Action-Oriented Inquiry Project (AOI) | Observation and Interview Study of Graduates (OIS) | SOLO Project (Structure of Observed Learning Outcome) | Surveys | Analysis of Achievement Test Score Data | 5Fridays
Capturing aspects of pupil achievement in the classrooms of our graduates requires attention to the complexity of teaching and learning in a manner consistent with Bank Street's principles and values. Bank Street selected the SOLO (Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome) taxonomy developed by Biggs and Collis (1982) as an assessment method that is compatible with its approach. The SOLO taxonomy is a "curriculum embedded" assessment approach that is used to analyze naturally-occurring tasks assigned students through a piece of the curriculum. Each task is evaluated based on the cognitive demands of the assignment and the cognitive sophistication of the student response. Teacher assignments and student responses are independently scored on a five-point scale (Pre-structural, Uni-structural, Multi-structural, Relational, Extended Abstract) by exploring four factors of cognitive sophistication (capacity, relationship, consistency and closure, and structure) (Biggs & Collis, 1982). This model supports the analysis and rating of authentic curriculum-embedded materials and can be applied across a range of subjects and grade levels. The SOLO taxonomy served as the basis for early NBPTS validation studies as well as in numerous other contexts (Smith, 2004). The SOLO taxonomy is not a research instrument, per se, but rather a framework for assessing teacher assignments and student responses.
In 2004-05 we piloted the instrumentation and a scoring methodology for our SOLO project, and determined its feasibility. While the data gathering processes are time consuming, participants reported that they were not overly complex. The quality of the data (Is it scorable?)appears to be high, and our reliability in the scoring the pilot data was also promising. Moreover, teachers remarked that their participation represented a valuable learning opportunity.
In 2005-06 we intend to use the methodology we have developed to gather data from approximately 20 of our graduates in their second year of teaching. Data will be collected from January-March of 2006 in order to coordinate data collection with our Observation & Interview Study, as the samples for these two projects will largely overlap.