The word assessment - what feelings arise?
‘When we use the word assessment, we use
it to mean “to understand” and not “to
evaluate.” When we assess a culture of thinking at our school we are trying to capture our growth and progress and understand where we are at in our journey.’
R. Ritchard, Tools for Assessing, Measuring, Reflecting and Taking Stock
The word ‘assess’
Comes from the Latin verb ‘assidere’ meaning ‘to sit with’. In assessment, one should sit with the learner. This implies it is something we do with and for students and not to students. (Green, 1998)
Think’s Assessment Policy Statement:
We believe that assessment is an integral part of effective teaching and learning and includes assessing and reporting on knowledge attainment, skills acquisition, conceptual understanding, attitudes demonstration, and evidence of Action, which are the five Essential elements of the Primary Years Program curriculum framework. We further believe that gathering information about learning, informing learners and other stakeholders, and encouraging learners to self-assess and set learning goals are key elements of planning effective instruction.
Some examples could be:
Anything else?
Some examples could be:
Anything else?
Source from PYP Principles into Practice - Learning and Teaching - Assessment - Figure ASO2, pg. 71
Characteristics of effective assessment:
Authentic: It supports making connections to the real world to promote students engagement.
Clear and Specific: This includes desired learning goals, success criteria and the process students use to learn.
Varied: It uses a wider range of tools and strategies that are fit for purpose in order to build a well-rounded picture of student learning.
Developmental: It focuses on an individual student’s progress rather than their performance in relation to others
Collaborative: It engages both teachers and students in the assessment development and evaluation process.
Interactive: Assessment encopamsses ongoing and iterative dialogues about learning.
Feedback to feedforward: It provides feedback on current learning to inform what is needed to to support fututre learning (Hattie, Timerley 2007) and raisese students’ motivation.