1. Assessment
The purpose of this workshop / discussion is to extend further teachers’ understanding of the Department's Assessment Advice. This workshop will take approximately 45 minutes to complete and can be delivered in sections.
The first section covers assessment definition and main purposes for assessment (slides 2 & 4).
Activity 1 (slide 3)
The second section concentrates on Assessment for learning (slides 5-7).
The third section concentrates on Assessment as learning, (slides 8-10).
The fourth section covers Assessment of learning (slide 11-12).
Activity 1 review (slide 13)
The last slide (14) presents some questions to facilitate discussion on the Department’s Assessment Advice

2. What is assessment ?
Assessment is the ongoing process of gathering, analysing and reflecting on evidence to make informed and consistent judgements to improve future student learning.
This slide refers to the definition of assessment as set in the Department’s Assessment Advice.
This definition stresses the importance of collecting and interpreting evidence of student learning in order to make informed and consistent judgements about student progress. The definition highlights that the main purpose of assessment is to improve future student learning.

3. In pairs or small groups, brainstorm the
Activity
In pairs or small groups, brainstorm the
assessment strategies used in your
school/classroom.
This activity enables teachers to see the broad range of techniques and strategies they use to assess students.

4. Three main purposes for assessment
Assessment for learning occurs when teachers use inferences about student progress to inform their teaching. (formative)
Assessment as learning occurs when students reflect on and monitor their progress to inform their future learning goals. (formative)
Assessment of learning occurs when teachers use evidence of student learning to make judgements on student achievement against goals and standards. (summative)
This slide refers to the three main purposes for assessment, Assessment for learning, Assessment as learning and Assessment of learning.
The first two purposes refer to assessment being used formatively, while the third purpose refers to assessment being used summatively.
Assessment for and as learning occur while students are engaged in the process of learning, while assessment of learning occurs at the end of a learning process or task or unit of work or for reporting at the end of a time period such as a semester.
The three main purposes of assessment are complementary of each other and all three together are very powerful in improving student learning.

5. Assessment for learning:
(1)
establishes a classroom culture that encourages interaction and the use of assessment tools
occurs throughout a learning sequence and is planned when teachers design teaching and learning activities
involves teachers sharing learning intentions and explicit assessment criteria with students
involves teachers and students setting and monitoring student progress against learning goals
requires teachers to ascertain students' prior knowledge, perceptions and misconceptions
These two slides (5-6) refer to the ways assessment for learning may be demonstrated in the classroom. What the slides emphasise is that Assessment for learning creates a classroom culture that is conducive to assessment and the use of assessment tools without “assessment” becoming a process by which students are judged against each other.
The teachers role is central in the assessment for learning. Through assessment for learning teachers ascertain students' prior knowledge, perceptions and misconceptions and use this evidence to inform curriculum planning and teaching practice in order to support students to operate at the edge of their competence.

6. Assessment for learning:
(2)
involves teachers focusing on how students learn and how to scaffold their learning
involves teachers adapting teaching practice to meet student needs
provides sensitive and constructive feedback to students on their performance
involves teachers making formative use of summative assessment

7. Activity
In pairs or small groups, select two characteristics of Assessment for learning and discuss how these may be demonstrated in your classroom.
This activity aims to assist teachers identify which of their classroom assessment practices are in line with assessment for learning.
Teachers can also discuss what they can do to align a lot more of their assessment practices to incorporate assessment for learning characteristics.
You may allow 7-10 minutes for this activity depending on time available.

8. Assessment as learning:
(1)
involves students monitoring their learning and using feedback from this monitoring to make adjustments and changes to their skills and understandings
establishes students’ role and responsibility in relation to their learning and assessment
empowers students to consider strategies for learning and taking action
involves students in self-assessment and peer-assessment
These two slides (8-9) refer to assessment as learning. What needs to be emphasised here is that the focus of assessment as learning is the student.
Assessment as learning establishes students’ roles and responsibilities in relation to their learning and assessment. It engages students in self- and peer-assessment and promotes students’ confidence and self-esteem through an understanding of how they learn. Its focus on student reflection on their learning is powerful in building metacognition and an ability to plan for their own future learning goals.
In assessment as learning students monitor their learning and use feedback from this monitoring to make adaptations and adjustments to what they understand (Earl 2003). Earl also expresses the view that “effective assessment empowers students to ask reflective questions and consider a range of strategies for learning and acting.
Over time, students move forward in their learning when they can use personal knowledge to construct meaning, have skills of self-monitoring to realize that they don’t understand something, and have ways of deciding what to do next” (Earl 2003, p25).
Assessment as learning emphasises the process of learning as it is experienced by the student.

9. Assessment as learning:
(2)
promotes students’ self-esteem and self-confidence through an understanding of how they learn to learn
develops students’ capacity to reflect on the learning and to contribute to their future learning goals
enhances students’ life-long learning skills
emphasises the process of learning as it is experienced by the student

10. In pairs or groups of three, use a venn diagram
Activity
In pairs or groups of three, use a venn diagram
to discuss the relationship between assessment for learning and assessment as learning.
This activity aims to assist teachers to identify the relationship between assessment for learning and assessment as learning.
Teachers can also discuss what they can do to align some of their current assessment practices to incorporate assessment as learning.
You may allow 7-10 minutes for this activity depending on time available.

11. Assessment of learning:
enables students to demonstrate what they know and can do
describes the extent to which a student has achieved the learning goals, including the Standards
uses teacher judgements about student achievement at a point in time
is supported by examples or evidence of student learning
ensures consistent teacher judgements through moderation processes
is used to plan future learning goals.
This slide (11) refers to the characteristics of assessment of learning.
Assessment of learning describes the extent to which a student has achieved the learning goals, including the Standards and demonstrates what the student knows and can do.
Its purpose is summative and gives an “overview of previous learning” (Black 1998, p28). This is the assessment that is used to certify learning for reporting to students, the parents and the system. It takes place usually at the end of a unit, a program, a semester or a year of study. It is based on teacher moderation to ensure consistent judgement of student achievement and is supported by examples or evidence of student learning. Assessment of learning can be used to plan for future learning goals.

12. In pairs or small groups discuss the types of
Activity
In pairs or small groups discuss the types of
assessment of learning used in your school.
How is the information/data from these used?
This activity aims to assist teachers identify which of their classroom assessment practices are in line with assessment of learning.
You may allow 3-5 minutes for this activity depending on time available.
Examples of assessment of learning may include tests such as AIM, PAT, TORCH, DART, or teacher tests at the end of a unit or semester.

13. Consider your brainstorm list of assessment strategies.
Activity
Consider your brainstorm list of assessment
strategies.
Can you now categorise these into the 3
purposes for assessment? (for, as, of)
Teachers return to their brainstorm from the start of the session (slide 3) which has listed the assessment strategies used in their classroom/school.
Teachers can indicate on their list which category each assessment strategy fits into. (Teachers could highlight/colour/circle/indicate with a letter – eg F/A/O)

14. Questions for future consideration
Do our assessment practices make use of all three main purposes for assessment?
Do our assessment processes allow for a balance of assessment for, as and of learning?
How can assessment for and as learning (formative) assist students when it comes to assessment of learning (summative)?
What processes could our school use to align its assessment processes to the assessment advice provided by the Department?
These questions aim to enhance discussion on assessment for, as and of learning.
You may conclude with the following statement:
Overall, the Department’s Assessment Advice describes three main purposes for assessment. The Assessment Advice is based on current learning theory and reflects the Victorian Essential Learning Standards and the Principles of Learning and Teaching P-12. It creates a balance between assessment of learning and assessment for learning and introduces assessment as learning which focuses on the student as an active learner able to take control of his or her own learning by monitoring their learning and developing future learning goals.