In the past, assessments were popularly conducted for the purpose of accreditation, but with the growing change in the quality of education, it has become evident that assessments aren’t just products to qualification but as Sieborger (1998) identifies, is that assessment is the process of gathering and interpreting knowledge to make valid and justifiable judgements about the learners performance and the assessors ability to transfer and establish knowledge to the learners. What is pivotal in assessment is that it enhances teaching and learning; it is also the crucial link between learning outcomes, the content that is taught and learning activities. Furthermore, Sieborger (1998) states that assessment is a reciprocal process; as it is used by both learners and teachers to decide where the learners are at in their learning and where they need to go and how best to get there. The characteristics that Sieborger identifies to be contained in assessment are made up of: tasks, exercises, tests and exams, which are set and assessed by educators. There are different methods and uses of assessment that are used in the Education system, the reason for this, is that not all assessments serve the same purpose for its methodologies, the feedback that learners receive needs to correspond with the purpose of the assessment. (Sieborger, 1998)Thus educators tend to make use of multiple assessments to establish a fair and just measurement of the learner’s capability. This essay will extensively describe and analyse the tensions between the two methods of assessment: Summative assessment and Formative assessment and further reflect on their ability to integrate. According to Sieborger (1998), there are two ways of using the outcomes of what learne... ... middle of paper ... ...e done well then advise learner on how they can improve, because good news about learners' work highly motivates them (Reed, 2006). Constructive feedback and engaging learners through assessment (Sherman, 1996) Works Cited Black, Paul. (2003). The Nature and Value of Formative Assessment for Learning. Improving Schools. 6 (3) 7-22 Hugo, W. (2013). Cracking the Code to Educational Analysis. Chapter 7. p105-116. Pearson: Cape Town Reed, Yvonne. (2006). From Feedback to Fast Forward, a talk given at the Assessment for Learning Conference in May 2006. Sherman, Jessica. (1996). An Experiment in Peer Assessment. ELTIC Reporter, 20 (1). Shepard, L. A. (2000) the role of assessment in a learning culture. Educational Researcher. 29 (7) 4-10. Siebörger, R. and Macintosh, H. (1998). Transforming Assessment: A Guide for South African Teachers. Chapters 1&2, Juta: Cape Town
...teacher see what their students know, wonder about and techniques they use to make sense of the world and the classroom. This information can then be used by the teacher to differentiate instruction. The teacher can recover material, present alternative activities that students are more receptive in order to foster student responsiveness and engagement. In Page Keeley’s article An Introduction to Formative Assessment Classroom Techniques (FACTs) she articulates the purpose and power of a classroom that frequently uses formative assessments by saying, “it organizes the entire classroom around learning and informs ways teachers can provide more effective learning experiences based on how their own” (10). Formative assessments foster a supportive classroom community where students and even teacher thoughts are encouraged and in turn shape the future of that classroom.
Elwood, J. (2006). Formative assessment: possibilities, boundaries and limitations. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 215-232, doi:10.1080/09695940600708653
Assessment has been the greatest challenge in my development as a professional. My coursework as supported my growth in this area, especially in understanding the broad range of assessments used to support students’ growth and development. My courses have also supported my understanding of how ongoing observational assessment and standards-based measures can be used to inform instruction and support the cycle of observation, reflection and planning. Coursework
Stiggins, R. J. (2006, November/December). Assessment for learning: A key to motivation and achievement. Edge, 2, 3-19.
Although somewhat vague compared to summative assessment, several key features help frame formative assessment. First, formative assessment happens while learning is taking place as opposed to at the end of content delivery. Rather, this is considered “assessment for learning,” (Chappuis, J., Stiggins, Chappuis, S., & Arter, 2012, pg. 5). The format is formal or informal, but the outcome in its use is an in-progress check of what students know and what students do not know. Chappuis, Stiggins, Chappuis, and Arter (2012) define formative assessment as, “Formal and informal processes teachers and students use to gather evidence for the purpose of improving learning,” (pg. 24). Second, this type of assessment is used to make instructional strategy adjustments. If student learning did not happen via one instructional method, the teacher must make the necessary accommodations to reteach the concept or skill. Next, it is not only used by teachers for feedback on instruction, but formative assessment is also used for providing timely, descriptive feedback to students and extends to allow for student self-assessment (Chappuis, J., Stiggins, Chappuis, S., & Arter, 2012; Popham, 2008). Formative assessment provides opportunity to provide specific feedback to students on where they are currently in their learning, and where they should be headed.
make it work? In C.A. Dwyer (Ed.), The future of assessment: Shaping teaching and learning
Assessments are an important part of teaching. Assessments are a good way for teachers to monitor students’ learning and understanding. Knowing students’ level of understanding can help teachers improve students’ learning and guide their instructions. In the future, I plan to continue assessing students in multiple ways such as, asking questions, illustrations and writing to adjust my instruction. I also plan to encourage students to assess their own work so they are involved in their own learning as well as look for ways to “employ technology to support assessment
Wolming, S., & Wikstrom, C. (2010). The concept of validity in theory and practice. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 17(2), 117-132. doi:10.1080/09695941003693856
McMillan, J. (2010). Classroom assessment: Principles and practice for effective standards-based instruction (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Assessments have always been a tool for teachers to assess mastery and for a long time it was just to provide a grade and enter it into the grade book or report card. Through resources in and out of the course, there has been a breath of new life into the research on how to use assessments. They take many forms and fall within the summative or formative assessment category. Sloan (2016) addresses how formative assessments has traditionally been used by teachers to modify instruction, but when we focus on a classroom that is learner-centered “it becomes assessment for learning as opposed to assessment of learning” (slide 4). The fact is, the students are the ones that should be and are the ones using the data we collect through assessments, since it is our way of providing feedback in order
Weeden, P., Winter, J. and Broadfoot, P. 2002. Assessment: What´s in it for schools? London: Routledge / Falmer.
Cauley, K.H. & McMillan, J.H. (2009). Formative assessment techniques to support student motivation and achievement. Clearing House, 83(1), 1-6.
In spite of the importance of assessment in education, few teachers receive proper training on how to design or analyze assessments. Due to this, when teachers are not provided with suitable assessments from their textbooks or instructional resources, teachers construct their own in an unsystematic manner. They create questions and essay prompts comparable to the ones that their teachers used, and they treat them as evaluations to administer when instructional activities are completed predominantly for allocating students' grades. In order to use assessments to improve instruction and student learning, teachers need to change their approach to assessments by making sure that they create sound assessments. To ensure that their assessments are sound they need include five basic indicators that can be used as steps to follow when creating assessments. The first of these indicators and the first step a teacher must take when creating a sound assessme...
Feedback is one form of assessment that teachers think will take long, however, if given orally to the students it allows them to correct what they are misunderstanding or doing wrong. Most teachers feel that feedback is meant to be written down but it is not necessary to do so. Oral feedback as well as written feedback can be very effective and beneficial for a student if done correctly. According to Leahy et al (2005), “To be effective, feedback needs to cause thinking. Grades don 't do that. Scores don 't do that. And comments like “Good job” don 't do that either. What does cause thinking is a comment that addresses what the student needs to do to improve…” (p. 22). I felt that this quote was very fitting to what I did in the classroom while walking around and checking up on the students. Instead of saying “good job” or “looks good,” I found myself watching bits and pieces of several
Through assessment students and teachers are able to determine the level of mastery a student has achieved with standards taught. Both formative and summative assessment should be purposeful and targeted to gain the most accurate data to drive further instruction (Ainsworth, 2010). While this syllabus does a good job of identifying the need for both formal and informal assessments, the way in which this is communicated does not provide enough detail for understanding. Simply listing assessment types does not give any insight into how these assessments fit in the learning process of this course. While some of the assessments mentioned could be common assessments chosen by the school or district to gain insight into the effectiveness of instruction, the inclusion of authentic assessments is most beneficial to students and demonstrates learning in a context closer to that of a work environment (Rovai, 2004). Unfortunately, this particular course, according to this syllabus, relies heavily on quizzes and traditional tests and essays to form the bulk of assessment opportunities. While other activities, such as formative assessments, journaling and discussions are mentioned as possible avenues for scoring, they are given a very low percentage of the overall grade. This shows that they are not valued for their ability to show progression and mastery. If this is indeed the case, this puts the students as a