(2016) The Role of Assessment in Teaching and Learning

Wood-Wallace, D (2016) ‘The Role of Assessment in Teaching and Learning’ The University of Nottingham (PGCE): Academia The Role of Assessment in Teaching and Learning Page 1 ! Wood-Wallace, D (2016) ‘The Role of Assessment in Teaching and Learning’ The University of Nottingham (PGCE): Academia Abbreviations: ARE Age Related Expectation CTG Closing the Gap DAISI Data Analysis and Insight for School Improvement (report pack) FA Formative Assessment ITT Independent Think Time NC National Curriculum OA Other Adults P Pupil PT Paired Talk RAISEOnline Reporting and Analysing for Improvement through Self Evaluation SA Summative Assessment SATs Standard Assessment Tests SEN Special Education Needs SIMS School Information Management System TA Teaching Assistant TP Talk Partners WAGOLL What A Good One Looks Like Page 2 ! Wood-Wallace, D (2016) ‘The Role of Assessment in Teaching and Learning’ The University of Nottingham (PGCE): Academia Introduction: Deeply embedded in the current education system is assessment. Within education, assessment is used to track and predict pupil achievement and can be defined as a means by which pupil learning is measured (Ronan, 2015). The delivery of teaching and learning within schools is often predetermined by what is assessed, with pupils actively being taught how to achieve the success criteria (appendix 7a). Recognised as a key professional competency of teachers (GTCNI, 2011) and the 6th quality in the Teachers’ Standards (DfE, 2011), assessment can be outlined as ‘the systematic collection, interpretation and use of information to give a deeper appreciation of what pupils know and understand, their skills and personal capabilities, and what their learning experiences enable them to do’ (CCEA, 2013: 4). The aims of the current essay are to venture further into the role of assessment in teaching and learning, paying particular attention to how formative and summative forms of assessment contribute to the discipline; and what impact these have at the classroom and the school level for both teachers and learners. The paper will examine my own experiences of using formative and summative assessment in the classroom, looking specifically at the summative processes I am aware of, before evaluating the purpose of Independent Thinking Time (ITT) and Talk Partners (TP); and how formative assessment can take place within these. In addition to this, the essay will also explore the role of Closing the Gaps (CTGs) in marking, and how questioning can assess conceptual understanding. These will be evaluated against the Teachers’ Standards. The essay will endeavour to foreground some potential challenges with formative and summative assessment (including what I have learned about assessment), before identifying some areas for future development and the strategies to facilitate these. The role of assessment in teaching and learning: Assessment is a term that ‘covers any activity in which evidence of learning is collected in a planned and systematic way, and is used to make a judgement about learning’ (Harlen and Deakin Crick, 2002: 1). All forms of assessment in school are rooted in practice and provide ‘information about the thinking, achievement and progress of students’ (Crooks, 2001: 1). McAlpine (2002) argues that the role of Page 3 ! Wood-Wallace, D (2016) ‘The Role of Assessment in Teaching and Learning’ The University of Nottingham (PGCE): Academia assessment in teaching and learning is to provide ‘communication and feedback’ which enable learners and teachers to understand ‘where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go and how best to get there’ (ARG, 2002: 1). Within the literature it is agreed that there are two main methods in which learning is assessed: through Formative Assessment (FA) and through Summative Assessment (SA). These terms were first introduced by Scriven (1967) to suggest a distinction between evaluation that intended to foster development and improvement (FA), and evaluation that intended to assess whether the stated goals were met (SA). From this initial separation of purpose, it has been argued that FA and SA have developed into distinct subtypes of assessment in their own right and have since widely been used as measurements of learning (Hattie, 2003; Taras, 2005). However, describing both forms of assessments as separate entities aims not to reject how both FA and SA can be used synonymously to give a clear and concise assessment of teaching and learning. Summative Assessment: SA is retrospective, it measures student growth after learning is delivered and sums up a learner’s attainment in a given area of the curriculum (EPPI-Centre, 2002; McAlpine, 2002). Also termed ‘Assessment OF learning’; SA involves the allocation of a level, grade or standard to a piece of work (appendix B1-5), more often than not comes at the end of a unit or as part of a standardised test (Taras, 2005), and generally counts towards the school’s league table (Crooks, 2001). In this way SA ‘provides information at the student, classroom, and school level’ (Johnson and Jenkins, 2009: 1). Surveying the literature, it seems that SAs are admired for their ability to easily allow data to be compared nationally and between establishments (Mansell et al., 2009; McAlpine, 2002). Indeed it appears that this method of assessment is the ‘most appropriate to succinctly communicate students’ abilities to external interested parties’ (McAlpine, 2002: 6). SAs are valued for clearly demonstrating whether or not the intended learning goals have been met (and by how much), and for providing a concise summary of students’ abilities (Mansell et al., 2009). Counter-balancing these advantages, SAs are criticised for usually appearing at the end of learning, and consequently provide pupils with no opportunity to improve the weaknesses identified. ‘Summative assessments happen too far down the learning path to…make Page 4 ! Wood-Wallace, D (2016) ‘The Role of Assessment in Teaching and Learning’ The University of Nottingham (PGCE): Academia instructional adjustments and interventions during the learning process’ (Bergreen et al., 2016: 7). Another criticism of SA is that it is not useful for communicating complex data about a student’s individual abilities (McAlpine, 2002), and that as a consequence of only measuring standardised objectives the focus of teaching and learning can become too centred on ‘teaching for the test’ (Mansell et al., 2009). Formative Assessment: Juxtaposing SA, FA is prospective, it elicits and uses information, opens up success criteria and gives formative feedback so that the next steps in learning can be achieved (Gershon, 2013). It is ‘the lived, daily embodiment of a teacher’s desire to refine practice’ (NCTE, 2013: 1). Equally termed ‘Assessment FOR learning’; FA can involve various strategies such as questioning (appendix 2a-b, 4c), feedback (appendix 5a, 6c, 7a, 10a-b), interventions (appendix 9a-c) and peer/selfassessments (appendix 7a) in order to improve student learning on an ongoing basis rather than simply measuring it (Black and Wiliam, 2001; Taras, 2005). Formative assessments are an integral part of the teaching and learning process, they inform planning and from them judgments can be made as to what aspects of teaching need re-capping, where additional modelling is required and whether all pupils are appropriately stretched and challenged (EPPI-Centre, 2002; McAlpine, 2002) (appendix A1-10). A benefit of using FA in the classroom is that feedback is usually very specific, so allows pupils to focus specifically on the weakness identified and thus have a greater potential to improve (McAlpine, 2002). Due to this priority it is argued ‘formative assessment produces greater increases in student achievement’ (NCTM, 2007: 1), as it concentrates specifically on reducing misconceptions and closing the gaps in knowledge. Another advantage of incorporating FA into teaching and learning is that it allows progress to be made immediately after identification so can accelerate learning, and ‘enables teachers to adjust instruction quickly, while learning is in progress’ (PLB, 2011: 1). Differing from this, a challenge of FA is the time is takes to accurately identify and provide all pupils with a focus for improvement, and that as a result of this teachers may rush through lessons and consequently loose the ‘mastery’ aspect of teaching (Sasser, 2016). Another criticism is ‘formative assessment results can vary widely between pupils, and so there is a risk that data may be subjective or less accurate than that from summative assessment’ (Richards, 2013: 1). Page 5 ! Wood-Wallace, D (2016) ‘The Role of Assessment in Teaching and Learning’ The University of Nottingham (PGCE): Academia From these definitions it is clear that assessment plays an integral role in defining the curriculum. Through summative assessment; learning against the national standard is measured and ‘used to pass judgements on teachers and schools’ (ARG, 2003: 1). SAs inform unit design and instruction and so should be aligned with measurable standard objectives (Taras, 2005). Indeed, it is widely accepted that ‘thorough…[summative]…assessment strategies include clearly identified criteria, alignment with unit objectives, and meet state and local standards’ (Annenberg, 2003: 3). In addition to this, it has also become clear that assessment is instrumental in improving pupil achievement in school. FA allows communication, a dialogue of feedback and information between teachers and learners so that individual misconceptions and gaps in knowledge can be closed, allowing for a deeper level of learning to be accessed (Black and Wiliam, 2001). Both forms of assessment evaluate learning that has taken place and can be used in synthesis to provide ‘an overall picture of learning’ (Timmis, 2013). Assessment and the Teachers’ Standards: Throughout my classroom experience I have used many forms of both formative (appendix A1-10) and summative (appendix B1-5) assessment in order to assess, plan and advance the learning of pupils that I teach. From these assessments I have come to understand how these can be evaluated in order to progress learning; and are aware of the impact they have on teaching and learning at the student, classroom, school and national level (see Self-Assessment of Standards Grid). Assessment interlinks hugely with the Teachers’ Standards, with many of the formative and summative practices carried out by teachers evaluated as evidence of competency. Indeed within recent years there has been a tendency to view assessment as the ‘ultimate arbiter of school performance, evaluating schools and teachers on the basis of pupils’ exam results’ (Thraves, 2012: 1). 1) Experiences of Summative Assessment: In terms of summative assessment, at both my base school and second placement school I have contributed to the diverse ways in which children’s progress and attainment are summatively assessed and recorded. Page 6 ! Wood-Wallace, D (2016) ‘The Role of Assessment in Teaching and Learning’ The University of Nottingham (PGCE): Academia a) School Assessment Tracker: I have contributed to and planned from my second school’s assessment tracker (appendix B2-B4). Aligned with the National Curriculum objectives, the data stored within the tracker can be submitted and moderated as part of the national standard. Although the tracker can be used formatively to inform teaching and learning on a more immediate basis (PLB, 2011), the summative data the tracker assigns to pupils can also be used as a stand-alone score to assess and evaluate the progress and attainment of individual pupils (appendix B3), vulnerable groups (appendix B7-8) and subjects (appendix B2). This is the only way my second school summatively record the progress of pupils (other than through national summative assessments such as SATs). b) Rising Stars Assessment Packs: In addition to this, within my base school I have also experienced the Rising Stars Assessment Packs for end of unit assessments (appendix B1), along with the Rising Stars mini grammar and arithmetic tests on a weekly/fortnightly basis (appendix B5-6). In the aftermath of the new ‘assessment without levels’ the school (and other schools in the same alliance) are currently using the Rising Stars Assessments along with the National Curriculum objectives and a list of nonnegotiables as a way to summatively assess pupils. Using these, the alliance has released a speculated alignment between Rising Stars test scores and the age related expectations. These are then utilised by the schools to identify (and colour code appendix B1) where pupils are positioned in terms of meeting the age related expectations. The results of the tests (appendix B1) are used summatively and shared and moderated within the alliance to give a ‘concise summary of students’ abilities’ (Mansell et al., 2009). The results can then also be used formatively to plan teaching and learning around the gaps identified from the tests (appendix B1, B5-6). Evaluating these experiences of using summative assessment within school, I have found these to be useful ways of summatively recording data; as they allow the teacher and other interested persons to assess (at a glance) whether the ‘intended learning outcomes’ have been met (IUB, 2015). They also contribute to teaching and learning by giving an overall picture of learning (Timmis, 2013). Data from these Page 7 ! Wood-Wallace, D (2016) ‘The Role of Assessment in Teaching and Learning’ The University of Nottingham (PGCE): Academia methods can contribute easily to national records, and can be compared between terms (appendix B1-2), vulnerable groups (appendix B7-8) and subjects (appendix B1-2, B4-6), in order to accurately measure student growth after learning is delivered (EPPI-Centre, 2002). Indeed it is widely agreed ‘for summative assessment to be effective and useful, the results…need to be compared with some sort of a standard’ (Bilash, 2011: 1). In evaluation against the Teachers’ Standards, it could be argued that they clearly demonstrate ‘accurate and productive use of assessment’ (DofE, 2011: 1). I have found them to be useful in giving a comprehensive overview of how learning has progressed within school, giving a concrete location of where the school sits nationally. From these assessments I am able to see clearly the areas that students are struggling in, and are then able to address these within teaching and learning on a more formative basis, by implementing interventions and altering planning to close the gaps in knowledge. 2) Experiences of Formative Assessment: In terms of formative assessment, there are various ways in which I have implemented this within school in order to improve pupils’ progress (see SelfAssessment of Standards Grid, appendix A, C). a) Independent Thinking Time (ITT) and Talk Partners (TP): One of ways I have formatively assessed pupils is through the use of Independent Thinking Time (ITT) and Talk Partners (TP) (appendix 5a). Equally termed within the literature as ‘talk partners’; ‘paired talk’; ‘think, pair, share’ and ‘thinking together’; ITT and TP allow all pupils within the class to partake in the learning activity and contribute to learning experience (Wilkinson, 1965). Advocated within the literature as ‘best practice that gives students an active role in their learning’ (Simon, 2016:1), using this strategy means ‘all children get the opportunity to think, discuss and express themselves orally’ (LSES, 2006: 3). Implementing this approach contributes to teaching and learning as it allows all pupils to develop in confidence without fear of getting an answer wrong, whilst also giving the teacher a chance to assess the observed dialogue between pupils and evaluate the quality of learning that is taking place (National Strategy, 2002; LSES, 2006). The impact being Page 8 ! Wood-Wallace, D (2016) ‘The Role of Assessment in Teaching and Learning’ The University of Nottingham (PGCE): Academia that teachers can then be responsive to the needs of pupils and alter the planning or put intervention measures in place in order to ensure that all pupils are sufficiently challenged or that conceptual understanding is reached (DCSF, 2008). Directly linking with 2, 5 and 6 of the Teachers’ Standards (see Self-Assessment of Standards Grid), it is argued that ITT and TP are important factors in ‘developing thinking and understanding’; and are more likely to lead to pupils being able to ‘understand, develop and internalise…concepts’ (National Strategy, 2002: 14). b) The role of Closing the Gaps (CTGs) in marking: Another way I have formatively assessed pupils is through marking their work and providing feedback to ‘develop and improve learning’ (Scriven, (1967). Within both my base school and my second school I have employed the school’s marking policy when assessing pupils’ work (appendix A1, A4b, A6c, A7, A10a-b) in order to praise strengths, identify weakness and provide suggestions to move the learning on. Closing the Gaps (CTGs) form part of this marking policy. Identified as a key aim in the new primary national curriculum (NCTL, 2014), the literature advocates that CTGs are an effective way to feedback to students and ensure conceptual understanding is reached (Sherrington, 2012, Fletcher-Wood 2013, Hildrew, 2014). Simply put, ‘closing the gap means acting on feedback’ (Sherrington, 2012: 1). Directly linking to the learning objectives and success criteria given to pupils (appendix 7a), CTGs within my base school are used for 3 reasons: to consolidate existing learning (appendix 1b), to move learning on to the next step (appendix 1b), or to embed reasoning into learning (appendix 1a, 4a) (NCETM, 2014). Personalised CTGs are given during marking for pupils to action at the start of the next lesson. Implementing this approach contributes to teaching and learning as it re-loops learning but at a deeper level (C4EO, 2011), its personalised approach impacting and promoting the progress of all students (DCSF, 2008). Embedding GTCs within marking clearly embodies 1, 2, 5 and 6 of the Teachers’ Standards (see Self-Assessment of Standards Grid), as it allows the feedback given to scaffold learning (Wiliam, 2011). c) Higher Order Questioning (HOQ): A third technique I have incorporated into my practice to formatively assess learning is higher order questioning (HOQ) (appendix 1a, 2b, 4c, 10a). It is argued Page 9 ! Wood-Wallace, D (2016) ‘The Role of Assessment in Teaching and Learning’ The University of Nottingham (PGCE): Academia within the literature that HOQ is an effective strategy to accelerate progress and attainment as it ‘promotes deeper levels of learning’ and ‘encourages critical thinking’ (Bloom et al, 1956, Milton, 1982, Stark et al., 1990). Some theorists go as far as to say that the level of student thinking in the classroom is directly proportional to the level of questions asked (Clasen and Bonk, 1990). Implementing this strategy is useful as the teacher can differentiate HOQs to assess the needs of individual pupils, having the impact that teachers can then alter planning or target support based on this. This promotes good progress by all students and communicates a more personalised approach to learning (DCSF, 2008). Within both my base school and second school I have used HOQ orally within the lesson (appendix 2b, 4c) and also within marking feedback (appendix 1a, 4b, 10a) in order to assess how much students conceptually understand, whether misconceptions have formed, and where the gaps in knowledge are. Additionally, I have also posed HOQs in order consolidate learning, move the learning on or to encourage pupils to reason. HOQ contributes to teaching and learning as it allows the teacher to assess students using an informal approach then use the responses to take learning to the next level (Clasen and Bonk, 1990). This strategy directly links to 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 of the Teachers’ Standards (see SelfAssessment of Standards Grid) as it productively uses assessment in order to promote good progress and outcomes by pupils. Areas for future development: From surveying the literature it is clear that there are a range of effective strategies that I can develop within my own practice in order to effectively assess and evaluate learning. One of the ways I can develop competence as a teacher is to have adequate knowledge of the different ways pupils are summatively assessed. Within my own practice I can learn more about summative assessments through conversations with my mentor, colleagues within school and through communication with colleagues from other schools in the alliance. I can also research into the different ways summative assessments are being carried out in an era of assessment without levels, and look into the way summative data is used within reports such as RAISEOnline and the DAISI report pack. Having sufficient understanding of summative assessments will contribute to how well I am able to make accurate and productive use of assessment. Page !10 Wood-Wallace, D (2016) ‘The Role of Assessment in Teaching and Learning’ The University of Nottingham (PGCE): Academia Within my own practice I can also develop the range of ways I formatively assess pupils through trialling different methods of receiving feedback from students. One strategy I would like to trial involves receiving feedback through the use of technology such as Paddle or Popplet. Using one of these apps will provide a timeefficient way of gathering feedback from students, whilst also bringing assessment into the technological era that pupils of today are born into. Another method I would like to trial involves receiving feedback through a multitude of mediums such as asking students to draw what they have understood or sum up in 5 words what they have learned today. This may provide me with more personalised and focused feedback from students. Having a range of methods to formatively assess pupils will improve my practice as it will assist with how well I am able to promote good progress and outcomes by pupils, adapt teaching to respond to the needs of pupils, and make productive use of assessment. Conclusion: To conclude, this essay looked into the role of assessment in improving pupil achievement, looking specifically at how formative and summative practices impact on teaching and learning. It found that summative assessment plays an integral role in defining the curriculum, and that through summative assessments learning against the national standard is measured (Anneneberg, 2003, Taras, 2005). In addition to this, the study also established that assessment is instrumental in improving pupil achievement in school, and that through formative assessment and feedback; a deeper level of learning can be accessed (Black and Wiliam, 2001). The essay discussed my own experiences of using formative and summative assessment strategies, and identified some areas for improvement within my own practice. Lastly, the paper examined some potential criticisms and challenges of formative and summative assessment. It found with regard to summative assessment, a criticism is that it appears at the end of learning and so provides no opportunity to improve (Bergreen et al., 2016). In addition to this, it also found that SA is not useful for communicating complex data about a student’s individual abilities (McAlpine, 2002), and that as a consequence of only measuring standardised objectives the focus of teaching and learning can become too centred on ‘teaching for the test’ (Mansell et al., 2009). With regard to formative assessment, the study identified that a challenge is the time it takes to accurately identify and provide all pupils with a focus for Page 1 ! 1 Wood-Wallace, D (2016) ‘The Role of Assessment in Teaching and Learning’ The University of Nottingham (PGCE): Academia improvement (Sasser, 2016), and that due to the results of formative assessments varying widely; there is a risk that data may be subjective or less accurate than that from summative assessment (Richards, 2013). In summary, the role of assessment in teaching and learning is to evaluate learning that is/has taken place and provide ‘an overall picture of learning’ (Timmis, 2013). Page !12