Demonstrate understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning.
Standard 5.1
Learning is not a linear process. Assessment doesn't
come at the end....Learning intentions and assessment
are connected so closely to curriculum that it is impossible
to plan them in isolation from one another.
Earl, 2003
come at the end....Learning intentions and assessment
are connected so closely to curriculum that it is impossible
to plan them in isolation from one another.
Earl, 2003
Assessment for Learning
Assessment for learning is the process of gathering evidence about a student's learning from a variety of sources, using a variety of approaches or 'assessment tools'. Assessing before learning (diagnositc assessment) will give me information about where my students are in their learning and about their readiness, interests and learning preferences. I can use this information to differentiate the learning environment, my instruction and my assessment and evaluation. Assessment during learning (formative assessment) will give me precise and timely information so that I can adjust instruction in response to individual student needs, and students can adjust their learning strategies or set different goals. This use of assessment allows me to help students improve while they are still gaining knowledge and practising skills.
As a teacher I need to know:
Diagnostic Assessment
Before instruction I can:
Formative Assessment
During instruction I can:
Assessment as Learning
Assessment that occurs when students personally monitor what they are learning and use the feedback from this monitoring to make adjustments, adaptations, and even major changes in what they understand. Assessment as learning is a process of developing and supporting metacognition for students. When students are active, engaged, and critical assessors, they make sense of information, relate it to prior knowledge, and use it for new learning. My role is to help students become comfortable with reflection and with critical analysis of their own learning. I aim to help all students develop their capacity to be independent, autonomous learners who are able to set individual goals, monitor their own progress, determine next steps, and reflect on their thinking and learning.
As a teacher I will implement the following strategies:
Assessment of Learning
Summative assessment is designed to certify learning and to report to parents and students about their progress in school. Assessment of learning is summative in nature and is used to confirm what students know and can do, to demonstrate whether they have achieved the curriculum outcomes, and, occasionally, to show how they are placed in relation to others. I aim to make accurate and consistent statements of students' proficiency, so that the recipients of the information can use the information to make reasonable decisions.
Assessment for learning is the process of gathering evidence about a student's learning from a variety of sources, using a variety of approaches or 'assessment tools'. Assessing before learning (diagnositc assessment) will give me information about where my students are in their learning and about their readiness, interests and learning preferences. I can use this information to differentiate the learning environment, my instruction and my assessment and evaluation. Assessment during learning (formative assessment) will give me precise and timely information so that I can adjust instruction in response to individual student needs, and students can adjust their learning strategies or set different goals. This use of assessment allows me to help students improve while they are still gaining knowledge and practising skills.
As a teacher I need to know:
- where the learner is in his or learning
- where the learner needs to go; and
- how best to get there
Diagnostic Assessment
Before instruction I can:
- Review recent report cards
- Consult with previous teachers, parents, learning support leaders
- Observe the classroom (e.g., anecdotal notes)
- Conduct diagnostic assessments (e.g., pre-tests, assessment of student's prior knowledge)
- Develop an interest inventory
- Use school based assessments
- Refer to professional assessments
Formative Assessment
During instruction I can:
- Classroom assessments of various types
- Provision of timely feedback
- Use of assessment results to guide further instruction
- Use of the 'moderate marking' process to support ongoing assessment and monitoring of student learning
Assessment as Learning
Assessment that occurs when students personally monitor what they are learning and use the feedback from this monitoring to make adjustments, adaptations, and even major changes in what they understand. Assessment as learning is a process of developing and supporting metacognition for students. When students are active, engaged, and critical assessors, they make sense of information, relate it to prior knowledge, and use it for new learning. My role is to help students become comfortable with reflection and with critical analysis of their own learning. I aim to help all students develop their capacity to be independent, autonomous learners who are able to set individual goals, monitor their own progress, determine next steps, and reflect on their thinking and learning.
As a teacher I will implement the following strategies:
- Learning Goals
- Success Criteria
- Ongoing Assessment
- Descriptive Feedback
- Peer and Self-Assessment
- Individual Goal Setting
- Learning Conversations
Assessment of Learning
Summative assessment is designed to certify learning and to report to parents and students about their progress in school. Assessment of learning is summative in nature and is used to confirm what students know and can do, to demonstrate whether they have achieved the curriculum outcomes, and, occasionally, to show how they are placed in relation to others. I aim to make accurate and consistent statements of students' proficiency, so that the recipients of the information can use the information to make reasonable decisions.
Language used for applying and assessing learning in authentic contexts
- What could you do next? Do you know other ways to do this? Which might you choose and why?
- Who feels confident enough to teach this to others?
- Where else could you use these skills and ideas?
- Where have you seen them used before? How could you use what you learnt last week to help you now?
- What were you thinking while you were doing this?
- If this didn't work, why do you think it didn't and what else can you do?
- What are you doing? Why are you doing it? How might you use this in your life?
- How are you going to report on your findings?
Three key principles for creating an effective assessment plan
I will:
Three key questions for learners
I will ensure my learners know:
Plan with the end in mind
What do I want my students to learn?
How will I monitor their progress? How will I know they have learned it?
How will I design the learning so that all will learn?
I will:
- Ensure that students have a clear understanding of what they are learning and what successful learning looks like;
- Model descriptive feedback, self-assessment, and goal setting; and
- Provide opportunities to practice these skills, first with guidance and support and then independently.
Three key questions for learners
I will ensure my learners know:
- Where they are going?
- How are they going?
- Where to next?
Plan with the end in mind
What do I want my students to learn?
- Start with overall expectations
- Create learning goals - use specific expecations to develop learning goals that support the learning toward achieving expectations
- Use verbs that are specific and observable
How will I monitor their progress? How will I know they have learned it?
- Collect multiple samples of student work that provide evidence of their achievement
- Refer to exemplars to assess and evaluate student work
- Use curriculum standards to assess and evaluate student work
- Select and use effective strategies to support students’ self- monitoring, self- assessment, and goal-setting for their own learning
- Inform and help students and parents to understand the assessment and evaluation strategies to be used and give them meaningful feedback for improvement
- Apply school standards in reporting on student achievement
- Select and use ongoing classroom assessment strategies and data to inform instruction and plan appropriate interventions to improve student achievement
- Use assessment and evaluation strategies that are appropriate to the curriculum and the learning activities, are fair to all students, and accommodate the needs and experiences of all students
- Examples include; exit cards, journal entries, observation and triangulation (observations, products and conversations)
How will I design the learning so that all will learn?
- How will I plan with differentiated instruction in mind?
- What instructional strategies are appropriate for the learners in my class?
- Provide students with numerous and varied opportunities to demonstrate the full extent of their achievement without overwhelming them