Assessment Professional Learning Module 4: Assessment AS Learning

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Assessment Professional Learning Module 4
Assessment AS Learning
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Assessment FOR learning
Assessment AS Learning
Assessment OF learning
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Assessment AS learningoccurs when students
reflect on and monitor their progress to inform
their future learning goals.

• Assessment OF learningoccurs when teachers use
  evidence of student learning to make judgements
  on student achievement against goals and
  standards.

• Assessment FOR learning
• occurs when teachers use inferences about student
  progress to inform
• their teaching.

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• Assessment AS learning
• occurs when students reflect on and
• monitor their progress to inform their
• future learning goals.
• It is regularly occurring, formal or informal
  (e.g. peer feedback buddies, formal self
  assessment) and helps students take
  responsibility for their own past and future
  learning. It builds metacognition as it involves
  students in understanding the standards expected
  of them, in setting and monitoring their own
  learning goals, and in developing strategies for
  working towards achieving them.
• (Because it helps shape learning it is formative
  assessment.)

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• Effective assessment empowers students to ask
  reflective questions and consider a range of
  strategies for learning and acting students
  move forward in their learning when they can use
  their personal knowledge to construct meaning,
  have skills of self-monitoring to realize that
  they dont understand something, and have ways of
  deciding what to do next.
• (Lorna Earl 2003, p. 25).

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30-second think
HOW have you organised assessment AS learning?
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The purpose of assessment AS learning is to

• Increase learner autonomy
• Advance understanding of the subject
• Elevate the status of student from passive
  learner to assessor
• Involve students in critical reflection
• Demonstrate to students the concepts of
  subjectivity and judgement.
• (Hinnett Thomas, 1999, cited on
  http//www.ucd.ie/teaching/assess/as9.htm)

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• Assessment AS learning requires that students
  take an active role in their own learning and
  assessment.
• To do this they must understand what is expected
  of them i.e. the Standards and your learning
  intentions for them.

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The students role is to

• develop their own learning goals
• decide which strategies to use to achieve their
  goals
• monitor their learning goals over time
• (using reflective metacognitive thinking, and
  self assessment tools)
• evaluate their achievements.

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The teachers role is to

• decide which broad short and longer term
  learning goals are appropriate for this class and
  these students
• help students develop their own specific,
  manageable and worthwhile learning goals
• provide structures and processes to support
  students in thinking reflectively and
  metacognitively to monitor their goals.

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Assessment AS learning strategies include

• self-assessment that is free-writing in
  learning logs
• written reflections responding to prompts or
  probes
• oral discussion (with peers and/or the teacher)
  
• using checklists or rubrics
• metacognitive self-questioning
• using graphic organisers (concept maps, PMI
  tables)
• traffic lighting their own (or a peers) work
• Encourage assessment of feelings as well as of
  thinking and doing because research shows that
  emotional involvement makes learning stick.

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• It is very difficult for students to achieve a
  learning goal unless they understand that goal
  and can assess what they need to do to reach it.
  So self-assessment is essential to learning.
• (Paul Black et al. 2003, p. 49).

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Traffic light - where were you

• Stopped?
• Cautious?
• Going
• straight ahead?

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Self assessment involves students in

• reflecting on past experience
• seeking to remember and understand what took
  place
• attempting to gain a clearer idea of what has
  been learned and achieved.
• sharing responsibility for the organisation of
  their work
• keeping records of activities undertaken
• making decisions about future actions and
  targets.
• (Paul Weeden et al. 2002, p. 73).

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Self assessment

• can be the best feedback (as students
  understand what they need to do and are not
  waiting for teachers to give feedback)
• may initially need to be scaffolded
• (e.g. by helping to decode the criteria in the
  rubrics you create/negotiate)
• must focus on the quality (not quantity) of
  the work - and on constructive criticism
• self-monitoring and self-correction can be
• powerful motivators for improvement.

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Rubrics can be useful when

• students assist in the rubric design process
• the rubric is used for assessment AS learning
  purposes by helping students understand what
  Standards are expected of them
• students use the rubric in peer and self
  assessment
• they empower students to become more
  self- directed in their learning. They
  understand where they are headed and know how to
  get there.

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Sample prompts for written reflections

• My strength today was
• I feel frustrated when
• I need to find out more about
• I need help with
• What I can do to improve is
• My highest priority learning goal now is
• The sentence stems need a short space between
  them
• (3 or 4 are enough for any one reflection
  session).

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Peer assessment can be

• observation (e.g. of an oral presentation)
• conferences or interviews (e.g. with a draft
  buddy)
• reading written reflections
• having email/e-Forum discussion
• a learning experience as students see how
  others work.
• You can create protocols to keep peer assessment
  running smoothly.

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Gender matters in self and peer assessment

• There are some gender differences in trends in
  peer and self assessment
• boys tend to be easier on themselves and
  harder on their peers (a bit too ruthless)
• girls tend to be harder on themselves and
  easier on their peers (a bit too kind)
• (and this may be compounded in different
• cultural, religious, and/or ethnic groups).

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Self assessment of group working together

• Did I encourage another person today?
• Did I help block a put-down today?
• Did I contribute an idea today?
• Did I use active listening today?
• Did I keep my hands feet to myself today?
• Did I ask a useful question today?

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Peer assessment of group working together

• Did we settle quickly today?
• Did we keep our voices down today?
• Did we keep together today?
• Did we actively listen to each other?
• Did we concentrate on our tasks?
• Did we each have a chance to speak to the
• whole group today?

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