Educational assessment is the process of documenting

Educational assessment is the process of documenting, usually in measurable terms, knowledge, skills, attitudes, and beliefs. Assessment can focus on the individual learner, the learning community (class, workshop, or other organized group of learners), the institution, or the educational system as a whole (also known as granularity). The final purpose of assessment practices in education depends on theoretical framework of the practitioners and researchers, their assumptions and beliefs about the nature of human mind, the origin of knowledge, and the process of learning.

formative interim summati ve

Formative assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning. It does not contribute to the final mark given for the module; instead it contributes to learning through providing feedback. It should indicate what is good about a piece of work and why this is good; it should also indicate what is not so good and how the work could be improved. Effective formative feedback will affect what the student and the teacher does next. Examples: a very interactive class discussion; a warm-up, closure, or exit slip; a on-the-spot performance; a quiz.

Interim Assessment takes place occasionally throughout a larger time period. Feedback to the learner is still quick, but may not be immediate. Interim Assessments tend to be more formal, using tools such as projects, written assignments, and tests. The learner should be given the opportunity to redemonstrate his/her understanding once the feedback has been digested and acted upon. Interim Assessments can help teachers identify gaps in student understanding and instruction, and ideally teachers address these before moving on or by weaving remedies into upcoming instruction and activities. Examples: Chapter test; extended essay; a project scored with a rubric.

Summative Assessment takes place at the end of a large chunk of learning, with the results being primarily for the teacher's or school's use. Results may take time to be returned to the student/parent, feedback to the student is usually very limited, and the student usually has no opportunity to be reassessed. Thus, Summative Assessment tends to have the least impact on improving an individual student's understanding or performance. Students/parents can use the results of Summative Assessments to see where the student's performance lies compared to either a standard (MEAP/MME) or to a group of students (usually a grade-level group, such as all 6 th graders nationally, such as Iowa Tests or ACT). Teachers/schools can use these assessments to identify strengths and weaknesses of curriculum and instruction, with improvements affecting the next year's/term's students. Examples: Standardized testing (MEAP, MME, ACT, Work. Keys, Terra Nova, etc. ); Final exams; Major cumulative projects, research projects, and performances.

Using assignments to reinforce, but not replace, classroom teaching Assessing student response to ensure that each lesson is effective Establishing and enforcing an equitable discipline policy Adapting lessons and rules to accommodate individual student needs Setting challenging goals for achievement If you find yourself making any mistakes in the classroom, often simply being aware of the mistake or enlisting the help of another experienced teacher is all that is needed to rectify things

ASSESSING WHAT CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED

With thanks to Nisha A http: //www. flickr. com/photos/samiksha/3870266161

ASSESSING WHAT CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED What is assessment? What are the differences between testing, assessment, and evaluation? What can we assess?

ASSESSING WHAT CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED How can we carry out assessment? Why do we assess children’s learning? What are the principles and characteristics of ‘good’ assessment for YLs?

WHAT IS ASSESSMENT? How we measure the performance of our YLs and the progress that they make (after Harris and Mc Cann 1994: 2) Learning to see (Drummond 2003) A way of providing feedback on teaching and learning (Moon 2000)

TESTING AND EVALUATION Test One tool (and one tool only!) for assessing performance or progress Evaluation A consideration of all the factors that influence the learning process (e. g. the syllabus objectives, course design, coursebook, methodology used, assessment)

WHAT CAN WE ASSESS? Skills Language Non-linguistic aspects

HOW CAN WE CARRY OUT ASSESSMENT? Testing Asking Observing Collecting samples of children’s work

TYPES OF ASSESSMENT Formal assessment Informal assessment (also known as Continuous or Ongoing assessment or Classroom–based assessment)

TYPES OF ASSESSMENT Alternative assessment Self assessment Peer assessment Portfolio assessment NB: Summative and formative assessment

WHY ASSESS CHILDREN’S LEARNING? to find out about progress achievement strengths/weaknesses likes/dislikes + why whether you have achieved your teaching objectives

THREE PRINCIPLES OF ‘GOOD’ ASSESSMENT Practicality Reliability Validity

PRACTICALITY Materials? Preparation?

RELIABILITY The assessment results would be the same if the assessment happened at another time under the same conditions, and with the same learner performance

VALIDITY Assessing what you intend to assess NB The more valid an assessment is, often the less reliable it is!

‘GOOD’ YOUNG LEARNER ASSESSMENT SHOULD: include info from different sources (e. g. not only tests, or only observation) focus on a child’s potential to learn with support, not only their ability to perform alone not usually be a solitary experience for the child

‘GOOD’ YOUNG LEARNER ASSESSMENT SHOULD: reflect normal classroom activities be integrated into normal teaching and learning where possible so that it benefits the child provide support for the child (from pictures, examples, classmates, the teacher)

‘GOOD’ YOUNG LEARNER ASSESSMENT SHOULD: give the child a chance to develop nonlinguistic skills as well as linguistic skills where possible come from a variety of sources i. e. formal, informal and alternative assessment

SUMMARY Children are still developing as people and information from different sources may help us to see a more complete picture of the child’s learning Assessment should focus as much on what children can do with support as what they can already do without it. Assessment involves compromises