Overview
This lecture explores the role of assessment in teaching and learning, focusing on its purposes, characteristics of effective assessment, and strategies to develop assessment-capable learners and teachers.
Purposes of Assessment
- Assessment is used to monitor student understanding and skill development over time.
- It informs and differentiates instruction to meet students' individual needs.
- Assessment provides evidence of learning and measures student performance against standards or rubrics.
- It helps identify students' strengths, areas for improvement, and assesses prior knowledge.
- Assessment data is used to communicate progress to stakeholders (students, parents, administrators).
Characteristics of Effective Assessment
- Effective assessment is ongoing, integral to teaching and learning, not a one-time event.
- It should be authentic, reflecting real-life tasks and situations.
- Assessments must be clear, specific, varied, developmental, collaborative, interactive, and constructive.
- Holistic assessment targets the whole child, including academic, character, and citizenship development.
Assessment-Capable Learners and Teachers
- Assessment-capable learners know their current level, learning goals, and how to close learning gaps.
- Learners use tools like rubrics, checklists, portfolios, and goal-setting for self-reflection.
- Visible thinking routines (e.g., KWHL charts, 3-2-1 Bridge) support self-assessment and reflection.
- Assessment-capable teachers use questioning, observe learning, empower students, and leverage the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) to guide learners.
- Teachers model reflective practice and scaffold tasks to match students' developmental needs.
Strategies to Develop Assessment Capability
- Use design thinking and performance tasks (e.g., GRASPS framework) to create authentic assessments.
- Implement developmental tools like competence ladders, blob trees, and the learning pit for student reflection.
- Combine rubrics with exemplars to clarify expectations and success criteria.
- Foster a culture of thinking routines and visible assessment tools in the classroom.
Building a Shared Assessment Culture
- Involve teachers in co-creating and revising assessment policies aligned with educational beliefs.
- Collaboratively reflect on assessment practices in regular meetings.
- Emphasize connections between prior knowledge and new learning for deeper understanding.
- Encourage parent and student involvement in the assessment process.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Assessment — Process of gathering data to monitor learning and inform instruction.
- Formative Assessment — Ongoing assessment to guide teaching during learning.
- Authentic Assessment — Evaluation through tasks mirroring real-world challenges.
- Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) — The gap between what a learner can do independently and with guidance.
- Visible Thinking Routines — Structured strategies to make thinking processes explicit.
- GRASPS — Framework for designing performance tasks: Goal, Role, Audience, Situation, Product, Standards.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Reflect on your use of assessment: Is it ongoing, authentic, and student-centered?
- Try out a new visible thinking routine or authentic assessment strategy in your classroom.
- Review and discuss your school’s assessment policy with colleagues.
- Register for upcoming sessions on creative and critical thinking if interested.