This document provides an overview of assessment for learning at a high school. It begins by defining the different types of assessment: assessment as learning, assessment for learning, and assessment of learning. It then discusses key considerations around each type, including ensuring assessments provide feedback to students and teachers. The document also includes a rubric for evaluating how well assessment practices support student learning. The overall message is that alignment between intended learning outcomes and assessments is most important, and assessments should primarily support learning rather than act as judgments.

1. HIGH SCHOOL
1:45- 3:15
REQUESTS
1. Ideas on developing practice guidelines.
2. From the HS assessment Policy - consider a balance between
Assessment for learning; Assessment of learning; Assessment as learning.
WHAT IS ASSESSMENT?
ASSESSMENT IS…
Fundamentally…
What are the concerns?
Seoul Foreign School 1 High School Session

2. REFRESHER ON AS, OF, FOR
Type Definition & Examples
AS Your policy:
SELF – ASSESSMENT
Opportunities for student to record and track their own learning
Self- reflect, self-monitor elf adjust, challenge their own thinking
Additional thoughts
FOR Your policy:
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Give regular specific feedback to students
Provides feedback to teachers to modify teaching
Additional thoughts
OF Your policy:
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Determine achievement level at the end of a unit and course
Additional thoughts
FOR STUDENTS to learn through engaging in the task, both
about the content and their own learning processes?
FOR YOU, THE TEACHER to gather data for your next stage
of teaching?
FOR ‘OFFICIAL’ REASONS – you needed to make a ‘fixed’
judgment for reporting or other official purposes
Seoul Foreign School 2 High School Session

3. AS, OF, FOR?
What might be the teacher’s prime (and perhaps subsidiary) purpose for the below
assessment activities?
AS- FOR -OF
1 A teacher gives a pre-test to find out where the kids are before starting to teach a unit
2 A teacher observes students working in groups in order to generate data to evaluate a report
card grade for a disposition of effective collaboration
3 A teacher gives an end of year exam worth 20% of the final grade
4 A teacher completes running records for reading
5 A teacher asks students to use different colored cups (red/amber/green) to indicate their
understanding of a topic as the teacher is doing a mini lecture.
6 A teacher asks students to peer assess the work of a classmate
7 A teacher asks students to write down the most important thing they learned in class today and
leave it on the door as a post-it as they exit the class
8 A teacher involves students in a deep contextual task which is used in the generation of a final
grade and/or report card comments
9 A test is used to determine which group students should work in for the next activity within a
small flexible group model
10 The teacher tells students that she does not want them to raise their hands in class – she will call
on students at random
11 The teacher asks all the students in the class to write the answer to the question on a personal
whiteboard and hold it up
12 The teacher asks students in a math class to work in groups on large and visible whiteboards
around the room
13 A teacher assigns a final written task at the end of a unit and grades it prior to moving on to the
next unit
14 A teacher gives a group of students their marked draft work with the grades received – but does
not tell the students which piece of work received which grade. She asks them to work out
which is which – and then
15 A student sits a final 3 hour paper at the end of her AP course
16 A teacher leaves grades off a piece of marking and gives only comments
17 A teacher gives students 10 minutes at the start of class to respond to the comments she has
written in last night’s homework – and then responds in turn to those comments when next
marking the books
18 A student takes a proficiency test to be allowed to utilize the expensive sound and light
equipment unsupervised in the school’s new auditorium
19 A student takes an assessment task, the results of which will be used in determining which Math
level she will be entered for in next year’s class groupings
20 A teacher gives students examples (ranging from excellent to poor) of a task and then asks them
to develop a rubric to evaluate the task
21 A music teacher assesses a student giving her final recital to parents
22 A kindergartener creates rectangular and triangular prisms using play dough and cocktail sticks
23 A teacher designs a creative, aligned task as one of the main assessments for her unit
Some big ideas:
1. The design principle for any assessment should be ALIGNMENT first, rather than
balance. Does the assessment provide BEST evidence of the intended leaning?
2. Self-assessment is essential on EVERY assessment.
3. Homework is not an effective assessment.
4. ALL assessment should contribute to learning in some way.
5. A culture of penalty can significantly alter the value of assessment in the learning
process.
Seoul Foreign School 3 High School Session

4. ASSESSMENT PRACTICES RUBRIC
SUPPORT LEARNING FOR FEW STUDENTS SUPPORT LEARNING FOR SOME STUDENTS SUPPORT LEARNING FOR MOST STUDENTS
COLLECTING EVIDENCE OF LEARNING
1. The majority of assessments are a poor 1. There is a general sense that assessment should align 1. All assessments are aligned with the intended learning
match for the learning being assessed. with learning but the practice is random. (standards/benchmarks).
2. There is rarely reference to specific intended 2. While not a required practice, most teachers list the 2. Tasks routinely collect evidence of the most important
learning on chunk assessment tasks. learning standards to be assessed on each ‘chunk’ learning.
3. Written tests are the norm even for assessment. 3. Assessments tasks are routinely designed ahead of
learnings which are not readily assessed 3. Assessments may occasionally assess learning that was teaching.
this way. not taught... 4. Many tasks assess ‘in context’.
4. Assessment tasks are rarely differentiated. 4. There is a wide range of assessment in use, but more for 5. Curriculum documents include a full repertoire of on-going
5. Assessments tasks are misaligned with what the sake of variety than alignment. assessment tasks for teacher to select from.
was taught in the classroom. 5. Differentiated tasks are evident in some classrooms. 6. All ‘chunk’ assessments are clearly tagged with the
6. Common assessments are non-existent. 6. Some grade level teams and departments are using intended learning, drawn from the school wide set of
7. Assessment takes are often design only after common assessments, but there are few guidelines. intended leaning (standards/benchmarks).
a unit has been taught. 7. Contextual tasks are in use only sparingly. 7. Assessment tasks are regularly differentiated.
8. Pre-assessment is non-existent. 8. Pre-assessment is administered only very occasionally – 8. There is a clear ‘map’ of common assessment tasks.
9. There is little or no ongoing-assessment. no policy requires it. 9. Pre-assessment is routine.
9. On-going assessment is in place by some teachers, but 10. Most teachers use on-going assessment strategies (no
the deeper understanding that it is an enabler for hands up, exit cards, one minute essay, etc.) routinely and
learning is not widespread. show from their practice that they understand it essential
role; policy is in place and monitored that commits all too
routine use.
FEEDBACK TO LEARNERS
1. There are no protocols guiding the timing, type of 1. The role of feedback is understood by some. 1. There are clear protocols guiding the timing and type of
required use of feedback. 2. Some protocols are in place to guide its use. required feedback.
2. Assessment is viewed largely as a way to audit 3. A suggested time frame for the return of work may be in 2. Clear guidelines for the return of work are in place.
learning, not as an improvement process. place. 3. Teachers fully understand that learning cannot happen
3. Grades are viewed as adequate feedback for most 4. Some teachers may be recording anecdotal evidence from without feedback.
learning. their informal feedback. 4. Learners are consistently given feedback they can act on
5. There may be a list of suggested ways of offering and are permitted by policy to do so WITHOUT PENALTY.
feedback. 5. Feedback is at the center of the discussions about
6. Grades are often a preferred form of feedback, with other improving assessment.
forms used at teacher discretion.
Seoul Foreign School 4 High School Session

5. EVALUATING EVIDENCE
1. Learners typically are unaware of learning 1. Many teachers use criteria and rubrics, but there are no 1. Learners are fully aware of what is expected of them.
expectations. school wide guidelines. 2. Learners are full participants in the evaluation process.
2. Learners are heavily reliant on teachers to know 2. Self assessment is occasionally a feature on tasks. 3. Exemplars, rubrics and criteria are in routine use and given
if and to what extent they are learning. 3. Exemplars are inn use but there is disagreement about to students ahead of teaching.
3. Teachers use their own criteria to determine whether they stifle creativity. 4. There are shared rubrics for trans disciplinary outcomes.
‘grades’. 4. Department and grade level teams have established some 5. There are clear guidelines on what is meant by each ‘grade’
4. Grade averaging and the use of zeros are guidelines for what grades mean. and continual examination of work products and processes
widespread. 5. Individual teaches may give learners ‘second chances’ but to refresh understanding.
5. Although there is a school-wide grading scheme, there are no guidelines, 6. There is no grade averaging or use of zeros in grading.
there is no common understanding of what each 6. Many learners would say that teachers are pretty much in 7. There is as much emphasis student dispositions as on
grade represents charge of the evaluation process. academic learning.
6. Only academic, easy to assess learning is 7. Most of the learning evaluated is based in the curricular 8. Self-assessment is a standard, required feature for all
evaluated. standards. assessment.
7. 'No second chances' is the predominant theme. 8. Learners occasionally have second opportunities to show 9. Evaluation is ALWAYS criteria-based – comparing learning
8. ‘Penalty’ is a strong part of the assessment ethos. their learning, but it is not routine. to the curricular standards.
9. There is a sense that learning is less successful in a culture 10. Learners routinely, by policy, have second and third
of penalty, but practice is random. opportunities to show evidence of their learning WITHOUT
PENALTY.
RECORDING EVIDENCE
1. There is no systematic process for recording 1. Grade levels/departments have agreed on similar ways to 1. There is a full, systematic, shared process for recording
evidence of learning. Teachers feel they need to record learning. evidence of learning.
generate grades just to have something to report 2. Many teachers may keep anecdotal records. 2. Teachers record only the evidence which fully supports
on. 3. Teacher may still be struggling with how much to record. progress.
2. Records are kept according to types of tasks 4. Teachers are recording evidence of learning primarily by 3. Records are kept according to learning standards.
rather than types of learning. task type, not specific learning. 4. There are a variety of forms of record keeping addressing
3. Records are often sparse. 5. Records of dispositions and big understandings are sparse the four types of learning.
4. Records are often just mechanical. but attempted. 5. There is a clear distinction between work that is strong
5. Assignments are often considered full assessments evidence of learning and work that is practice.
COMMUNICATING EVIDENCE
1. Results of learning are given on single subjects. 1. Traditional reporting processes are in place (report cards 1. All forms of reporting are based on specific learning.
2. Reports are frequently made when it is too late at set time, progress reports, parent conferences.) 2. Learning results are communicated when then is still time
to make adjustments 2. Set report times, rather than learner needs, drive the to act on them.
3. Results of assessment are commonly misused. reporting practice. 3. Learning results are consistently used to modify teaching.
4. Learning results are typically not used to adjust 3. Most reporting processes are aimed at parents, possibly 4. All reports are’ action’ oriented, suggesting next steps for
teaching, next schools. learners and teachers.
Seoul Foreign School 5 High School Session