EEE314

EEE314Principles of AssessmentTuesday 25th November 2014

This powerpoint will take you through the current principles of assessment for educators. 1

Acknowledgement of CountryI would like to acknowledge the Wiradjuri people who are the traditional custodians of this land. I would also like to pay respect to the elders past and present of the Wiradjuri nation and extend that respect to other Aboriginal people present.

An Acknowledgement of Country can be done by everyone, Indigenous or non-Indigenous, to pay respect to the fact that one is on Aboriginal land.

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Link to Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.STANDARD 5 Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning5.1.1 5.2.1 5.3.1 5.4.1 5.5.1

Read P 16 and 17 of Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.3

Link to Subject Outcomes*understand how to assess student learning *understand how to provide feedback to students on their learning *be able to make consistent and comparable judgements *be able to interpret student data*understand how to report on student achievement

This powerpoint will provide a deep understanding to enable you to begin to achieve some of the subject out4

StudentsThey must:Know what they will be learningUnderstand the relevance to their livesBe aware of how they are expected to show what they have learnt

Thus the assessment criteria needs to be shared with the students in a format displayed to the students. As they journey towards achieving the outcome and completing the task quality feedback is essential. The feedback given will lead to collaboratively planned goals as to where to next.5

What is Assessment?Assessment is the continuous process of collecting, scrutinizing and reflecting on evidence in a variety of forms to make informed and consistent judgements to determine future student learning.

There a re a number of definitions of assessment but as teachers is centred around finding out what your students current knowledge and skills are and then building on this and moving the students to the next level of development in the most timely manner.6

The Purpose of Assessment

Assessment FOR learning - occurs when teachers use inferences about student progress to inform their teaching Assessment AS learning - occurs when students reflect on and monitor their progress to inform their future learning goals Assessment OF learning - occurs when teachers use evidence of student learning to make judgements on student achievement against goals and standards. Assessment for and as learning occur while students are engaged in the process of learning, while assessment of learning occurs at the end of a learning process or task or unit of work or for reporting at the end of a time period such as a semester.

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Teaching and Learning Cycle

The teaching and learning cycle represents the four stages that occur in the design and delivery of classroom tasks that incorporate an outcomes-based approach. The cycle has no start or end point, with each step informing the next. It is the process of gathering data and reflection that dictates where in the cycle you need to be operating.8

Why Do We Assess?To improve our teaching to improve students learning outcomes.To monitor and evaluate progress.To provide quality feedback to students.To collect evidence to make good teacher judgements of student achievement.

It is very important that assessment informs your teaching.Reflection enables learning goals to be adjusted.Assessment adds information to the learning profiles of the students.Quality feedback provides the direction for student future goals.9

How do we assess?By embedding a variety of formal and informal tasks in the unit of work that are planned and purposeful.By communicating the learning goals in an explicit way so that the students have a clear understanding of what they need to demonstrate to achieve the desired outcome.

Assessment tasks need to be planned and outlined in a teaching program. Informal and formal tasks can be identified. 10

When do we assess?At any key point during the teaching and learning cycle.

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Assessment for LearningAssessment FOR learning - occurs when teachers use inferences about student progress to inform their teaching. Some examples are:

reflects a view of learning in which assessment helps students learn better, rather than just achieve a better markinvolves formal and informal assessment activities as part of learning and to inform the planning of future learningincludes clear goals for the learning activityprovides effective feedback that motivates the learner and can lead to improvementreflects a belief that all students can improveencourages self-assessment and peer assessment as part of the regular classroom routinesinvolves teachers, students and parents reflecting on evidenceis inclusive of all learners.These two slides (5-6) refer to the ways assessment for learning may be demonstrated in the classroom. What the slides emphasise is that Assessment for learning creates a classroom culture that is conducive to assessment and the use of assessment tools without assessment becoming a process by which students are judged against each other.

The teachers role is central in the assessment for learning. Through assessment for learning teachers ascertain students' prior knowledge, perceptions and misconceptions and use this evidence to inform curriculum planning and teaching practice in order to support students to operate at the edge of their competence.

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Assessment as LearningSimple Reflection Strategies such as learning logs, 60 second think, concept circleLearning GoalsMetacognitive questionsSelf assessment such as feedback sandwich , ICE tacticRubricsChecklistsGraphic Organiser such as venn diagram, PMI, SWOT, KWHL ectTraffic LightsPeer assessment such as feedback strips and requires protocols

Assessment as learning:encourages students to take responsibility for their own learningrequires students to ask questions about their learningThese two slides (8-9) refer to assessment as learning. What needs to be emphasised here is that the focus of assessment as learning is the student.

Assessment as learning establishes students roles and responsibilities in relation to their learning and assessment. It engages students in self- and peer-assessment and promotes students confidence and self-esteem through an understanding of how they learn. Its focus on student reflection on their learning is powerful in building metacognition and an ability to plan for their own future learning goals.

In assessment as learning students monitor their learning and use feedback from this monitoring to make adaptations and adjustments to what they understand (Earl 2003). Earl also expresses the view that effective assessment empowers students to ask reflective questions and consider a range of strategies for learning and acting.

Over time, students move forward in their learning when they can use personal knowledge to construct meaning, have skills of self-monitoring to realize that they dont understand something, and have ways of deciding what to do next (Earl 2003, p25).

Assessment as learning emphasises the process of learning as it is experienced by the student.

involves teachers and students creating learning goals to encourage growth and developmentprovides ways for students to use formal and informal feedback and self-assessment to help them understand the next steps in learningencourages peer assessment, self-assessment and reflection.

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Assessment of LearningResponding such as author comparison, bookclubComposing such as re-enactment of conceptWritten testsOral presentationsConcept mapsProblem solving activities,Project workEssaysFormal assignments Exams.

Assessment of learning:is used to plan future learning goals and pathways for studentsprovides evidence of achievement to the wider community, including parents, educators, the students themselves and outside groupsprovides a transparent interpretation across all audiences.It is sometimes referred to as summative assessment.

Assessment of learning describes the extent to which a student has achieved the learning goals, including the Standards and demonstrates what the student knows and can do.

Its purpose is summative and gives an overview of previous learning (Black 1998, p28). This is the assessment that is used to certify learning for reporting to students, the parents and the system. It takes place usually at the end of a unit, a program, a semester or a year of study. It is based on teacher moderation to ensure consistent judgement of student achievement and is supported by examples or evidence of student learning. Assessment of learning can be used to plan for future learning goals.

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Principles of AssessmentSubstantial research exists on the characteristics of good practice for assessing student learning. This research is summarised in the following set of principles:The primary purpose of assessment is to improve student performance Assessment should be based on an understanding of how students learn Assessment should be an integral component of course design and not something to add afterwards Good assessment provides useful information to report credibly to parents on student achievement Good assessment requires clarity of purpose, goals, standards and criteria Good assessment requires a variety of measures Assessment requires attention to outcomes and processes Assessment works best when it is ongoing rather than episodic Assessment for improved performance involves feedback and reflection

Using Syllabus Outcomes in the Assessment ProcessPlan and develop learning and assessment opportunities.Monitor student progress throughout each stage.Assess and measure student achievement against intended learning in each stage.Report student progress and achievement during and at the end of each stage.

How is assessment planned?Assessment is integral to the teaching and learning cycle. When planning assessment tasks as part of a unit of work, it is important to cater for all students in the class.When constructing an assessment task/activity the teacher will consider a range of points.'What is the purpose of the assessment?' Is it to inform planning; to gather formative or summative information?What is the Essential Learning/learning outcome/repertoire of practice that students will demonstrate?How can all students demonstrate their learning?What evidence will be collected to support this?What are other skills/concepts that the student will require in order to demonstrate this learning outcome? For example oral presentations require a student to have both oral communication skills and content knowledge.What criteria will be used to assess the student's performance?

Continuous AssessmentThis is a continual process of identifying, gathering and interpreting information about students to guide teaching and learning programs. It values teachers professional judgement and requires observation, diagnostic assessment and reflection.

It is important as it provides teachers with information about their students learning, allows for grouping, is an effective tracking tool and provides teachers with feedback about their teaching.18

Continuous AssessmentRecording student performance needs to be manageable and a teacher should make decisions when student performance on an activity should be recorded and which aspect and in what format.Information gathered will inform programming, inform grouping, inform selection of activities , inform feedback to students and parent and inform placement on data walls such as continuums.

The Task of a TeacherOur task is to create situations for students to learn new things and to determine what and how much has been learnt.

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