March 2007
What is assessment?
Assessment is the process of identifying, gathering and interpreting information about student's learning. 1
Quality Teaching and Assessment questions.
- What do you the students to learn?
- Why does that learning matter?
- What are you going to get the students to do or produce?
- How well do you expect them to do it?
- Ongoing assessment (assessment for learning). Evidence of student achievement exist in all the work of students, and teachers can gather that information.
- Assessment events (assessment of learning). Evidence of student achievement from planned assessment events involving a task and performance criteria.
Schools plan assessment tasks so that:
- students can demonstrate achievement for the relevant stage of learning.
- valid and reliable assessment strategies are used. 2.
Good assessment practice
- Is embedded in teaching and learning practice.
- Provides opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know and can do.
- Is inclusive of all learners.
- Is fair and valid.
- Uses assessment processes that are time efficient and manageable.
Includes:
- observations of student participation and engagement with learning.
- analysis of the 'work' of students.
- questioning, both formal and informal, of the student's understandings.
- results of assessment events.
Assessment is based on teacher expectations developed collaboratively from shared teacher judgments about:
- What students are to learn (an understanding of the syllabus standard for the stage).
- How well they learn it (generally understanding the performance standards represented by published Board of Studies work samples).
The reliability of teacher judgements is enhanced when teachers collaboratively develop a shared understanding of what constitutes student achievement in each of the stages.
Planned assessment in primary KLAs.
Involves:
- Teaching and learning programs with planned assessment opportunities based on the outcomes, skills and content of the syllabuses.
- Planned assessment tasks as 'snapshots' of student learning at that point in time.
- Assessment criteria for tasks.
For a planned assessment task the teacher develops criteria.
- Students should know the criteria.
- Teachers should apply the criteria consistently.
- Teachers should provide feedback to students against the criteria.
2. Getting the Balance Right; DET, 2005.
John Gore