VCAL Assessment David Gallagher VCAL Manager Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority

What is assessment ‘Assessment refers to all those activities undertaken by teachers – and by their students in assessing themselves – that provide information to be used as feedback to modify teaching and learning activities’ —Inside the Black Box: Raising standards through classroom assessment, P Black and D Wiliam

VCAL Fab Four VCAL Curriculum flexibility Learner diversity Community connections Assessment practices

Purpose of assessment Assessment: provides information on students’ learning supports student learning enables teachers to monitor student progress provides evidence on effectiveness of teacher’s teaching can be used to rank/select students and/or schools

Types of assessment – Formative Assessment for diagnosis and improving learning Assessment for learning Can be frequent, formal and informal and should involve the student and teacher Can lead to greater student achievement, higher student motivation and greater professional satisfaction Can produce significant learning gains Good results for low achieving students

Types of assessment – Summative Provides a summary of a student’s achievements at some point of time at which it is relevant to take stock Assessment for reporting to parents and the wider community Measures key skills on which development is expected to occur – literacy and numeracy Assessment of learning Does not value all areas of the curriculum or school programs May lead to poor criterion-related validity e.g. (high ATAR score equals success at university)

Assessment Models INPUT MODEL OUTPUT MODEL Diagnostic Formative assessment of learning Sorting and selecting Summative assessment of learning

Assessment: What do the experts say? ‘Constantly weighing chickens will not make them fatter so assessing students will not make them perform better.’ (B McGaw) ‘The mark is the academic equivalent of Gollum’s precious. It has the power to corrupt all who come into contact with it, not least the learner.’ (N Falchikou) ‘Assessment always defined the actual curriculum. Student learn what they think they need to learn.’ (J Biggs and C Tang)

Assessment: What do the experts say? ‘Summative assessment leads to shallow learning.’ (G Stobart) ‘Feedback in the form of a grade or assessment rarely helps improve student learning. Formative assessment does produce substantial learning gains (effect, size).’ (D Wiliam and P Black) ‘Applied learning assessment practices must be student centred, flexible and inclusive, and not be only restricted to knowledge outcomes.’ (G Shacklock)

What makes a good assessment task (VCAA) Clear purpose Set in a relevant context Resources appropriate to the task Caters for different learning styles Allows for students to perform at different levels Allows adequate evidence to be collected Covers more than one learning outcome Valid, reliable, flexible and fair

Assessment Assessment for learning involves: clarifying and sharing learning intentions and success criteria effective classroom discussions provide feedback that moves students forward students are owners of learning students who are instructional resources for one another teachers collecting evidence to adapt instruction to meet students’ needs (Wiliam and Black)

VCAL Learning Outcomes and Elements VCAL units have 5–8 learning outcomes In most cases all learning outcomes must be achieved to receive an S for the unit Each learning outcome has elements The elements further describe the learning outcome The elements provide guidance in determining if the learning outcome has been met

What is evidence? Something that supports the assessor's claim that a student has achieved a competency standard, a learning outcome or an element. Evidence can be: Direct:Product, observation of a performance Indirect:Simulation, role play Supplementary:Oral questions,feedback from third party

Portfolio of Evidence A portfolio of evidence can include: teacher observation student self-assessment reflective journals blogs, wikis, podcasts, e-portfolios action plans/timetables oral presentations photographs of projects PowerPoint presentations written material newspaper articles of students’ achievements

Non academic outcomes Teacher:How many diamonds have you got? Student:I don’t have any diamonds Teacher:Then you fail Student:But you didn’t ask me about my jade How can assessment practices capture the rich experiences often associated with informal learning?

Non academic outcomes Non academic outcomes include: successful learners confident and creative individuals active and informed citizens employability skills – communication, teamwork, problem-solving, self-management, enterprise personal attributes – loyalty, enthusiasm, motivation, sense of humour, honesty, personal presentation

Critical reflection DEAL Model Engage in the experience Describe the experience (D) Examine in regards to academic, personal growth or civic learning (E) Articulate the learning (AL)

Critical Reflection ‘We had the experience but missed the learning.’ (T S Eliot, 1934) ‘Critical reflection generates, deepens, documents learning.’ (Clayton) ‘It is the critical reflection that provides the transformative link between the action of serving and the ideas and understanding of learning.’ (Clayton)

Activity 2 Oracy for Knowledge (OC Learning Outcome 2) Elements Give an oral presentation answering questions if appropriate Identify key points and supporting information in an informative talk Comment on the content and effectiveness of an informative talk Make systematic notes from a speech text in a chosen field of knowledge What would be some suitable assessment strategies for assessing this learning outcome?

Contacts David Gallagher Telephone: Cornelia DeBrincat Telephone: Anton Bouwer Telephone: Web address:

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