1) SBA focuses on holistic development that includes values and skills like critical thinking, collaboration, and academic achievement. A much broader range of student abilities can be captured through lesson activities/formative assessments like group work/discussions, projects, presentations, and oral or written tests.

As TLs, we try to help teachers have a shift of mindset that students' learning evidence cannot be obtained from just one source which is the products (students' oral/written work), but also from our observations and monitoring of students' progress as well as conversations we have with our students. This triangulation is necessary to help teachers gather accurate data to improve their T&L in classrooms as well as review and refine the assessments set for students.

2) SBA that uses formative assessments provides useful learning evidence for teachers so that we can provide continuous feedback that helps students understand where they are going, where they are now and how can they improve. As TLs, we probably need to support teachers in thinking about the most effective and efficient way to provide timely feedback to students and parents. More efforts to help students strengthen their metacognition by supporting them to plan, monitor and evaluate their work/learning can be done.

Methods in MTL Lesson

• Use diverse assessments such as quizzes, projects, peer reviews/ self-assessments and reduce the reliance on one-off WA and EOY.

• Carry out group activities and project-based learning that can foster collaboration, which helps reduce individual learners' pressures.

  
  

• Work with HOD: Plan key formative assessments other than WA that can assess students holistically; and consider whether to be graded or not.

  
  

  
  

  Provide Timely, Constructive Feedback:

• Regular, formative feedback should focus on improvement and understanding rather than only on grades. Specific, constructive feedback can help students feel supported in their learning journey.

• Avoid frequent grading on all assessments; focus on learning objectives and progress in skill mastery.

• Work with HOD: Plan a more structured and efficient way to provide timely feedback to MTL students and parents.

A) What resonates with me?

1) We must have a target (Summative Assessment) and work towards it.

We need feedback along the way (Formative Assessement).

We may fail but we try again (CCE and SEL).

Assessment is part of the learning process, helping students to find a vision and help them to achieve. Everyone values assessment and wants to improve.

2) Students's well-being is important, and all students should feel engaged and satisfied with their learning experience. Engaged learning makes students more interested and motivated to learn. When students are more engaged, they are more likely to retain information and perform better on assessments.

Well-being fosters motivation and a positive attitude toward learning, all of which are essential for academic achievement.

When students’ well-being is supported, they are more likely to embrace challenges with a growth mindset—believing that they can improve and succeed through effort and perseverance. This mindset is essential for academic and personal growth, helping students view setbacks as opportunities for learning rather than failure.

B)

It is often perceived, both generally or by parents, that summative assessment is given more emphasis than formative assessment/weighted assessment. As TLs, it is important to guide others in shifting this mindset, highlight the importance and rationale of incorporating formative assessment, and helping colleagues to create purposeful formative assessments.

In addition, to improve the feedback provided to students, it is important to incorporate daily assessments such as quick polls and exit tickets to monitor their learning progress.

This process can help students become more aware of their strengths and areas for improvement.

1) Target setting - Teachers should assist students in identifying their goals and developing a clear plan to achieve them, making the target-setting process more meaningful and relevant.

Work with HoD to support teachers in guiding students to set meaningful targets and help them manage their emotions when those targets are not met, fostering a growth mindset throughout the target-setting process.

2) Engaged learning is a key factor of student well-being because it nurtures both the cognitive and emotional aspects of a student's development.

Work with HoD to explore strategies for enhancing teaching practices that effectively engage students. Engaged learning creates an environment where students feel motivated and supported, contributing to their overall well-being—both academically and emotionally.

Greater focus on EL Mastery: - Our students' EL mastery of Grammar, Vocabulary, Reading, Writing and Comprehension Skills must adhere closely to the EL 2020 Syllabus. As mentioned by my TL Colleague, CG Faza, these can include quizzes, project work, self/peer reviews and feedback via self/peer evaluation rubrics.

The conduct of group activities and project-based learning such as the P1s/2s Show & Tell, P3s/4s NDD, P5s/6s Readers Theatre, which foster collaborations amongst peers. As such, the individual student's performance stress is greatly reduced.

In my experience, SBA is able to capture students' diverse abilities through various assessments, such as group work, projects, presentations, and oral/written tests. These holistic evaluations provide a broader picture of students' growth.

Through observations, monitoring progress, and conversations, I've seen the importance of triangulating data to accurately inform teaching and learning. This comprehensive approach helps refine assessments.

As Teacher Leaders, we must first role model appropriate use of SBA practices in our classrooms so we are better able to advise and guide our teachers to appropriate assess our students. Tools learnt from our PD/PLT fous for the past two years on Metacognition and Communication hopefully hopefully has refined our teachers' assessment strategies and tools.

In addition to this, core values and social emotional competencies need to be addressed as well. Teachers are including core values and social emotional competencies in their lessons. This should continue.

It would be wonderful if some modes of assessment can be tweaked as we move towards joy of learning. SBA such as oral can be done over an audio recording instead of face to face. Selected Math topics can be assessed through performance task. Similarly for Science.

As a TL, perhaps we can assist teachers to see the relevance of joy of learning and holistic education. School is not just a place to learn and score academically. It is also a venue for students to learn good behaviours and grow as a person.

Perhaps it is time to relook at all the rubrics from the students' POV to ensure that it is really useful for them. They should the relevance and should be able to use the rubrics to help themselves.

Enhancing SBA Practices

a. As a Teacher Leader, I do hope to be able to tap on School-Based e-Assessment (e-SBA) in SLA in the near future. E-SBA was launched by MOE in October 2022. This has to be a whole-school approach. Teachers need to be trained on how to create a teacher-marked quiz in SLS, via the SLS Teacher User Guide. Specimen papers are available in SLS Community Gallery that they can adapt.

b. Another SBA practice would be the implementation of greater use of student-involved assessment in classrooms. I believe this T&L approach can benefit students more directly. Some of these include:

i. Learning logs - It is a personal journal to record their thoughts, questions and experiences in LJs.

ii. Reflective Journals

iii. Exit Tickets

iv. Questionnaires/Surveys

v. Self-Reflection Worksheets