Informative assessment -- understanding & guiding learning Margaret Forster.

Informative assessment --understanding & guiding learning

Margaret Forster

Informative assessment focuses on how teachers and students make use of assessment information from multiple sources to inform and to drive teaching and learning.

Informativeassessment

learning is an ongoing process

learning is a personal process

learning is influenced by attitudes andemotions

learning is most effective when it builds deep understanding

Informativeassessment

learning is a personal process

1. Assessment should consider variability

The greatest source of inequity is to treat all students as though they are the same.

A ‘disadvantaged’ or ‘at risk’ student is one whose individual needs are not being identified and addressed.

The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows. Ascertain this and teach him accordingly. Ausubel (1968)

2. Assessment should ‘drill down’ to expose students’ understandings.

Understanding the relationship between force and motion in a dynamic situation

3 Indicates that resistance forces are acting on the skateboard and they cause it to decelerate

2 Suggests that forces such as gravity and wind resistance will cause it to stop

1 Suggests that the force is in the skateboard and gets used up

Links force and motion (eg because there is no kicking there will be no motion)

Learning is enhanced when teachers identify and work from individuals’ current knowledge, skills and beliefs.

Bransford, Brown and Cocking (2000)

Informativeassessment

learning is an ongoing process

1. Assessment should allow progress to be monitored over time.

Monitoring the ongoing process of learning is facilitated by the use of a map of learning against which learning can be assessed, monitored and reported.

deal with difficult texts and to complete sophisticated reading tasks. They can deal with information that is difficult to find in unfamiliar texts, especially in the presence of closely competing information, show detailed understanding of these texts and sort out which information is relevant to the task. They are able to evaluate texts critically, draw on specialized knowledge to build hypotheses, and cope with concepts that may be contrary to expectations.

cope with difficult tasks, such as locating embedded information, construing meaning of part of a text through considering the text as a whole, and dealing with ambiguities and negatively worded ideas. They show accurate understanding of complex texts and are able to evaluate texts critically.

deal with moderately complex reading tasks, such as finding several pieces of relevant information and sorting out detailed competing information requiring consideration of many criteria to compare, contrast or categorise. They are able to make links between different parts of a text and to understand text in a detailed way in relation to everyday knowledge.

cope with basic reading tasks, such as locating straightforward information, making low-level inferences, using some outside knowledge to help understand a well defined part of a text, and applying their own experience and attitudes to help explain a feature of a text.

deal with only the least complex reading tasks developed for PISA, such as finding explicitly stated pieces of information and recognising the main theme or author’s purpose in a text on a familiar topic when the required information is readily accessible in the text. They are also able to make a connection between common, everyday knowledge and information in the text.

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Best-practice systems provide accompanying work samples...

Effective leaders of learning promote discussionand a shared understanding of the nature ofprogress in an area of learning across the years of school.

2. Assessment should be driven by a whole school approach.

Orienting/ preparing

Collecting and analysing evidence

Taking Action

Reviewing the impact

Orienting/ preparing

Collecting and analysing evidence

Taking Action

Reviewing the impact

‘Orienting and preparing’ means a commitment to

• systematically collecting evidence of student learning

• using that evidence as a basis for improving student learning

… and it looks like active attention to

• building a culture of professional (and shared) accountability

• a whole school assessment plan

• the provision of ongoing professional learning opportunities

• openness and collaboration

An example

Ballarat and Clarendon

-- an expectation/requirement of openness and participation in ongoing professional learning

Orienting/ preparing

Collecting and analysing evidence

Taking Action

Reviewing the impact

‘Collecting and analysing data’ means

• enacting the assessment plan • regularly reviewing the plan to ensure that the evidence collected is still relevant -- an audit (eg ‘First Steps’)

• ‘drilling down’ through the evidence

… and it looks like

articulating a refined and consistent process for interrogating evidence and ensuring regular staff time to discuss findings

• Observing What is the evidence?

• Interrogating What references do we have for interpreting the evidence?

• Theorising How might we explain what we see?

Orienting/ preparing

Collecting and analysing evidence

Taking Action

Reviewing the impact

‘Taking action’ means asking

• What more can we achieve?

• What must we do to make this happen?

…and it looks like

• focusing professional learning and mentoring

• setting school and class targets

• allocating (reallocating) resources

• introducing special initiatives

• considering school structures

• emphasising student responsibility

An example

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

--and expectation/ requirement to teach, reflect and use assessment evidence collaboratively

Informativeassessment

learning is most effective when it builds deep understanding

The knowledge of experts is not simply a list of facts and formulas that are relevant to their domain; instead, their knowledge is organised around core concepts or ‘big ideas’ that guide their thinking…

Bransford, Brown and Cocking (2000)

Shall I slice the pizza into four or eight pieces?

M ake it four ! I could never eat eight !

Shall I slice the pizza into four or eight pieces?

M ake it four ! I could never eat eight !

1. Assessment should reveal the depth of individuals’ understandings.

assessment as exploration

Lovely Mosquito Lovely mosquito, attacking my armAs quiet and still as a statue,Stay right where you are! I’ll do you no harm–I simply desire to pat you.

Just puncture my veins and swallow your fillFor nobody’s going to swot you.Now, lovely mosquito, stay perfectly still–A SWIPE! and a SPLAT! and I GOT YOU!

Doug MacLeod

Does the writer think the mosquito is lovely?Explain your answer.

2. Assessment should encourage and reward deep learning.

Why did the lion ask the animals to visit him?

2 points

Recognises the intent of the lion to trick and/or eat the animals

1 point

Gives a literal answer.

(He was ill. He was sick.)

3. Assessment may need to draw on different and sophisticated assessment approaches.

Informativeassessment

learning is influenced by attitudes andemotions

1. Assessment should promote positive attitudes and self

concepts.

Learning is facilitated when teachers encourage risk-taking, tolerate mistakes and provide feedback that allows learners to monitor progress.

That is‘learning oriented’ rather than ‘performance oriented’ cultures

(Dweck, 1989)

If assessment feedback is to be effective, it must be focused on what the student needs to do to improve rather than on the learner and her or his self-esteem.

That is ‘task-involving’ rather than ‘ego-involving’

(Wiliam, 1998)

2. Assessment should expose to students what we value

Two examples

Seattle Toronto

Learning is enhanced by the ability to monitor one’s own learning.

Bransford, Brown and Cocking (2000)

an ongoing process

most effective if

it builds deep understanding

influenced by

attitudes and emotions

• consider variability• drill down to expose students’

understandings

• allow progress to be monitored over time• be driven by a whole school approach

• reveal depth of individuals’ understandings• encourage and reward deep learning• draw on different and sophisticated assessment approaches

• promote positive attitudes and self concepts

• expose to students what we value

Learning is Assessment should

a personal process

Thank You