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Learning AssessmentLearning AssessmentStudents experiences in post school qualifications

By: Dr. Kathryn Ecclestone

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Authors ProfileAuthors Profile

Professor of Education and Social Inclusion School of Education, University of Birmingham 2001 - PhD, 'The impact of GNVQ assessment

policy on vocational students autonomy and

motivation, University of Newcastle 1992- MA (Teacher Education) (Distinction),

University of Manchester


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Authors ProfileAuthors Profile

1984 -Certificate in Education (FE)Huddersfield Polytechnic

1977 - BA Honours Politics and History (2:1)University of Lancaster

Her research explores the interplay betweenpolicy, practice and attitudes to learning andassessment in post-compulsory education.


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IntroductionIntroduction

Promoting sustainable learning throughassessment is not straightforward

This study explored links betweenassessment and students achievement inpost-school qualifications

Focuses on students experiences in andattitudes to, two assessment systems:general academic qualifications and generalvocational qualifications


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Different Assessment SystemsDifferent Assessment SystemsGeneral AcademicQualifications General VocationalQualifications

Greater theoretical content Greater applied skills content

Access to Higher Educationcourse

Workplace vocational

ExternalExaminations

Students produce modularassignments

Externally set and markedexaminations

Formative Assessment


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External ExaminationsExternal Examinations

Assessment that encourages moreachievement

Strong emphasis on raising standards of achievement for everyone


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Assessment Identities and Learning CareersAssessment Identities and Learning Careers

StudentsIdentity

Social

context

Forms ofknowledge

and learning

Policyimperativesregulatingthosesystems

Day-to-dayassessment

practicesAssessment

Careers

Assessmentpractices


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Images of Achievement and FailuresImages of Achievement and FailuresGeneral Academic

Qualifications General VocationalQualifications

Strong sense of identity assecond chance learners

Strong A-grade students

Develop self confidence andovercome fears and failures

Progression in subject-related knowledge and grades

Sets targets

Not worriedabout failures

Students can resit someexams

Students can drop their twopoorest unit grades

Students saw failure ingetting lower grade than

they needed.

Students believed that theycould keep retaking exams

until they passed.


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Ill get an E in this thats myaverage. This year I move up toa D I was ecstatic and its to dowith my own barriers. Im the firstchild in my family to go to collegeand Im not the brightest so Imdoing really well.


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I dont really think about

grades and pride is not amotiveif I do well, IdoAchievement wouldmean getting a C or above;Id be happy to get a C but Iknow I could do better.


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Vocational and Academic IdentitiesVocational and Academic IdentitiesGeneral Academic


Higher status and more wellknown.

Lower status, students valuedits relevance.

Vocational aspirations wereerratic.Students and their parentssaw qualification as beingbetter. Good assessment should

reflect students prefer to learn.

Group works

Teaching and assessmentwere more teacher cente redand didactic and moreindividualized.


G t d b F it PDF C t F it S ft

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Attitudes to Formative AssessmentAttitudes to Formative AssessmentGeneral Academic


Norm-referenced,competitive and selective.

Designed around detailedspecifications and assessmentcriteria

Tutors as translator of officialcriteria.

Lesson time was used tointroduce students to eachassignment

Heavy workloads for tutors

Students had strongexpectations of guidance

One-to-one feedback Feedback to the whole group

Examination-based course

Student practiced examanswers that would help themachieve good grades

Written feedback was moregeneral and open-ended


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Attitudes to Formative AssessmentAttitudes to Formative AssessmentGeneral Academic


Students dont find feedbackmotivating or demotivating.

Relationship with the teacherwas important.

Student became proficient at

cross-referencing assignmentstasks.

Students were more vague

about the criteria but couldoffer a credible account of an Agrade.

Students were well versed inhow pieces of work related todifferent types of tutor comment.

Students used the officialassessment criteria during theirassignments and carried themwith them to accompany theirassignments.



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TheThe ImplicationsImplications of of StudentsStudents AssessmentAssessmentcareerscareers forfor SustainableSustainable AssessmentAssessment

Qualifications leading to higher educationhave some similar assessment processes,but very different assessment cultures.

Further difference arise in teachers andstudents belief about the type of learnerssuited to each assessment culture.

Students accept the assessment systems

they experienced largely without dissentand learn to navigate the various demandsand processes.



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It is important to recognize that assessmentpractices and outcomes reinforce inequalityof choice and opportunity.

Students work compliantly, strategically andsuperficially to meet assessment criteria,others working happily in a comfort zone.

Drop-out and non-completion are official

indicators of failure.



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Better understanding of assessmentcultures and assessment identities wouldenable universities to address studentsexpectations.

It was not for or of, but instead it waslearning.

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