Assessment as Learning in the English Classroom

1. Assessment as Learning in the English Classroom By Karen Hamilton

2. To Review: Assessment of Learning • It is used to provide judgements about placement, promotion, credentials, etc. • Places a strong influence on ranking and comparing students • Its purpose is summative – after learning • It is used for standardized tests, such as the Literacy test • Key Assessor: the teacher (Earl, Assessment as Learning, 22-26)

3. To Review: Assessment for Learning • It is formative - completed throughout or during the learning process • Provides information for teachers’ instructional decisions (lesson-plans, DI, and scaffolds) • It is interactive with teachers providing assistance and feedback to students • Key Assessor: the teacher (Earl, Assessment as Learning, 22-26)

4. To Review: Assessment as Learning • Includes self-monitoring and self-correction or adjustment by students • Actively engages students in the learning process • Encourages critical thinking skills and metacognition • Teaches students to become independent learners • Key Assessor: the Student as his/her own assessor (Earl, Assessment as Learning, 22-26)

5. To measure or to learn; that is the question.-broadfoot (1996) How do we support Assessment AS Learning in the English Classroom?

6. One Effective Strategy: Portfolios “Through portfolios, students have a voice—they know their work and they know how to talk about it . . .Portfolios give students ‘power over their own learning’” - Beth Hebert, principal of a secondary school (www.ascd.org)

7. What is a Portfolio? • It is a limited collection of a student’s work either used to present the student’s best work(s) or to demonstrate the student’s educational growth over a given time • A portfolio is neither a scrapbook nor a ‘dumping ground’ for all of the student’s accomplishments • Items included in a portfolio are carefully and deliberately selected so the collection as a whole accomplishes its purpose (Nitko, Educational Assessment of Students, 288)

8. Main purposes for portfolios (Nitko 249) • To present one’s best work (assessment purposes) • To demonstrate educational growth (assessment) • To showcase student work with student selection of favourite work (with reasons and explanation!) • To provide commentary and documentation for a long-term project / culminating assignment or task (a Processfolio) • To demonstrate the composite achievement of a group of students (culminating assignment or task)

9. 3 Main Components to a Portfolio (Nitko 288) • It must include authentic work that reflects subject skills • An English portfolio should involve writing, editing, different text formats, and various styles of writing • It must record conceptual development with student explanation of work • The portfolio should show progression and a thought-process • It must be a reflective activity in which contents are discussed to show understanding • Have conferences and provide opportunities to showcase work

10. What to avoid!(Nitko 290) • Cookie-cutter portfolios – you do not want everyone’s portfolio to look the same; authentic learning is dynamic and individual so be flexible and provide choices • Teacher-generated portfolio prompts – they limit students’ ability to write for different purposes or for different audiences • Content-limited portfolios – do not stifle creativity; allow students to try new things and different formats of writing, reflection, and presentation • Differentiated Instruction / Multiple Intelligences

11. (DeFina, Portfolio Assessment, 39)

12. What is the main goal of Assessment and Evaluation? To improve student learning!

13. How do we introduce Portfolios? • Question: how do we encourage students to become self-motivated problem-solvers, critical thinkers, lifelong learners?

14. Start Early, Model Strategies, and Scaffold • Model your own thinking for students; make your own journal and portfolios with your students (be part of the process!) • Help students in grades nine and ten learn how to express and organize their thoughts and ideas • Think-Alouds • graphic organizers • bookmarks • web / spider maps • other reading strategies suggested by Beers! • Encourage students to reflect upon work and monitor learning at different stages of work completion • before, during, and after work completion • use Processfolios, journals, and writing diaries (Earl, Assessment as Learning, 101-102 and www.ascd.org)

15. Start Early, Model Strategies, and Scaffold • Provide clear expectations, guidance, and feedback throughout the grades and streams • use exemplars of best work • have frequent conferences to monitor learning • allow students to defend selections; they will do a great job! • Share decisions with students – test/assignment construction • Include parents and peers as allies and “co-conspirators” in the learning process (Earl, Assessment as Learning, 101-102 and www.ascd.org)

16. Other things you can do with Technology! • Create a webpage, such as a blog or Wiki to post assignments, PowerPoints, resources, and exemplars – it will be useful for scaffolding, posting templates, and for students to refer to as a resource • Use your webpage as your own electronic portfolio for students to see your work • Encourage students to post their work to share with peers and parents (it’s also a neat way for you to collect exemplars and samples of students’ work)

17. “We have much to gain by admitting students to the ‘secret garden’ of assessment to empower them to direct and manage their own learning” -Broadfoot (2002 quoted in Assessment as Learning 107) Portfolios are collaborative; your teaching strategies and classroom dynamics should reflect and emphasize teamwork

18. Portfolios engage students in Active andAuthentic learningby connecting knowledge and experience to curriculum They will become independent learners with better self-esteem, confidence, and overall pride in their work. They will also improve learning skills such as time management

19. “We must constantly remind ourselves that the ultimate purpose of evaluation is to enable students to evaluate themselves. . .We need to shift part of this responsibility to the students. Fostering students’ ability to direct and redirect themselves must be a major goal – or what is education for?” - Costa (1989 quoted in Assessment as Learning 102)

20. Now, some Practical Information and Application to avoid the education vortex. . .

21. Information on the Wiki! • This PowerPoint! • Information on a Processfolio • Samples of graphic organizers: • A Book Report (useful for grade nines to help them organize their thinking) • A Portfolio Organizer for keeping track of completed assignments (includes reflections and guiding questions for reflections) • Making Connections (Text to Self / Text / World – very helpful for making texts relevant to students)

22. Information on the Wiki! • Samples of culminating assignments that reflect Assessment AS Learning philosophies: • ENG 1P Culminating Portfolio and Reflection • ENG 3U/C Quotation Journal Performance Exam • EWC 4U Portfolio Assessment • EWC 4U Self-Selected Writing Tasks

23. Assignments on the Wiki: • They show a progression from grade 9 to grade 12 • Emphasis placed on organization for early grades • Emphasis placed on self-directed tasks and learning with older grades (more responsibility) • They scaffold students towards self-directed learning • Use assignments and AAL to turn novice readers and writers into independent readers and writers • Please use and modify the assignments for your own teaching