Assessment should be a powerful tool for learning, not merely a political solution to perceived problems over standards and accountability [ATL, Doing.

“Assessment should be a powerful tool for learning,not merely a political solution to perceived problemsover standards and accountability “

[ATL, Doing our level best]

Assessment 1Assessment 1

Assessment ! What is it?

Assessment 1 Assessment 1 Learning outcomesLearning outcomes

You should be able to :

• distinguish between formative & summative assessment

• understand the differences between Norm referenced, Criteria referenced & Ipsative assesment

• understand what is meant by Assessment for Learning

Assessment 1 Assessment 1 Audience participationAudience participation

And now a quick test

Assessment Assessment 1 1 Purposes of assessmentPurposes of assessment

• Diagnosis - pupils' strengths and weaknesses to monitor progress

• Guidance - decision making

• Selection - placing pupils in the most appropriate situation (set, group)

• Prediction - potential of the pupils for future achievement

• Evaluation - effectiveness of the learning and teaching

• Accountability - the quality of the teaching and effectiveness of the school

Assessment Assessment 1 1 Purposes of assessmentPurposes of assessment

Professor Wynne Harlen summarised the purposes of teacher assessment in the National Curriculum

• To be diagnostic - by indicating particular difficulties so that remedial action may be taken

• To provide the teacher with feedback about the children's achievements so as to guide decisions about the next steps to be taken

• To provide information about the overall achievement of individual children at the end of each key stage

• To provide information about the achievement of groups of children for reporting on the performance of the school

Assessment 1 Assessment 1 Modes of assessmentModes of assessment

terminal continuous

formal informal

external internal

summative formative

norm-referenced ipsative criterion-referenced

Assessment 1 Assessment 1 DefinitionsDefinitions

• Summative - where the assessment is designed to measure attainment at the end of a particular stage

• Formative - where the assessment is designed to provide information about the progress of a pupil at a particular point in time

Assessment 1 Assessment 1 More definitionsMore definitions

• Norm referenced :

• Criteria referenced :

• Ipsative :

pupil performance is compared to that of their peers

pupil performance is compared to a set of predetermined criteria

present pupil performance is compared to past performance

Assessment 1 Assessment 1 Audience participationAudience participation

3 volunteers please

Assessment 1 Assessment 1 Assessment for LearningAssessment for Learning

Research indicates that improving learning through assessmentdepends upon 5 deceptively simple, key factors :

• the provision of effective feedback to pupils

• the active involvement of pupils in their learning

• adjusting teaching to take account of the results of assessment

• a recognition of the profound influence assessment has on the motivation and self-esteem of pupils, both of which are crucial influences on learning

• the need for pupils to be able to asses themselves and understand how to improve

[Beyond the Black Box (1999)]

Assessment 1Assessment 1 Questioning QuestioningThe only point of asking questions is to raise issues about which the teacher needs information or about which pupils need to think. So :

• frame worthwhile questions which explore issues critical to pupils’ understanding

• extend wait-time to allow longer, better developed answers (rather than quick, expected answers)

• the aim is thoughtful improvement, rather than getting it right first time

• allow pupils to discuss their thinking in pairs/ small groups so that a respondent is speaking on behalf of others

• expect all pupils to contribute answers; sometimes the teacher may decide on ‘no hands up’ in order to draw all pupils into thinking rather than those whose hands go up first

[B&NES Briefing on AfL 2006]

Assessment 1Assessment 1 Feedback FeedbackTo be effective, feedback should cause thinking to take place about learning.

• Pupils ignore comments when marks are also given

Things to think about :

• Written tasks should, like oral questions, encourage pupils to develop and show understanding of key features of what they have learned

• Opportunities for pupils to follow up comments should be planned as a apart of the overall learning process

And ………..

Assessment 1Assessment 1

Less emphasis should be placed on :

• grading and marking (more on formative comments)

• quantity of work & presentation (more on the quality of the learning)

• comparing pupils’ work with one another (more on developing the individual’s own progress)

[B&NESBriefing on AfL 2006]

Assessment 1 Assessment 1 Peer & Self AssessmentPeer & Self Assessment

[B&NESBriefing on AfL 2006]

Criteria for evaluating learning should be made transparent to pupils so that they have a clear over-view both of the aims of their work and of what it means to complete it successfully.

Skills of peer-assessment aid self-assessment

Assessment 1 Assessment 1 Sharing Lesson ObjectivesSharing Lesson Objectives

[B&NESBiefing on AfL 2006]

Research shows that pupils are more motivated and task-orientated if they know the learning intentions and arealso able to make better decisions about how to undertake the task.

So be clear about :

• WALTs

• WILFs

•Success Criteria — We’ll know we’ve achieved this because..

•The ‘Big Picture’ — How the lesson fits into the overall topic

Assessment 1 Assessment 1 Effective AssessmentEffective Assessment

[Beyond the Black Box(1999)]

This happens when teachers :

• decide how and when to assess pupils’ attainment at thethe same time as they plan the work

• are proficient in using a range of assessment techniques inthe classroom• prepare and make use of manageable systems for recording the progress of individual pupils

Assessment 1 Assessment 1 Learning outcomesLearning outcomes

You should be able to :

• distinguish between formative & summative assessment

• understand what is meant by diagnostic assessment

• understand the differences between Norm referenced, Criteria referenced & Ipsative assessment

• understand what is meant by Assessment for Learning

Assessment 1 Assessment 1 ReferencesReferences

Black, P. and William, D (2001) Inside the black box;raising standards through classroom assessment.King’s College, London.

Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C., Marshall, B., William, D. (2002)Working inside the black box; assessment for learning in the classroom.King’s College, London

Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C., Marshall, B., William, D. (2002)Assessment for learning; putting it into practice.Open University Press

Assessment Reform Group (1999) Assessment for learning; beyond the black box.University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education

Assessment 1 Assessment 1 ReferencesReferences

Pedagogy & Practice: Unit 12_ Assessment for Learning (on Moodle)

Assessment for Learning (AfL) : Whole school training materialshttp://www.teachfind.com/national-strategies/assessment-learning-afl-whole-school-training-materials?current_search=97905

Assessment for Learning Toolkit http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/Assessment-For-Learning-Toolkit-6020165/

The Assessment for Learning Strategyhttps://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DCSF-00341-2008.pdf

QIA 5 : Assessment for Learninghttp://sflip.excellencegateway.org.uk/pdf/4.2sflguidance_5.pdf

Assessment 1 Assessment 1 ReferencesReferences

Assessment Reform Group (2002) Assessment for learning; 10 principles

NCinAction: Assessing pupils’ workhttp://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-3-and-4/assessment/nc-in-action/index.aspx

QIA Skills for life improvement programmehttp://sflip.excellencegateway.org.uk/pdf/4.2sflguidance_5.pdf

AfL – Impact of National Strategy supporthttp://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/assessment-for-learning-impact-of-national-strategy-support

http://www.aaia.org.ukAssociation for Achievement and Improvement through Assessment

Assessment 1 Assessment 1 The EndThe End