Exploring+assessment+for+learning

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© New Zealand Ministry of Education 2009 - copying restricted to use by New Zealand education sector.
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Exploring Assessment
for Learning

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You can use this presentation to:
• Update, review and/or reflect on the formative
assessment practices in your classroom or school
• Use as a resource for exploring professional
development in formative assessment.
• Support in-depth Leadership and Assessment PLD in
your school.

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‘We all want students who have high expectations of
themselves as learners; students who feel confident
about their capacity to learn, who set high goals for
their learning, and who work for themselves to
construct enjoyable, challenging learning pathways
to their futures’
(Absolum, 2006)
What do we want for our students?

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The word ‘assess’
Comes from the Latin verb ‘assidere’
meaning ‘to sit with’. In assessment,
one should sit with the learner. This
implies it is something we do with and
for students and not to students
(Green, 1998)

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How do you see assessment?
Activity:
Use the listed terms as a starting
point to develop a representation
(model, mind-map, concept map)
of how you see the relationship
between summative and
formative assessment.
This may form the basis for
professional discussion in your
learning community.
Assessment point/task
After learning
During learning
Feedback
Feed-forward
Learning continuum
Of learning
For learning
Looks back
Looks forward
Review/reflect
Improve/enhance

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What are summative and formative assessment?
If we think of our children as plants …
Summative assessment of the plants is the process of simply
measuring them. It might be interesting to compare and analyse
measurements but, in themselves, these do not affect the growth of
the plants.
Formative assessment, on the other hand, is the equivalent of
feeding and watering the plants appropriate to their needs - directly
affecting their growth.
The garden analogy

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Formative and summative assessment
An easy distinction between formative and summative assessment:
Formative assessment is assessment for learning. Its focus is on
future achievement.
Summative assessment is assessment of learning. It assesses what
has been learnt in the past.
However, formative and summative assessment are interconnected.
They seldom stand alone in construction or effect.
‘Using the terms ‘formative’ and ‘summative’ assessment can give the
impression that these are different kinds of assessment or are linked
to different methods of gathering evidence. This is not the case; what
matters is how the evidence is used.’ (Harlen, 2006)

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Useful quotes
‘Formative assessment uses evidence about achievement to adapt
instruction to meet learner needs.’ (Wiliam, 2008)
‘Assessment for the purpose of improving student learning is best
understood as an ongoing process that arises out of the interaction
between teaching and learning.’ (NZC, 2007)
‘Formative assessment is a planned process in which teachers or students
use assessment-based evidence to adjust what they’re currently doing.’
(Popham, 2008)
‘Students who have well developed assessment capabilities are able and
motivated to access, interpret, and use information from quality
assessment in ways that affirm or further their learning.’ (Directions for
Assessment in New Zealand, 2009)

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What does the research say?
In 1998 Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam of Kings College, London published their
wide-ranging analysis of research into classroom-based assessment:
Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom
Assessment
The article concludes with: “There is a body of firm evidence that formative
assessment is an essential feature of classroom work and that development of it
can raise standards. We know of no other way of raising standards for which such
a strong prima facie case can be made on the basis of evidence of such large
learning gains.”
For the full text of the article, go to:
http://weaeducation.typepad.co.uk/files/blackbox-1.pdf

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The Black Box: findings
1. Providing effective feedback to students.
2. Students’ active involvement in their own learning.
3. Adjusting teaching to take account of the results of assessment.
4. Recognising the profound influence of assessment on students’
motivation and self-esteem - both crucial influences on learning.
5. Ensuring pupils assess themselves and understand how to
improve.
Black and Wiliam’s research indicates that improving learning through
assessment depends on five deceptively simple factors:

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In summary …
The findings of Black & Wiliam indicate that the most
significant learning gains occur when teachers and
students work collaboratively to address learning needs.
To maximise achievement, it is critical that assessment
information is used with students so that they
understand and have a sense of ownership of their
learning.

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Implications for classroom practice (not a comprehensive list)
• Being confident that every student can improve.
• Creating a learning environment which supports a partnership between teacher
and students.
• Using assessment to inform teaching and learning
• Sharing assessment results with students and constructing clear and accessible
learning goals with them
• Clarifying or co-constructing learning outcomes and ensuring that students
understand them
• Involving students in self and peer assessment and giving them opportunities to
reflect on their learning.
• Providing feedback that helps students recognise their next steps and how to take
them.

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Self-evaluation
• Do you have confidence that every student in your class can improve?
• How well do you:
• Create a learning environment in your classroom?
• Share achievement information with students and co-construct clear learning
goals with them?
• Use assessment information to feed back into teaching?
• Clarify learning outcomes with students?
• Involve students in self and peer assessment?
• Provide timely focused feedback?
• What evidence do you have for your self evaluation?
Rate yourself from: 5 – I do this consistently well, to: 0 – I don’t do this at all

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Assessment references
Absolum, M., Flockton, L., Hattie, J., Hipkins, R., &Reid, I. (2009) Directions for Assessment in
New Zealand. http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/research/mainpage/directions/
Absolum, M. (2006). Clarity in the Classroom. Auckland: Hodder
Black, P. J., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education:
Principles, Policy and Practice, 5 (1), 7–74.
Clarke, S. (2001). Unlocking formative assessment: Practical strategies for enhancing pupils’
learning in the primary classroom. London: Hodder and Stoughton.
Clarke, S., Timperley, H., & Hattie, J. (2003). Unlocking formative assessment: Practical
strategies for enhancing pupils’ learning in the primary and intermediate classroom (New Zealand
ed.). Auckland: Hodder Moa Beckett.
Gipps, C., McCallum, B., & Hargreaves, E. (2000). What makes a good primary school teacher?
London: Routledge Falmer.
Green, J. M. (1998, February). Constructing the way forward for all students. A speech delivered
at “Innovations for Effective Schools” OECD/New Zealand joint follow-up conference, Christchurch,
New Zealand.

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Assessment references
Harlen, W. (1998) Classroom assessment: A dimension of purposes and procedures. In K.
Carr (Ed.), SAMEpapers (pp. 75–87). Hamilton, New Zealand: Centre for Science,
Mathematics and Technology Educational Research, University of Waikato.
Harlen, W. (2006) On the Relationship between Assessment for Formative and Summative
Purposes. In J. Gardner (Ed), Assessment and Learning (p. 104). London: Sage Publications
Ltd
Hattie, J. (1999, August). Influences on student learning. Inaugural lecture: Professor of
Education, University of Auckland.
New Zealand Curriculum On-line: http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/
Popham, W.J. (2008). Transformative Assessment (p.7). Virginia, USA: ASCD
Sadler, R. (1989). Formative assessment and the design of instructional systems. Instructional
Science, 18, 119–44.
Wiliam, D (2008, August). When is assessment learning-oriented? A presentation delivered at
4th Biennial EARLI/Northumbria Assessment Conference, Potsdam, Germany

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