What is ‘Best Practice’ in Educational Assessment?

What is ‘Best Practice’ in Educational Assessment? Geoff N Masters

Assessment is a key element in all educational reform efforts.

Assessment practices can have a powerful influence on what is taught, on students and their families.

17 March 2008 Police suspect examination stress as the reason for the suicide of a 13-year-old girl. 14 March 2008 Parents of a 15-year-old boy attribute his suicide to pressure of an upcoming English examination. The Times of India , 24 March 2008

In this presentation, I will outline what I consider to be five features of ‘best-practice’ educational assessment.

The Role of Assessment A traditional view… The role of teachers is to teach. The role of students is to learn what teachers teach. The role of assessment is to evaluate how well students have learnt what teachers have taught. focus is on judging students

best practice 1. assessment is used as a vital element in the educational decision making loop

… educational decisions are based on a sound understanding of the current situation, … understanding of current situation understanding of current situation

… on expert knowledge about how to improve, … knowledge about how to improve understanding of current situation

… and are made possible by access to the required resources . required resources understanding of current situation knowledge about how to improve

Actions are taken in the interests of improved student learning… ACTION understanding of current situation knowledge about how to improve required resources improved learning outcomes

… and, ultimately, improved life consequences… ACTION improved learning outcomes understanding of current situation knowledge about how to improve required resources improved life consequences

… and a feedback / evaluation cycle is built in to ensure learning from practice. ACTION improved learning outcomes improved life consequences understanding of current situation knowledge about how to improve required resources feedback / evaluation ACTION improved learning outcomes improved life consequences understanding of current situation knowledge about how to improve required resources

Assessment provides essential information at key points in this loop… ACTION improved learning outcomes improved life consequences understanding of current situation knowledge about how to improve required resources feedback / evaluation ACTION improved learning outcomes improved life consequences understanding of current situation knowledge about how to improve required resources

understanding of current situation understanding the status quo

ACTION improved learning outcomes measuring learning and evaluating action

feedback / evaluation improved learning outcomes improved life consequences understanding of current situation knowledge about how to improve building knowledge and improving practice

In other words, in best-practice systems, assessment has a much broader role than judging how well individuals have learnt what they have been taught.

Users of Assessment A traditional view… Assessment tells parents how well their children have learnt what has been taught. Assessment is used for entry into selective schools , universities and employment .

best practice 1. assessment plays a vital role in the educational decision making loop 2. assessment informs educational decision making at all levels

system managers school leaders classroom teachers students / parents best practice ACTION feedback / evaluation improved learning outcomes improved life consequences understanding of current situation knowledge about how to improve required resources

The Conceptualization of Assessment A traditional view… Assessment is the process of establishing how much of what was taught a student successfully learnt. e.g., “90% of test correct” “performed above 85% of age group”

best practice 1. assessment plays a vital role in the educational decision making loop 2. assessment informs educational decision making at all levels 3. assessment is used to establish where students are in their learning

“ The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows. Ascertain this and teach him [sic] accordingly. ” Ausubel (1968)

“ There is a good deal of evidence that learning is enhanced when teachers pay attention to the knowledge and beliefs that learners bring to the learning task, use this knowledge as a starting point for new instruction, and monitor students’ changing conceptions as instruction proceeds .” Bransford, Brown and Cocking (2000)

Best-practice assessment systems map and describe growth in an area of learning across the years of school...

… and report achievement against a ‘map’ of progress…

deal with difficult texts and to complete sophisticated reading tasks. They can deal with information that is difficult to find in unfamiliar texts, especially in the presence of closely competing information, show detailed understanding of these texts and sort out which information is relevant to the task. They are able to evaluate texts critically, draw on specialized knowledge to build hypotheses, and cope with concepts that may be contrary to expectations. cope with difficult tasks, such as locating embedded information, construing meaning of part of a text through considering the text as a whole, and dealing with ambiguities and negatively worded ideas. They show accurate understanding of complex texts and are able to evaluate texts critically. deal with moderately complex reading tasks, such as finding several pieces of relevant information and sorting out detailed competing information requiring consideration of many criteria to compare, contrast or categorise. They are able to make links between different parts of a text and to understand text in a detailed way in relation to everyday knowledge. cope with basic reading tasks, such as locating straightforward information, making low-level inferences, using some outside knowledge to help understand a well defined part of a text, and applying their own experience and attitudes to help explain a feature of a text. deal with only the least complex reading tasks developed for PISA, such as finding explicitly stated pieces of information and recognising the main theme or author’s purpose in a text on a familiar topic when the required information is readily accessible in the text. They are also able to make a connection between common, everyday knowledge and information in the text. 5 4 3 2 1 Level reading

… which can then be used to display and study achievement to inform decision making…

socioeconomic status reading achievement

The Focus of Assessment A traditional view… Assessment is focused on how well student can recall facts and apply algorithms. (factual and procedural knowledge)

best practice 1. assessment plays a vital role in the educational decision making loop 2. assessment informs educational decision making at all levels assessment is used to establish where students are in their learning 4. assessment promotes and evaluates deep understanding

best practice Best-practice assessment systems are not limited to tests of factual and procedural knowledge... “ One of the hallmarks of the new science of learning is its emphasis on learning with understanding…. The knowledge of experts is not simply a list of facts and formulas that are relevant to their domain; instead, their knowledge is organised around core concepts or ‘big ideas’ that guide their thinking… ” Bransford, Brown and Cocking (2000)

… include tasks designed to reveal students’ understandings of concepts and principles…

A man holding a heavy ball runs at a constant velocity past a camera on a tripod fixed on the ground. Snapshot A shows the man releasing the ball.

ball was released from here Snapshot B. Sketch as accurately as you can the path of the falling ball as seen by the photographer standing on the ground.

… and to assess higher-order reasoning skills…

The image above suggests that we A cannot escape conformity. B can effectively disguise ourselves. C appear to be anonymous but are unique. D appear to be unique but are anonymous.

The Culture that Assessment Promotes A traditional view… Assessment promotes a ‘performance’ culture characterized by: -- external drivers -- competition for grades/rewards -- fear of failure.

best practice 1. assessment plays a vital role in the educational decision making loop 2. assessment informs educational decision making at all levels assessment is used to establish where students are in their learning assessment promotes and evaluates deep understanding 5. assessment supports the development of classroom learning cultures

best practice Best-practice assessment systems support ‘learning oriented’ rather than ‘performance oriented’ cultures...

… not driven by competition and/or fear of failure, but encourage risk-taking, tolerate mistakes and provide feedback that allows students to monitor their own progress. skills required for the future

How can we better support students to monitor their own progress over time?

LAUREN PEACE This is how I looked when I started school This is me now !! © Copyright 2008 | Sitemap | Search | Webmaster How is Lauren doing? Most recent report Reading Writing Mathematics Science Art Physical Education Music Personal and Social skills Lauren’s teacher Lauren’s class Special activities Homework Back to home page Back to entry page NEWSLETTER Click on the icon above to take you to the newsletter.

© Copyright 2008 | Sitemap | Search | Webmaster Is Lauren’s writing getting better? Is Lauren’s writing what we would expect at Grade 3? Test results What does writing progress look like? LAUREN’S WRITING Teacher’s comment Lauren has described the task clearly. She is using full stops and capital letters correctly and her spelling of simple words and some difficult words is accurate. Lauren’s comment This is not my very best writing. I’m better at writing stories because I like them more and then I don’t make so many mistakes. I am trying to concentrate harder.

Thank You Professor Geoff N Masters Chief Executive Officer Australian Council for Educational Research 19 Prospect Hill Rd Camberwell, VIC Australia 3124 www.acer.edu.au

What is ‘Best Practice’ in Educational Assessment?

More Related Content

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked (20)

Similar to What is ‘Best Practice’ in Educational Assessment? (18)

Recently uploaded (20)

What is ‘Best Practice’ in Educational Assessment?