Assessment for Learning

Learning outcomes

To appreciate the teacher’s role in planning and assessment for learning

To begin to understand how to make accurate and productive use of assessment

TS 2, TS 6

What does assessment do and who is it for? Effective assessment:

Provides children with feedback and encouragement and fosters the development of self-evaluation skills

Provides teachers with information that in turn informs planning and determines future targets.

Leads to more effective differentiation of learning

Leads to more effective evaluation of learning and teaching

Provides pupils, parents/carers and other professionals with information about their child’s progress and attainment

Provides Local Authorities and the Department for Education with information about standards

Assessment terms

Formative:

On-going, day to day assessment that involves giving immediate verbal and written feedback to children in relation to how well they have fulfilled the learning intentions.

Examples would be, marking alongside the child with shared target setting and pupil self evaluation

Summative:

This provides a picture of what a child can do in a particular curriculum area at a given time.

Statutory Assessment Tests are an example.

Diagnostic:

This identifies particular needs of a child and often involves commercially produced materials, e.g. the Renfrew Language Tests. Outside agencies, such as Educational Psychology may also be involved.

Moderation: This enables teachers and others involved in

assessment to agree on what is accepted as a particular standard for a level or a grade. It usually involves analysing samples of work against published descriptors for attainment, comparing outcomes, discussing discrepancies, followed by more refined analysis and finally agreement

Assessment terms

Criterion referenced – when pupils are judged in relation to criteria or standards that do not depend on other pupil’s assessments

Norm referenced – when pupils are placed in rank order

Ipsative – outcomes of assessment are used to judge pupils against their previous achievements

Planning

Teaching

Evaluatingteaching & learning

Recordingchildren’s achievements

Reporting

Tracking progress

Assessingchildren’s learning

How to monitor and assess

Learning Objective Assessment method: product of learning process of learning Monitoring - an overview of learning Assessment - close examination of

learning

QCA ‘Assessment for Learning involves using

assessment in the classroom to raise pupil’s achievement. It is based on the idea that pupils will improve most if they understand the aim of learning, where they are in relation to this aim and how they can achieve this aim (or close the gap in their knowledge)’

Strategies for gathering evidence.

We need to find out what children know, understand and need to do in order to make progress.

Observation Questioning Pupil self evaluation Feedback and responses to feedback

(including marking)

Observation

Includes: Listening to how children describe their work and their

reasoning Watching how they approach a task and interact with

others• Recording: Narrative/free description Checklist/pre-coded categories Time sampling/structured description

Questioning

Questions need to prompt children into thinking about their own learning strategies and to share them with others

Examples: How can we be sure that…? What is the same and what is different about…? How do you…? How would you explain…? What does that tell us about…? What is wrong with…? Why is…true?

An example of assessment

Pupil self evaluation

‘…assessment for learning must involve pupils so as to provide them with information about how well they are doing and guide their subsequent efforts. Much of this information will come as feedback from the teacher, but some will be through their direct involvement in assessing their own work. The awareness of learning and the ability of learners to direct it for themselves is of increasing importance in the context of encouraging lifelong learning’

Assessment Reform Group, University of Cambridge 1999Assessment for Learning : Beyond the Black Box

Learning intention and success criteria

We are learning to….

We’ll know we have achievedthis because….

Self evaluation: thinking about what happens when we are learning

Choose one or two and add the words of the learning intention:

What really made you think/did you find difficult while you were learning to…?

What helped you (e.g. a friend, the teacher, new equipment, a book, your own thinking) when something got tricky about learning to…?

What are you most pleased with about learning to…?

What have you learnt that is new about …(quote learning intention)?

How would you change this activity for another class/group who are learning to…?

Clarke,S (2005) Unlocking Formative Assessment Hodder Murray

Feedback and responses (including marking) How clear is the feedback? How do children interpret the feedback?

Strategies: Prompt an exchange – ‘I’ll tell you one good thing about

your work and then I want you to tell me another’ Feedback ‘sandwiches’ – ‘I liked your description of…..

because….’ or ‘ That is a powerful persuasive sentence, next time you

could also try….to be really convincing’ Ask a question about the work – ‘why did you decide to

use pastel crayons for this section of the picture?’

Follow-up

Children should be clear about what is expected – do you want them to practise certain spellings, how/when/where will this be done?

Encourage children to reflect on their work and if targets are set, refer to them in subsequent marking/feedback

SMART targets

Making assessment effective Making assessments valid e.g. purposeful real –life

assessments such as using coins to give change in numeracy

Making assessments more reliable e.g. establishing criteria and sharing them. Everyone knows what is expected

Making assessments manageable e.g. using other adults in the classroom, involving the children

Making recording effective You need to be able to remember: What’s been learned How it’s been learned When it’s been learned Plan for recording – use a proforma Develop a ‘shorthand’ Use your records!

Year/Class _____ Subject_________

Learning Objective

Read whole numbers up to 1000

3.11.06

Write whole numbers up to 1000

9.11.06

Partition numbers up to and including 3 digit numbers

Theresa Up to 100 confidently

Kavita

Richard

Belgin

Christian Up to 50

Thomas

Monitoring or tracking recordsTopic: Capacity

Learning Objectives

Tommy Chantelle

Mitchel Jessie Lucy Jasmine

To be able to estimate capacities using litres

To be able to measure capacities using litres

To be able to compare capacities using litres

Targets

Monitoring records

Assessment records

James chose a bookindependently and Was keen to show

me thetractor pictures

12.10.06

James identifiedthe letter ‘J’ today on

his name card13.10.06

James joined inthe Hungry

Crocodile song thismorning and took a turn

with the puppet13.10.06

James played withthe dressing up box

this afternooninteracting with Ali

being a scary monster15.10.06

Assessment records

Using your assessment records

Review alongside your evaluation of the lesson Look for progress or lack of progress Look for problems or issues Analyse why mistakes were made Consider what the children’s learning says about

your teaching Plan the next steps for individuals, groups or the

whole class

Assessing Pupil Progress

APP is a process of structured periodic assessment for mathematics, reading and writing. 

It supports teachers by promoting a broad curriculum and by developing teachers’ skills in assessing standards of attainment and the progress children have made.

It involves 'stepping back' periodically to review pupils' ongoing work and relate their progress to National Curriculum levels, and provides information to help teachers plan for the next steps in children's learning

It enables teachers to track pupils’ progress from Yr 1 to the end of Yr 6

Reporting

Parents’ consultation evenings End of Year reports End of Key Stage reporting to LA

Reading

Jaques,K & Hyland,R (2007) Professional Studies Primary and Early years Exeter:Learning Matters Chapter 4

Hayes,D (2004) Foundations of Primary Teaching London: David Fulton Chapter 7

Clarke,S (2005) Unlocking Formative Assessment Abingdon:Hodder Murray

www.aaia.org.uk/publications/aaiapubs.asp

for the following publications: Self Assessment Pupils Learning from Teacher’s Responses