Mth3004 Lecture 8

• National Curriculum start year::1988.

What is Assessment?

Checking what has been learned, if expectations are being maintained, if progress is being made, and if an individual has been trying to learn/listen.

Assessment happens during and after learning, in the classroom and in end tests respectively. Formally, this is called “Assessment for Learning”(formative) and “Assessment of Learning” (summative). Some examples of each…

• Assessment for Learning (formative):
  • Concerned with the next (future) stage of learning.
  • Information is shared with the learner.
  • Feedback is available on the quality of learning.
  • An integral part of learning.
  • Comparison with aims and objectives is important.
• Assessment of Learning (summative):
  • Information gathered by the teacher/ examiner.
  • Looking back on past learning.
  • Comparison of performance with others.
  • Happens after learning takes place.
  • Information is usually transferred into a grade.

From these examples, you can see that summative assessment is where teaching is held accountable, and hence formative assessment is discussed less frequently in lower-performing environments. However, when formative assessment is focused on, then summative assessment naturally improves itself - that said, some “pure exam skills” can inhibit the evaluation of individuals’ actual understanding level due to misinterpretations or incorrect wording.

From research across 250 research journals from 1988 (national curriculum start) and 1997, Paul Black and Dylan William from King’s College (using empirical data and control groups) identified these five key factors that influence learning assessments:

1. Providing effective feedback to pupils.
2. Actively involving pupils in their own learning.
3. Adjusting teaching to take account of the results of assessments.
4. Recognising the profound influence assessment has on the motivation and self-esteem of pupils, both of which are crucial to learning.
5. Considering the need for pupils to be able to assess themselves and to understand how to improve.

The research also identifies a number of risks with regard to assessment:

1. Valuing quantity and presentation rather than the quality of learning.
2. Lowering the self-esteem of pupils by over-concentrating on judgements rather than advice for improvement.
3. Demoralising pupils by comparing them negatively and repeatedly with more successful learners.
4. Giving feedback that serves social and managerial purposes rather than helping pupils to learn more effectively.
5. Working with an incomplete picture of pupils’ learning needs.

Essentially, this breaks down to these key features of Assessment for Learning (formative assessment):

1. Effective questioning.
2. Feedback through marking.
3. Peer-assessment and self-assessment.
4. Formative use of summative tests.

For students completing assessments, they need to know how to succeed:

• Mark schemes.
• Marking criteria.
• GCSE grade areas.
• Numbers of marks a question is worth.
• Length and detail expected.
• “What A Good One Looks Like” (model answers).
• “What I’m Looking For” (success criteria).

Assessment for Learning against Assessment of Learning - Which is Most Important?

Roughly, I feel they should be weighted equally but by different levels - “for learning” by teachers to help students, “of learning” by headteachers to help teachers. Maybe Assessment of Learning if more important, though, as by assessing teachers you can rely that the teachers can help the students effectively and can assess their assessments of the students so in turn assess both in one assessment. This does reduce the resolution of results and hence accuracy of results.

Could also make an argument towards what is currently the case - “of learning” important as qualifications, whilst “for learning” is important as experience; the latter of which is more favoured in job/study applications.

… Professional arguments.

Why Do We Assess?

To track progress and evaluate an individual’s progress against peers, hence to also meta-analyse the teacher’s ability.

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What Does Assessment Look Like?

Written exams, oral exams, physical exams, task supervision, integrated questions.

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How Do We Assess?

Standardised to track progress against another individual’s.

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When Do We Assess?

Regularly across a reasonable timeline with reasonable gaps for the individual to have made progress: end of topics, end of year, weekly, end of lesson, before topics, before lessons.

Where Do We Assess?

Classrooms, exam halls, workplace, social environments, online.

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