-site and regularly scheduled. Professional development should be provided by the people that know best, classroom teachers, should focus on the |
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discipline teachers' teach, and provide both content and pedagogy. The BAM places the professional development emphasis on academic standards and best practices . The BAM is a communication model . Its strongest attribute is that it provides teachers an opportunity to share their knowledge, understanding, skills, experiences, and resources with each other. Experienced teachers generally know where students traditionally experience difficulty and communicate this to less experienced teachers. Likewise, all teachers can communicate knowledge, model successful strategies, and share accommodations that help students succeed. BAM also provides all teachers, experienced and new, opportunities to reexamine and reflect upon their own practices. There are two basic premises of BAM . The first is testing drives instruction, and the second is that teachers make a difference, and teachers working together make a greater difference. |
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