Assessment for Learning

Transcript

1. By: Tamekia Stevens
2. The word ‘assess’ Comes from the Latin verb ‘assidere’ meaning ‘to sit with’. In assessment one is supposed to sit with the learner. This implies it is something we do with and for students and not to students (Green, 1998)
3. Assessment in education is the process of gathering, interpreting, recording, and using information about pupils’ responses to an educational task. (Harlen, Gipps, Broadfoot, Nuttal,1992)
4. Importance of Assessment • To find out what students know (knowledge) • To find out find the students can do, and well they can do it (skill, performance) • To find out how students go about completing their work (process) • To find out how students feel about their work (effort, motivation)
5. For teachers, assessment does the following: • Provides formative and summative data about student learning and attainment, specifically competency gain • Provides diagnostic data to improve learning • Assists instructional planning by providing informed feedback • Helps to determine teaching effectiveness - what approaches and methods work • Helps to determine whether the program is achieving desired goals (program accountability) • Is a tool for communicating to others
6. For learners, assessment does the following: • Promotes efficient learning by focusing the student's attention on what is important • Promotes retention and transfer of learning • Promotes self-evaluation and self-monitoring by the use of well-defined expectations and criteria • Motivates learning by communicating progress concerning what a student knows and is able to do • Shows evidence of work that can be used to get jobs, scholarships, entrance to college
7. Classroom Assessment Common Assessments Interim Assessments (Formative assessment provides descriptive feedback) Unit or Goal Tests End-of-Grade Exams End-of-Course Exams (Summative assessment provides evaluative feedback) Balanced Assessment System
8. Types of Assessment Summative Assessment: • Given periodically to determine at a particular point in time what students know and do not know. • Examples- State assessment, District benchmark assessments, End-of-unit/chapter tests, End-of-term/semester tests. Formative Assessment: • Part of the instruction process. Informs both teachers and students about student understanding at a point when timely adjustments can be made • Examples- Criteria and goal setting, Observations, Questioning Strategies, Self and peer assessment, Student record keeping. More to Come
9. Formative vs. Summative Assessment Formative Assessments Tell you where a child can benefit from changes in instruction or how they benefited from changes while the instruction is ongoing. Summative Assessments Tell you how much a child has learned as a result of previous instruction.
10. Formative and Summative assessment • Formative and summative assessment are interconnected. They seldom stand alone in construction or effect. • The vast majority of genuine formative assessment is informal, with interactive and timely feedback and response. • It is widely and empirically argued that formative assessment has the greatest impact on learning and achievement.
11. Five Keys to Quality Classroom Assessment 1. Clear Assessment Purpose 2. Clear Learning Targets 3. Sound Assessment Design 4. Effective communication 5. Student Involvement - Rick Stiggins
13. Why Assessment for Learning Works When students are required to think about their own learning, articulate what they understand, and what they still need to learn, achievement improves. Black and Wiliam, 1998; Sternberg, 1996; Young, 2000
15. References Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice, 5(1), 7–73. Green, J (1998). Constructing the Way Forward. Keynote address: “Innovations for effective schools”. OECD Conference, Christchurch. Harlen, W., Gipps, C., Broadfoot, P., & Nuttall, D. (1992). Assessment and the improvement of education. The Curriculum Journal, 3, 215–230. Stiggins, R.J. (1999). Evaluating classroom assessment training in teacher education. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice. 18 (1), 23-27.