Secondary_Education_Assessment

Introduction Assessment involves gathering information and making judgements about pupils’ learning and as a teacher this can be done both formally and informally. Assessment has different forms and purposes and such tests as the Key Stage SATs and GCSEs are called summative assessment and usually takes place at the end of a school year or key stage. These are assessments ‘of’ learning, and have well-established grading and reporting procedures linked to them. The results of summative testing inform not only teachers but parents, members of the senior leadership team, governors, the local authority and government. This form of assessment contributes to monitoring standards. This assignment will be focusing more on assessment ‘for’ learning or formative assessment in the classroom and whether this together with constructive feedback has an impact on standards and levels of attainment. Formative assessment of individual children is made to ascertain the degree to which learning objectives have been met and future teaching can then be tailored to the learning needs of each child. Methods and techniques of assessment will be explored and their success will be analysed and evaluated based on my own findings and observations, practise of experienced teachers and academic discussion. Assessment- Definitions, functions and policy. In order to analyse the impact of assessment it is important to have a clear definition of it and it is also important to be clear about what function it has in teaching and learning. Susan Davies defines assessment as ‘the teacher making a judgement about what learning has occurred’. She also claims that all assessment should involve feedback which ‘can be oral or written but it should help a pupil to progress’[1]. There is a lot of literature and research on different methods or forms of assessment and assessment success, but what is clear is that ‘delivering a lesson is only 50% of teaching. To be most effective good teachers assess pupils work on a regular basis’[2]. Carol Adams (2004) writes ‘We expect assessment to fulfil two different purposes: the first is to help pupils learn more effectively, which requires an approach geared to the individual; the second is to measure and compare pupils' scores and aggregate them for league tables’[3]. With this in mind it is right to say that assessment, when carried out appropriately has an important function to fulfil not just for teachers to understand how the pupil is doing but for the pupil themselves. According to Andrea Raiker (2007) ‘Assessment in the classroom has several functions: • It enables each child to learn more effectively because s/he is given feedback that is targeted on individual needs and is meaningful. • It enables the teacher to teach more effectively because focussed information is produced on each child. • Those that need extra support are identified as well as those that need more challenging work. • School leadership teams will have evidence on which to base targets aimed at whole school improvement. • Government, both local and national, will be able to assess the performance of individual schools and identify where the best of good practice is to be found. This practice can then be disseminated with the aim of increasing overall school improvement’. The first three of Raiker’s functions claim that if assessment is done effectively then it should then lead to the raising of standards and pupils attainment and in order to do that a teacher can first look at the schools assessment policy. As a trainee teacher it was advised through senior mentor meetings that I familiarise myself with the whole school assessment policy (appendix 1.1). A schools assessment policy usually covers aspects of assessment such as marking, setting of examinations, reporting procedures and how pupil’s progress is tracked. One of the whole school assessment policy’s aims is to try to ensure a consistent approach to assessment. However within Birchgrove Comprehensive each subject also had its own assessment and marking procedure and so it can be questioned how consistent this approach was e.g. Religious Education department giving national curriculum levels for end of unit tests and modern foreign languages giving grades at key stage 3 (appendix 1.2). Pupils at x Comprehensive are given the schools assessment policy in their home school planners which their parents are asked to read with their children. By the pupils and parents reading the policy and signing up to policy there is an agreement that children will participate in assessment and parent will support it. Within x's whole school assessment policy it’s written ‘assessment as a regular element in classroom work holds the key to better learning. There will be assessment FOR learning as well as assessment OF learning’ (appendix 1.1). It is the distinction between these two types of assessment that I will now go on to define. Distinction between assessment of learning and assessment for learning. This analysis of the impact of classroom assessment on learning needs a clear distinction to be made between ‘assessment of learning for the purpose of grading and reporting, which has its own well established procedures, and assessment for learning which calls for different priorities, new procedures and new commitment (Assessment Reform group 1999). Assessment of learning / Summative Assessment Assessment of learning is known as summative assessment which is defined as ‘where a statement or report is prepared which consists of a summary of a pupil’s level of achievement at the end of a unit’[4]. An example of this could be an annual report and it is a statutory obligation of all schools to provide one full report on a pupil’s progress in one academic year (appendix 2.3) and it is also common for interim progress to be reported on in a parents evening. This information is used as a way of informing pupils and their parents of their progress and summarises how much information a pupil has successfully learned. Freeman and Lewis (1998) comment that summative assessment can count towards, or constitute, a final grade or qualification[5]. Note that Freeman and Lewis use the phrase ‘count towards’ as such assessment does not necessarily occur only at the end of a school year or course. It is defined by its purpose rather than its timing. Within the RE Departments at both x Comprehensive School and x Comprehensive School there were assessment tasks at the end of each module of work at key stage 3. They were to be completed under test conditions and the teacher marked them, and the pupils marks were recorded (appendix 2.1). Also at the end of the summer term pupils will sit a short exam for each subject where they will get a grade. These marks were then talked about at parents evenings, used when filling out the pupil monitoring forms (appendix 2.2) issued to pupils parents shortly after the first term of school and used when completing pupils end of year reports (appendix 2.3) At key stage 4 summative assessments were in the form of GCSE examinations and at key stage 5 in the form of A levels. These test pupils of their knowledge and understanding of a subject. The results of these examinations will then give the pupil, the school or college a chance to evaluate how well they performed. However the results will give no indication of how pupils could have improved, where they went wrong, or where they excelled. Lambert (2005) thought summative assessment was ‘associated closely with beurocratic purpose, serving the needs of the system as a whole, the administration and the politicians’[6]. For most summative assessmenting Lambert is right, as the audience is often wider and more public than that of formative assessment (assessment for learning), which is mainly for students and their tutors and so summative assessment is lacking in detail and often is brief. Assessment for learning / Formative assessment. As explained, assessment for learning is different to assessment of learning and the Assessment Reform Group (2002) defines assessment for learning as: ‘..... the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go and how best to get there’. Assessment for learning is also known as formative assessment and this type of assessment emphasises the ways in which teachers interpret ‘observations in qualitative ways with reference to criteria and the students’ own previous performance’ [7]. In a Welsh Assembly document, assessment for learning is described as in essence ‘finding out where a learner is (A), knowing and making explicit where the learner needs to get to (B) and most importantly showing the learner how to get there. A ( B It is essential that the learner takes action in order to reach B[8]. Formative assessment is usually provided throughout and during the school year rather than at the end and is a diagnostic form of assessment as it seeks to discover both strengths and weaknesses. The purpose of formative assessment is to raise achievement but children need to know how to do this and based on how successful children are in doing this will determine if it does raise pupils’ achievements and standards. It is now recognised by government that children construct their own learning. Therefore they need to be included in the assessment of their learning and take ownership for it. If children understand what it is they are learning, and how far along that learning journey they have travelled, with help from their teachers they will be able to complete the journey[9]. There is a significant amount of literature about assessment for learning and formative assessment which not only illustrates the benefits of this form of assessment to the teacher and for the pupils but also describes types of methods used and details successful research in the field of assessment using these formative assessment methods. Evidence Two large research projects that have been carried out investigating the impact of assessment for learning on standards are the Assessment for learning 8 schools project (2005-2006) and Black and Wiliam’s (1998) extensive literature review. The 8 schools project was a national action research project which sought to identify what helps pupils develop as motivated and effective learners and how assessment for learning can be successfully developed whole school (through professional dialogue and collaborative working with teachers, school leaders and LAs). The project yielded evidence that assessment for learning improves pupil progress over the short and medium term and impacts on standards in the longer term. An example of the medium term impact was on a group of pupils who between the start of Year 8 and the end of Year 9 had all been involved in assessment for learning strategies and it was found they had made progress of at least one national curriculum level and the majority of the class progressed by two levels[10]. Evidence similar to this was also found by Black and Wiliam whose review of 250 studies written over a 9 year period found that assessment for learning would have an impact on performances of students. In their study Black and Wiliam asked three questions: • Is there evidence that improving formative assessment raises standards' • Is there evidence that there is room for improvement' • Is there evidence about how to improve formative assessment' Black and Wiliam’s article, published in the journal “Assessment in Education”, proved without a shadow of doubt that, when carried out effectively, informal classroom assessment with constructive feedback to the student will raise levels of attainment. Research found the scale of the effect would be the equivalent of between one and two grades at GCSE for an individual and they also found evidence that the gain was likely to be even more substantial for lower-achieving pupils. This study along with that Lee and Harrison’s (2004) study also showed that by strengthening the practice of formative assessment and improving it there could be substantial learning gains and tangible benefits can be produced. The Assessment Reform Group (2002) claim that for assessment for learning to be successful in raising standards and levels of attainment it must be based upon ten principles which were derived from research by Black and William . These principles can be used by teachers in order to improve formative assessment. The ten principles are: • Formative assessment is part of effective planning. Planning, including assessment, should be focused on learning objectives but should not be rigid. There should be opportunities for emerging ideas and skills to be fostered and assessed. How pupils and teachers are to assess learning should be fully integrated into lesson planning. • Formative assessment should focus on how children learn. Pupils should be encouraged to understand that how they learn is as important as what they learn. • Formative assessment is central to classroom practice. Teachers should become aware that much of what they do is assessment. Activities, observation and questioning are all directed towards providing information on which teachers can make informed judgements about the learning that is taking place. • Formative is a key professional skill. The analysis and interpretation of verbal and visual information and the feeding back of resulting judgements are research techniques. Opportunities must be given to trainees and teachers to develop these important skills. • Formative assessment recognises the emotional aspect of learning. Feedback, whether marks, grades or comments can result in feelings of confusion, anxiety, guilt and failure that will affect a child’s confidence and enthusiasm. Therefore teachers should devise means of giving constructive and sensitive feedback wherever possible. • Formative assessment recognises the importance of motivation. The research by the Assessment Reform Group on which formative assessment is based demonstrated that children’s motivation was raised when they felt in control of their learning and could choose how to improve their work. Assessment methods should embrace children’s enthusiasm for learning and need for autonomy by promoting progress and achievement rather than failure. • Formative assessment recognises the importance of shared understanding of goals. If one does not know where one is going, how does one know how to get there and when one has arrived' Understanding and commitment to learning occurs when children and teachers have goals that are mutually understood, a way to achieving them has been mutually understood and clear criteria of success in achieving the goals is mutually understood. • Formative assessment recognises that learners need to know how to improve. Teachers should give children direction in how to build on their strengths and address their area for development, and provide opportunities for them to do so. • Formative assessment develops children’s capacity to self-assess. This is an essential life skill. As adults we are independent learners of knowledge, skills and understanding. Children must be given the opportunity and guidance to reflect on their work and develop skills of self-assessment to move from being dependent to independent learners. • Formative assessment acknowledges the range of possible achievements. Achievement in all areas of education, within school and outside, should be recognised and celebrated. By adopting these principles it is stated that assessment ‘is one of the most powerful educational tools for promoting effective learning’[11]. Assessment must be used in the right way and by simply increasing the amount of testing will not enhance learning. Instead the focus needs to be on helping teachers use assessment, as part of teaching and learning, in ways that will raise pupils’ achievement. My experiences and findings Before starting my second teaching practise in x Comprehensive School I was given the Religious Education departmental handbook and was asked to read it before I started teaching. Detailed in this was the department’s guidance towards ‘reporting, recording and assessment (appendix 1.3)’. This tells all new staff and students how to appropriately complete monitoring and reports and where we are able to find date deadlines for these summative reports. I was told that I was free to gather information in my mark book not just for levels of attainment for end of topic tests but I was also told to try and observe things like effort for certain lessons which perhaps had homework involved or presentation work or marks for presentation. With regards to formative marking it was departmental policy that at key stage 3 all exercise books should be marked regularly, given a comment and targets should be set which identify strengths and suggest how the work can be improved and developed. At key stage 4 the teacher is advised to mark the books at the end of each topic, should be given a grade equivalent to that of a GCSE grade, comments should be given and targets set. During my last 8 weeks at x I marked all of my key stage 3 classes’ books regularly and recorded end of unit assessment levels in my mark book. I decided to track one year 8 class and one year 9 class during my time there and I have attempted to discover if assessment for learning and its feedback did demonstrate any improvements for pupils, however it must be recognized that a cause and effect relationship cannot be derived from this small scale research as the time over which the relationship is tested is not sufficient. The first year 8 class I taught undertook an end of unit assessment called ‘Did Jesus save the world'’ This was taught by their original teacher and they were assessed on their ability to use and explain religious symbols and religious terms through a creative artistic way. They were also assessed on giving their own opinion about the topic studied (appendix 3.1). Pupils knew the attainment level awarded for the last assessment and they were encouraged by the teacher to consider how they could improve on that level taking into account the target the teacher had set them in their last assessment. After I had marked the assessment I completed a levelling report (appendix 3.2) which informed pupils of what they had achieved. It was found that 6 pupils out of 25 had improved their attainment level, 15 pupils had remained at the same level and 4 pupils had performed worse (appendix 3.3). Like the research by Assessment Reform Group I felt that the 24% of pupils who improved could have been a result of the children’s motivation and how it was raised as they felt in control of their learning. What I went further into finding out was would the average attainment improve if the pupil took an active role in finding out how they could improve on their attainment level. In the case detailed above the pupils were asked to read their last attainment level and the target set and written by the teacher but in this case I asked pupils to read the attainment level set and then it was their job to fill in the bottom half of the levelling report (appendix 3.3). Pupils were given time to read what they had achieved and were being asked to investigate for themselves how they could improve. Results from the next year 8 assessment task (assessment 3) where pupils were asked to go back to their last assessment levelling report and read what they had written about improving and to think about how they can now achieve the higher level on their next task were as follows: 8 pupils out of 25 had improved their attainment level, 12 pupils remained at the same level and 2 pupils had performed worse. From these results it was found that when a teacher marks and sets the target 24 % of pupils improve their level but when a teacher marks the work but a pupil sets his/her target 28% improve their level next time. From this study you can see that when a pupil is given a chance to take an active role understanding how they can improve their performance an average of 4% improve compared to when they passively read their targets. There were similar results for a year 9 class. When pupils were asked to just read levels awarded, comments and targets there was a 15% improvement but when pupils were asked to read my comment and then set their own target 55% of pupils improved their national curriculum level (appendix 3.4) This demonstrates that children’s motivation was raised when they felt in control of their learning and could choose how to improve their work and this led to a number of children improving standards and increasing attainment. Another way I trialled formative assessment with constructive feedback is through a code marking task. I marked a set of year 8 books half way through a topic and instead of writing a detailed comment and target I wrote a one or two codes which corresponded to a comment/target (appendix 3.5). Pupils were given back their exercise books and asked to find the code that they had been given. They then had to write the comment into their exercise books. I found pupils enjoyed doing this and what I expected to be a two minute exercise lasted slightly longer due to pupils comparing comments, discussing why they were given certain comments, asking me to explain which pieces of work they could have improved on etc (appendix 3.6). Even though this method of marking can be thought of impersonal, I found it worked well and though I wouldn’t use it all the time I would use it again in future as I’m sure pupils took a more active role in understanding what targets had been set and why comments were given rather than quickly reading what was written which I found to be the case at other times. One of the Assessment Reform Group’s principles of formative assessment, listed earlier was that learners need to know how to improve. This method of feedback gave children direction in how to build on their strengths and address their areas for development. The two weeks subsequent to this marking procedure I did notice a one or two improvements especially with regards to presentation where pupils had gone back to previous work and corrected it, copied up work missing etc (appendix 3.7) however I think I would need to run this marking type over a longer period of time in order to find out if it significantly raised pupils standards and levels of attainment. What I did learn from my two teaching practises is that when marking pupils work errors should be looked on in a positive manner giving the children areas to focus on for improvement and children must be given time to read comments. The assessment reform group wrote that feedback should be constructive and sensitive as it can result in feelings of confusion, anxiety, guilt and failure that will affect a child’s confidence and enthusiasm and as an observer I realised that time should also be given for children to respond to comments made, and for improving work based on suggestions / targets given through feedback. The marking procedure also provides a formative assessment record and should be used to inform my planning as a teacher (appendix 4.1) which in turn would lead to more successful teaching strategies and would allow me to see what pupils needed differentiated work etc. Christine Gilbert, the chief inspector of schools, said in her last annual report: “Assessment remains, overall, the weakest aspect of teaching. Many teachers still struggle to use the information from assessment to plan work that is well matched to pupils’ needs.”[12] Learning tools/strategies A range of assessment for learning strategies or ‘Learning Tools’ can be used to help in process of assessment for learning. This range of tools, adopted by teachers and learners, can help to gain an understanding of what has been achieved and what next steps will be needed to take learning forward.[13] At both Pentrehafod Comprehensive school and Birchgrove Comprehensive School these learning strategies were being planned to be used by a number of the teachers and pupils seemed to know how to use them. Assessment is not just about conventional marking of work and tests: it can go beyond that into the informal judgments which teachers make automatically about their pupils’ understanding when they talk to the class during lessons. Adams (2004) article writes ‘assessment for learning is being promoted nationally and needs to focus on developing pupils' capacity for self and peer assessment. It must also emphasize that different pupils need different learning approaches’. Deciding on whether to undertake informal or formal assessment will depend on the subject being taught, resources available, and even individual pupils personalities in the class. In Birchgrove Comprehensive School student teachers were given a senior mentoring session about methods of ‘assessment’ and we were given examples of strategies that could be employed when undertaking assessment for learning. Some of these strategies included sharing learning goals and objectives with pupils, involving pupils in self assessment and peer assessment and quality of questioning (appendix 1.4). I will go through my experiences of these three formative assessment strategies and along with literature and my personal appraisal of the views of colleagues I will discuss whether these strategies can improve pupil’s levels of attainment or raise standards. • Learning objectives/goals shared The importance of informing children of the learning objectives behind the work they have been asked to do is a recurring theme in the studies reviewed by Black and William. In addition there is strong advice that learning intentions should be made clear (Torrance and Pryor) for every task (Clarke). ‘Learning objectives in lessons are important because they help secure progress towards the medium and longer term objectives; they support planning and help focus the teaching on what pupils need to learn; they help pupils see the point of individual lessons.’ [14] Shirley Clarke, an educational consultant, helped to popularise the terms Wilf (“what I’m looking for”), Walt (“we are learning to …”) and Oli (“our learning intention is …”) after they were coined by teachers on one of her courses and in the Birchgrove assessment handbook these terms are given as practical ideas to use (appendix 1.4). At the start of a lot of my lessons I displayed the learning objectives, went through them with the class to ensure they were clear and often got the class to copy them into their exercise books so they could go back to them when they wanted to look at what we had done in each lesson or when they needed to go back through work to revise for end of topic tests (appendix 3.8). I did feel that when the learning objectives were communicated with pupils there seemed to be a slightly better structure to the lesson and pupils had some sort of direction to their learning and what they needed to achieve. In the 8 schools research project some of the quotes from pupils who were clear about what they are trying to learn in lessons and why were ‘When I revise I go straight to the learning objectives and know where to look to revise rather than having to go through loads and loads of pages.’ And ‘They put learning objectives on the board and explain them – I understand more so I can do it. It makes you learn more. I learn what to do before I start… I feel more in control.’[15] I did use the ‘walt’ and ‘wilf’ terms a few times however I saw no obvious difference in how successful pupils were, in terms of what they learnt or how they learnt it, whether I used these acronyms or simply displayed the objectives in point form on the board. Clarke now thinks Wilfs and similar acronyms should be scrapped. “The more high-profile AfL becomes, the more it gets misinterpreted,” she said. “It is about improving children’s learning, not just a quick fix.” In the 8 schools project report it was found that the sharing of learning objectives in lessons was successful in terms of ‘happening’ in all lessons but was often a surface response to implementing an agreed whole school policy. The assessment for learning principles and purpose underpinning the approach were not always understood or ‘believed in’ by teachers and, where this was the case, did not inform the teaching and learning throughout the lesson (sometimes the ‘routine’ had a negative impact on engagement). ‘Objective led lessons operate on a range of different levels from the basic surface response to policy (‘the objectives are on the board’) to teachers continually developing and refining their understanding of progression in the subject and helping pupils use success criteria as independent learners.’[16] Research has shown that pupils’ attainment increases when they know what they are learning and how best they can achieve those goals using success criteria. I found this to be the case in an assessment that two of my year 7 classes carried out. One class (7.6) was given a copy of the assessment criteria in pupil friendly language which they could keep whilst completing the task and the other class (7.3) were just told verbally how to complete the task. Looking at the results (appendix 3.9) between the two mixed ability classes’ pupils those who I had shared the assessment criteria with achieved slightly better national curriculum levels on average than the class who had not had the assessment criteria to look at. One of the assessment reform groups basic principles was the understanding and commitment to learning occurring when children and teachers have goals that are mutually understood and like in the in the 8 school project research I witnessed that where I were clear about the intended learning outcome(s) and the success criteria (even when these were not shared with pupils) the impact on the structure of lessons, on the quality and challenge of teacher questioning and on the clarity of their feedback was very positive. ‘Where teachers explicitly explored the success criteria for the intended learning outcomes early on in the lesson there was a significant impact on: the proportion of the class that made measurable progress by the end of the lesson; the pace of the learning and quality of the pupil outcomes; the ability of the pupils to progress more independently; the quality and focus of the whole class and group dialogue; the engagement and motivation of pupils’.[17] • Self assessment and Peer assessment The Department for children, schools and families defines peer and self assessment as ‘much more than children marking their own or each other's work. To improve learning, it must be an activity that engages children with the quality of their work and helps them reflect on how to improve it’[18]. Both peer and self assessment can be used to help pupils understand the processes involved in assessment teachers carry out. The idea behind peer and self assessment is that by giving pupils this insight into assessment it should help them to produce better work or achieve more in the future. Peer assessment is assessment of students by other students and can be both formative and summative. It is one form of innovative assessment (Mowl, 1996, McDowell and Mowl, 1996), which aims to improve the quality of learning and empower learners, where traditional forms can by-pass learners' needs. It can include student involvement not only in the final judgments made of student work but also in the prior setting of criteria and the selection of evidence of achievement (Biggs, 1999, Brown, Rust and Gibbs, 1994). I observed a peer assessment activity carried out by a colleague, Miss X, with a group of year 9 pupils during my first week at Birchgrove Comprehensive School (appendix 5.1). In this assessment, where peers marked each other’s work, Miss X stressed the importance of making sure that pupils knew the expected outcomes and to ensure that the criteria were understood in more detail prior to using it in a peer assessment context. When pupils were asked they said this assessment method helped them be clear on what to aim for and that it helped them see the gaps in friend’s work which helped them understand where they could improve. From this activity pupils could see what success looked like and became increasingly able to verbalise the features of a good piece of work. My subject mentor at Birchgrove Comprehensive, Mrs. C Hodgins, suggested I try to put together a peer assessment to assess how much of the information pupils retained from previous lessons and how good pupils were at being able to carry out their own research when given appropriate resources. I put together a peer assessment test where all pupils were to guess whether the statements on the worksheets were true or false (appendix 5.2). Once this part was complete they swapped papers with their peers and they all had to go through their exercise books to find out whether their peers answers were correct or not and mark them accordingly. If pupils had any incorrect they then had to write down the statement so it was correct. This peer assessment, I feel, promoted independent learning as it allowed pupils to research the answers not only using their own written work but also other resources like the text books available, discussion with myself and also looking at classroom wall displays. I was able to assess how well pupils are able to work independently and I was able to note ways in which certain pupils can possibly improve when completing task like this. I observed pupils developing skills which could undoubtedly help them improve their knowledge in any subject in the future and by pupils understanding how to do this could raise pupils’ achievements and standards. Self and peer-assessment are often combined or considered together and they have many potential advantages in common. Peer assessment can help self-assessment. By judging the work of others, students gain insight into their own performance. "Peer and self-assessment help students develop the ability to make judgments, a necessary skill for study and professional life" (Brown, Rust and Gibbs, 1994).Recent research shows that pupils develop their skills in self assessment after initially developing their skills in peer assessment (Working inside the black box: assessment for learning in the classroom (2002), Black, P., Harrison, C., Marshall, B., Wiliam, D.) Broadfoot (2007) writes ‘no learner is too young to be able to take responsibility for their own learning, and none is so successful that they cannot benefit from honing their self-reflection skills’. There has been a lot of recent literature about the benefits and critique of self assessment and Boud (1991) defines self-assessment as follows: ‘Self assessment requires students to think critically about what they are learning, to identify appropriate standards of performance and to apply them to their own work. Self assessment encourages students to look to themselves and to other sources to determine what criteria should be used in judging their work rather than being dependent solely on the teacher or other authorities.....’. A way I experimented with self assessment was with a year 11 short course GCSE class who were practising writing exam paper questions (appendix 5.3). I taught the topic and then pupils were asked to complete a question within a certain time frame. After they had finished this I went through a model answer with them. I indicated to pupils where marks could be given and then they were to give themselves a mark for the answer they had written. What I did notice was that pupils took more time to self reflect and be critical about their own performance than if I marked the questions and gave back their marks, although I did find it quite a challenge to introduce the concept of self assessment as some of the pupils found it difficult to take it seriously and some pupils were unfamiliar with the process. With this in mind I feel that this self assessment did achieve its aims which were to show pupils how to logically structure an exam answer, give an indication of what the length of the answer should be and what marks were awarded for. This method of assessment also highlighted the fact that a lot of pupils could not grasp the idea of a ‘balanced argument’ which was an important concept to grasp if they are to achieve a higher grade in the forthcoming exam. Carrying out this type of formative assessment then led to time being spent on explaining how to write a balanced argument. The principles of assessment for learning by the assessment reform group highlight that assessment ‘should not be rigid’ and ‘there should be opportunities for emerging ideas and skills to be fostered and assessed’ and this is evidence of this principle. Self assessment led to me assessing pupils’ ability as a whole to write a balanced argument. By doing this it is hoped that standards could be raised for pupils, which coincidentally may lead to then achieving more in their exam, however I cannot prove this due to the amount of time I have with these pupils. I didn’t re-set this self assessment task to test whether pupils marks improved for this particular section of work however I did set another few exam questions in subsequent weeks for other topics and even though formal marks were not recorded I concluded that pupils answers were structured better and pupils understood how much they needed to write and those who found it difficult with time management for answers improved. • Quality of questioning The quality of questioning is essential to learn about how and what pupils know, understand and can do. The teacher needs to use questions to provoke thinking and the nature of teacher questioning has received much discussion in the studies used in this report. It is recognised that the IRF structure, which involves teacher initiation, pupil response and teacher’s evaluative feedback, is widely employed by teachers and an embedded element of pedagogy. In assessment incidents of the type suggested, it is likely that the teacher would need to make a deliberate attempt to avoid the ‘evaluate’ in IRF. (Torrance and Pryor). Questions would need to seem ‘genuine’ (‘not a test’) prompting pupils into thinking about and thinking aloud their own learning strategies. Other pupils are then likely to appropriate these strategies. The teacher’s responsibility would be to maintain a key role in structuring the dialogue, bearing in mind their own assessment agenda and the kinds of ‘knowing’ they are looking for. (Torrance and Pryor). ‘Vibrant, structured and focused dialogue provides pupils with the opportunity to dig deep into their own understanding and identify what they need to learn, support the learning of others, work collaboratively and enjoy learning as an active participant.’[19] In Torrance and Pryor’s study teacher researchers exploited the use of questioning and attempted to develop their questioning techniques in three main areas: • finding out what a pupil knows, understands and can do; • clarifying what pupils have done already and what they have to do next; and • fostering thinking-about-thinking (metacognition) by asking pupils how and why they did what they did in the activity. Like the teachers in this study I used questioning and feedback in a way which avoided communicating overall judgment of pupils’ work and instead tried to use it to help focus pupils’ attention on learning goals rather than on performance and to lay the steps for proceeding to the next task. A point made by Mrs J Hicks in a mentoring meeting ‘In order to create an environment where pupils will answer your questions and discussion will develop pupils will need to feel as if they can make mistakes and it won’t really matter’. I tried to create this environment by using praise appropriately during my first few lessons with classes and even when a pupil answered a question incorrectly I attempted to find a ‘positive’ from their answer or turned it round so that their answer had some relevance. Studies in the Black and Wiliam review conclude that class discussion can lead to self-reflection and significant gains in learning – therefore the more opportunities there are for conversation the better. During my experience I often allocated reflective questioning time to plenary sessions at the end of lessons and in a number of lessons I displayed open ended questions on the whiteboard which related to the learning objectives communicated to the pupils at the start of the lesson. I would then ask pupils for their response and I would informally assess the ease to which pupils could answer the questions themselves, how detailed their answers were, had they grasped the topics main themes and this would then also help me when planning my next lesson e.g. did certain content need to be re-taught, was the content to complex, too easy. By also assessing whether pupils could use their higher order thinking skills to answer these open ended questions I was able to plan ways in which these skills could be developed for certain pupils in the future. The higher order thinking skills are defined by Bloom (1956) as ones that should be nurtured in order to improve one’s attainment. Through analysis, synthesis and evaluation (appendix 4.2) being developed research shows that pupils can raise their levels of achievement.[20] Assessment through questioning is usually descriptive rather than purely judgmental, and can involve the student as the initiator of assessments as well as the recipient. Hence, learning is interactive and engages the student in their own learning processes. In the 8 school project it is citied ‘staff have developed their questioning techniques, particularly using ‘open ended’ questions as ‘building blocks’ to scaffold pupil learning. Through this they have witnessed an improvement in pupils’ thinking skills and their ability to construct more complex verbal argument. Thinking time was crucial to this process aided by a no hands-up expectation.’[21] At the beginning of my first teaching experience, during a feedback session with my subject mentor, it was observed that when I asked open ended questions I wasn’t allowing enough time for all pupils to put together an answer and perhaps this was why the same pupils were showing their hands to answer. I was advised to wait at least 10 seconds before asking for pupils’ responses and I was told to explain to pupils that the question requires a longer amount of thought otherwise pupils will be happy to think of a one word answer and will choose not use their higher order thinking skills if they feel there is no need to. I felt it was building upon pupils question and answering skills and allowing meaningful and worthwhile discussion to develop in class through constructive feedback that played a part in raising pupils standards, Similarly a teacher from the 8 school project claims: ‘what makes the difference to the higher-attaining classes is dialogue: not just teacher-pupil dialogue, but pupil-pupil dialogue and pupil-led dialogue… Pupils see that it is independent learning… and they see that they’re getting something out of it… Pupils are now more actively engaged in their own learning and accept the responsibility of being involved in their own learning.[22] Conclusion My teacher training year has taught me a lot about assessment, its forms and its possible benefits. It is obviously an important part of the teaching profession, the school culture and pupils learning lives. My second teaching practice allowed me to ‘get to grips’ with assessment for learning more and I envisage experimenting with assessment for learning strategies a lot more in the future not only in a bid to raise pupils standards and levels of attainment but also to improve my own teaching plans and teaching skills. Similar to the Black and Wiliam literature review and the 8 School project report this analysis aimed to review evidence of the impact of assessment on standards and attainment. I found that this depended on the depth of understanding of assessment for learning of both the teacher and the pupils. Teachers need to be able to have the strategies in place in order to track progress of pupils and they need to be able to make the connections between good practice and impact on pupil achievement. Bill Boyle, professor of educational assessment at Manchester University, said many schools were introducing gimmicks but not changing their practice and although about 80 per cent of the 480 heads he surveyed said assessment was a very high priority, follow-up visits to 24 schools found little evidence that teachers were using the technique’s principles in their day-to-day practice.[23] It was found by the 8 school project that the schools with the most developed distributed leadership were more confident to associate the raising of standards with developing assessment for learning practice (and were more able to provide detailed supporting evidence). As a teacher it is important to view each child as an individual and no two classes will be the same or respond to an assessment strategy the same. ‘Deciding what type of assessment is right for your class will depend on a number of factors and there is no quick checklist’, explains Professor Mike Watts, the head of education at Brunel University. ‘How assessment is implemented will depend on the pupils, their age and stage, the purpose of the assessment, the subject area and, importantly, the priorities and direction of the school’. [24] From the literature I have read, views of colleagues and mentors and reviewing my own personal experiences of assessment what is becoming apparent is that for assessment to have a positive effect on teaching and learning it must be done regularly over a period of time. Professor Paul Black told The TES magazine that teachers needed much more time, both to carry out assessments and to work out how to adjust their teaching accordingly. Professor Black said: “You need to arrange for teachers to reflect regularly with one another on their practice, and to exchange examples of their work. This includes observing what goes on in colleagues’ classrooms, such as how many pupils speak in lessons, and what they say. It all takes time.”[25] When this time is given to assessment I believe it can be used as a beneficial tool that can lead to the raising of standards and improvements in pupils attainment. Good-quality assessment is essential for planning children’s learning, based on their performance, so that they are stretched to achieve to their full potential[26]. Assessment for Learning can seem deceptively simple and there are undoubtedly some quick and longer term gains to be made from the immediate use of approaches such as providing written staged success criteria for pupils to refer to during written assessment. However, teachers who most successfully develop and refine their assessment for learning practice never lose sight of the fact that assessment for learning is something happening in pupils’ minds and all their planning and interactions with pupils aim to facilitate this. In conclusion classroom assessment, in its different forms, can be viewed to have a positive impact on learning. It is important for both the teacher and pupils to know where they are in terms of standards and attainment and it is even more important for them to know how to improve and where they are going. This can be diagnosed through assessment and through time being invested in assessment in the classroom and in lesson planning many pupils could profit in learning terms. ----------------------- [1] Davies. S. (2006) pp163-184 [2] Davies. S. (2006) p166 [3] http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx'storycode=397596 [4] Green. A. (2002) P130 [5] Freeman and Lewis (1998) p32 [6] Lambert. D. (2005) P301 [7] James. M. (2008) P3 [8] Why develop thinking and assessment for learning in the classroom (2007) P8 [9] Raiker.M. (2007) p5 [10] Why develop thinking and assessment for learning in the classroom (2007) p31 [11] http://www.aaia.org.uk/pdf/Assessment_for_Learning.pdf P2 [12] http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx'storycode=2612730 [13] Welsh Assembly Government (2007) p8 [14] Assessment for learning 8 school project report (2007) p10 [15] Assessment for learning 8 school project report (2007) p22 [16] Assessment for learning 8 school project report (2007) p8 [17] Assessment for learning 8 school project report (2007) P23 [18] www.dcsf.gov.uk [19] Assessment for learning 8 school project report (2007) p11 [20] Brown and Wragg (1999) [21] Assessment for learning 8 school project report (2007) p26 [22] Assessment for learning 8 school project report (2007) p26 [23] http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx'storycode=6003863 [24] http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx'storycode=6010908 [25] http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx'storycode=2612730 [26] DfES 2003 p. 22