Literacy of Assessment Karen Yager Knox Grammar School & University of NSW

“It is about learning to learn, about becoming independent thinkers and learners. It is about problem solving, team-work, knowledge of the world, adaptability, and comfort in a global system of technologies, conflict and complexity. It is about the joy of learning and the pleasure of productivity of using one’s learning in all facets of work and life pursuits” (2006, Fullan, Hill and Crevola, Breakthrough).

 “The quality of teaching and learning provision are by far the most salient influences on students’ cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes of schooling – regardless of their gender or backgrounds” (Rowe, 2003).  Quality assessment has the greatest potential to improve the learning outcomes of all pupils (Hattie, 2003; Dinham, 2009).

Assessment Literacy Fullan (2006) defines assessment literacy as:  The ability to use the data to make effective changes in teaching and in schools  Skills in devising assessment tasks: knowledge of criteria and appropriate standards  Skills in the analysis and use of assessment information  Expertise in giving appropriate, targeted feedback

Assessment  “Diagnose pupils’ needs, abilities and interests. Identify learning gaps, monitor their learning and provide timely and useful feedback for improving learning and self-assessment” p.12.  “Assessment refers to any observation or measurement of the developmental progress and performance of pupils in any area of language learning” p.18

Culture of Learning  “Building a strong foundation in language, and enriching language learning for all.”  “Learners are at the centre of the teaching-learning process.” (English Language Syllabus 2010)

Pre-Assessment What do they already know?  The importance of building on prior knowledge  Unless new knowledge becomes integrated with the learner's prior knowledge and understanding, this new knowledge remains isolated, cannot be used effectively in new tasks, and does not transfer readily to new situations.

Summative Assessment  Assessment of learning is assessment for accountability purposes, to determine a pupil's level of performance on a specific task or at the conclusion of a unit of teaching and learning. It can be a powerful diagnostic tool to inform and improve learning with precision.

Formative Assessment  Assessment for learning, acknowledges that assessment should occur as a regular part of teaching and learning and that the information gained from assessment activities can be used to shape the teaching and learning process.

Metacognition  Assessment as learning is about reflecting on evidence of learning. Pupils and teachers set learning goals, share learning intentions and success criteria, and evaluate their learning through dialogue and self and peer assessment.

Assessment as Learning  Pupils gain a deeper understanding of their skills, knowledge, level of understanding and the expected standards.  Pupils develop ownership of the learning process.  They learn to plan for how to improve their skills and understanding.

‘Teachers too often believe that the assessment tasks they designed were assessing higher-order cognitive processes but the reality is they are not challenging’ (Bol and Strage, 1996).

Designing Quality Assessment  Identify the key concepts, key learning ideas, skills and knowledge that need to be taught and assessed.  Purpose  Timing  Tasks: blending of receptive and productive  Marking guidelines and rubrics  Teacher, self and/or peer assessed  Delivery of feedback

Deep knowledge and understanding Deep understanding of the content, skills and knowledge of the syllabus and what needs to be taught is essential to the design of quality assessment!

Philosophy  A means of making meaning and of communication  A system with its own rules and conventions which can be used to create various discourse forms or types of texts  Learning involves cognitive and affective engagement, and interaction  Guided by our awareness of the purpose, audience, context and culture in which the communication takes place.

Assessment grounded in the Syllabus Six Principles  Contextualisation  Learner-centredness  Learner-focused interaction  Integration  Process orientation  Spiral progression Syllabus requirements Teach pupils all the areas of language learning, namely:  Listening, Reading and Viewing (Receptive Skills)  Speaking, Writing and Representing (Productive Skills)  Grammar and Vocabulary (Knowledge about Language)

Syllabus Aims 1.Listen, read and view critically and with accuracy, understanding and appreciation a wide range of literary and informational/ functional texts from print and non-print sources. 2.Speak, write and represent in internationally acceptable English (Standard English) that is grammatical, fluent, mutually intelligible and appropriate for different purposes, audiences, contexts and cultures. 3.Understand and use internationally acceptable English (Standard English) grammar and vocabulary accurately and appropriately as well as understand how speakers/ writers put words together and use language to communicate meaning and achieve impact.

PEER/SELF ASSESSMENT PRECISION: DATA & PRE-ASSESSMENT Reveals critical differences among students. Guides teachers’ decisions and planning EFFECTIVE ASSESSMENT Formative Summative CONCEPT/IDEAS/TOPIC OUTCOMES GOAL & KEY LEARNING IDEAS QUALITY FEEDBACK

The Verbs  Blooms revised taxonomy of knowledge (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001)  Build the demands and higher-order expectations of the task by changing the verbs.  Apply, explain, evaluate, create, synthesise…

Marking Rubric  ‘If our aim is to improve student performance, not just measure it, we must ensure that students know the performances expected of them, the standards against which they will be judged, and have opportunities to learn from the assessment in future assessments’ (Wiggins, 2002).  Framework used to evaluate responses  Scoring criteria, scoring guide, rating scale and descriptors…

Reliability and Validity  Validity:  Assessments measure what they intend to measure.  Fair and fit for the purpose of describing the intended learning and based on sound criteria  Development of a shared understanding to achieve consistency in standards and expectations is essential.  Reliability:  Extent to which the assessment would give the same result if repeated.  High-quality evidence and information that stands up when compared to judgments across learners, contexts and settings

Designing Tasks  Personalisation and differentiation  Moving towards student directed and open ended  Problem solving  Investigation  Collaborating and sharing  Teaching others  Evaluating and reflecting

Assessment for Learning  Assess the processes as well as the products of language learning.  Variety of rich tasks that assess receptive and productive skills, and knowledge about language.

Differentiation  Inclusivity  Teachers must customize their lessons to meet their pupils’ needs and abilities.  Differentiate through instruction and assessment.