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Writing an academic essay on assessment

Assessment

When writing an essay about assessment, it’s important to be aware of the role of assessment for learning in the classroom, and to be clear how this approach differs from other approaches to assessment.

Remember that assessment is an integral part of the teaching and learning cycle and that, when planning for assessment, the assessment process should not govern what is taught, but rather should be central to ongoing classroom practice.

Key types of assessment

There are three key types of assessment:

  • Formative assessment records development in progress, rather than completed development. It is an ongoing part of classroom activity, it is cumulative and provides information which informs teachers’ future planning. This forms part of ongoing teacher assessment in the class.
  • Summative assessment summarises completed learning. This type of assessment usually takes place at the end of a period of teaching, such as at the end of a topic, the end of a year or a key stage. Summative assessment statements will often be compiled using information from formative assessments.
  • Assessment for learning, an extension of formative assessment, is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go and how best to get there. It should be ongoing and part of effective learning and teaching. Assessment for learning uses assessment in the classroom to raise pupils’ achievement. It is based on the principle that pupils will improve most if they understand the aim of their learning, where they are in relation to this aim and how they can achieve the aim.     

It is important that, having planned activities that will provide opportunities for learning, teachers are able to assess to what degree learning has actually occurred, before moving children on to the next stage in their understanding. It is helpful, when writing about assessment, that the ten key principles of assessment for learning are considered in some depth (see Further information below).

There are several reasons why teachers assess children’s progress. Some of these include:

  • to find out about the children as individuals
  • to find out how children learn
  • to monitor and provide evidence of the progress children make in their learning
  • to enable constructive guidance about how children can improve
  • to inform future planning
  • to enable teachers to evaluate the provision they make
  • to enable focused communication with others, including the children themselves
  • to make schools accountable.     

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It is helpful to think about how this might impact upon different approaches to assessment in the classroom, and to consider how the information gathered might be used to inform practice.
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It is helpful to think about how this might impact upon different approaches to assessment in the classroom, and to consider how the information gathered might be used to inform practice. What will be done with the data gathered? How will the information be shared with the children, parents and others?

Issues to consider

There are many different ways to assess children’s progress, but if assessment is to be meaningful and informative it is important that practitioners consider the following:

  • identify clear learning objectives based on curriculum guidance
  • choose a suitable activity to facilitate children’s learning
  • articulate the assessment criteria to the children, as it is important that children are aware of what is being assessed
  • decide who to assess, and who will be doing the assessment (e.g. teaching assistant, teacher, children)
  • decide how to assess (e.g. observation, discussion, working with a child, looking at work in progress)
  • record the activity, including learning opportunities. Consider how this will be done
  • decide what evidence is required for the children to be able to demonstrate that learning has taken place
  • observe and record the key findings (photograph, tape recorder, annotated notes etc)
  • share the outcomes of the assessment with the children in a constructive way, so that targets can be set for future learning
  • note any individual needs for extension or reinforcement. This will inform future planning and differentiated activities
  • plan further action based on the assessment findings.     

Gathering assessment evidence

Assessment evidence can be found through a range of sources, which may include:

  • teacher analyses of the work children have done
  • interviews and discussions with children
  • planned observations
  • listening
  • incidental observations – often the most useful and informative assessment evidence is wholly unexpected and unplanned for!
  • children’s self-assessment of work
  • tests.     

Records of children’s attainment can be used to support the day-to-day activities in the classroom. For instance:

  • to constructively inform and motivate the children
  • to inform the planning of future work
  • to inform the next teacher about children’s progress
  • to help pupils know how well they are progressing, and help them, with teacher guidance, to set challenging targets for the future
  • to provide evidence based information when reporting to parents
  • to inform head teachers and governing bodies about the work in the school
  • to enable judgements to be made about pupils’ levels in each attainment target at the end of each key stage
  • to be able to justify professional judgements to others
  • to enable standardisation of judgements within and across schools.     

To conclude, teacher assessment can be supported by fostering a classroom environment in which there is:

  • a curriculum which is designed to facilitate observation and recording, and is an integral part of planning for learning and teaching
  • a focus on how children learn
  • a clear understanding, by teachers and children, of what is being assessed and why it is being assessed
  • recognition that teacher assessment will offer important and valid information
  • an agreed style, format and frequency for assessment tasks
  • a constructive and supportive classroom environment that motivates the children to learn 
  • a climate of giving feedback that enables children to know how to improve
  • a sound knowledge of the requirements of the national curriculum, Curriculum Guidance for Foundation Stage, National Literacy Strategy and National Numeracy Strategy (Primary Strategy).     

Useful links and reading
The Association for Achievement and Improvement through Assessment
ARG (1999) Beyond the Black Box
ARG (2002) Assessment for Learning: 10 Principles
ASF (2005b) Draft 4. ASF Working Paper 2: Summative assessment by teachers: evidence from research and its implications for policy and practice
Black, P. & Wiliam, D. (1998a) Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice, 5 (1) : 7- 74. 
Black, P. & Wiliam, D. (1998b) Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment. London, King’s College.
Harlen, W. & Deakin Crick, R.  (2002) A systematic review of the impact of summative assessment and tests on students’ motivation for learning (EPPI-Centre Review). Research Evidence in Education Library. Issue 1. Institute of Education.
National Assessment Agency(2005) (NAA) 14th February. 

Useful websites

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