Sharing Good Practice
SETTING THE STAGE FOR GOOD ASSESSMENT IN THE NEW ACADEMIC YEAR
By Debbie Hamilton Bogues starting point , it provides a launch pad for you to plan effectively for your class to go forward .
Depending on your school , within the first few weeks , you should be collecting grades for each student in your class , this can be in the form of quizzes , tests etc and this data is called formative assessment . This information will tell you how much progress your students have made or whether they have attained or not attained , by comparing your formative assessment data with your baseline data . These will assist you in planning and you will be able to modify your teaching and learning activities .
Another school year has dawned on us ! The fun and frolic of the summer have now become a distant memory .
Welcome back to reality !
As educators we also spent some of our precious time reflecting on the previous academic year and did one of two things : shrugged off what transpired as unimportant ; it has passed and it is gone and I cannot change it or we did some real soul searching and have at least made a mental map of what we will never do again or we said to ourselves , that I will definitely do this again ! And the more adventurous among us , will try something new .
Some of us will be remaining with the same class from last year , while others will assume a new challenge . Whatever your position is , you will have to assess your current position and plan .
The idea of assessment is a daunting one for many educators ... it conjures up ideas of tests , marking , writing reports and parents conferences . But it also includes guiding learners toward a goal . However , assessment outcomes are a blessing and a great treasure .
Assessment Assumptions
If you are continuing with your class from last year , do not take for granted that the content that was taught last year is held in mind by your students , they have long forgotten many things and you will have to recap and in some instances reteach some information in order to continue , an old saying : “ two steps forward one step back ” or is it ?. The advantage you have is that , you have had previous experience with the class and you might be more confident to move on quickly . On the other hand , the ‘ newbies ’ might think they are totally left in the dark ... however you are not ! You have ( should have ) assessment marks from the previous class / grades .
Baseline Data
New teachers and returning teachers now have what is called baseline data ; these are grades / marks from last year , that provide you with information about the ‘ current ’ performance of your students : their areas of strengths and areas for development , but keep in mind that some information / content might have been forgotten , but can easily be retrieved with revision prompts . Baseline data gives you a
At the end of term / semester you will be asked to produce grades again and these will be produced from an exam that will cover all the topics that were taught throughout the term / semester . These grades are called summative assessment . This information gives you a clear picture of what your students have learnt over the period of time . This summative assessment is very important , in that you will be sharing this information with your line manager , Heads of Department or Vice Principal and with parents .
Depending on where you are , on the education spectrum , the summative assessment will provide vital information for the next step , grade or class , for middle or senior school , secondary , college or university . The process of assessment is linear . This summative assessment will become the baseline data for the next step . So don ’ t be daunted whenever you hear the word assessment ; be confident !
Happy assessing !
Reference
Black , P .; Harrison , C .; Lee , C .; Marshall , B . & William , D . ( 2003 ). Assessment for
learning : putting it into practice . Buckingham , UK : Open University Press .
Debbie is an experienced international educator , who has spent almost 30 years in education in the Caribbean , USA , UK and the Middle East . She has a passion for students with special education needs .
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