Formative Assessment

A Review of the Relevant Merits and Disadvantages of the Current Assessment Methods used in the Photography BTEC Extended Diploma Course

by Ben Macloughlin

This paper explores the current assessment method used in a Photography BTEC course. It reveals the role of formative... more This paper explores the current assessment method used in a Photography BTEC course. It reveals the role of formative and summative assessment methods in Photography. It identifies the differences between the use of sketchbooks, PowerPoint and blogs to track learner progress and for receiving feedback. The research takes into account the views of the learners and their tutors and offers an insight into teaching and learning styles. The aim of the paper is to discover which assessment method best suits Photography and can possibly raise the standards of teaching and learning in the UK.

How Middle School Mathematics Teachers Use Interim and Benchmark Assessment Data

by Richard Bowman

Coauthored with Lorrie A. Shepard and Kristen L. Davidson

In 2001, the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act intensified the pressure on school districts to raise test... more In 2001, the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act intensified the pressure on school districts to raise test scores, close achievement gaps, and turn around low-performing schools. In response, a large number of school districts have adopted interim or benchmark assessments to be administered periodically throughout the school year in anticipation of annual state tests. This report focuses on middle-school mathematics teachers‘ uses of interim and benchmark assessment results. We present findings from two-stage interviews with 30 teachers in seven districts across two states. While teachers' uses of assessment information varied, few gained substantive insights about students' mathematical understanding. Instead, teachers most frequently retaught standards or items with the lowest scores and focused on procedural competence. Although many teachers expressed an interest in using assessment results to inform instruction, they reported minimal professional development to this end, and often had a different understanding regarding the intended use of the assessments than did district leaders.

Contextualizing formative assessment in Mathematics and Statistics

by Niall Barr

Beyond the Tingle Factor: creativity and assessment in higher education (2005)

by Paul Kleiman

Negotiating Assessment

by Paul Kleiman

Published by PALATINE

A description of the system of negotiated assessment developed by Paul Kleiman to deal with the challenges of... more A description of the system of negotiated assessment developed by Paul Kleiman to deal with the challenges of assessing interdisciplinary creative performance practices in higher education.

Remesal, A. (2006). Los problemas en la evaluación del área de matemáticas en la educación obligatoria: perspectiva de profesores y alumnos. Tesis Doctoral presentada en la Universidad de Barcelona. Director: Dr.César Coll Salvador.

by Ana Remesal

Remesal, A. (2011). Primary and secondary teachers’ conceptions of assessment: A qualitative study. Journal of Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(2), 472-482.

by Ana Remesal

Remesal, A. (2007). Educational reform and primary and secondary teachers’ conceptions of assessment: the Spanish instance. Building upon Black and Wiliam (2005). The Curriculum Journal, 18(1), 27-38.

by Ana Remesal

The author intends to add one particular national point of view to a previous comparative reflection done by Black and... more The author intends to add one particular national point of view to a previous comparative reflection done by Black and Wiliam (20053. Black , P. and Wiliam , D. 2005 . Lessons from around the world: how policies, politics and cultures constrain and afford assessment practices . The Curriculum Journal , 16 ( 2 ) : 249 – 261.
View all references), whose thesis is the need to study particular cases before making general proposals addressing the implementation of formative assessment practices. Teachers' conceptions about assessment are considered to be one important factor of pedagogical reform in classrooms. The structure of the educational system is recognized as another important element to be looked at. Fifty teachers from Barcelona city and the surrounding area were interviewed, thirty from primary schools and twenty from secondary schools. Additionally, classroom material which the teachers felt to be significantly representative of their daily assessment practices was demanded from them. A qualitative content analysis allowed the author to define five conceptions about assessment along one continuum, containing four different dimensions. Results reveal important differences between primary and secondary teachers as to their conceptions of assessment, which the author links to the structural changes of the national educational system back in the early 1990s. These differences should be taken into account if significant changes towards a generalization of formative assessment are expected to happen.

Coll, C.; Remesal, A. (2009). Concepciones del profesorado de matemáticas acerca de las funciones de la evaluación del aprendizaje en la educación obligatoria. Infancia y Aprendizaje, 32(3), 391-404.

by Ana Remesal

El artículo presenta los resultados de un estudio de las concepciones del profesorado de matemáticas sobre las... more El artículo presenta los resultados de un estudio de las concepciones del profesorado de matemáticas sobre las funciones de la evaluación en la educación obligatoria. Los datos corresponden a las entrevistas realizadas a 50 profesores de educación primaria y de educación secundaria obligatoria, de 18 centros educativos públicos de la zona metropolitana de Barcelona, así como a muestras de material de aula representativo de sus prácticas de evaluación proporcionadas por los mismos profesores. Tomando como punto de partida las creencias de los profesores acerca de los efectos de la evaluación sobre cuatro dimensiones del proceso educativo -los procesos de aprendizaje, los procesos de enseñanza, la acreditación y la rendición de cuentas- se identifican y describen cinco tipos de concepciones: pedagógica pura, pedagógica mixta, mixta indefinida, social mixta y social pura. Estas concepciones se distribuyen desigualmente en los dos niveles educativos, mostrando algunas tendencias que pueden relacionarse con la tensión intrínseca derivada de la confluencia de las funciones pedagógicas y sociales de la evaluación y su peso relativo en cada nivel.

Brown, G.; Remesal, A. (2012). Prospective teachers’ conceptions of assessment: a cross-cultural comparison. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, vol.15 (1, onlinefirst).

by Ana Remesal

This paper examines the responses of two samples of prospective teachers (New Zealand, n = 324; and Spain, n = 672) to... more This paper examines the responses of two samples of prospective teachers (New Zealand, n = 324; and Spain, n = 672) to the Teachers’ Conceptions of Assessment inventory (English and Spanish respectively). The inventory captures four major intentions for assessment (i.e., improvement, irrelevance, school and student accountability). The conceptions of prospective teachers about the nature and purpose of assessment are relevant, given that (a) much educational assessment is carried out in classrooms; and (b) prospective teachers enter the teacher education programs with significant prior school experience of assessment as pupils. Results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the original model was
inadmissible and that the best-fitting revised model was only configurally invariant between the two samples. It would appear that lack of teaching experience results in different responses for prospective teachers to those of practicing teachers. Moreover, differences in societal and cultural priorities for assessment use most likely explain the lack of invariance between samples.

Aydeniz, M., & Southerland, S. A (2012). A national survey of middle and high school science teachers' responses to standardized testing: Is science being devalued in schools? Journal of Science Teacher Education.

by Mehmet Aydeniz

http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012JSTEd.tmp....4A

Ruffling the Calm of the Ocean Floor: Merging Practice, Policy and Research In Assessment In Scotland

by Mark Priestley

Hayward , L., Priestley, M. & Young, M. (2004) Ruffling the Calm of the Ocean Floor: Merging Practice, Policy and Research in Assessment in Scotland , Oxford Review of Education, 30[2], 397-416.

The formative Assessment for Learning proposals outlined by Black and Wiliam (e.g. Black et al, 2002) have been well... more The formative Assessment for Learning proposals outlined by Black and Wiliam (e.g. Black et al, 2002) have been well publicised. Since 2002, in its Assessment is for Learning programme, the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) has been exploring ways of bringing research, policy and practice in assessment into closer alignment using research on both assessment and transformational change. This paper focuses on one project within Assessment is for Learning, in which pilot primary and secondary schools across Scotland were encouraged to develop formative assessment approaches in classrooms. They were supported in this by researchers, curriculum developers and local and national policy makers. The paper examines the rationale and methods behind the enactment of formative assessment in these schools. It draws upon evidence provided by the interim and final reports of participating schools to draw conclusions about areas of success within the project and potential barriers to the project’s future in its evolution from pilot to national programme.

Technology for school-based assessment and assessment for learning: Development principles from New Zealand

by Gavin Brown

This paper was first presented at an APEC colloquium in Kuala Lumpur and distills the thinking behind the asTTle project and our recommendations as to how similar products could be developed elsewhere.

full citation:
Hattie, J. A. C., & Brown, G. T. L. (2008). Technology for school-based assessment and assessment for learning: Development principles from New Zealand. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 36(2), 189-201.

National assessment systems can be enhanced with effective school-based assessment (SBA) that allows teachers to focus... more National assessment systems can be enhanced with effective school-based assessment (SBA) that allows teachers to focus on improvement decisions. Modern computer-assisted technology systems are often used to deploy SBA systems. Since 2000, New Zealand has researched, developed, and deployed a national, computer-assisted SBA system. Eight major principles for the development of an SBA system are derived from those experiences and outlined. These principles focus on curriculum alignment, calibration, innovative communication, choice, low consequences, and local control. Incremental design and deployment of computer technology ensures success. We argue that these principles can be used in any nation to bring about effective improvements in learning and teaching outcomes, while providing quality assurance to governments and citizens.

l'évaluation au coeur des apprentissages

by Olivier Rey

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT TOOLS FOR INQUIRY MATHEMATICS

by Kym Fry

A Science Lesson Plan Analysis Instrument for formative and summative program evaluation of a teacher education program

by Sonya N. Martin

Jacobs, C., Martin, S., & Otieno, T. (2008). A science lesson plan analysis instrument for formative and summative program evaluation. Science Education, 92(6), pp. 1096–1126

In evaluating the success of teacher development programs, valid and scalable measures of teaching practice are... more In evaluating the success of teacher development programs, valid and scalable measures of teaching practice are needed. We have developed and validated the Science Lesson Plan Analysis Instrument (SLPAI) for quantitative evaluation of teacher-generated multiday lesson plans. This paper presents the SLPAI as a complement to surveys and classroom observation, and demonstrates its use in 2 pilot studies. The SLPAI was used formatively to measure the teaching practices of incoming program cohorts and tailor program instruction. It was also used to track changes in teaching practice and pedagogical knowledge of participants over time, providing summative evidence of program effectiveness.

Issues and challenges in using English proficiency descriptor scales for assessing school-aged English language learners

by Saskia Stille

Co-authors: Eunice Eunhee Jang, Maryam Wagner and Saskia Stille

In this paper, we introduce the Steps to English Proficiency (STEP) language assessment framework, discuss key issues... more In this paper, we introduce the Steps to English Proficiency (STEP) language assessment framework, discuss key issues related to the development of English proficiency descriptor scales for school-aged English Language Learners, and reflect on challenges to validating the scales. In particular, we address how the implementation of a language assessment framework for use in educational contexts requires attention to not only the content of performance descriptors, but also to the practices and processes of language assessment in schools, and the challenges of aligning language proficiency performance scales with curriculum and instruction in schooling.

La Aldea Formativa de Las Cuevas (Provincia de Salta)

by Rodolfo A. Raffino

Cigliano, Eduardo; Raffino, Rodolfo; Calandra, Horacio. "La Aldea Formativa de Las Cuevas (Provincia de Salta)". Rel. Soc. Arg. Antrop.; T. X.; pp. 73-130. Buenos Aires, 1977

El presente trabajo es el resollado de un estudio intensivo llevado a cabo en el sitio de Las Cuevas, integrándoselo a... more El presente trabajo es el resollado de un estudio intensivo llevado a cabo en el sitio de Las Cuevas, integrándoselo a su vez. a otros yacimientos arqueológicos análogos de las quebradas del Toro y de Las Cuevas, tales como Cerro El Dique, Potrero Grande, La Encrucijada. La Mina y Las Capillas; de rasgos culturales similares, desde el punto de vista contextual. En tal sentido, intentaremos integrar los atributos específicos, que conformen un modelo arqueológico, válido, a nuestro criterio, para el proceso cultural aborigen, conocido con el nombre de Formativo (en términos de Willey y Phillips, 1958); que para el NO. argentino se reconoce, también, bajo la denominación de Formativo Meridional Subandino, o si se quiere, Período Agrícolo Altarero Temprano (W. Bennett, 194S; A. R. González, 1963) o también, si se prefiere, Neolítico Sudamericano (Menghin, 1957).

Las aldeas del Formativo Inferior de la Quebrada del Toro (Salta, Argentina)

by Rodolfo A. Raffino

Raffino, Rodolfo. "Las aldeas del Formativo Inferior de la Quebrada del Toro (Salta, Argentina)". Estudios Atacameños; Vol. 5. pp. 65-109. Univ. del Norte, Chile, 1977

Un relevante segmento de registro arqueológico, colectado en seis sitios del Período Formativo Inferior: Cerro El... more Un relevante segmento de registro arqueológico, colectado en seis sitios del Período Formativo Inferior: Cerro El Dique, Potrero Grande, la Encrucijada, Las Capillas, La Mina y Las Cuevas, permite presentar, aquí, el estado actual de la información, además de aspectos interpretativos, inherentes a la arqueología,
y específicos para este momento del proceso cultural aborigen. De estos sitios, serán tratados con especial énfasis los dos primeros, utilizándose los restantes a modo comparativo, mediante el mecanismo de analogías y disimilitudes, teniendo como meta la integración del contexto, o modelo arqueológico, de las formas de vida de las aldeas formativas inferiores, en el tiempo y espacio delimitado.

Student Self-assessment

by Gavin Brown

This is an invited synthesis review of 85 empirical studies into student self-assessment in the school sector. Final draft submitted 1 December 2011.

current citation:
Brown, G. T. L., & Harris, L. R. (2012, October, under contract). Student Self-assessment. In J. H. McMillan (Ed.). The SAGE Handbook of Research on Classroom Assessment (pp. xx-xx). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.