- Summative assessment refers to tests or examinations that are used to make summary judgments of student performance. These are the tests that students take at the end of a learning unit, at the end of a school year, or at the end of secondary school.
- The second approach to assessment is known as “formative assessment”. This is sometimes referred to as assessment for learning. Formative assessment is the kind of “real time” assessment teachers use to understand how well learners understand a new concept or are to apply a new skill – and provide the learner with feedback on what they still need to do to meet the learning objective. The teacher may adjust teaching approaches to meet learning needs more effectively. An assessment is considered as formative once the gap has been closed and the student has met the objective.
- Both summative and formative assessments are focused on whether students have achieved the learning objectives outlined in curriculum and standards. These assessments are typically criterion-referenced. In other words, there are specific criteria by which to gauge learning performance. A third kind of assessment is student self-assessment,
- Traditional summative assessments are ill suited to measuring key competences. This is because they tend to measure fragments of content knowledge rather than what students understand about interconnections or the reasoning processes they use to solve problems
- Innovative tools, such as portfolio assessments, ICT-based assessments and simulations may be more effective at capturing students’ reasoning processes or ability to solve complex problems.
- A portfolio is a place to store data on student learning. It is compiled over time, and is intended to be representative of a learner’s progress.
- E-portfolios may include audio-visual files and Internet links. As an example, students may use the multimedia functions of ICT to show how they would perform a physics experiment or some other problem-solving task.
- “Low tech” approaches to formative assessment are also extremely effective. For example, through extended dialogues and series of questions, teachers may guide students toward deeper levels of understanding. Classroom dialogues may draw out thoughtful contributions and multiple points of view.
- Feedback is also more effective when it is focused on the task at hand, rather than the student’s ego – even in the form of praise. Task-based feedback includes specific suggestions for improvement.
- Described scales (Development Progressions) - One of the critical components of both teaching and assessing these complex skills is the availability of what are known as described (derived) scales also known as developmental progressions. These provide a way of describing levels of increasing expertise in collaborative problem solving.
- The teacher, acting as an observer, becomes the most important assessment instrument.
- Responsiveness by Lev Vygotsky
- Negotiation skills
- Transactiveness
- Persistance
- Take responsibility
- Flexibility
- Systematicity
- Rubric = levels of performance
A skilful teacher becomes proficient in
• Explaining representing and modelling core content
• Setting up and managing small group work
• Recognizing common patterns of thinking in a content domain
• Posing questions • Eliciting and interpreting student thinking
• Establishing norms and routines for a respectful learning environment
• Selecting and using methods to assess students learning on an ongoing basis
• Conducting meetings with parents
• Explaining representing and modelling core content
• Setting up and managing small group work
• Recognizing common patterns of thinking in a content domain
• Posing questions • Eliciting and interpreting student thinking
• Establishing norms and routines for a respectful learning environment
• Selecting and using methods to assess students learning on an ongoing basis
• Conducting meetings with parents