Align outcomes with assessment and feedback

Design backwards:

1. Write the outcome (competence statement).
2. Decide what evidence you’d accept that the competence exists.
3. Plan formative activities that build toward that evidence.
4. Design summative assessment that collects the agreed evidence.

Example alignment (outcome → formative → summative):

• Outcome: “Students will evaluate sources for reliability and use them to support a claim.”
• Formative: source-analysis jigsaw, pair-feedback, teacher conferencing, annotated bibliography drafts.
• Summative: a short argumentative essay with a rubric assessing source evaluation, integration, and reasoning.
• Feedback: ongoing, specific, and formative — conversational, written comments, and metacognitive prompts so students revise.

Remember: assessment should measure the outcome (competence), not only completion of tasks. Use rubrics that capture levels of competence — reasoning, application, communication, and metacognition.

Assessing metacognition and process goals

Competence includes “how” students learn. Include at least one outcome about learning process or metacognition where relevant:

• “Students will reflect on and evaluate their problem-solving strategy, identifying one change to improve efficiency next time.”
• Assess with self-assessment checklists, learning journals, or short reflective prompts — formative, habit-building, and they strengthen transfer.