In this essay I shall discuss the role of assessment in teaching and learning in regards to my personal pedagogy. To do so I will examine exactly what the meaning of assessment is and what purpose it has. I will then examine the different types of assessment and how they can be used for the betterment of the students and the teacher’s practice. I will then look at the role assessment plays when it comes to planning units of work.
In order to fully realise what role assessment has in teaching and learning we must first have an understanding of what assessment is. Assessment is defined as the ongoing process of gathering, analysing and reflecting on evidence to make informed and consistent judgments to improve future learning and development (VCAA, 2013).
Frank Serafini (2010) says that to achieve ‘effective’ assessment we must have a framework that addresses ‘how to interpret the information gathered from students, represent this information through the forms we are required to use, and share it with others’ (p.1).
The data gathered from assessment provides vital information for educators so that they can compare what is known and what can be demonstrated by their students, against set standards (New South Wales Department of Education and Training. 2013). In the case of Victoria these standards are known as AusVELS, an amalgamation of the Australian Curriculum and the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS). This vital information allows teachers to make informed judgements about their student’s process.
We are able to separate assessment into two different types: formal and informal assessment. We can then take this categorizing even further by dividing assessment by three main concepts.
We shall first look at the two different types of assessment. The first, formal Assessment is a ‘planned and structured process’ (Churchill, R, 2011, p.399) designed to provide evidence about a student’s progress and achievement. Some formal assessment tasks are planned by the classroom teacher others are ‘implemented from beyond the classroom’ (Churchill, R, 2011, p.399) examples being NAPLAN and VCE Exams. These types of tests play a significant role in the overall accountability of the teacher, the school and the system (Churchill, R, 2011, p.400).
Informal Assessment is the opposite. When a teacher engages students in class discussions, group interactions, responds to them, comments on their work, or answers questions, this is informal assessment. This type of assessment is very useful because they ‘can provide a more accurate assessment of ability/understanding’ than formal assessment. An advantage of this method of assessment is that it can ‘provide valuable insights into and for the individual student’ (Churchill, R, 2011, p.398-399).
Informal and formal assessment then influences the teaching and learning process, curriculum interpretation and translation and strategy selection. Looking even further we can divide assessment into three main concepts as stated earlier. These concepts are Assessment of Learning, Assessment for Learning and Assessment as Learning.
First we shall look at Assessment of Learning, also known as summative assessment. Assessment of Learning ‘occurs when teachers use evidence of student learning to make judgements on student achievement against goals and standards’ (Briggs, M., Woodfield,A., Martin, C.& Swatton,P, 2009, p.2)
The next category we shall look at is Assessment for Learning, which is also known as formative assessment. This is when then teacher decides where the students are in their learning, what they need to improve on and how to get them to progress in their learning. This is done by seeking and interpreting evidence informally. Strategies involved in Assessment for Learning are: the strategic use of questioning, effective teacher feedback, peer feedback, student self assessment, and the formative use of summative assessment (Assessment for Learning,2013 ).
Lastly there is Assessment as Learning; Assessment as Learning ‘occurs when students reflect on and monitor their own progress to inform their future goals’ (DEECD, 2012). When students do this they gain an increased awareness of what they learn, their own learning style, how they learn and what helps them to learn. The key features of this type of assessment are self and peer assessment, target setting and reflecting on learning (Briggs, M., Woodfield,A., Martin, C.& Swatton,P, 2009, p.2). As an educator you can use this to inform your future teaching to better target the students particular needs.
Assessment takes many different forms in schools and in classrooms. The department of education ad early childhood development (2012) notes ten different characteristics that make up ‘good practice’ for assessing student’s learning.
1. The primary purpose of assessment is to improve student performance
2. Assessment should be based on an understanding of how students learn
3. Assessment should be an integral component of course design and not something to add afterwards
4. Good assessment provides useful information to report credibly to parents on student achievement
5. Good assessment requires clarity of purpose, goals, standards and criteria
6. Good assessment requires a variety of measures
7. Assessment methods used should be valid, reliable and consistent
8. Assessment requires attention to outcomes and processes
9. Assessment works best when it is ongoing rather than episodic
10. Assessment for improved performance involves feedback and reflection
In the past assessment was an ‘add on’, it was tacked on to the end of a unit usually by having the students take a test, or having to complete an assigned assessment task. However it is now the practise to have ongoing assessment rather than episodic assessment, point five of the characteristics previously mentioned. This means that assessment should be embedded throughout the unit of work and be both formal and informal. One way to ensure that this happens is for teachers to use a backwards design model when planning a unit of work. One such model is the Understanding by design framework. The Understanding by Design framework advocates ‘frontloading the assessment’ (Churchill,R, 2011, p.201). What this means is that the learning goals and objectives as well as the endpoint assessment is figured out before any of the learning experiences and activities are planned out. Cohen, Main and Morison(in Churchill,R, 2011, p.201), say that ‘when formal and informal assessment become an integral component of your curriculum planning’ as what happens in the UbD, ‘assessment is more likely to assess what it purports to measure, and thus be considered valid.’
The Understanding by Design framework ‘offers a planning process and structure to guide curriculum, assessment, and instruction.’ (ASCD, 2012)There are three stages to the backwards design that makes up the framework. The first stage is for the teacher to identify the results that the desire. This means working out what questions the students will explore, what knowledge and skills they will acquire and what established goals/standards are being targeted. The second stage is for the teacher to determine what evidence of the student’s achievement will be used for assessment. To do this the teacher must decide what criteria they will use to assess students performance, what evidence will be collected, making sure to keep the assessment aligned with the desired elements from stage one. The third and last stage is the planning of learning experiences and instruction. This is when the activities, experiences and lessons are planned. Because the previous two stages have already determined what the students should achieve the teacher is now able to plan tasks that will lead to those desired results and help students achieve success.
When planning a unit of work teachers will use the relevant curriculum to help them plan, in Victoria they use AusVELS. AusVELS supplies teachers with content and achievement standards. Teachers will view this and then select the most appropriate content for their students to learn. Sometimes this may be content from across different year levels as all students have different ability levels (ACCARA, 2013).
Once the teacher has selected the content that they will focus on in their teaching they will use that to start their planning, this ensures that the constructed units of work are assessable against the expected standards (VCAA, 2009).
To accurately and effectively measure student achievement against the standards a teacher must use a variety of methods; Summative assessment to determine the achievements of the student and formative to inform the teacher of what the next stage of learning should be. Multiple sources of information should be used to make judgements about the specific skills and depth of understanding held by students. This means that that their needs to be a variety of tasks that are inclusive to the learning styles and needs of all the students, one child might be really good at writing an essay for example another student might be more of a visual learner and thrive more if they can demonstrate their learning in another way such as a poster, blog, video or an annotated image.
As well as using the standards to inform their teaching content teachers will use them at the end of a teaching period in order to develop student reports. Assessment of the curriculum also takes place in the annual NAPLAN tests that are administered to years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The NAPLAN test assesses students against the achievement standards in Literacy and Numeracy. These tests can help teachers by giving them a snapshot view of where their students may need to improve and where they are excelling or working at the expected level (ACARA,2013).
When designing a unit using AusVELS a teacher should also take into consideration the fifth Principal of Learning and Teaching (PoLT). This principal states that ‘Assessment practices are an integral part of teaching and learning’ (DEECD, 2009).
I shall explain and demonstrate how a teacher can take the PoLT into consideration when planning with AusVELS. To do this I will use an example. The example I will use here is of a grade five class who are learning about measurement. One of the standards from the Australian Curriulcum (ACARA, 2012) level 5 mathematics, using levels of measurement is to calculate the perimeter and area of rectangles using familiar metric units. (ACMMG109)
The first point of PoLT five states that ‘Assessment practices [should] reflect the full range of learning program objectives’ (DEECD, 2009). If I was teaching and assessing my students on the above standard I would demonstrate this component by using a variety of methods to check for understanding throughout the unit. At the end of the each lesson I would hold a whole class discussion where students could share what they learnt and discovered with their peers, I would also have them write this in a reflection book. Other methods I would use are the actual tasks that the students complete, and I would check in with the students while they are working to help and make sure that they understand what they are doing. Whenever I question the students I would ensure that I am covering a range of levels of thinking. When students present their information I would make sure that I leave the method of presenting that information up to them so that they can work to their strengths.
The second point of PoLT five states that ‘the teacher ensures that the students receive frequent constructive feedback that supports further learning’ (DEECD,2009). To show this I would be encouraging class discussions where students can respond to one another and give feedback. I would also be giving feedback right away making sure that I not only suggested areas for improvement but I recognized the things that were right.
The third point of PoLT five is that ‘the teacher makes assessment criteria explicit’ (DEECD,2009). Before starting any work with my students I would make sure that the students knew what the expected outcomes of the unit or lesson are. I would also make sure that they knew what level of work I was expecting from them, I may do this by negotiating a rubric for the final assessment task with them.
The fourth is that ‘assessment practices encourage reflection and self assessment’ (DEECD,2009). To make this possible I would make sure that the students have access to the intended learning outcomes, or a rubric so that they can constantly refer to them. At the end of the unit I would ask the students to do a reflective activity about what they have learned and compare it to what they knew at the start of the unit or lesson so that they can see where they have improved.
The fifth and last point of PoLT five is that ‘the teacher uses evidence from assessment to inform planning and teaching’ (DEECD,2009). In my classroom I would make sure that I access student understandings throughout the unit. If I discovered that the class or a particular group/individual didn’t understand a concept I would plan to focus more on developing that understanding.
So we can see how assessment plays an integral part in all aspects of teaching and learning. It assists teachers in all stages of the planning process, right through to the implementation of the chosen activities, to the end of year reports. Assessment is part of everything we say and do because each time we interact with a student we are giving them feedback.
Bibliography
Books:
· Churchill, R. (Eds).(2011). Teaching: making a difference. Queensland , Australia: John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd. Milton,
· Briggs, M., Woodfield, A., Martin, C., & Swatton, P. (2009) Assessment for Learning and Teaching (2nd ed). Learning Matters Ltd. Great Brittan
· Serafini, F. (2010). Classroom Reading Assessments: more efficient ways to view and evaluate your readers. Portsmouth, NH, USA. Heinemann.
Websites:
· Assessment for Learning. (2013).Introduction to Assessment for Learning. Retrieved from: http://www.assessmentforlearning.edu.au/professional_learning/intro_to_afl/introduction_key_questions.html
· Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2013). English: Implications for teaching, assessment and reporting. Retrieved from: http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/Implications-for-teaching-assessment-and-reporting
· Australian Curriculum Assessment Authority. (2012) Mathematics. Retrieved from: http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Mathematics/Curriculum/F-10
· Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (2012) Understanding by Design Framework. Retrieved fromhttp://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/siteASCD/publications/UbD_WhitePaper0312.pdf
· Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. (2012).Principles of Learning and Teaching P-12 Unpacked. Retrieved from: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/support/Pages/unpacked12.aspx
· Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. (2012).Assessment Advice. Retrieved from: http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/support/Pages/advice.aspx
· New South Wales Department of Education and Training. (2013). Consistent teacher Judgment: Assessment. Retrieved from: http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/consistent_teacher/assessment.htm
· Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. (2009).Planning for Assessment. Retrieved from: http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/129125/20121206-0015/vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/support/tla/assess_planning.html
· Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. (2009).Making On-Balance Judgements. Retrieved from: http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/129125/20121206-0015/vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/support/tla/judgment.html
· Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. (2009).Collecting Evidence of Learning. Retrieved from: http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/129125/20121206-0015/vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/support/tla/evidence.html
· Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. (2009).Characteristics of Effective Assessment. Retrieved from: http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/129125/20121206-0015/vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/support/tla/effective_assess.html
· Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority. (2013). Assessment. Retrieved from: http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/foundation10/curriculum/assessment.aspx