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Articles for Use in Professional Development
Assessment for Learning: Beyond the Black Box
A pamphlet written by the Assessment Reform Group looks at the research and practices of assessment for learning as well as its impact on student achievement. The article addresses the use and purposes of assessment in U.S. education in the early 21st century. The author notes that historically schools have used assessment to highlight student differences and rank students by achievement; he adds that, in 2007, schools are using assessment information to help students meet standards. The author believes that educators must address student confidence and motivation as well as potential, and he suggests using assessment for learning rather than using it only to verify learning. He explains that assessment for learning involves sharing information with students, discussing goals, and providing descriptive feedback to improve performance. He provides descriptive scenarios and suggestions for professional development.
Five Assessment Myths and Their Consequences
This article describes five myths about assessment that the author feels have a negative impact on the improvement of schools.
The article discusses the purpose of assessments in U.S. schools and
why they should be changed. The redefined mission for American schools
is to provide standards-based education and the opportunity for all
students to learn in effective schools with pre-specified standards.
The assessment legacy of ranking students with grades has been linked
to motivation, but formative assessment can promote student success.
The article presents information on formative assessment, for which along with the teachers even students are equally important users of that information. Formative assessment began with offering students a clear picture of learning targets. To make significant achievements, students need to know what learning targets they are responsible for mastering, and at what level. Teachers often use strong examples, or exemplars, but avoid using weak examples because they worry that students will accidentally emulate them. Teachers must create the conditions for learning, however, students ultimately decide whether they feel capable of learning and whether they will do the work. Formative assessment provided an understanding of specific steps that students could take to improve. To know where they are going, students must know what excellent performance looks like. The final essential step in making formative assessment work is to keep students in touch with what they can do to close the gap between where they are now and where they need to be. This strategy breaks learning into more manageable chunks for students. Students gain insight from explaining the learning that their work represents and what they plan to work on next.
Firm evidence shows that formative assessment is an essential ingredient of classroom work and that its development can raise achievement standards. Achieving this goal demands a four-point scheme for teacher development: learning from development, a slow, yet steady dissemination process, reduction of obstacles, and substantive research efforts. An article from the National Center for Fair & Open Testing Journal, Fair Test Examiner on the value of Formative Assessment.
This short article could easily be used as a "jigsaw" in a professional development session.
What a Difference a Word Makes: Assessment "for" Learning Rather than Assessment "of" Learning Helps Students Succeed Formative assessment refers to a system of more frequent summative assessments administered at regular intervals (often quarterly) to determine which students have not yet met state standards--an early warning system. On the one hand, it helps to identify students who need help when there is still time to help them. On the other hand, while this very expensive assessment process helps identify the problem, it does not help those students find greater success. For that, the definition must be expanded. Enter "assessment for learning." Assessment "for" learning happens in the classroom and involves students in every aspect of their own assessment to build their confidence and maximize their achievement. It rests on the understanding that students, not just adults, are data-driven instructional decision makers. This article details five keys to classroom assessment quality, with each broken down into specific competencies teachers need to master to tap the full potential of assessment "for" learning. Links
Assessment Training Institute/Educational Testing Service (ATI/ETI)
Rick J. Stiggins founded the Assessment Training Institute. It has since been purchased by Education Testing Services, but continues to house resources for learning teams on formative assessment. They also provide a free newsletter on assessment for learning at this site. http://www.assessmentinst.com/
FAST is a primary component of the CCSSO Formative Assessment Initiative from the Council of Chief State School Officers. Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory has put together a professional development toolkit for professional development providers on assessment. The activities in the toolkit parallel the chapters in Classroom Assessment for Student Learning and other books produced by the Assessment Training Institute. All of the workshop materials and directions are available on the website.
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 03 June 2008 ) |
