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Performance Assessment - Galaletsang Setiloane (Hali)

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Performance Assessment - Galaletsang Setiloane (Hali)

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Performance Assessment - Classroom Vignette (TELL Project)

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Authentic Ways to Develop Performance-Based Activities

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Authentic Ways to Develop Performance-Based Activities

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1. Clear Expectations
2. Presentations
3. Portfolios
4. Performances
5. Projects
6. Exhibits and Fairs

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Performance-based learning is when students participate in performing tasks or activities that are meaningful and engaging. The purpose of this kind of learning is to help students acquire and apply knowledge, practice skills, and develop independent and collaborative work habits. The culminating activity or product for performance-based learning is one that lets a student demonstrate evidence of understanding through a transfer of skills.

A performance-based assessment is open-ended and without a single, correct answer, and it should demonstrate authentic learning, such as the creation of a newspaper or class debate. The benefit of performance-based assessments is that students who are more actively involved in the learning process absorb and understand the material at a much deeper level. Other characteristics of performance-based assessments are that they are complex and time-bound.

Also, there are learning standards in each discipline that set academic expectations and define what is proficient in meeting that standard. Performance-based activities can integrate two or more subjects and should also meet 21st Century expectations whenever possible:

There are also Information Literacy standards and Media Literacy standards that require performance-based learning.

Clear Expectations

Performance-based activities can be challenging for students to complete. They need to understand from the beginning exactly what is being asked of them and how they will be assessed.

Examples and models may help, but it is more important to provide detailed criteria that will be used to assess the performance-based assessment. All criteria should be addressed in a scoring rubric.

Observations are an important component and can be used to provide students with feedback to improve performance. Teachers and students can both use observations. There may be peer to peer student feedback. There could be a checklist or a tally to record student achievement.

The goal of performance-based learning should be to enhance what the students have learned, not just have them recall facts. The following six types of activities provide good starting points for assessments in performance-based learning.

Presentations

One easy way to have students complete a performance-based activity is to have them do a presentation or report of some kind. This activity could be done by students, which takes time, or in collaborative groups.

The basis for the presentation may be one of the following:

Providing information

Teaching a skill

Reporting progress

Persuading others

Students may choose to add in visual aids or a PowerPoint presentation or Google Slides to help illustrate elements in their speech. Presentations work well across the curriculum as long as there is a clear set of expectations for students to work with from the beginning.

Portfolios

Student portfolios can include items that students have created and collected over a period. Art portfolios are for students who want to apply to art programs in college.

Another example is when students create a portfolio of their written work that shows how they have progressed from the beginning to the end of class. The writing in a portfolio can be from any discipline or a combination of disciplines.

Some teachers have students select those items they feel represents their best work to be included in a portfolio. The benefit of an activity like this is that it is something that grows over time and is therefore not just completed and forgotten. A portfolio can provide students with a lasting selection of artifacts that they can use later in their academic career.

Reflections may be included in student portfolios in which students may make a note of their growth based on the materials in the portfolio.

Performances

Dramatic performances are one kind of collaborative activities that can be used as a performance-based assessment. Students can create, perform, and/or provide a critical response. Examples include dance, recital, dramatic enactment. There may be prose or poetry interpretation.

This form of performance-based assessment can take time, so there must be a clear pacing guide.

Students must be provided time to address the demands of the activity; resources must be readily available and meet all safety standards. Students should have opportunities to draft stage work and practice.

Developing the criteria and the rubric and sharing these with students before evaluating a dramatic performance is critical.

Projects are commonly used by teachers as performance-based activities. They can include everything from research papers to artistic representations of information learned. Projects may require students to apply their knowledge and skills while completing the assigned task. They can be aligned with the higher levels of creativity, analysis, and synthesis.

Students might be asked to complete reports, diagrams, and maps. Teachers can also choose to have students work individually or in groups.

Journals may be part of a performance-based assessment. Journals can be used to record student reflections. Teachers may require students to complete journal entries. Some teachers may use journals as a way to record participation.

Exhibits and Fairs

Teachers can expand the idea of performance-based activities by creating exhibits or fairs for students to display their work. Examples include things like history fairs to art exhibitions. Students work on a product or item that will be exhibited publicly.

Exhibitions show in-depth learning and may include feedback from viewers.

In some cases, students might be required to explain or defend their work to those attending the exhibition.

Some fairs like science fairs could include the possibility of prizes and awards.

A debate in the classroom is one form of performance-based learning that teaches students about varied viewpoints and opinions. Skills associated with debate include research, media and argument literacy, reading comprehension, evidence evaluation, public speaking, and civic skills.

There are many different formats for debate. One is the fishbowl debate in which a handful of students form a half circle facing the other students and debate a topic. The rest of the classmates may pose questions to the panel.

Another form is a mock trial where teams representing the prosecution and defense take on the roles of attorneys and witnesses. A judge, or judging panel, oversees the courtroom presentation.

Middle school and high schools can use debates in the classroom, with increased levels of sophistication by grade level.

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Great Ideas for Performance-Based Activities

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These six kinds of authentic performance-based activities allow students to apply knowledge, practice skills, and develop independent work habits.

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Diagnostic Assessment: Examples & Overview

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Diagnostic Assessment: Examples & Overview

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Diagnostic Assessment: Examples & Overview

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Summative Assessments: 5 Tips For Approaching Them In eLearning (Alex)

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Summative Assessments: 5 Tips For Approaching Them In eLearning (Alex)

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1. Acknowledge That Not Everything Has To Be Assessed
2. Presenting Performance Tasks And Performance Items
3. Divide The Work Into Manageable Portions
4. Conversations And Verbal Communication
5. Trust Your Students And Act Fairly

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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students in nearly every country in the world have been made to switch from face-to-face classes to online courses. Educational establishments have turned to online teaching methods, and this has increased the use of summative assessments, which are a great way to evaluate students' online learning process.*

At EdTick, we want to help you improve and adapt your assessments to the virtual learning environment. In this article, we will lay out 5 steps for designing and administering excellent and useful summative assessments for online learning.

1. Acknowledge That Not Everything Has To Be Assessed

Teachers and admin staff must make strategic decisions when designing assessments, determining what students need to know and what counts as bonus knowledge. Only the essential knowledge should be evaluated in both in-person and remote learning.

However, online education is usually slower paced, and demands more time from students to master the content. Therefore, the amount of material examined in an assessment for a virtual course should generally be less than the amount for a physical class...

In order to know what is considered as essential knowledge, EdTick suggests educators follow Larry Ainsworth's R.E.A.L. criteria. This stands for Readiness, Endurance, Assessed, and Leverage.

Readiness: The assessment should evaluate if students have acquired the necessary competencies for this stage of the course. Use the exam as a milestone, measuring the knowledge students have gained up to this point and determining if they are ready to move on to new information.

Endurance: The assessment should have students demonstrate knowledge that will be retained beyond the exam itself. The aim of learning is to gain skills which can be applied later in life, and the assessment should be designed according to that principle.

Assessed: Be aware of the standards for learning set by your state or school district. The exam should ensure that the knowledge the authorities expect your students to gain is being tested.

Leverage: The knowledge tested by the exam should be applicable to multiple disciplines. This will lead to a more robust and complete understanding for your students.

Summative assessments to measure students. EdTick

2. Presenting Performance Tasks And Performance Items

When learning online, it is crucial to consistently test students' knowledge and adapt to the results. Performance tasks are a great way for students to demonstrate their level of understanding of a subject quickly without needing to take a full exam. These are some of the characteristics of a performance task:

They are usually open-ended questions which don't have a single correct answer.

As students are asked to perform their knowledge, it is a great way for them to show off their proficiency.

Real-life situations are used for performance tasks; often by applying the Case Method teaching approach. This way, students can see the relevancy of what they've been taught.

Performance items are very similar to performance tasks, but their scope is more limited as they focus on one skill.

Both approaches are useful for testing student knowledge without needing to prepare a full assessment.

3. Divide The Work Into Manageable Portions

The pandemic has thrown everyone into uncertain and precarious times, and as a result, students may feel overwhelmed. It is important that teachers consider their student's lives outside of school.

In order to make learning more manageable for students, we recommended that instructors divide tasks into smaller parts. This way, students can tackle them with a more relaxed path rather than cramming in one sitting. This will make it easier for students to balance work time and free time, and be more prepared for the pressure of an assessment.

4. Conversations And Verbal Communication

When teachers want to check if students have understood and internalized information, simply having a conversation may be the most effective approach. Therefore, students should be prepared to explain their way of thinking to their teacher, and the instructor should be ready to listen.

This method has two main benefits. First, it introduces a more human element to online learning, making it more like face-to-face learning, putting students more at ease. Additionally, having students explain and defend their point of view can help them build knowledge by itself.

5. Trust Your Students And Act Fairly

Cheating is certainly a possibility in online learning. However, since students online and off have access to so many resources, the likelihood of cheating in online learning is not significantly more than in person. Given the additional stress presented by online learning, it is important for teachers to trust their students. There is no need to be excessively vigilant when grading an assessment, maintain the same standards that you would for a face-to-face class.

Conclusion About Summative Assessments

In conclusion, the summative assessments are highly valuable for educational institutions and can be very useful when learning online, but only when administered properly.

At EdTick, we want to help tutors and academic staff exploring options for summative assessments used in the teaching process. To learn more about summative assessments, we encourage you to read the following article, where we explain the main differences between formative and summative assessment how summative assessments should be designed.

Undoubtedly, eAssessments and online examinations are evolving beyond traditional methods by providing much more engaging, candidate-centric, and effective assessments. If you are an educator or an administrator looking for the right online assessment software tools to improve engagement and performance, we encourage you to use EdTick's search engine tool and read additional guidance on eAssessment and online exam implementation steps

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Summative Assessments: 5 Tips For Approaching Them In eLearning

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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students in nearly every country in the world have been made to switch from face-to-face classes to online courses. Educational establishments have turned to online teaching methods, and this has increased the use of summative assessments, which are a great way to evaluate students' online learning process.* At EdTick, we want to help you improve and adapt your assessments to the virtual learning environment.

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7 Smart, Fast Ways to Do Formative Assessment (Alex)

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7 Smart, Fast Ways to Do Formative Assessment (Alex)

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1. Entry and exit slips
2. Low-stakes quizzes and polls
3. Dipsticks
4. Interview assessments
5. Methods that incorporate art
6. Misconceptions and errors
7. Self-assessment

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Formative assessment-discovering what students know while they're still in the process of learning it-can be tricky. Designing just the right assessment can feel high stakes-for teachers, not students-because we're using it to figure out what comes next. Are we ready to move on? Do our students need a different path into the concepts? Or, more likely, which students are ready to move on and which need a different path?

When it comes to figuring out what our students really know, we have to look at more than one kind of information. A single data point-no matter how well designed the quiz, presentation, or problem behind it-isn't enough information to help us plan the next step in our instruction.

Add to that the fact that different learning tasks are best measured in different ways, and we can see why we need a variety of formative assessment tools we can deploy quickly, seamlessly, and in a low-stakes way-all while not creating an unmanageable workload. That's why it's important to keep it simple: Formative assessments generally just need to be checked, not graded, as the point is to get a basic read on the progress of individuals, or the class as a whole.

7 Approaches to Formative Assessment

1. Entry and exit slips: Those marginal minutes at the beginning and end of class can provide some great opportunities to find out what kids remember. Start the class off with a quick question about the previous day's work while students are getting settled-you can ask differentiated questions written out on chart paper or projected on the board, for example.

A quick way to see the big picture if you use paper exit tickets is to sort the papers into three piles: Students got the point; they sort of got it; and they didn't get it. The size of the stacks is your clue about what to do next.

No matter the tool, the key to keeping students engaged in the process of just-walked-in or almost-out-the-door formative assessment is the questions. Ask students to write for one minute on the most meaningful thing they learned. You can try prompts like:

What are three things you learned, two things you're still curious about, and one thing you don't understand?

How would you have done things differently today, if you had the choice?

What I found interesting about this work was...

Right now I'm feeling...

Today was hard because...

Or skip the words completely and have students draw or circle emojis to represent their assessment of their understanding.

2. Low-stakes quizzes and polls: If you want to find out whether your students really know as much as you think they know, polls and quizzes created with Socrative or Quizlet or in-class games and tools like Quizalize, Kahoot, FlipQuiz, Gimkit, Plickers, and Flippity can help you get a better sense of how much they really understand. (Grading quizzes but assigning low point values is a great way to make sure students really try: The quizzes matter, but an individual low score can't kill a student's grade.) Kids in many classes are always logged in to these tools, so formative assessments can be done very quickly. Teachers can see each kid's response, and determine both individually and in aggregate how students are doing.

Because you can design the questions yourself, you determine the level of complexity. Ask questions at the bottom of Bloom's taxonomy and you'll get insight into what facts, vocabulary terms, or processes kids remember. Ask more complicated questions ("What advice do you think Katniss Everdeen would offer Scout Finch if the two of them were talking at the end of chapter 3?"), and you'll get more sophisticated insights.

3. Dipsticks: So-called alternative formative assessments are meant to be as easy and quick as checking the oil in your car, so they're sometimes referred to as dipsticks. These can be things like asking students to:

write a letter explaining a key idea to a friend,

draw a sketch to visually represent new knowledge, or

do a think, pair, share exercise with a partner.

Your own observations of students at work in class can provide valuable data as well, but they can be tricky to keep track of. Taking quick notes on a tablet or smartphone, or using a copy of your roster, is one approach. A focused observation form is more formal and can help you narrow your note-taking focus as you watch students work.

4. Interview assessments: If you want to dig a little deeper into students' understanding of content, try discussion-based assessment methods. Casual chats with students in the classroom can help them feel at ease even as you get a sense of what they know, and you may find that five-minute interview assessments work really well. Five minutes per student would take quite a bit of time, but you don't have to talk to every student about every project or lesson.

You can also shift some of this work to students using a peer-feedback process called TAG feedback (Tell your peer something they did well, Ask a thoughtful question, Give a positive suggestion). When you have students share the feedback they have for a peer, you gain insight into both students' learning.

For more introverted students-or for more private assessments-use Flipgrid, Explain Everything, or Seesaw to have students record their answers to prompts and demonstrate what they can do.

5. Methods that incorporate art: Consider using visual art or photography or videography as an assessment tool. Whether students draw, create a collage, or sculpt, you may find that the assessment helps them synthesize their learning. Or think beyond the visual and have kids act out their understanding of the content. They can create a dance to model cell mitosis or act out stories like Ernest Hemingway's "Hills Like White Elephants" to explore the subtext.

6. Misconceptions and errors: Sometimes it's helpful to see if students understand why something is incorrect or why a concept is hard. Ask students to explain the " muddiest point" in the lesson-the place where things got confusing or particularly difficult or where they still lack clarity. Or do a misconception check: Present students with a common misunderstanding and ask them to apply previous knowledge to correct the mistake, or ask them to decide if a statement contains any mistakes at all, and then discuss their answers.

You can use sticky notes to get a quick insight into what areas your kids think they need to work on. Ask them to pick their own trouble spot from three or four areas where you think the class as a whole needs work, and write those areas in separate columns on a whiteboard. Have you students answer on a sticky note and then put the note in the correct column-you can see the results at a glance.

Several self-assessments let the teacher see what every kid thinks very quickly. For example, you can use colored stacking cups that allow kids to flag that they're all set (green cup), working through some confusion (yellow), or really confused and in need of help (red).

Similar strategies involve using participation cards for discussions (each student has three cards-"I agree," "I disagree," and "I don't know how to respond") and thumbs-up responses (instead of raising a hand, students hold a fist at their belly and put their thumb up when they're ready to contribute). Students can instead use six hand gestures to silently signal that they agree, disagree, have something to add, and more. All of these strategies give teachers an unobtrusive way to see what students are thinking.

No matter which tools you select, make time to do your own reflection to ensure that you're only assessing the content and not getting lost in the assessment fog. If a tool is too complicated, is not reliable or accessible, or takes up a disproportionate amount of time, it's OK to put it aside and try something different.

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7 Smart, Fast Ways to Do Formative Assessment

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Within these methods you'll find close to 40 tools and tricks for finding out what your students know while they're still learning.

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Formative Assessment in Distance Learning - ISabel

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Formative Assessment in Distance Learning - ISabel

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Formative Assessment in Distance Learning

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The pandemic has closed schools, but schooling goes on—and it remains crucial that teachers find ways to see what students are learning.

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10 Simple Assessments You Can Perform In 90 Seconds - Isabel

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10 Simple Assessments You Can Perform In 90 Seconds - Isabel

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by TeachThought Staff

Good assessment is frequent assessment.

Any assessment is designed to provide a snapshot of student understand-the more snapshots, the more complete the full picture of knowledge.

On its best day, an assessment will be 100% effective, telling you exactly what a student understands. More commonly, the return will be significantly lower as the wording of questions, the student's sense of self-efficacy, or other factors diminish their assessment performance. It sounds obvious, but a student is a human being with an entire universe of personal problems, distraction, and related challenges in recalling the information in the form the assessment demands.

This makes a strong argument for frequent assessment, as it can be too easy to over-react and "remediate" students who may be banging against the limits of the assessment's design rather than their own understanding. Rather than re-teaching, sometimes all that is necessary is re-measuring.

It is a huge burden (for both teachers and students) to design, write, complete, grade, and absorb the data into an instructional design sequence on a consistent basis. So why not frequent, simple assessments?
Simple Assessments
The word 'simple' here is misleading. Rather than describing the cognitive load on the student, it instead describes the complexity of the assessment form itself. The simpler the assessment-in terms of process and logistics-the more 'purely' it can function as a tool to get at what a student actually understands, and help you identify how to help them.

Then, due to their brevity, they're simple to grade-in fact, you can grade them as exit slips-which makes taking the data and informing instruction (the whole point of assessment) a much simpler process as well.
1. New Clothes
Take a given topic-thesis statements, push-pull factors, the scientific process, etc.-and describe how it can be used in some way other than how you've been taught.

Example of Student Response: We've learned the scientific process by looking at how actual scientists study new things, but the scientific process would also make an excellent tool for detectives to use while pursuing criminals. It would allow them to observe data, form theories, test theories while collecting more data, and draw conclusions that can then be judged in a court of law.
2. Dos & Don'ts
List 3 Dos and 3 Don'ts when using, applying, relating to the content (e.g., 3 Dos and Don'ts for solving an equation).

Example of Student Response: When adding fractions, DO find a common denominator, DO add the numerators once you've found a common denominators, DON'T simply add the denominators
3. Three Most Common Misunderstandings
List what you think might be the three most common misunderstandings of a given topic based on an audience of your peers.

Example of Student Response: In analyzing tone, most people probably confuse mood and tone, forget to look beyond the diction to the subtext as well, and to strongly consider the intended audience.
4. Yes/No Chart
List what you do and don't understand about a given topic-what you do on the left, what you don't on the right, but you overly-vague responses don't count. Specificity matters!

Example of Student Response: In learning about paragraph structure (Do Understand): what a topic sentence is, how many sentences a paragraph should have, that a paragraph should be about one idea; (Don't Understand) how a paragraph can have a conclusion, how to know when I've given enough supporting details in the paragraph, how to revise a paragraph
5. Three Questions
Ask three questions about the topic, then rank them in terms of their importance/value.

Example of Student Response: Low Importance: Does the prefix "tri" mean 3? Medium Importance: Is the triangle the only 3-sided geometrical figure? High Importance: Why don't triangles show up very often in nature (as so many other shapes do)?
6. Explain What Matters
Explain the most critical part of a given topic to a self-selected audience (must clarify) in two or fewer sentences. (Audience can be anyone!)

Example of Student Response: The most important part of a thesis statement is clarity and conviction, so I'll explain that one to Jay-Z: A thesis statement is kind of like the hook or title of one of your songs-it delivers the message that the song goes on to explain. Feel me?
7. Big Picture
Diagram the context-where does it fit in and how does it function in its natural "bigger picture." This is good for abstract or right-brain thinkers.

Example of Student Response: It is impossible to understand the rules we live by and how they're formed without understanding the 3 branches of government.
8. Venn Diagram
Compare/Contrast a given topic to a tangent topic (e.g., the water cycle to distillation, symbolism to allusion, etc.)

Example of Student Response: A Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting symbolism and allusion, or tone and mood.
9. Draw It
Draw what you do understand.

Example of Student Response: A drawing of what an adjective thinks about a noun, or a how much smaller in size the thousandth's place is compared to the ten's place.
10. Self-Directed Response
Prove to me you understand in diagram, written, or related form in a way that a stranger would understand.

Example of Student Response: I wrote this chorus of a song I've been thinking of that would explain this character's motivation....

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10 Simple Assessments You Can Perform In 90 Seconds

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From 3-2-1 to Do's and Don'ts and concept maps, here are 10 simple assessments you can complete in about 90 seconds.

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0:00 / 2:52•Watch full video

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Summative assessments are used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period—typically at the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or school year. They are tests, assignments, or projects used to determine whether students have learned what they were expected to learn.

Examples:
1. End of unit tests or chapter tests
2. End of term or end of semester tests
3. Standardized tests
4. Portfolios of student work that are collected over time

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Summative assessments are used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period-typically at the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or school year. Generally speaking, summative assessments are defined by three major criteria:

The tests, assignments, or projects are used to determine whether students have learned what they were expected to learn. In other words, what makes an assessment "summative" is not the design of the test, assignment, or self-evaluation, per se, but the way it is used-i.e., to determine whether and to what degree students have learned the material they have been taught.

Summative assessments are given at the conclusion of a specific instructional period, and therefore they are generally evaluative, rather than diagnostic-i.e., they are more appropriately used to determine learning progress and achievement, evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs, measure progress toward improvement goals, or make course-placement decisions, among other possible applications.

Summative-assessment results are often recorded as scores or grades that are then factored into a student's permanent academic record, whether they end up as letter grades on a report card or test scores used in the college-admissions process. While summative assessments are typically a major component of the grading process in most districts, schools, and courses, not all assessments considered to be summative are graded.

Summative assessments are commonly contrasted with formative assessments, which collect detailed information that educators can use to improve instruction and student learning while it's happening. In other words, formative assessments are often said to be for learning, while summative assessments are of learning. Or as assessment expert Paul Black put it, "When the cook tastes the soup, that's formative assessment. When the customer tastes the soup, that's summative assessment." It should be noted, however, that the distinction between formative and summative is often fuzzy in practice, and educators may have divergent interpretations and opinions on the subject.

Some of the most well-known and widely discussed examples of summative assessments are the standardized tests administered by states and testing organizations, usually in math, reading, writing, and science. Other examples of summative assessments include:

End-of-unit or chapter tests.

End-of-term or semester tests.

Standardized tests that are used to for the purposes of school accountability, college admissions (e.g., the SAT or ACT), or end-of-course evaluation (e.g., Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams).

Culminating demonstrations of learning or other forms of "performance assessment," such as portfolios of student work that are collected over time and evaluated by teachers or capstone projects that students work on over extended periods of time and that they present and defend at the conclusion of a school year or their high school education.

While most summative assessments are given at the conclusion of an instructional period, some summative assessments can still be used diagnostically. For example, the growing availability of student data, made possible by online grading systems and databases, can give teachers access to assessment results from previous years or other courses. By reviewing this data, teachers may be able to identify students more likely to struggle academically in certain subject areas or with certain concepts. In addition, students may be allowed to take some summative tests multiple times, and teachers might use the results to help prepare students for future administrations of the test.

It should also be noted that districts and schools may use "interim" or "benchmark" tests to monitor the academic progress of students and determine whether they are on track to mastering the material that will be evaluated on end-of-course tests or standardized tests. Some educators consider interim tests to be formative, since they are often used diagnostically to inform instructional modifications, but others may consider them to be summative. There is ongoing debate in the education community about this distinction, and interim assessments may defined differently from place to place. See formative assessment for a more detailed discussion.

Reform

While educators have arguably been using "summative assessments" in various forms since the invention of schools and teaching, summative assessments have in recent decades become components of larger school-improvement efforts. As they always have, summative assessments can help teachers determine whether students are making adequate academic progress or meeting expected learning standards, and results may be used to inform modifications to instructional techniques, lesson designs, or teaching materials the next time a course, unit, or lesson is taught. Yet perhaps the biggest changes in the use of summative assessments have resulted from state and federal policies aimed at improving public education-specifically, standardized high-stakes tests used to make important decisions about schools, teachers, and students.

Debate

While there is little disagreement among educators about the need for or utility of summative assessments, debates and disagreements tend to center on issues of fairness and effectiveness, especially when summative-assessment results are used for high-stakes purposes. In these cases, educators, experts, reformers, policy makers, and others may debate whether assessments are being designed and used appropriately, or whether high-stakes tests are either beneficial or harmful to the educational process. For more detailed discussions of these issues, see high-stakes test , measurement error , test accommodations , , score inflation , standardized test , and value-added measures .

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Summative assessments are used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period-typically at the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or school year. Generally speaking, summative assessments are defined by three major criteria: The tests, assignments, or projects are used to determine whether students [...]

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Formative assessment refers to a wide variety of methods that teachers use to conduct in-process evaluations of student comprehension, learning needs, and academic progress during a lesson, unit, or course.

Examples:
1. Questions that teachers pose to individual students and groups of students during the learning process to determine what specific concepts or skills they may be having trouble with.
2. Specific, detailed, and constructive feedback that teachers provide on student work, such as journal entries, essays, worksheets, research papers, projects, ungraded quizzes, lab results, or works of art, design, and performance.
3. “Exit slips” or “exit tickets” that quickly collect student responses to a teacher’s questions at the end of a lesson or class period.
4. Peer assessments that allow students to use one another as learning resources.

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Formative assessment refers to a wide variety of methods that teachers use to conduct in-process evaluations of student comprehension, learning needs, and academic progress during a lesson, unit, or course. Formative assessments help teachers identify concepts that students are struggling to understand, skills they are having difficulty acquiring, or learning standards they have not yet […]

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Assessment of learning provides evidence of student learning at particular key points in time. It helps to summarize what pupils know, understand or can do against the relevant year level achievement standard for different learning areas/subjects, in order to report on achievement and progress.

Assessment of learning has three subheadings: feedback to students, differentiated learning, and reporting.

Assessment of learning takes place after the learning has occurred - to determine if it did - and is used to:

plan future learning goals and pathways for students

provide evidence of achievement to the wider community, including parents, educators, the students themselves and outside groups

provide a transparent interpretation across all audiences.

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Assessment of learning provides evidence of student learning and this can be used to inform reporting, differentiation and reporting.

Assessment of learning

'Assessment of learning' provides evidence of student learning at particular key points in time.

Formerly known as summative assessment, 'assessment of learning' helps to summarise what pupils know, understand or can do against the relevant year level achievement standard for different learning areas/subjects, in order to report on achievement and progress.

Assessment of learning takes place after the learning has occurred - to determine if it did - and is used to:

plan future learning goals and pathways for students

provide evidence of achievement to the wider community, including parents, educators, the students themselves and outside groups

provide a transparent interpretation across all audiences.

To decide when 'assessment of learning' should take place - which key points in time - teachers can use syllabus outcomes within a standards framework, and related learning goals established at the beginning of a year, semester, term or unit of work.

Assessment of learning requires teachers to make judgements about student learning and to communicate to parents, other teachers and to students themselves about what students know and can do, in relation to the standards-referenced framework of syllabuses.

The reference point of the syllabus standards is a crucial factor in assessment of learning. Other reference points, such as other students (comparisons) and the students themselves (individual progress) should be communicated separately and should not interfere with judgements.

Effective implementation of assessments for and as learning ensures that the results do not come as a surprise to students and parents/carers.

It is important that the underlying logic and measurement of assessment of learning be credible and defensible. Gathering information over time and triangulating assessment of learning information assists in ensuring the accuracy of decisions made.

With the help of their teachers, students can look forward to assessment of learning tasks as occasions to show their competence, as well as the depth and breadth of their learning.

How to use 'assessment of learning'

Information under 'assessment of learning' can be organised under 3 headings (Earl & Katz (2006)):

feedback to students

differentiated learning

reporting.

Feedback to students

Since assessment of learning is usually at the end of a unit or learning cycle, feedback to students has a less obvious effect on student learning than 'assessment for learning' and 'assessment as learning'. Nevertheless, students do rely on their marks and on teachers’ comments as indicators of their level of success, and to make decisions about their future learning endeavours.

Differentiating learning

When assessing learning, differentiation occurs in the assessment itself. For example, it would not make sense for an examiner to ask a short-sighted person to demonstrate their driving proficiency without their glasses, but when the driver does use their glasses, the examiner can gain an accurate picture of the driver’s ability, and certify them as proficient.

Similarly, differentiation in 'assessment of learning' requires adaptation so a student's particular learning is visible. Many forms of assessment offer many pathways for making student learning transparent to the teacher. For example, a particular curriculum outcome requirement, such as an understanding of the social studies notion of conflict, can be demonstrated through visual, oral, dramatic, or written representations. As long as writing were not an explicit component of the outcome, students who have difficulties with written language, for example, would then have the same opportunity to demonstrate their learning as other students.

Although assessment of learning does not always lead teachers to differentiate instruction or resources, it has a profound effect on the placement and promotion of students and, consequently, on the nature and differentiation of the future instruction and programming that the students receive. This means assessment results need to be accurate and detailed enough to allow for considered and accurate recommendations.

Reporting

There are many approaches to reporting student proficiency, and any reporting of assessment of learning needs to fit the intended audience/s and provide all information required so they can make reasoned decisions. Irrespective of the reporting form, it should be honest, fair, and provide sufficient detail and contextual information to be clearly understood.

Traditional reporting, which relies only on a student’s average score, provides little information about that student’s skill development or knowledge. One alternate mechanism, which recognises many forms of success and provides a profile of a student’s level of performance on an emergent-proficient continuum, is the parent-student-teacher conference. This forum provides parents with a great deal of information, and reinforces students’ responsibility for their learning.

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Find out about assessment of learning which provides evidence of student learning at particular key points in time, so helps to summarise what pupils

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Performance assessment measures how well students apply their knowledge, skills, and abilities to authentic problems. The key feature is that it requires the student to produce something, such as a report, experiment, or performance, which is scored against specific criteria.

Performance assessment includes performance tasks, which are pieces of work students are asked to do to show how well they apply their knowledge, skills, or abilities—from writing an essay to diagnosing and fixing a broken circuit

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Project-based learning is nothing new. More than 100 years ago, progressive educator William Heard Kilpatrick published "The Project Method," a monograph that took the first stab at defining alternatives to direct instruction. Predictably, the document sparked a squabble over definitions and methods-between Kilpatrick and his friend and colleague John Dewey.

Not much has changed. Today, despite major advances in ways to measure learning, we still don't have common definitions for project-based learning or performance assessment.

Sometimes, for example, performance assessment is framed as the opposite of the dreaded year-end, state-required multiple-choice tests used to report on schools' progress. But in fact, many performance assessments are standardized and can-and do-produce valid and reliable results.

Experts also emphasize the "authentic" nature of performance assessment and project-based learning, although "authentic" doesn't always mean lifelike: A good performance assessment can use simulations, as long as they are faithful to real-world situations. (An example: In science class, technology can simulate plant growth or land erosion, processes that take too long for a hands-on experiment.)

In the absence of agreed-upon definitions for this evolving field, Education Week reporters developed a glossary based on interviews with teachers, assessment experts, and policy analysts. They've organized the terms here generally from less specific to more specific. These terms aren't mutually exclusive. (A performance assessment, for instance, may be one element of a competency-based education program.)

Proficiency-based or competency-based learning: These terms are interchangeable. They refer to the practice of allowing students to progress in their learning as they master a set of standards or competencies. Students can advance at different rates. Typically, there is an attempt to build students' ownership and understanding of their learning goals and often a focus on "personalizing" students' learning based on their needs and interests.

Project-based learning: Students learn through an extended project, which may have a number of checkpoints or assessments along the way. Key features are inquiry, exploration, the extended duration of the project, and iteration (requiring students to revise and reflect, for example). A subset of project-based learning is problem-based learning, which focuses on a specific challenge for which students must find a solution.

Standards-based grading: This refers to the practice of giving students nuanced and detailed descriptions of their performance against specific criteria or standards, not on a bell curve. It can stand alone or exist alongside traditional letter grading.

Performance assessment: This assessment measures how well students apply their knowledge, skills, and abilities to authentic problems. The key feature is that it requires the student to produce something, such as a report, experiment, or performance, which is scored against specific criteria.

Portfolio: This assessment consists of a body of student work collected over an extended period, from a few weeks to a year or more. This work can be produced in response to a test prompt or assignment but is often simply drawn from everyday classroom tasks. Frequently, portfolios also contain an element of student reflection.

Exhibition: A type of performance assessment that requires a public presentation, as in the sciences or performing arts. Other fields can also require an exhibition component. Students might be required, for instance, to justify their position in an oral presentation or debate.

Performance task: A piece of work students are asked to do to show how well they apply their knowledge, skills, or abilities-from writing an essay to diagnosing and fixing a broken circuit. A performance assessment typically consists of several performance tasks. Performance tasks also may be included in traditional multiple-choice tests.
With thanks to: Paul Leather, director for state and local partnerships at the Center for Innovation in Education; Mark Barnes, founder of Times 10 Publications; Peter Ross, principal at Education First; Scott Marion, executive director at the Center for Assessment; Sean P. "Jack" Buckley, president, Imbellus; Starr Sackstein, an educator and opinion blogger at edweek.org; and Steve Ferrara, senior adviser at Measured Progress.
Have we missed any terms that confuse you? Why not write and tell us?

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Here's a handy glossary on terms like project-based learning, competency-based learning, and standards-based grading.

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Diagnostic assessments tell about students' strengths and weaknesses and what they think about the subject or topic, giving the teacher insight into their students' learning and capabilities.

Examples:
1. Hinge questions - provide an immediate, often informal check of the initial understanding of
every pupil in a class
2. Quizzes - low-stakes quizzes provide a quick way
of checking understanding of these and
identifying areas needing development
3. Reading fluency scales - teachers can gauge pupil progress as well as the effectiveness of their teaching of reading fluency
4. Pre-topic mind map - used to assess the prior
knowledge and understanding of pupils and
their readiness to study new material. They
can also be used to highlight connections and
to organize or categorize ideas and concepts.

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Assessment for Learning - Galaletsang Setiloane (Hali)

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Assessment for Learning - Galaletsang Setiloane (Hali)

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Formative Assessment - Galaletsang Setiloane (Hali)

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Formative Assessment - Galaletsang Setiloane (Hali)

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Using drawings as a form of formative assessment.

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Assessing Student Understanding Through Drawings

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Performance Assessment - Galaletsang Setiloane (Hali)

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Performance Assessment - Galaletsang Setiloane (Hali)

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1) What is performance assessment? Why is it used?
Performance assessment is a type of assessment that looks into students’ ability to demonstrate what they have learned through a performance, presentation or exhibition. It is used to assess whether students understand what they have been learning about and how much more they need to learn to get to a level of so-called mastery.

2) What is an example of performance assessment?
Examples of performance assessment are PBL exhibitions, prepared speeches, role plays, unprepared speeches, experiments and findings, and portfolios.

REFERENCES:

https://www.projectappleseed.org/assessment

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Diagnostic Assessment - Galaletsang Setiloane (Hali)

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Diagnostic Assessment - Galaletsang Setiloane (Hali)

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1) What is diagnostic assessment? Why is it used?
Diagnostic assessment is a pre-assessment that allows teachers to establish understanding on what students already know and what they don’t know. This type of assessment is useful as it can allow teachers to focus on the most important aspects of a topic during instructional time and helps them better prepare for students and their learning experience.

2) What is an example of diagnostic assessment?
Examples of diagnostic assessment include quizzes, mind maps, drawing or visual representations of prior knowledge.

REFERENCES:

https://youtu.be/95D2dGnfAVM

https://harappa.education/harappa-diaries/diagnostic-assessment/

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Assessment of, as and for Learning - Galaletsang Setiloane (Hali)

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Assessment of, as and for Learning - Galaletsang Setiloane (Hali)

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1) What is "assessment of learning"? Why is it used?
Assessment of learning is the practice of teachers determining what students have learned over the course of a specific time. Teachers can determine what students have learned by comparing them to specific learning goals, objectives or standards. This is also known as a summative assessment.

2) What is an example of "assessment of learning"?
Some examples of Assessment of Learning can be final semester or year tests, end of unit tests, final project presentations, etc.

3) What is "assessment for learning"? Why is it used?
Assessment for Learning is the process of assessing students' understanding of content by asking them content-related questions during class, asking them questions on an individual basis and having general conversation about the content. This helps teachers identify what parts of the content need to be revisited and help teacher better plan for future lessons. Students are also required to self-reflect on the work they do and work on their personal learning goals and striving to achieve those goals instead of competing with their peers.

4) What is an example of "assessment for learning"?
Some examples of Assessment for Learning are self-assessments and peer assessments. Another way could be for students to write pieces on information they have already acquired.

5) What is "assessment as learning"? Why is it used?
Just like Assessment for learning, Assessment as Learning (ASL) is an on-going process that happens throughout the course of a certain time. For this type of assessment, students are required to self-reflect, assess and direct themselves on a path towards their learning goals.It is mostly student-led.

6) What is an example of "assessment as learning"?
Some examples of Assessment as Learning (ASL)

REFERENCES:

Assessment for Learning Strategies - Key classroom strategies. (2019). YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0_SnxqZrUI.

www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Assessment for Learning Strategies. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpKgaDUm6eI [Accessed 21 Dec. 2022].

www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Assessment FOR, OF, AS Learning| Purposes of Assessment|Assessment in Learning. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Atiuuy-7fBA.

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Formative & Summative Assessment - Galaletsang Setiloane (Hali)

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Formative & Summative Assessment - Galaletsang Setiloane (Hali)

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1) What is formative assessment? Why is it used?
Formative assessment is a method of determining whether students have grasped a concept and if it is okay for the students to move onto the next concept or activity. Teachers can conduct formative assessment during lessons by taking breaks in between instructional time to ask students questions that help the teacher determine whether the students are ready for a new set of concepts.

2) What is an example of formative assessment?
Some examples of formative assessment could be to ask the students to give thumbs up or thumbs down signals when concept-checking, have them summarise information they have just been taught by writing down their summaries or sending them through a chat box during online learning, and getting students to share their understanding of something through the use of drawings.

3) What is summative assessment? Why is it used?
Summative assessment is a method used to determine whether students have grasped learning content over a set period of time (a month, a term, a semester, etc.). Teachers are able to use information gathered over a period of time to complete yearly summative assessments and share them with parents, students and other education professionals.

4) What is an example of summative assessment?
Some examples of summative assessments could be end-of-unit tests, cycle tests, mid-term exams, final exams.

REFERENCES:

Edutopia (2021). 5 Ways to Conduct Formative Assessments Virtually. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEDhhNJPNnQ.

www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Assessing Student Understanding Through Drawings. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjOlG7vUfIc.

Wisconsin DPI - Resources for the Field (2016). Summative Assessment (Strategic Assessment System, Part 3). YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySYFrQDRZHQ.

Eberly Center (2019). Formative vs summative assessment. [online] Carnegie Mellon University. Available at: https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html.
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Formative Assessments: Why, When & Top 5 Examples

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Formative vs Summative | Learning and teaching | University of Greenwich

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The purpose of formative assessment is to monitor student learning and provide ongoing feedback to staff and students. It is assessment for learning. If designed appropriately, it helps students identify their strengths and weaknesses, can enable students to improve their self-regulatory skills so that they manage their education in a less haphazard fashion than is commonly found. It also provides information to the faculty about the areas students are struggling with so that sufficient support can be put in place.