Standard 5:

Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning

Assessment, feedback and reporting are crucial aspects of the education process.

‘You can enhance or destroy students’ desire to succeed in school more quickly and permanently through your use of assessment than with any other tools you have at your disposal' (Stiggins, 2007).

I believe that 'assessment is learning', and all assessment is formative (Hayward, 2015). Therefore, giving timely, encouraging and targeted feedback is essential.

Although most assessment and feedback is informal, this page documents and reflects upon some of the formal opportunities I've had to develop my practice in relation to Standard 5.

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Evidence 1: Diagnostic Assessment

Evidence 1: Diagnostic assessments should gauge what students already know, understand or prefer at the start of a unit to guide teaching decisions, inform differentiation practices and make learning outcomes measurable. Using diagnostic assessments acknowledges that students enter the classroom with diverse 'funds of knowledge' to be tapped into and built upon (Moll et al, 1992) (focus areas: 1.2, 1.3, 1.5).

Here is a screenshot showing the class results of a Plickers quiz, a pre-assessment I used at the beginning of a novel study which had students answer multiple-choice questions related to the themes, context and literary conventions of the novel, Children of the Dust. I also took this opportunity to survey students on their attitudes toward English and reading preferences (focus area: 5.1).

Pros: the benefit of using ICT programs like Plickers for assessments is that many of them collate data, saving the teacher time. This program shows the percentage of students who answered questions correctly or incorrectly. Individual student data is also easily accessible. This quiz highlighted conceptual misunderstandings and helped guide my teaching of the unit, for instance reading sessions were primarily individual and silent, and several lessons were dedicated to exploring the concept of morality (focus areas: 2.6, 3.6, 5.4).

Cons: An outspoken student reported that the Plickers process was too slow. While Plickers brings with it a novelty factor (each student holds up a QR code which is scanned by the teacher), I would not use this tool again and have since opted for more efficient survey tools such as Google Forms and Survey Monkey.

Evidence 2: Formative Assessment

Evidence 2: Research shows that 'attention to formative assessment can lead to significant learning gains' (Black & William, 1998, p. 17). While all assessment is more or less formative, non-graded tasks set throughout a unit are indispensable for providing feedback to the teacher on student progress.

Here is the task sheet and some exit cards for a formative task I developed and ran with a Yr. 9 English class (focus area 5.1).

They were mid-way through an integrated History/English unit focusing on Indigenous Perspectives and were about to read and analyse a picture book, The Rabbits, an allegory of early colonial history.

To help form their understanding of allegory, I had students work in groups to analyse an Aesop fable and prepare a skit or presentation for the class (focus areas: 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.3, 3.4). This is a differentiated task (accommodating students' various learning profiles), which develops higher order thinking skills and social capabilities. It is also an example of Creative Body-based Learning, a teaching strategy for ATSI students (focus areas: 1.2, 1.4, 2.1).

To garner students' feedback and assess their learning, I gave out exit slips at the end of the lesson. 90% of students wrote under 'One new thing I learned from this lesson' = 'what an allegory is'. I was pleased with the lesson because its objective seemed to be achieved. I also received some important feedback about my behaviour management and students' learning preferences through these exit cards, and used this feedback to modify my teaching (focus areas: 3.6, 5.4).

The feedback I gave students for this formative assessment was purely verbal: I used questioning, targeted comments about their presentations and encouragement (focus area: 5.2). In the future, I could modify this task to include a peer-assessment opportunity. Alternatively, I could give students' back their exit slips with personal comments.

Evidence 3: Summative Assessment

Evidence 3: Evidence for my design and implementation of a summative assessment task is represented here (focus area: 5.1).

The context was a Yr. 9 History unit on early Australian colonial history which emphasised Indigenous resistance and perspectives (focus area: 2.4). For the summative task, I wanted students to demonstrate their understanding of non-European perspectives.

In previous iterations of this unit, my mentor had all students complete a 'Fakebook' template, where they assumed the identity of a non-European and filled out a template with pictures and comments to reflect this figure's experience of early colonial Australia.

Rather than do away with the Fakebook task, I kept it as an option but expanded the scope to allow students to be more creative. Students could write a recount narrative, create an illustration or undertake a project of their devising. Creativity is at the pinnacle of Bloom's taxonomy; meanwhile interest-based choice is a key principle of differentiation (focus area: 1.5).

More than 80% of students in the class chose a creative option over the Fakebook task, which is testament to students' desire to demonstrate learning through creativity.

If I were to run this summative task again I would differentiate and expand the range of creative possibilities further by using a R.A.F.T., and provide a more student-friendly rubric with clearly articulated and rigorous criteria to enable high achievement. As it was, the rubric used replicated Achievement Standards from the Australian Curriculum, which were too general to constitute a guide for students' work (focus area: 3.6).

Assessment is a complex, multifaceted area of education about which I am interested in learning more, especially regarding the validity of summative assessments. Please see mentor comments (below) regarding my implementation of this assessment.

Formative and summative assessment tasks

Evidence 4: SACE Stage 1 Essay Drafting

Evidence 4: Here is the first page of a student's draft for a comparative essay, the summative assessment for a Comparative Study linking the film American Beauty with the novel The Great Gatsby.

The student's writing has been obscured with black circles for the purpose of protecting her intellectual property. You'll notice she has colour-coded parts of her draft, an effective learning strategy for improving writing structure.

Note my comments on the right of the page (which are, in hindsight, perhaps too copious), and at the bottom of her draft document I consolidated my comments and gave this student targeted feedback (see blue writing) to help her improve her comparative essay writing skills and textual analysis (focus areas: 2.5, 3.3, 3.5, 5.2).

Research shows that effective feedback is timely, focused on 'students' performance and actions under their control', and linked to 'what students believe they are supposed to be doing' (Hunt & Chalmers, 2012, p. 80). My feedback exemplifies these principles.

I highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the draft, giving targeted and feasible tips for improvement in the short and long term. I begin and end with encouragement, and remind the student that effective essays are well-structured and well-argued, thus linking my feedback to performance criteria and learning goals.

This student received an A+ for her final essay, her first A+ of the year. While it is difficult to gauge the precise effect of my feedback on the final outcome, suffice to say my thorough and targeted feedback did not have an adverse effect.

Evidence 5: SACE Stage 1 Assessment Moderation and Stage 2 Moderation Results

Evidence 5: Moderation is a critical tool for helping teachers make 'consistent and comparable judgements' of students' work. Moderation can be external (i.e. mandatory SACE moderation at Stages 1 & 2) or internal, where teachers within a school swap student work samples, compare and discuss grading and remedy discrepancies.

Moderation 'ensure[s] the reliability and integrity of teachers’ judgment, whereby all assessors are able to interpret and use the standards on the rubrics consistently' (Wyatt-Smith et al, 2014, p. 252).

I received moderation training through my English Curriculum subject at University. Above is a PDF showing a moderation exercise conducted during a workshop.

We were given the assessment description, a student work sample and the rubric, and, on the basis of these, asked to give the student a letter grade.

You'll notice I have highlighted the assessment criteria and scribbled notes and questions to guide my analysis of the sample. I gave this sample a C, where SACE had awarded it a C+.

This exercise and subsequent discussions helped me understand the relationship between Achievement Design Criteria and student output. Although I feel validated I was not wholly misguided in my judgement, this exercise revealed that I have a tendency to be slightly too critical and reinforced the importance of moderation as a process.

Since starting my teaching career, I have had fellow colleagues moderate my assessments, and while teaching Stage 1 English and Stage 2 English as an Additional Language, have undergone SACE moderation. I am confident in my abilities not only to make consistent and fair judgements of students' work, but to consult colleagues and accept guidance where required. Below shows the accuracy of my judgements, with SACE validating 100% of my assessments (focus areas: 5.3, 6.3).

Evidence 6: Parent-Teacher Interviews and End of Semester Reports

Parent-Teacher Interview Notes

End-of-Semester Report

Evidence 6: There are methods of reporting student achievements other than the usual end-of-term written report. Interviews are one of these alternative methods. Interviews are vital for developing relationships with parents/carers and delivering feedback on student progress.

For interviews, emails and end of term/year reports to be productive, regular and accurate records of student data must be kept. Much of this can be done digitally through Learning Management Systems such as Canvas. Parent portals allow parents real-time access to grades and feedback on assignments. In Student Feedback surveys, I consistently receive feedback from students that I use Canvas effectively to communicate student progress.

Top left: Notes made in preparation for a Parent-Teacher interview. In red, I've recorded questions or feedback discussed during the interview. I subsequently followed up on the parents' query about ICAS assessments (focus areas: 3.7, 5.5, 7.3).

Bottom left: an excerpt of an end-of-semester written report for a Yr. 11 Home Group student, demonstrating my ability to write encouraging, informative and personalised reports for students (focus areas: 3.7, 5.5, 7.3).

Standards Covered:

1.2 Understand how students learn

Proficient: Structure teaching programs using research and collegial advice about how students learn

1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds

Proficient: Design and implement teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds

1.4 Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

Proficient: Design and implement effective teaching strategies that are responsive to the local community and cultural setting, linguistic background and histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities

Proficient: Develop teaching activities that incorporate differentiated strategies to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities

2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area

Proficient: Apply knowledge of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area to develop engaging teaching activities

2.3 Curriculum, assessment and reporting

Proficient: Design and implement learning and teaching programs using knowledge of curriculum, assessment and reporting requirements.

2.4 Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians

Proficient: Provide opportunities to develop understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages

2.5 Literacy and numeracy strategies

Proficient: Apply knowledge and understanding of effective teaching strategies to support students' literacy and numeracy achievement

2.6 Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Proficient: Use effective teaching strategies to integrate ICT into learning and teaching programs to make selected content relevant and meaningful.

3.3 Use teaching strategies

Proficient: Select and use relevant teaching strategies to develop knowledge, skills, problem solving and critical and creative thinking.

3.4 Select and use resources

Proficient: Select and/or create and use a range of resources, including ICT, to engage students in their learning

3.5 Use effective classroom communication

Proficient: Use effective verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support student understanding, participation, engagement and achievement

3.6 Evaluate and improve teaching programs

Proficient: Evaluate personal teaching and learning programs using evidence, including feedback from students and student assessment data, to inform planning

3.7 Engage parents/carers in the educative process

Proficient: Plan for appropriate and contextually relevant opportunities for parents/carers to be involved in their children's learning

5.1 Assess student learning

Proficient: Develop, select and use informal and formal diagnostic, formative and summative assessment strategies to assess student learning.

5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning

Proficient: Provide timely effective and appropriate feedback to students about their achievement relative to their learning goals

5.3 Make consistent and comparable judgements

Proficient: Understand and participate in assessment moderation activities to support consistent and comparable judgements of student learning.

5.4 Interpret student data

Proficient: Use student assessment data to analyse and evaluate student understanding of subject/content, identifying interventions and modifying teaching practice

5.5 Report on student achievement

Proficient: Report clearly, accurately and respectfully to students and parents/carers about student achievement, making use of accurate and reliable records.

6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice

Proficient: Contribute to collegial discussions and apply constructive feedback from colleagues to improve professional knowledge and practice.

7.3 Engage with the parents/carers

Proficient: Establish and maintain respectful collaborative relationships with parents/carers regarding their children's learning and well-being.

References:

Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and Classroom Learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 5(1), 7-74.

Hayward, L. (2015). Assessment is learning: the preposition vanishes. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 22(1), 27-43.

Hunt, L., & Chalmers, D. (2012). University Teaching in Focus : A Learning-Centred Approach. Sydney: ACER Press.

Moll, L., Amanti, C., Neff, D., & Gonzalez, N. (1992). Funds of knowledge for teaching: Using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. Theory Into Practice, 31(2), 132-141.

Stiggins, R. (2007). Conquering the formative assessment frontier. In H. McMillan (Ed.), Formative assessment classroom: Theory into practice (pp. 828). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

William, D. (2011). Eliciting evidence of student achievement. In Embedded formative assessment (pp. 71-105). Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Wyatt-Smith, C., Klenowski, V, & Colbert, P. (2014). Designing Assessment for Quality Learning (1st ed. 2014. ed., The Enabling Power of Assessment, 1).

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