Elsin 2013 presentation

ELSIN 2013Symposium

Effective use of Assessment for Learning (AfL) for Improved Learning

and Progress: Challenges for Educational Institutions

Dr Joanna GoodmanCromwell Consulting Ltd.

http://cromwell-consulting.com/

ELSIN 2013, Dr Joanna Goodman www.cromwell-consulting.com

Research Context

Findings based on:• a study into assessment practices in an

independent school for boys aged 2 ½ to 13 during a period of about 6 years

• observations of assessment practices during school inspections


Research Focus

Classroom assessment aimed atimproving learning

“The process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they needs to go and how to best get there”. (AGR, 2002)

ASSESSMENT for LEARNING


Assessment for Learning

Teaching

Learning

(Stobart and Gipps, 1997)

Part of the teaching and learning cycle

aimed at supporting student

learning

Assessment for Learning

“Any assessment for which the first priority in its design and practice is to serve the purpose of promoting pupils’ learning.”

(Black et al., 2002)


Effective Classroom Assessment

Embedded in everyday practice

Promoting learning through active engagement

Teacher feedback focused on feeding

forward

Self-assessment, peer-assessment

Pupils masters of their learning

Pupil engagement and

co-operative working



The Essence of Effective AfL Practice

Sharing learning

intentions

Long-term

learning independ

encePupil

engagementand

co-operative learning

Pupils masters of their learning


AfL: Learning Gains

AfL understanding AfL strategies Gain of 1 – 2 grades

Improvement in pupils’ learning = 0.4 – 0.7 effect size

“Effect size” is the ratio between the average improvement in pupils’ scores and the range of scores for typical groups of pupils on the same

tests.Effect size of 0.4 = improvement of 1 – 2 grades in public

examinations


Challenges for the Teaching Profession

• Lack of in-depth understanding of the AfL strategies by the teaching profession

• Inconsistency in approach between schools and different departments within the same schools

• Inadequate training and poor understanding of what AfL involves

• Reluctance to change practice• Satisfaction from own ends of using tried methods• Poor implementation of the AfL principles• Confusion between monitoring progress and changing

teaching methods


Disappointment with Poor Implementation of the AfL Principles

Dylan Wiliam (2012) on 14 years of government initiative:There are very few schools where all the principles of AfL, as I understand them, are being implemented effectively.

The problem is that government told schools that it was about monitoring of pupils’ progress; it wasn’t about pupils becoming owners of their learning.


Issues with Implementation

Dylan Wiliam (2012):The big mistake that Paul Black and I made was calling that stuff “assessment” , he said. Because when you use the word assessment, people think about tests and exams. For me , AfL is about better teaching.

Key Conclusions from my Data Analysis

Focused Lesson Observation Data: interaction and feedback

Activity Number of Lessons

Explicit learning objectives 1

Teacher-led questioning/discussions 17

“No hands up” approach 0

Peer-interactionGroup workPeer-assessment

420

Self-reflectionSelf-assessmentOral evaluation

202

Summative activities 14

Sum. Formative Focus



Proportion of Time Spent in Lessons on Different Interactions

Activity Average proportion of lesson duration

Questioning/discussion 21% of lesson timePeer-interaction 11% of lesson timeSelf-evaluation 4% of lesson timeGrading, scoring, ranking, percentages, tests with summative outcomes

29% of lesson time

Summative Formative

Focus Focus

12%

29%


Lesson Observation Data Summary

• Teacher-led discussion as main form of classroom interaction

• More time devoted to class discussion in arts and humanities (average 30 % of lesson time) than in science and mathematics (average 16% of lesson time)

• Restricted peer-interaction (in 4 out of 20 observed lessons)

• In 14 out of 20 lessons teachers used assessment based on summative practice


Key Conclusions from Lesson Observations

• Teaching mainly didactic in style• Teaching focused on activities, rather than

learning (lack of sharing learning objectives)• Limited peer-interactions• Limited engagement of pupils through self or

peer-assessment, or evaluation• Mainly summative practice with focus on

grades/marks/scoring/ranking


Book Scrutiny Data

Marking/feedback strategies used:• Ticks• Grades or/and marks• Praise/ego enhancing comments – focused on person, rather

than task• Comments focused on presentational aspects• Grades and comments, e.g. ‘D’ This is not finished• Direct organisational instructions, e.g. Should be in the back of

book• Praise, e.g. Well done!• Little guidance on next steps in learning


Book Scrutiny Outcomes

• Pupils rarely involved in self-assessment or evaluation

• Little evidence of independent work or note-taking• Little evidence of extended project work• Over-use of worksheets• Little opportunity to assess pupils’ reasoning• Inconsistence in marking strategies between

different subjects


Teacher Views and Practice• “Pupils are programmed to need grades”• None agreed that comments without grades could be more

useful to future learning and motivation• Some teachers were not able to say if pupils evaluated their

work or examples of self-evaluation included: “Achieve a better % mark in assessment” or “Aim for a higher grade in the next test”

• Most teachers demonstrated reliance on test and examinations to assess attainment thus confirming the practice of measuring attainment for summative purposes

• No evidence of specific target setting focused ontasks

Pupils’ Views and Comments

All pupils agreed that the most useful feedback for them was formative guidance: “corrected and told us how to be done right”.

Teacher Data

Pupil Data

TENSION



Pupils: Examples of Useful Feedback to Future Learning

Eric: When it tells me what I need to improve on.

Roman: Well…, when it tells me how I’ve gone wrong anywhere and where I can

improve. That kind of thing.Marc: When I know what’s right or wrong.

Yes, that’s helpful.Jason: It tells you what you have done

wrong and why.


Developing Learning Sustainability: Challenges for Schools

Crucial Challenge

To develop strategies of working successfully within the system of high-stake tests, for certification purposes , and developing self-

regulated learners through formative practices.


Learning SustainabilityEssential

•Self-regulation•Self-monitoring

Skills•Self-evaluation•Self-assessment

For Learning Sustainability•Motivation•Learning autonomy


Pupils’ Involvement in Their Own Learning

The only kind of learning which significantly affects behaviour is self-discovered, self-appropriated learning (Rogers, 1991)

Part of being a self-regulated learner is to accept responsibility for learning, just as teachers must take responsibility for creating a context which helps learning (Stobart, 2008)


HE: some specific challenges regarding assessment

Cultural change

Clarity of communication

Student expectations: tutor feedback with grade

To encourage collaborative learning and group presentation (reluctance where roles are ‘fuzzy’)

Removing barriers: the older the students, the less they like self- and peer-assessment

Important to empower students to work with and understand qualifications and grades


Conclusion: Assessment Practices in British Schools

Evidence from my study:• Teachers mainly used assessment for summative and

managerial purposes• Lacked in-depth understanding of AfL strategies• Saw little reason to change their practiceEvidence as observed by Black et al, 2003• Teacher feedback to pupils served mainly managerial

functions• Teacher tests encouraged rote learning rather than

developing understanding


Key ReferencesAssessment Reform Group (1999). Assessment for Learning: Beyond the Black Box. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C., Marshall, B., Wiliam, D. (2002). Working inside the Black Box: Assessment for Learning in the Classroom. London: nferNelson.Black, P. and Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment. London: GL Assessment.Goodman, J. (2011). Assessment Practices in an Independent School: The Spirit versus the Letter. London: King’s College London. Rogers, C. (1991). On Becoming a Person. Boston. MA: Houghton Mifflin.Stobart, G. (2008). Testing Times: The uses and abuses of assessment. Oxon: Routledge.


Dr Joanna Goodman

[email protected]

ELSIN 2013

Goodman, J. (2013). Developing Learning Sustainability: Focus on Effective Use of Formative Assessment for Developing Learning Autonomy.

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.cromwell-consulting.com/