Assessment for Learning

1. Assessment for Learning Practical ideas to use in your classroom every day.

2. Assessment of learning is the summative assessment we use to evaluate students against a benchmark or standard which will probably be published in a report card.

3. What is assessment for learning? Assessment for learning is formative assessment. • Activities are not used for formal evaluation of student achievement • It is used to determine what a student knows, understands and is able to do • Is used by both the teacher and student to evaluate learning and achieve goals adapted from http://www.assessmentforlearning.edu.au/professional_learning/intro_to_afl/introduction_key_questions.html

4. Assessment for Learning is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go and how best to get there. Assessment Reform Group (UK 2002)

5. Effective strategies • Strategic use of questioning • Self and Peer Assessment • Formative use of summative assessment

6. 1. Strategic questioning • Plan questions ahead of time; it should be a deliberate activity • Use open questions e.g. Tell me about.., What do you think might happen…, Where might we use… Why? • Only used closed questions for comprehension and knowledge based recall • Pose one question at a time • The teacher's positive response to both good and wrong answers is essential.

7. Dealing with incorrect answers • Teacher rephrases: “Let me put it another way…” 2. A request for clarification: “What do you mean when you say….” 3. A request for specific examples “How would this work?” “Can you give me an example of this? 4. A request for rephrasing “Can you put it another way?”

8. To increase student participation in questioning: • Allow them a couple of minutes to think and write down an idea first (hands down) • Work with a partner (mini-whiteboards, loose paper) • Give a few possible answers that students can choose from • Write some key words on the board that they should aim to use in their answers.

9. 2. Self and peer assessment • 2 stars and a wish • Traffic lights (written & oral) • Plus, minus, what’s next? • Using a model/exemplar (or part of a model to avoid copying) – evaluate and discuss it • Checklists/rubrics (to be used during drafting, before handing draft in)

11. 3. Formative use of summative assessment • Using class tests: • At the start of the unit to guide the rest of the unit • Midway through a unit to reveal gaps in understanding and can give feedback to students • Students write questions for the test

12. After the test: Before returning the papers, go through the difficult questions with the class. When they receive their paper back, they will understand their errors better. • Identify 10 toughest questions and have students discuss in pairs before giving back the papers.

13. Using assignments/projects: - Ensure students are familiar with task requirements and criteria. They should be able to explain in their own words what they have to do, and what they have to prove. - Before returning the piece (or immediately after handing it in) students should write their own “comment” on how they think they went. This can also be done at report card time. Students should then set goals for improvement.

14. -Use anonymous examples from the class to discuss before returning assignments/projects OR use examples from the previous cohort.