Collaboration, Assess It

We have studied the skill of collaboration. We have modeled it, mini-lessoned it, and planned lessons that required it. How do we know if the students are building their collaboration muscles?

With the help of EdLeader21 resources, we have designed proficiency scales for different grade levels with “I can” statements to help outline the learning progression of collaboration skills. The scale we use for third and fourth grade is below.

Grades 3-4 Collaborator Proficiency Scale

I can partner with different people	I am a member of a team.	I am a member of a team and can lead with teacher assistance.	I can lead or follow on a team and generate ideas to meet our goal.	I can move flexibly between leading and following in my group by listening to others’ ideas and providing feedback.
I can teach, coach, and lead by example	I can work independently alongside of a team.	I can work independently and complete tasks with my team. I can listen to contributions of others.	I can positively contribute and adjust to the needs of the team. I can appreciate different ideas and incorporate them into a task.	I can build trust with my team by positively contributing and adjusting to the needs of the team. I can encourage different ideas and incorporate them into a task.
I can accept feedback, implement decisions, and share the credit	I can listen to feedback from my teacher and/or classmates.	I can listen to feedback from both the teacher and my classmates and may consider revising my work	I can listen to classmates’  and teacher feedback and revise my work. I can offer helpful feedback in a respectful manner.	I can consistently show a willingness to change my ideas or opinions based on the information exchanged. I can ask for and accept feedback to improve my work. I can share the credit for group successes.

Creating the scales, of course, was a learning experience in and of itself. However, after the scales were created, we needed to figure out how to use them. Our team created and piloted a few tools to record and track progress. These took the forms of exit tickets, test questions, checklists, anecdotal records, and student-reflection questions.

Reflection questions may have included prompts like,

• “Which of the Mount Vernon mindsets do you feel you exhibited strongly today?”
• “Did any of the characters in today’s story (or history lesson) show strength in one of our mindsets?”
• “Set a personal goal for yourself regarding a mindset you want to use today. At the end of class, reflect on your progress.”

At Mount Vernon, we believe that you assess the things you value. We value collaboration, creative thinking, and communication skills. We value ethical decision making, solution seeking, and innovating. So we are committed to tracking our learners’ progress in these areas. We still have a lot of work to do, and a next step that I am excited about is building some performance tasks at scaffolded levels for Mount Vernon Mindset practice and progress.