Assessment Professional Learning Module 1: Connecting Assessment with Learning The whole series of 5 modules is called: “Assessment Professional Learning”. This first Module is called: “Connecting Assessment with Learning”

Principles, Policy, Practice inform each other Theoretical Principles In this package, we look at: • policy (such as the Assessment Advice from DoE), • theoretical principles (such as research on how learning is affected by assessment), and at • classroom practice (such as how we conduct our assessment of students’ learning). Each informs, and can be affected by, the other. For example, • Policy is influenced by both the research (what is best for learning) and by classroom practice (what is manageable as we implement VELS). • Theoretical principles are influenced by classroom practice (the research was conducted in classrooms) and an awareness of the policy climate. • Classroom practice influences research (what happens is researched) and policy (what is possible becomes policy). Policy Practice

OUR EDUCATIVE PURPOSE What is powerful to learn? Victorian Essential Learning Standards learning and what promotes it? Principles of Learning and Teaching LEARNER How do we know it has been learnt? Assessment Advice Who do we report to? Students Teachers Parents Community System This shows how the Student Learning initiatives connect to support student learning in classrooms. • Need to start with our PURPOSE as educators. Our educative purpose reflects our values, beliefs and understandings. • ‘WHAT is it powerful to learn?’ – a question we are seeking to answer through implementing the Victorian Essential Learning Standards. • The Principles of Learning and Teaching (PoLT) help to answer the question “What is powerful learning and what promotes it?” • The Assessment Advice promotes powerful learning. This is the focus of these professional learning modules. • Reporting on student achievement, including plans for their future learning is communicated to students, teachers, parents and other teachers. Note: This Professional Learning package is not about the New Student Report Cards

The learner is at the centre (student or teacher) This image is from the Curriculum Planning Guidelines (CPG) The curriculum planning you conduct incorporates together • the Victorian Essential Learning Standards, • your pedagogy and how you arrange the learning experiences for your students, • your classroom assessment practices. These three aspects of your work inter-connect - with the learners being at the centre of your focus. (The teacher can be a learner about all these 3 aspects, as well as the students in your class being learners.)

Principles of Learning and Teaching (PoLT) No Principles of Learning and Teaching (PoLT) No. 5: Assessment practices are an integral part of teaching and learning. Assessment contributes to planning at a number of levels. Monitoring of student learning is continuous and encompasses a variety of aspects of understanding and practice. Assessment criteria are explicit and feedback is designed to support students’ further learning and encourage them to monitor and take responsibility for their own learning. While PoLT No 5 is a key principle, assessment also relates to some of the other principles, such as Number 2: The learning environment promotes independence, interdependence and self motivation (assessment can promote or inhibit this). Number 4: Students are challenged and supported to develop deep levels of thinking and application (assessment can also promote or inhibit this).

30-second Think: (quiet, timed reflection) WHY do YOU assess? 30-second think: Individual - quiet thinking time to brainstorm as many reason or purposes as possible for assessing.

Common purposes of assessment Motivation (carrot or stick) Identify prior learning Gain feedback (for teaching plans) Give feedback (to students and their parents) Control the students Practice for later assessments Create competition BUT… You may get a few reasons from the group before you show this slide. Or maybe they can add other reasons to this list (there are many more) …. Or people can say which ones they use themselves (and which they don’t ever have as a reason for assessing)… But, don’t spend too long on this slide though, as the next slide is the key!

The MOST important reason is to … improve student learning This is the key reason for assessing and is the focus of these modules. That has implications for the when, where, who, why etc questions about assessment.

Assessment Practices: Underpinning our visible assessment practices are our values about assessment. Assessment Practices: what we DO Values: what we BELIEVE Our values and beliefs about good assessment practices - what we hold dearly in our hearts - are shown through the way we conduct our curriculum and how we assess students’ learning. If we believe strongly in particular reasons for assessing, or types of assessment, then it will show through in our practices.

Our past experiences were shaped by the values of the people who organised our assessment… and we support or reject those values (depending on our reactions and feelings). Shaped by people with values Curriculum & Assessment Constructs & perpetuates values (Gaell Hildebrand 2005, p.5) • Because we have had certain experiences, lived in particular contexts, been successful students - or not - at particular modes of assessment our selves, we have developed a world view about assessment. What we think is the “right” way to do it. • As the “Memory Lane” appetiser showed, our assessment values have been shaped by our past experiences - as well as by our educational theory. Perhaps ask for a few values to be expressed? e.g. “I value feedback in assessment because…” • When we enact our assessment in the classroom, we pass on these values to our students…. and so the cycle is perpetuated (for good or not). • We do not want to send messages that do NOT fit with our own values on assessment. Hence we need to take the time to work through what we really value - and how this aligns with policy and research. What values about assessment do you hold? How have you come to believe in these?

The principles underpinning the standards are: Learning for all Pursuit of excellence Engagement and effort Respect for evidence Openness of mind. (Victorian Essential Learning Standards Overview 2005, p. 4-5) These principles are, in essence, an expression of values underlying the VELS. They are values we can all share.

“It is through our assessment that we communicate to our pupils those things which we most value.” (David Clarke, 1988, preface) Therefore we must assess what we value - across all three strands of the essential learnings. Students don’t need to be told what we value. They “read” it from what we do. If we value learning of particular things and processes across the VELS strands and domains, we should build it into our assessment processes e.g. group work, thinking processes, etc.

Student learning: Assessment advice Assessment is the ongoing process of gathering, analysing and reflecting on evidence to make informed and consistent judgements to improve future student learning. This is the DoE definition of assessment that drives this professional learning.

Assessment OF learning Assessment FOR learning Assessment AS learning Three purposes: Assessment OF learning Assessment FOR learning Assessment AS learning What are the differences? We will work through the differences in these purposes of assessment over the next 3 slides. The logo on the right is the Department’s image to illustrate the 3 purposes.

Assessment OF learning: occurs when teachers use evidence of student learning to make judgements on student achievement against goals and standards. It is usually formal, frequently occurring at the end of units of work where it sums up student achievement at a particular point in time. It is often organised around themes or major projects and judgements may be based on student performance on multi-domain assessment tasks. It has a summative use, showing how students are progressing against the Standards, and a formative use, providing evidence to inform long term planning. The top bold text is the Assessment Advice statement. The lower paragraph is an elaboration of what it means.

Assessment FOR learning: occurs when teachers use inferences about student progress to inform their teaching. It is frequent, formal or informal (e.g. quality questioning, anecdotal notes, written comments), embedded in teaching and provides clear and timely feedback that helps students in their learning progression. It provides evidence that informs, or shapes, short term planning for learning (and because it helps shape, or form, learning it is formative assessment). The top bold text is the Assessment Advice statement. The lower paragraph is an elaboration of what it means.

Assessment AS learning: occurs when students reflect on and monitor their progress to inform their future learning goals. It is regularly occurring, formal or informal (e.g. peer feedback buddies, formal self assessment) and helps students take responsibility for their own past and future learning. It builds metacognition as it involves students in understanding the standards expected of them, in setting and monitoring their own learning goals, and in developing strategies for working towards achieving them. (Because it helps shape learning it is formative assessment.) The top bold text is the Assessment Advice statement. The lower paragraph is an elaboration of what it means.

when the guests taste the soup, that’s summative.” “When the cook tastes the soup, that’s formative; when the guests taste the soup, that’s summative.” (Robert Stake, cited by Lorna Earl 2003, p. 24) As you can see from this example, there is a formative aspect to the summative judgement (made by the guests, in this case). For example, I might change the recipe next time if my guests didn’t like it! This is clarifying the terms • summative and • formative. There are aspects of formative and summative in each of assessment of learning, assessment for learning and assessment as learning. Formative - happens along the way and can shape the learning (while the cook has time to add some ingredients). Summative - the judgement is made: how good is this soup? Formative - But the cook can learn from this for next time…

Variations in terminology use Some researchers, such as Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam (1998, 2002, 2003), use the term Assessment FOR learning as an umbrella term. They incorporate ‘assessment AS learning’ and the formative uses of ‘assessment OF learning’ under the umbrella. We have set you some reading from their famous work. As teachers will be reading Black and Wiliam and others’ work, such as the “Assessment Reform Group” in the UK, they need to know that “assessment FOR learning” is often used as an umbrella term as described above.

Assessment practices are an integral part of teaching and learning. PoLT Principle No. 5 Assessment practices are an integral part of teaching and learning. In learning environments that reflect this principle the teacher 5.1 designs assessment practices that reflect the full range of learning program objectives 5.2 ensures that students receive frequent constructive feedback that supports further learning 5.3 makes assessment criteria explicit 5.4 uses assessment practices that encourage reflection and self assessment 5.5 uses evidence from assessment to inform planning and teaching. This is unpacking PoLT No 5. (PoLT = Principles of Learning and Teaching.) One of the activities (Activity 1-2) goes beyond this level of unpacking.

Assessment FOR learning Assessment AS Learning A closing reminder, that the Assessment Advice centres on these three purposes of assessment. This Module 1 looks closely at the research basis for linking learning and assessment. It explores: research principles, classroom practice and the policy (the Assessment Advice). There is a Module dedicated to each of the 3 purposes: Module 2: Assessment OF learning Module 3: Assessment FOR learning Module 4: Assessment AS learning. The last module is Module 5: Making Consistent Judgements. Assessment OF learning