An Introduction to Assessment for Learning

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An Introduction to Assessment for Learning

• iNET Chile
• May 2006
• Dr Carin Taylor
• ctaylor_at_pwschool.northants.sch.uk
• carintaylor_at_soham-college.org.uk

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Chiles Journey in learning

• A consensus that education is crucial for social
  integration and national development
• A renewed focus on learning and ways to improve
  academic achievement
• Conditions and resources for schools and teachers
  which reflect the value placed on learning

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U.K experience A journey in learning

• Accountability emphasis moving from teaching to
  learning dont ask how good is teaching but
  measure impact how good is learning?
• Evaluation of all aspects of school life to
  benefit learning environment finance
• Learning at the core of every leadership job
  description from Principal to head of subject

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U.K Experience A journey in learning (2)

• Developing students as independent learners
  teach them how to learn and how to enjoy
  learning
• Developing schools as hubs in a learning community

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Leading Learning in our schools

• School Improvement Plan Focus
• Job descriptions strategic leadership of
  learning
• Learning at the heart of accountability
• Unleash the leadership capacity of young
  enthusiasts
• Train students and teachers share good practice

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Assessment for Learning where does it fit?

• It empowers students
• It has a high impact on learning
• It is a manageable initiative can be low impact
  on teachers as school leaders
• It is an effective tool to raise standards
  enabling teachers, departments and schools to
  identify weaknesses and bring about improvements

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What is Assessment for Learning?

• Assessment for Learning is 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.

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In other words..

• What I am trying to understand or to learn to do?
• Have I understood it or learned how to do it?
• What do I need to do understand it better or to
  do it better?

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Paul Blacks reasons for AfL
The changes involved have been shown to be
feasible that is, teachers have been able to
incorporate them successfully in their normal
classroom work.
The changes can be made step-by-step a big leap
in the dark is not necessary.
There is ample evidence that the changes involved
will raise the scores of your students on normal
conventional tests.
Teachers come to enjoy their work more and to
find it more satisfying because it resonates with
their professional values.
The work involved turns out to be a
redistribution of effort the message is not
about working harder, but about working smarter.
They also see that their students come to enjoy,
understand and value their learning more as a
result of the innovations.
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What does Assessment for Learning look like in
the classroom at PWS?

• Teachers thinking about Questions
• Frequent use of traffic lights by teachers and
  students
• Teachers clear about objectives and outcomes in
  their lesson planning
• Effective SMART target setting by teachers and
  students
• Students with AfL strategies which they apply
  themselves to areas of learning

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How does Assessment for Learning raise standards?

• Students have ambitious achievement targets
• Schools Departments review student progress and
  achievement
• Schools Departments identify weaknesses in
  students learning
• Schools Departments create meaningful
  improvement plans

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For instance.

• Assessment of learning shows that boys
  underachieve in History because they cant write
  essays
• Assessment for Learning means that we will design
  lessons to show boys how to think, plan and write
  an extended piece of writing History

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Assessment for Learning Teacher Performance
Management

• Lesson observation identifies strengths and areas
  for development in teaching
• AfL helps teachers appraise themselves and to
  agree targets for improvement with their line
  managers e.g. to ensure that the end of a lesson
  includes a clear review of learning and the
  process of learning in every lesson.

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Questions

• Open questions
• Closed questions
• Hands-up or No Hands-up
• Thinking time
• Is the purpose of your question to assess factual
  knowledge or to elicit pupil thought?
• Why are you asking questions?

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Traffic Lights What do you know about AfL?
My pupils are able to set useful targets to
improve their own work
I know the difference between a learning
objective and a learning outcome
I set useful targets for improvement on reports
and on marked work
I understand what a SMART target is
I have a working understanding of what Assessment
for Learning is
I use traffic lighting in my teaching already
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Objectives or outcomes

• A learning objective indicates what knowledge or
  skill should have been learnt by the end of
  teaching.
• A learning outcome indicates how this learning
  is to be demonstrated.
• Whether or not learning objectives have been met
  is assessed through learning outcomes. Objectives
  are internal but outcomes can be judged
  externally.

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Objectives or Outcomes
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S
M
A
R
T
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A Mini-example

• I want a Mini
• I will have a red Mini convertible on a
  hire-purchase agreement by July 2006.
• Pay attention more
• To avoid being asked to stop talking more than
  twice in any lesson
• (or an agreed consequence will follow)

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AfL Strategies for students

• Traffic light each topic
• Write a list of key words from your work
  summarise in five points
• Re-present the topic as a mindmap or concept map
• Write three good questions about this topic
• Respond to your teachers marking

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How can we, as school leaders, make this happen?

• What are the obstacles to change in our schools?
• What are the key challenges?