What is the purpose of assessment?

What is the purpose of assessment? I initially had always thought that assessment was used before or after a learning period to test students’ knowledge; naively thinking that this was all there was to it! However by reading Rethinking Classroom Assessment with Purpose in Mind by the Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Basic Education [WNCP] (2006), I learned more about the three purposes of assessment and how to realistically apply them in the classroom.

 

In assessment for learning, “teachers use assessment as an investigative tool to find out as much as they can about what their students know and can do, and what confusions, preconceptions, or gaps they might have” (WNCP, 2006, p.29). This is also known as “formative assessment” as it involves collecting and analysing information to show what children know, can do, and understand (SCSA, 2013). In conducting some outside reading, I also learned that formative assessment is a crucial part of the cyclical process of documenting, analysing and planning children’s learning to support intentional teaching (Arthur et al., 2015; DEEWR, 2007). Formative assessment can be used at the beginning of a learning period to determine prior knowledge or throughout learning to check understanding (SCSA, 2013).

Assessment of learning, or summative assessment, is usually conducted at the end of a period of time or set of lessons to assess what the child has learned (WNCP, 2006). Tracking this development establishes the effectiveness of instruction, and using this data to compare students’ progress can also help identify children with special needs (Arthur et al., 2015). Like all forms of assessment, summative assessment gives teachers vital information needed to plan future learning (DEEWR, 2009), for example they may plan for extra or different learning activities if gaps in expected knowledge are found.

The only assessment tools that came to mind when I was initially learning about formative and summative assessment were checklists and rubrics, however I soon learned that there are so many more ways of assessment! Narrative types of assessment, such as running records, anecdotes, learning stories and jottings (Arthur et al., 2015, p.276), are particularly suitable for collecting formative and summative assessments. I believe the running record in will become one of my favored forms of assessment, as it allows the teacher can be actively involved in the learning process whilst assessing; it is written as the event or experience of interest happens (Arthur et al., 2015). This video also discusses how ICT can be used in assessment.  

Assessment as learning involves assessment as a means of metacognition. Dann (2014, para.5) states that the core focus of assessment as learning is for children to understand their own progress and goals through a range of cognitive processes, which require them to be active in both learning and assessment. These cognitive processes include self-regulation, self-efficiacy, metacognition and feedback, which are encouraged by self-assessment (Dann, 2014, para.5). This is supported by what I learned in WNCP (2006), that assessment as learning involves students being actively engaged in creating their own understanding, and analyze and synthesize information. The video below assisted me in learning more about implementing assessment as learning.

It was interesting to learn about the different kinds of assessment and how assessment ties into everyday classroom practice. Although I initially viewed assessment as relatively straightforward, throughout my reading and reflection it became evident that assessment must be understood as more than just the principles and practices, as implementing it is much more complex. Unfortunately I believe that due to time and staffing arrangement, certain assessment types, generally the more time-consuming and information-rich types would be almost impossible to conduct with a whole classroom of children. This is as issue I wish to learn about in my future studies. However for now, I feel as though I have learned about just how important it is to ensure that assessment is embedded in daily classroom activities.

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References

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S. & Farmer, S. (2015). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (6^th ed.). South Melbourne, VIC: Cengage Learning Australia.

Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations for the Council of Australian Governments [DEEWR](2009). Belonging, being and becoming: The early years learning framework for Australia. Retrieved from https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia.pdf

Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations for the Council of Australian Governments [DEEWR] (2011). My time, our place: Framework for school aged care in Australia. Retrieved from http://files.acecqa.gov.au/files/National-Quality-Framework-Resources-Kit/my_time_our_place_framework_for_school_age_care_in_australia.pdf

Dann, R. (2014). Assessment "as" learning: Blurring the boundaries of assessment and learning for theory, policy and practice. Assessment in education: Principles, policy & practice, 21(2), pp.149-166. DOI: 10.1080/0969594X.2014.898128

School Curriculum and Standards Authority (2013). Curriculum and assessment outline: Guiding principles. Retrieved from http://k10outline.scsa.wa.edu.au/media/documents/outline_downloads/guiding_principles_k-10_outline.pdf

Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Basic Education [WNCP]. (2006). Rethinking classroom assessment with purpose in mind: Assessment for learning, assessment as learning, assessment of learning. Retrieved from https://www.wncp.ca/media/40539/rethink.pdf