7Ways to Assess Effectively FOR Learning
7Ways to Assess Effectively FOR Learning
From experience, collegial sharing and attendance at professional development opportunities in search of what “effective assessment” looks like, here is a combination of principles, experiential anecdotes and actual classroom practice I use to assess students effectively for learning.
I refer heavily to materials and discussions from Ken O’ Connor’s workshop on “Classroom Assessment FOR Student Learning” held at an international school in Bangkok last few years in this article. The principles discussed in that workshop are strong affirmations of what I live by as an educator for years. And this material I present here are a testimony as to what research looks like in actual classroom practice and how the principles have shaped the assessment programs I have set up for my own students.
By ‘assessment’, we mean “the process of gathering information about students or program”. And by ‘assessment FOR learning’, we refer to formative assessment, which is “designed to provide direction for improvement and/or adjustment to a program for individual students or for a whole class”. The following material therefore, are for teachers who want to know what are the ways to gather information about students’ learning and how best to communicate such information to students so they improve and achieve success in learning.
1. Know your students well and how they interpret errors.
For instance, “For Americans, errors tend to be interpreted as an indication of failure in learning the lesson. For Chinese and Japanese, they are an index of what still needs to be learned.”(Stigler and Stevenson, American Educator, Spring 1991).
Such different interpretations result in a variety of reactions to the display of errors, which in turn have implications on how teachers use errors as effective means of instruction.
Since my learners are all Asian, I find that they respond positively to error correction. The attitude they generally exhibit is on of quiet acceptance of their mistakes and a willingness to do better next time. And if given a chance to modify, add on or take out errors from assignments, my Japanese students would willingly do so 100% of the time. Based on observation, they also exhibit a better understanding of the material modified, added on or changed. Proof that in this case, such kind of feedback contributes to their learning, and it is not merely seen as a way to improve on grade.
2. Be clear with your expectations, whether they are products, performance or any other evidence of learning.
The use of rubrics to define tasks and to communicate learning outcomes to students, is something I have come to rely on heavily in the classroom over the years. From experience, I find it an objective means to assess students’ work.
Along the course of a task or a project, the rubric becomes a tool to guide and direct a student’s progress. It gives a clear picture of what ‘success’ looks like. And if changes have to be made along the way, it specifies which area/s to work on, thus contributing to student confidence and motivation to work harder towards achievement of the task or project.
Another positive aspect of using rubrics is as a means of communication of expectations between school and home. At the start of a project/task, I ask students to show the rubrics to their parents and have it signed by them. This way, accountability rests on all three: the teacher, the students and the parents.
3. Involve students in the assessment process.
According to Covington (1992), “the process of engaging in self-assessment increases students’ commitment to achieving educational goals.” And as to how to do this, Rick Stiggins has the contention that they should be involved in all three processes in assessment, namely;
a. in the construction of assessment and in the development of the criteria for success.
b. in the keeping of records of their own growth and achievement through such strategies as portfolios.
c. in communicating their achievement through such vehicles as student-involved parent conferences.
In my Writing for College class, students were asked, in small groups, to come up with what “good writing” looks like. Their work was then put up in posters in the classroom, and constantly referred to while working on tasks, or during the design and development of a rubric.
4. Be a motivator.
Stiggins (Student-Involved Classroom Assessment, 2001) contends, “those (students) who experience success gain the confidence needed to risk trying… (while those) who experience failure lose confidence in themselves, stop trying and… fail even more frequently. Confidence therefore, is the key to student success in all learning situations.”
By motivation here, we mean intrinsic motivation – one that comes as a result of students gaining confidence in themselves by knowing what is expected of them, what evidence/s is/are required to show success and what kind of activities and/tasks will get them there.
In order for all these to happen, the teacher has yet another responsibility. And that is…
5. Give effective feedback. Praise less and describe expected results more.
Just recently, a discussion from a former student shed more light as to what “quality” feedback means. She could not have emphasized its value in learning more than when she said that she wished she was back in my class, where she was told ways to improve her skills. She said she gets tons of work now, but the teacher does not give feedback as to which area she needs to improve on, and how.
Butler and Neuman (1995), Cameron and Pierce (1994) and Kluger and
deNisi (1996) make a case for the use of descriptive, criterion-based
feedback as opposed to scoring or letter grades
without clear criteria.
Cameron, Pierce, Kluger and deNisi further add that “feedback that cues the individual to direct attention to self (praise, effort, etc) rather than to the quality of the task appear to have a negative effect on learning. Many studies speak to effective teachers praising less than average.”
6. Use triangulation of evidence to base feedback on.
“There are three general sources of assessment evidence gathered in classrooms: observations of learning, products students create, and conversations – discussing with students.
When evidence is collected from three different sources of time, trends, patterns and become apparent…This process is called triangulation” Davies, Anne (Making Classroom Assessment Work, 2000).
7. Be a reflective practitioner who is involved in professional dialogue.
There are two important opportunities I find helpful to improve my practice on assessment at my school. One involves a chance to “grade” students’ writing with other language teachers. The purpose of which was to assess our students using the 6+1 Traits rubric and see where we teachers needed to work more on to improve students’ writing skills.
As it involves teachers comparing the grades we give to the same written piece on each trait, it gives me a chance to adjust the way I grade (where necessary), based on discussions with other teachers’ perspectives. This happens when there are big differences to the grades we assign any particular trait.
The other opportunity I have to improve on assessment practice is the chance to present an assessment task to a small group of colleagues at school. Other teachers get a chance to “work” on the task and give feedback afterwards on the following areas: whether the students were properly prepared for the task or not, given the language skills and assumed prior knowledge of the target group; were directions clear; whether the task addressed the standards and benchmarks it was designed for or not, etc.
From these discussions, I have the chance to make changes to the task where necessary. It also allows for an avenue to see other teachers’ perspective on things without fear of ridicule, focusing only on how to make assessment better for students.
According to Schmoker, 2001, as quoted from Ken O’ Connor, “When teachers collaboratively review assessment data for the purpose of improving practice to reach measurable achievement goals, something magical happens.”