Assessment for learning

� At the heart of quality teaching

http://talkingaboutteaching.wordpress.com

2nd March 2012

Outline of the day •  Assessment for learning - shared understanding

•  Investigating current assessment strategies and classroom practice.

•  Planning for future assessment strategies and classroom practice

•  Developing student skills - study skills

Aim �  Develop a common language & understanding of

assessment for learning processes.

�  Reflect on our current teaching and learning practices and their impact on learning

�  Modify a program to improve assessment for learning approaches.

�  Lead to increased student self regulation and responsibility for learning.

Overwhelming research evidence

�  - Classroom practice of teachers is the biggest influence on student learning that schools have some control over.

Mckinsey report on World's top performing education systems 2007.

Why assessment for learning?

�  - Integral in the majority of highest impact strategies that current research has identified.

� - Assessment for learning approaches can be easily incorporated into teaching, in many cases with less work for the teacher to do.

�  - Inside the black box - Dylan William & Paul Black

Challenges

PD survey 2011

Assessment…

Influence Effect Size Self-reported grades 1.44

Feedback .72 Providing formative evaluation to teachers .70

Frequent/ Effects of testing .46

Teaching test taking skills .22

Visible Teaching – Visible Learning

Teachers •  Clear learning intentions

•  Challenging success criteria

•  Range of learning strategies

•  Know when students are not progressing

•  Providing feedback

•  Visibly learns themselves

Students … •  Understand learning intentions

•  Are challenged by success criteria

•  Develop a range of learning strategies

•  Know when they are not progressing

•  Seek feedback

•  Visibly teach themselves

Exploring assessment further ...

Current use of assessment �  What are some of the ways you currently assess

students in your classroom?

�  How effective are your current assessment strategies?

�  What is your current understanding of 'Assessment for learning'?

� 

Assessment 'of', 'for' and 'as' learning

�  Assessment of learning - summative tasks at the completion of a unit that tell us what students have learned.

�  Assessment for learning - assessment that provides feedback to teachers (about students) on how learning is progressing and where learning should go next.

�  Assessment as learning - focuses on self assessment where students are active, engaged, and critical assessors. They can make sense of information, relate it to prior knowledge and master the skills involved. It builds the capacity of students so they can understand what to do next.

Assessment �  http://www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk/videos/

expertspeakers/formativeassessmentdylanwiliam.asp

Dylan William �  What resonated with you from the video?

�  How would you modify your definition based on what you have just heard? (if at all)

Assessment for learning �  FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDINGS:

�  A process not a task

�  It's only assessment for learning if you do something with the feedback you receive.

5 Key strategies of classroom formative assessment

•  Clarifying, sharing and understanding learning intentions and criteria for success

•  Engineering effective classroom discussions, activities, and learning tasks that elicit evidence of learning

•  Providing feedback that moves learning forward

•  Activating learners as instructional resources for one another

•  Activating learners as owners of their own learning.

Classroom assessment �  Professional reading

� 1. Which aspects do you feel are most important for your KLA to focus on to move forward?

� consider:

�  - aspects currently used effectively.

� - aspects which require greater focus?

Powerful assessment ...

�  Provides teachers with timely feedback to know if their teaching has been effective while still in the classroom.

�  Looks for evidence that students have not learned.

� Raises the question about what to do next when learning has not occurred.

Evaluating the quality of our programs

•  Understanding by design / constructive alignment.

� To what extent do we:

•  Have clear learning intentions and outcomes for the unit.

•  Have assessment that accurately determines student progress towards these outcomes.

•  Teaching and learning activities directly align with the outcomes and assessment activities.

NB: FEEDBACK ASPECTS TO BE EVALUATED LATER

For a chosen faculty unit of work � Reflect on the alignment of learning goals, activities and

assessment.

� Highlight any activities at present that provide 'hinge point' opportunities for the assessment for learning process.

� Identify any formative assessment tasks or activities that are currently undertaken?

� Develop or refine a formative assessment activity for the unit.

Discussion questions �  - How often do you check that students have

understood what is taught?

�  - How many students do you check with?

�  - What happens when students do not understand work that is covered?

FEEDBACK

ARC –BOS assessment for learning guidelines

•  http://arc.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/go/7-8/assessment-for-learning-in-years-7-10/#The-principles-of-assessment-for-learning