DOING IT RESILIENTLY

MODULE 3: RESILIENT PLANNING

3.2 ASSESSMENT AND FEEDBACKKEY LEARNINGS Understand the range of assessment types and the purposes of each Identify criteria for selecting appropriate assessment strategies Identify the stakeholders in assessment and reporting and recognise their different concerns Recognise the political nature of assessment and the impact on teachers’ work Understand the reasons for keeping records of student assessment Identify different methods for keeping records of student assessment

ENGAGING

Think about how you approach assessing your students’ learning and giving them feedback on it . . . Which of the three characters in these cartoons do you most identify with? What are the main things you find challenging about assessing and giving feedback?

EXPLORINGUnpacking Your View of Assessment

Record three assessment events from your life as a student

How have these influenced your thinking about learning/educative process?

What were your views on assessment at the time?

How might they be different to the teacher?

Why Assess? Diagnosis of learning and monitoring progress Grading of students Predicting future achievements Motivating students Diagnosis of teaching effectiveness (Clarke & Pittaway, 2014)

Assessment has many purposes, but in some cases conflicts arise. It is important ask ourselves the following questions:

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1. Are we assessing for learning improvement, or are we assessing as an accountability measure?2. Are we assessing in order to better develop our teaching strategies by establishing what is already

known and understood, or are we assessing as a means of evaluating what has already been enacted in the classroom?

3. Is assessment a matter of quality control, or is assessment an issue of quality enhancement?

Types of Assessment Assessment for Learning website: This site has been developed by Curriculum Corporation on behalf of the

education departments of the States, Territories and Commonwealth of Australia. http://www.assessmentforlearning.edu.au/

Informal Assessments systematically observing and monitoring students during in class learning and teaching experiences

interacting with students to gain a deeper knowledge of what they know, understand and can do

circulating the classroom and posing questions, guiding investigations, motivating and quizzing students

providing opportunities for students to present or report upon their learning and teaching experiences

collecting, analysing, and providing feedback on in and out of class work samples (e.g. how their group work projects are progressing).

Formal Assessments the use of specific assessment strategies to determine the degree to which students have achieved the learning outcomes

assessment strategies including: essays, exams, reports, projects, presentations, performances, laboratories or workshops, resource development, artwork, creative design tasks, quizzes and tests, journal writing, portfolio

individual and/or collaborative tasks that usually attract a mark (group work may include both an individual and group component).

Diagnostic assessment is often undertaken at the beginning of a unit of study to assess the skills, abilities, interests, experiences, levels of achievement or difficulties of an individual student or a whole class

can involve formal measurements (e.g. IQ/aptitude tests, fitness tests) that are used to establish a starting point or baseline OR informal measurements (e.g. observation, discussions, questioning)

informs programming and planning, and learning and teaching methods used, as well as assessment choices.

Summative assessment assists you to make judgements about student achievement at certain relevant points in the learning process or unit of study (e.g. end of course, project, semester, unit, year)

can be used formally to measure the level of achievement of learning outcomes (e.g. tests, labs, assignments, projects, presentations etc.)

can also be used to judge programme, teaching and/or unit of study effectiveness (that is as a form of evaluation).

Formative assessment is the practice of building a cumulative record of student achievement usually takes place during day to day learning experiences and involves ongoing, informal

observations throughout the term, course, semester or unit of study is used to monitor students’ ongoing progress and to provide immediate and meaningful

feedback assists teachers in modifying or extending their programmes or adapting their learning

and teaching methods is very applicable and helpful during early group work processes.

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High Stakes Testing Are summative in nature Has a long term consequence in terms of future pathways

Norm-Referenced Assessment

Based on a comparison against the achievement of others. Grades are partially dependent on the standard of work of others

Criterion-Referenced Assessment

Compares work to pre-set criteria, rather than other students’ work Grades are not dependent on others Benchmarks or standards are important here

Standardised Assessment Use of uniform implementation and scoring and can be compared across a given population

Uniform instructions and tasks

Do you consider assessment as essential in education? Which forms of assessment do you consider as essential?

Think about the way that these types of assessments have been used in your placement experiences. Indicate three classroom decisions that can be made by the results of these assessments.

What valid reasons, if any, would a teacher have for assessing a group on the first day of school? Bob Lingard Paper “Education Revolution in Australia”. What is your understanding about the purpose of

NAPLAN and what type of assessment is it? How can you reconcile your own personal views of assessment and reporting with the views in the external environment?

What kinds of conversations about NAPLAN are taking place in your placement schools? What kind of information do teachers and parents receive and what does it mean to them?

Sources of Assessment Outcomes: Formal test results; practical tests, performance tasks in dance, art or writing, oral tasks in

debates and reports; and assignments.Processes: Student-orientated interaction; student-teacher interaction; social and casual interaction;

and formal behaviour.Personal attributes:

Initiative in defining, structuring and coordinating tasks; commitment to completing tasks; moral/ethical behaviour; prosocial behaviour; risk taking orientation.

Records: Personal histories, information from surveys and research; other records involving discipline, attendance, library borrowing etc.

Assessment OF, FOR, AS Learning

FOR: The ongoing process of gathering and interpreting evidence about student learning for the purpose of determining where students are in their learning, where they need to go, and how best to get there.

AS: The process of developing and supporting student metacognition. Students are actively engaged in the assessment process; that is, they monitor their own learning.

OF: The process of collecting and interpreting evidence for the purpose of summarizing learning at a given point in time, to make judgements about the quality of student learning on the basis of established criteria, and to assign a value to represent that quality. The information gathered may be used to communicate the student’s achievement to parents, other teachers, students themselves, and others. It occurs at or near the end of a learning cycle.

Review the types and strategies related to assessment. Decide where each of them fit in regard to the Venn Diagram.

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asfor

Assessment FOR Learning

Assessment OF Learning

Assessment AS Learning

Who is the active Partner?

What is the information used for?

*View Appendix for details

Criteria for Selecting Strategies Curriculum evidence : chosen to reflect the knowledge, skills and understandings Instructional utility: should collect information that is useful for teaching- can it inform your planning? Fairness: to ensure all students are engaged in the learning activities that will best prepare them for

assessment, and that they are familiar with the assessment task (and appropriate for diverse students) Reliability/comparability: needs to accurately reflect student’s achievements, particularly if comparing. Practical convenience: should be manageable and part of ongoing teaching and learning

Common Assessment Errors Prejudging: developing expectations based on ability rather than performance Confusing achievement with effort: rewarding students for effort rather than demonstrated achievement.

How does this error reconcile with the work of Dweck and the growth mindset? Applying different standards for different students: adopting different standards according to impressions

of ability. Cultural or gender stereotyping: assigning higher performance to students of a particular race, culture or

gender. The Halo Effect: allowing the assessment of one aspect of a student’s performance to influence the

assessment of other aspects. The proximity error: giving similar assessments on outcomes that are similar The central tendency error: avoiding assigning very high or very low ratings. The severity error: assigning very high or very low ratings.

Educative Assessment

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…is where the purpose of assessment of learning is clearly directed to assisting the learners in improving skills and aptitudes rather than in making judgements about them and their capacities.

Think about your most recent professional experience placement. Can you identify moments when the teacher is assessing for learning?

To what extent do you believe the assessment practices were educative in nature and why? Consider your own teaching during the placement and examine your lesson plan from Module 3.1. How

did you make provisions for assessing for learning? How might you plan with the end in mind?

Classification of Assessment Strategies

Classroom Learning Experiences that can be used for AssessmentPortfolios Journal writing Role-playingImaginative writing Designing/presenting community

projectsTeam interviewing

Model building Surveys involving parents Dialogue diariesMini-investigations Presenting position papers Reports based on reflective/critical

thinkingIndividual and group projects Field trips Problem-solving tasksConcept mapping Induction/deduction tasks Panel discussionsDramatic enactments Computer simulations Flow chartsSongs Collages DancesPlays Essays Daily logsTests Major products or projects such as

dioramas, oral history collections, audio/video recordings, photographs, charts, cards and timelines

Portfolio

Assessing Learning ExperiencesObservation Notes Rubrics ChecklistsAnnotated work samples Rating scales Reflection sheets (Self and peer)

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Records of test results Journals

Triangulation of Evidence: Conversations, Observations and Products

Tips for Record Keeping and Programs to Help Follow recommended reporting formats Keep records up to date so informative reports can be written Include sections for students to provide a self-evaluation Methods should be time efficient Effective to record informal assessment Links to standards that inform reporting

http://makemysolution.com/

http://www.idoceo.net/index.php/en/

Managing Workload for Feedback Work with other teachers to provide feedback Get students to self-assess and peer assess Write overview feedback for common issues Use computer generated rubrics and assessment charts Develop year level assessment tools with colleagues

Feeding Forward instead of Feeding Back? Feedback provides students with important information about how they have performed in a task in relation to a stated goal. It provides an evaluation of the action or task and provides guidance on how it can be improved. It also provides you with feedback on your teaching and pedagogical practices. Remember, good feedback should guide your future planning and teaching and enable the student to move forward in their learning. Developing these skills are important so you can:

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Justify to students, leaders and parents how the mark was derived Guide students on how to improve Motivate students to act on the assessment Develop their capacity to monitor, evaluate and regulate their own learning.

Good Feedback Is… Incorporated within the assessment design TIMELY! Constructive and evidence-based Supportive of learning Efficient and focused on independence

SCENARIOReporting to Parents

Think about your own schooling, and/or that of your own children. How do you think the school regarded parents and what were the consequences of that position?

What are the ways in which you can engage with parents

How effective do you rate the following modes of communication?

Not at all effective Not very effective Somewhat effective Very effective

The school diary Informal conversations Classroom displaysWritten reports The newsletter Parent-teacher interviewsInformation nights Discussion forums Telephone conversationsEmail to / from staff School intranet Online reporting

A CASE STORY

What is the implicit message inherent in ‘very average’, ‘not a problem’? How else might the teacher have responded?

YOUR STORY: USING TEXT AND/OR ART

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TAKE HOME MESSAGE

What is the one most significant thing you’ve come across in the session today?

Additional Resources and Websites

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/aboriginal/5AAssessmentPractices.pdf DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT SOUTH AUSTRALIA:

Curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and reporting policy for reception to year 10 https://www.decd.sa.gov.au/doc/curriculum-pedagogy-assessment-and-reporting-policy-reception-year-10

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NORTHERN TERRITORYhttps://education.nt.gov.au/education/support-for-teachers/assessment-of-student-competencies

USEFUL WEBSITES

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php

http://www.teach-nology.com/

https://www.edutopia.org/10-assessment-tips-for-class

http://www.rcampus.com/indexrubric.cfm

USEFUL RESOURCES

ACARAhttp://www.acara.edu.au

The website of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority with detailed information covering its work in developing curricula and testing arrangements.Assessment Policieshttp://www.aussieeducator.org.au/education/assessment/assessment.html

A comprehensive website with links to various state organisations and reporting upon various assessment policies and practices.Digital Portfolioshttp://www.electricteacher.com/onlineportfolio

A practical guide to developing digital portfolios, providing templates and examples.Digital Story Tellinghttp://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI08167B.pdf

A discussion of ways in which to engage in digital story-telling and using rubrics to evaluate students’ work. The resource takes you to a number of other links and might be interesting for you to consider in relation to our discussion on assessing creativity.Mapping Strategieshttp://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/subject/backward_mapping.phtml

This is the weblink to the article concerned with backward mapping strategies for social studies planning.Research in Learning

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http://www.ellionline.co.uk/research.php

This website provides information regarding powerful learning and the ways in which it is being researched.Traffic Lights for Learninghttp://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/teachlearn/student/activity2_2a.pdf

A resource developed in Victoria and a helpful way to work with ‘traffic lights’ for learning.

ReferencesBRADY, L. & KENNEDY, K. (2005) CELEBRATING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, PEARSON PRENTICE HALL PEARSON EDUCATION: NSW

CLARKE, M. & PITTAWAY, S. (2014) MARSH’S BECOMING A TEACHER, PEARSON: NSW

GROUNDWATER-SMITH, EWING & LE CORNU (2015) TEACHING CHALLENGES AND DILEMMAS, 5TH EDITION, CENGAGE LEARNING: AUSTRALIA

Appendix 1

Assessment FOR Learning

Assessment OF Learning

Assessment AS Learning

Who is the active Partner?

By teachers By student By teachers

What is the information used for?

To determine what to do next instructionally (strategies, differentiation)

To provide descriptive feedback to students (what they are doing well, what needs improvement and how to improve)

To determine what to do next in my learning (e.g. strategy, focus)

To provide descriptive feedback to peers and self (peer and self-assessment)

Goal is to become reflective, self‐ monitoring learner

To determine student’s level of achievement of overall expectations at a given point in time

As evidence to support professional judgment

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