Book: Assessment for Learning :A pathway to progression

Angie Simmons; ISBN: 9781927143506 (2011) Essential Resources Education Publishers Ltd: Auckland, NZ
www.essentialresources.co.nz

Pg 6

Summative assessment – assessment OF learning

Summative assessment is what we do to find out if students have learnt what it is assumed they have been taught. When it is completed after the teaching and learning process, it shows us whether the student has passed or failed the unit of work. As the name suggests, it is a summary of information and skills mastered. Often teacher will pre-test students before a unit of work and use the same test afterwards to ascertain the level of achievement arising from that unit.

Examples of summative assessment in New Zealand schools are:

• Progress and Achievement Tests (PAT), which provide national achievement data each year to assess how well students are achieving the curriculum goals in maths and reading
• asTTle and e-asTTle tests, which provide schoolwide assessment information as well as data on the progress of a class and the individuals within it
• PROBE reading tests, which ascertain reading comprehension levels once a term
• GloSS testing, which ascertains maths strategy ability once a term
• IKAN testing, which identifies gaps in maths knowledge both in a whole class and individually

Pg 7

… summative and diagnostic testing used in Australia (years 3 – 10) includes:

• Tests of Reading Comprehension (TORCH)
• Single Word Spelling Test (SWST)
• Neale analysis of reading ability
• PROBE reading comprehension tests
• iAchieve online testing
• PAT for literacy and maths, as well as online PAT Maths Plus
• Queensland Comparable Assessment Tasks (QCATs), which align with the new national curriculum and measure against the national standards
• On Demand Testing (online)
• English Online Interview (EOI)

Formative assessment – assessment FOR learning

Formative assessment is used to assess students during the learning with a view to improving achievement as an ongoing process. It happens throughout the learning and teaching interactions either as an information teacher judgement or as a directed formative assessment strategy to inform the next steps in learning. In this model the student is more involved in their own assessment and informed about the purpose of the learning and the wider connections in an authentic context. They are made aware of the success criteria and what they need to do to achieve them.

Key features of the assessment for learning model

• Assessment for learning shares the big picture of the learning – how does it connect with previous learning and why do we need to learn this? The global learning intentionsare made clearn and explicit
• Students are active participants in the assessment process
• Teachers share and build specific learning intentions and success criteria with their students on a daily basis so that students are clearly focused on the specific learning. By helping to build the success criteria, the students have some ownership of the learning, their voice is valued and their active participation in learning achieves a key competency in itself.
• Modellings and/or quality exemplars are used so students have a clear idea of what standard is expected and what the finished item looks like
• Goal setting is linked to prior learning as students reflect on their learning and make links to future learning and how they can close the gaps in their knowledge. The goals set may be teacher-led through constructive feedback or student-led through reflections on previous work
• students may use graphic organisers or thinking tools and cooperative learning strategies to devleop their thinking about leanring
• Teachers encourage self reflection and reflective evaluation (active and collaborate reflection), using the assessment information to improve and recognise next steps in learning. The role is to support and motivate students who are making reflective decisions about their learning.
• The focus is on how students use knowledge rather than on how much knowledge they have.
• As it emphasises progress and achievement rather than failure, this model is a more inclusive form of assessment that does not damage a student’s self-esteem by labelling them with a finite score or value judgement.

pg 9

Create a supportive learning enviornment

… Classroom learning is situated in a social and cultural contexts. Students learn more effectively when they feel accepted, when they enjoy positive relationships with teachers and other students, and when they are able to be active participants in the learning community.

Foster a love of learning

Look for opportunities to involve students directly in decisions relating to their own learning. Students need to see the connections to prior learning and also see the relevance and authenticity in the learning context in order to maintain their motivation and an intrinsic interest in the learning.

Pg 11

Strategies for involving students in their learning

• Discuss learning goals, the connections to prior learning and the big picture of the outcome of the learning experience (why are we learning this)
• Model and share exemplares of the expected outcome to show what high-quality work looks like
• Invite students to help build the success criteria after viewing and discussion one or more exemplars. Discuss ways in which students can achieve the success criteria, monitor their progress towards achieving their goals and move towards their next steps in learning. Provide strategies for self and peer assessment.
• Create opportunities for students to share their learning with others and work collaboratively towards shared goals.
• Encourage children to identify for themselves when they have met success critiera.

pg 14

Quantitative targets

…based on test scores, which measure student progress and can be used to compare individual performance with the whole class or on a national level.

Qualitative Targets

Evidence may be gathered by:

• observing the process a student uses
• talking with the student to find out what they know, understand and can do
• gathering results from formal and information assessments’

This “triangulation” of information increases the dependability of the OTJ (overall teacher judgements). The teacher is able to set learning targets based on formal and informal assessment data and these targets become learning intentions for the class, group or student.