BEST PRACTICE IN ASSESSMENT
The cycle above is what I believe constitutes best practice in assessment to be, in terms of what and how of content and pedagogy. The cycle relies on a great deal of reflective practice on behalf of the teacher, in order to determine what is working, what isn’t, what could be better, and what should be scrapped completely. There are several different things that need to be thought about when determining best practice for assessment, because assessment is part of the learning cycle.
Assessment can be summed up into two separate types: formative and summative. Formative is the ongoing and developmental type, where assessment is carried out for the purpose of learning (Groundwater-Smith, Ewing & Le Cornu, 2007). This sort of assessment can be seen in the classroom as the over the shoulder observations, the quick questions to check for understanding, and the ‘Can you show me how this is done?’ statements to a classroom of students. In my opinion, formative assessment should be happening all the time in an effective classroom, in order to find out if the teaching strategies of the here and now are effective or not. Formative assessment takes place in the here and now, and on the spot. It is often unplanned and simply a spur of the moment ‘A-hah!’ in a teachers head.
Summative evaluation on the other hand, can be defined as assessment of learning (Groundwater-Smith, Ewing & Le Cornu, 2007). Summative evaluation takes place over a far longer time than formative assessment: A learning and teaching process is planned, implemented and then assessed, with the results used to plan further learning experiences. Summative evaluation gives a snapshot of one particular day or week in terms of the learning that took place.
In the current Australian climate of standardised national tests, and placing a value or meter of how good a school is by assigning a number, best practice in assessment is a hot topic. Both forms of assessment have their positives and negative points. One form is not enough to determine how well students are performing and developing; both must be used in conjunction if teaching and learning is to be effective. I believe strongly that summative evaluation is an extremely useful tool for planning education in a classroom if used wisely. However, I also believe that the emphasis in many classrooms now is simply on performing well in standardised tests, and that rich learning experiences are being lost because they cannot be assessed on an educational rubric.
Principles of the Curriculum Framework:
The current curriculum documents in Western Australia provide five principles for assessment in state schools (Curriculum Council, 1998). These principles are
- “ Valid: Assessment should provide valid information on the actual ideas, processes, products and values expected of students.
- Educative: Assessment should make a positive contribution to student learning.
- Explicit: Assessment criteria should be explicit so that the basis for judgement is clear and public.
- Fair: Assessment should be demonstrably fair to all students and not discriminate on grounds that are irrelevant to the achievement of the outcome.
- Comprehensive: Judgements on student progress should be based on multiple kinds and sources of evidence. “
o Curriculum Council, 1998, pp. 38-39
What I believe about Assessment:
Assessment allows teachers to know what a student knows, and what they still need to learn in order to develop. The practice of assessment in a classroom is like all other things in teaching should be: it must be respectful, fair, visible and harmonious. The use of both Formative and Summative assessment is crucial in order to get a realistic idea of what a student knows, and what they still need to learn. Assessment should inform future planning and teaching. Formative assessment is ongoing and provides in the moment information to the teacher. The planning, preparation and implementation of a summative assessment item should be done with the intention of allowing students to succeed.
References:
Curriculum Council (1998). Curriculum framework for kindergarten to year 12 education in Western Australia. Osborne Park: Curriculum Council.
Groundwater-Smith, S., Ewing, R. & Le Cornu, R. (2007). Teaching: Challenges and dilemmas. (3rd Ed.). South Melbourne: Thomson
