This document outlines an agenda for a staff development session focused on assessment for learning. It begins with establishing a shared understanding of assessment for learning and reflecting on current classroom practices. Participants will then work on developing student skills and modifying programs to better incorporate assessment for learning approaches. The goal is to help students become more self-regulated and responsible for their own learning. Key concepts that will be explored include the research supporting assessment for learning, challenges to implementing it, and strategies for clarifying learning intentions and providing effective feedback.

1. Assessment for learning
At the heart of quality teaching
—
http://talkingaboutteaching.wordpress.com
2nd March 2012

2. Outline of the day
• Assessment for learning - shared understanding
• Investigating current assessment strategies and
classroom practice.
• Planning for future assessment strategies and
classroom practice
• Developing student skills - study skills

3. Aim
— Develop a common language & understanding of
assessment for learning processes.
— Reflect on our current teaching and learning
practices and their impact on learning
— Modify a program to improve assessment for
learning approaches.
— Lead to increased student self regulation and
responsibility for learning.

4. Overwhelming research
evidence
— - Classroom practice of teachers is the biggest
influence on student learning that schools have some
control over.
Mckinsey report on World's top performing
education systems 2007.

5. Why assessment for
learning?
— - Integral in the majority of highest impact
strategies that current research has identified.
— - Assessment for learning approaches can be easily
incorporated into teaching, in many cases with less
work for the teacher to do.
— - Inside the black box - Dylan William & Paul Black

6. Challenges

7. PD survey 2011

8. Visible Teaching – Visible Learning
Assessment…
Influence Effect Size
Self-reported grades 1.44
Feedback .72
Providing formative evaluation to
teachers .70
Frequent/ Effects of testing .46
Teaching test taking skills .22

9. Teachers
• Clear learning intentions
• Challenging success criteria
• Range of learning strategies
• Know when students are not
progressing
• Providing feedback
• Visibly learns themselves

10. Students …
• Understand learning intentions
• Are challenged by success criteria
• Develop a range of learning strategies
• Know when they are not progressing
• Seek feedback
• Visibly teach themselves

11. Exploring assessment
further ...

12. Current use of assessment
— What are some of the ways you currently assess
students in your classroom?
— How effective are your current assessment strategies?
— What is your current understanding of 'Assessment for
learning'?
—

13. Assessment 'of', 'for' and 'as'
learning
— Assessment of learning - summative tasks at the
completion of a unit that tell us what students have
learned.
— Assessment for learning - assessment that provides
feedback to teachers (about students) on how learning
is progressing and where learning should go next.
— Assessment as learning - focuses on self assessment
where students are active, engaged, and critical
assessors. They can make sense of information, relate
it to prior knowledge and master the skills involved. It
builds the capacity of students so they can understand
what to do next.

14. Assessment
— http://www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk/videos/
expertspeakers/
formativeassessmentdylanwiliam.asp

15. Dylan William
— What resonated with you from the video?
— How would you modify your definition based on
what you have just heard? (if at all)

16. Assessment for learning
— FUNDAMENTAL UNDERSTANDINGS:
— A process not a task
— It's only assessment for learning if you do
something with the feedback you receive.

17. 5 Key strategies of classroom
formative assessment
• Clarifying, sharing and understanding learning
intentions and criteria for success
• Engineering effective classroom discussions, activities,
and learning tasks that elicit evidence of learning
• Providing feedback that moves learning forward
• Activating learners as instructional resources for one
another
• Activating learners as owners of their own learning.

18. Classroom assessment
— Professional reading
— 1. Which aspects do you feel are most important
for your KLA to focus on to move forward?
— consider:
— - aspects currently used effectively.
— - aspects which require greater focus?

19. Powerful assessment ...
— Provides teachers with timely feedback to know if
their teaching has been effective while still in the
classroom.
— Looks for evidence that students have not learned.
— Raises the question about what to do next when
learning has not occurred.

20. Evaluating the quality of our
programs
• Understanding by design / constructive alignment.
— To what extent do we:
• Have clear learning intentions and outcomes for the unit.
• Have assessment that accurately determines student
progress towards these outcomes.
• Teaching and learning activities directly align with the
outcomes and assessment activities.
NB: FEEDBACK ASPECTS TO BE EVALUATED LATER

21. For a chosen faculty unit of work
— Reflect on the alignment of learning goals, activities and
assessment.
— Highlight any activities at present that provide 'hinge
point' opportunities for the assessment for learning
process.
— Identify any formative assessment tasks or activities
that are currently undertaken?
— Develop or refine a formative assessment activity for the
unit.

22. Discussion questions
— - How often do you check that students have
understood what is taught?
— - How many students do you check with?
— - What happens when students do not understand
work that is covered?

23. FEEDBACK

24. ARC –BOS assessment for
learning guidelines
• http://arc.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/go/7-8/
assessment-for-learning-in-years-7-10/#The-principles-
of-assessment-for-learning