What is assessment ?

1. What is assessment ? Assessment is the ongoing process of gathering, analysing and reflecting on evidence to make informed and consistent judgements to improve future student learning.

2. VELS advocates 3 types of assessment formative summative authentic

3. Formative assessment is a continuous and ongoing process, part of day to day teaching where teachers continually confirm or modify their activities and directions with their students.

4. The second form of assessment advocated in VELS is Summative – which is used at the end of a unit or semester to determine what each student has achieved and learnt.

5. The final type of assessment, Authentic, involving the application of knowledge and skills over time requires clear criteria of which students are aware and involved. “In relating assessment criteria to clearly developed learning expectations with a given task, students think carefully about what is being assessed and the kinds of evidence that would need to be provided to show their understanding.” VELS Assessment p3

6. Three purposes for assessment Assessment for learning occurs when teachers use inferences about student progress to inform their teaching. (formative) Assessmentaslearning occurs when students reflect on and monitor their progress to inform their future learning goals. (formative) Assessmentof learning occurs when teachers use evidence of student learning to make judgements on student achievement against goals and standards. (summative)

7. Assessment In pairs or small groups, brainstorm the assessment strategies used in your school/classroom.

8. Some strategies you may have listed Formative: Brainstorming Concept maps Know Want Learn How Pathfinders or search plans Graphic organizers Venn diagram PMI (De Bono) Notetaking Questioning

9. Summative: • Self assessment • Peer assessment Authentic: • Rubrics

10. Activity • Consider your brainstorm list of assessment strategies. • Can you now categorise these into the 3 purposes for assessment? (for,as, of)

11. Assessment for learning: • establishes a classroom culture that encourages interaction and the use of assessment tools • occurs throughout a learning sequence and is planned when teachers design teaching and learning activities • involves teachers sharing learning intentions and explicit assessment criteria with students • involves teachers and students setting and monitoring student progress against learning goals • requires teachers to ascertain students' prior knowledge, perceptions and misconceptions

12. Assessment for learning:(continued) • involves teachers focusing on how students learn and how to scaffold their learning • involves teachers adapting teaching practice to meet student needs • provides sensitive and constructive feedback to students on their performance • involves teachers making formative use of summative assessment

13. Activity In pairs or small groups, select two characteristics of Assessment forlearning and discuss how these may be demonstrated in your classroom.

14. Assessment oflearning: • enables students to demonstrate what they know and can do • describes the extent to which a student has achieved the learning goals, including the Standards • uses teacher judgements about student achievement at a point in time • is supported by examples or evidence of student learning • ensures consistent teacher judgements through moderation processes • is used to plan future learning goals

15. Activity • In pairs or small groups discuss the types of assessment oflearning used in your school. • How is the information/data from these used?

16. Authentic learning - Rubrics “..When given to students before they commence a unit of work, students are able to think about the criteria and goals they have to meet and how they can address these. Rubrics serve an important role in creating assessment that is student – centred and standards driven..” VELS

17. Assessment Rubrics Two Examples

19. Assessment of Thinking Strategies:- Use of Graphic organisers Science Level 3 Mary Smith 3. Has demonstrated the use of suitable thinking strategies, such as graphic organizers, to generate, analyse, and interpret evidence Jane Doe3. Has demonstrated the use of suitable thinking strategies, such as graphic organizers, to generate, analyse, and interpret evidence Jim Heinz 2. Has shown an understanding of the use of graphic organizers as a thinking strategy, to generate and analyse evidence.

20. Level 3: Science: Through use of Graphic Organisers