Assessment for Learning and Assessment of Learning

Why Is Assessment Important?

Asking students to demonstrate their understanding of the subject matter is critical to the learning process; it is essential to evaluate whether the educational goals and standards of the lessons are being met.

Assessment is an integral part of instruction, as it determines whether or not the goals of education are being met. Assessment affects decisions about grades, placement, advancement, instructional needs, curriculum, and, in some cases, funding. Assessment inspire us to ask these hard questions: "Are we teaching what we think we are teaching?" "Are students learning what they are supposed to be learning?" "Is there a way to teach the subject better, thereby promoting better learning?"

Today's students need to know not only the basic reading and arithmetic skills, but also skills that will allow them to face a world that is continually changing. They must be able to think critically, to analyze, and to make inferences. Changes in the skills base and knowledge our students need require new learning goals; these new learning goals change the relationship between assessment and instruction. Teachers need to take an active role in making decisions about the purpose of assessment and the content that is being assessed.

Provides diagnostic feedback

• What is the student's knowledge base?
• What is the student's performance base?
• What are the student's needs?
• What has to be taught?

Helps educators set standards

• What performance demonstrates understanding?
• What performance demonstrates knowledge?
• What performance demonstrates mastery?

Evaluates progress

• How is the student doing?
• What teaching methods or approaches are most effective?
• What changes or modifications to a lesson are needed to help the student?

Relates to a student's progress

• What has the student learned?
• Can the student talk about the new knowledge?
• Can the student demonstrate and use the new skills in other projects?

Motivates performance
For student self-evaluation:

• Now that I'm in charge of my learning, how am I doing?
• Now that I know how I'm doing, how can I do better?
• What else would I like to learn?

For teacher self-evaluation:

• What is working for the students?
• What can I do to help the students more?
• In what direction should we go next?

Introduction

Assessment as Learning is the use of ongoing self-assessment by students in order to monitor their own learning, which is “characterized by students reflecting on their own learning and making adjustments so that they achieve deeper understanding.” (Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Education [WNCP], 2006, p.41) The table above provides a summary of Assessment as Learning as a part of a three-part assessment pyramid (taken from WNCP, 2006, 85).
An understanding of Assessment as Learning is essential in a digital age where information is readily accessible and teachers move from being the "knowledge-bearers" to knowledge-guides. Just as teachers guide students through the acquisition of knowledge, they must guide students through the process of understanding their own cognitive processes so that students learn to monitor their own learning and make adjustments.

Metacognition

Metacognition according to Schraw (1998) is the, "thinking about one's own mental processes" or the "regulation of cognition." Thus if cognition is defined as the knowledge or act of knowing then metacognition is understanding one's own knowledge. For students, this means that they understand what they do and do not know. With teacher guidance, they can learn to monitor this; they also learn to seek out the knowledge or develop their skills with this new sense of self-awareness.

Assessment Pyramid image

Assessment as Learning is a part of a three-part assessment model recommended for use in classrooms by the Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Education (2006). Earl (2003) argues that the traditional assessment model utilizing predominantly Assessment of Learning to report progress and compare students should be replaced by a balanced model including all three of the types of assessments. Figures 3.1 and 3.2 below demonstrate Earl's suggested balance for the three types of assessment: Assessment as Learning, Assessment of Learning and Assessment for Learning.

Assessment for learning

Assessment for Learning [1], a type of formative assessment, is utilized by teachers in order to gain an understanding of their students' knowledge and skills in order to guide instruction.

Assessment as learning

Assessment as learning, as previously mentioned, is also a formative assessment which focuses on teaching students' the metacognitive processes to evaluate their own learning and make adjustments.

Assessment of learning

Assessment of Learning is a summative assessment used primarily to compare students and report progress according to Earl (2003). Unit tests are a commonly used form of Assessment of Learning.

Assessment definition

Assessment is the ongoing process of gathering, analysing and reflecting on evidence to make informed and consistent judgements to improve future student learning.

Purposes of assessment

Assessment for improved student learning and deep understanding requires a range of assessment practices to be used with three overarching purposes:

• Assessment FOR learning - occurs when teachers use inferences about student progress to inform their teaching
• Assessment AS learning - occurs when students reflect on and monitor their progress to inform their future learning goals
• Assessment OF learning - occurs when teachers use evidence of student learning to make judgements on student achievement against goals and standards.

 

Principles for assessment

Substantial research exists on the characteristics of good practice for assessing student learning. This research is summarised in the following set of principles.

• The primary purpose of assessment is to improve student performance
  Good assessment is based on a vision of the kinds of learning we most value for students and how they might best achieve these. It sets out to measure what matters most.
• Assessment should be based on an understanding of how students learn
  Assessment is most effective when it reflects the fact that learning is a complex process that is multi-dimensional, integrated and revealed in student performance over time.
• Assessment should be an integral component of course design and not something to add afterwards
  The teaching and learning elements of each program should be designed in full knowledge of the sorts of assessment students will undertake, and vice versa, so that students can demonstrate what they have learned and see the results of their efforts.
• Good assessment provides useful information to report credibly to parents on student achievement
  A variety of assessment methods provide teachers with evidence of what students know and can do, and their particular strengths and weaknesses. Teachers can then report to parents on how far their child has progressed during the year, where they are compared to the relevant standards, and what the student, the parent and the teacher need do to improve the student's performance.
• Good assessment requires clarity of purpose, goals, standards and criteria
  Assessment works best when it is based on clear statements of purpose and goals for the course, the standards which students are expected to achieve, and the criteria against which we measure success. Assessment criteria need to be understandable and explicit so students know what is expected of them from each assessment they encounter. Staff, students, parents and the community should all be able to see why assessment is being used, and the reasons for choosing each individual form of assessment in its particular context.
• Good assessment requires a variety of measures
  In general, a single assessment instrument will not tell us all we need to know about student achievement and how it can be improved. Therefore, we need to be familiar with a variety of assessment tools so we can match them closely to the type of information we seek.
• Assessment methods used should be valid, reliable and consistent
  Assessment instruments and processes should be chosen which directly measure what they are intended to measure. They should include the possibility of moderation between teachers where practical and appropriate to enhance objectivity and contribute to a shared understanding of the judgments that are made.
• Assessment requires attention to outcomes and processes
  Information about the outcomes students have achieved is very important to know where each student ends up, but so too is knowing about their experiences along the way and, in particular, the kind of effort that led to these outcomes.
• Assessment works best when it is ongoing rather than episodic
  Student learning is best fostered when assessment involves a linked series of activities undertaken over time, so that progress is monitored towards the intended course goals and the achievement of relevant standards.
• Assessment for improved performance involves feedback and reflection
  All assessment methods should allow students to receive feedback on their learning and performance so assessment serves as a developmental activity aimed at improving student learning. Assessment should also provide students and staff with opportunities to reflect on both their practice and their learning overall.