Assessment Theory - Essay Example

Assessment Theory Introduction According to Fautley and Savage , assessment in any learning environment is necessary in order to achieve proper and effective learning. Assessment acts as the yardstick hat can be used to measure the progress of the students (Wiliam, 2009). They come in many forms with each of them geared towards a certain aspect of learning progress. Due to the importance of assessment, it is necessary for assessment strategies to be integrated into a Scheme of Work for any lesson or class. A scheme of work is a layout of what is going to be learnt by the students and includes all the learning activities that can be used to deliver the lessons. Including the assessment strategies that will be used to measure the progress of the student is very necessary to make sure that this has been achieved in a way that will help the students to not only gain from the learning materials but also retain these materials in the long term (Kyriacou, 2009). Assessment strategies Diagnostic assessment Diagnostic assessment is geared towards creating a way forward for the class (Wiliam, 2009). The teacher uses this assessment strategy in an attempt to try and map the knowledge the class already has about a certain topic are. In this regard, it can be used at the beginning of the lesson, at the beginning of a new topic, or even at the beginning of a new class (grade level). New teachers who are about to take a new class may also want to use a diagnostic assessment to know where his or her students have reached with regard to certain knowledge. Once this is used, the teacher is able to know what will be necessary to emphasize on and what may not require more emphasis. Formative assessment Formative assessment is also another important strategy that teachers can use to help and aid in the class. As Gadsby (2012) argues, formative assessments are usually in class assessments that a teacher will use in a way to help the students to learn better. Formative assessment is never geared towards giving the student a grade to indicate his level of knowledge, but is geared towards identifying any learning gaps in the classroom and therefore provide for a way to deal with them (Black & William, 1998). For instance, after introducing and completing a topic, the teacher may want to give a formative assessment as a way to identify what the students were able to learn and retain and what they were not able to retain. This way, the instructor is able to close the gaps that are identified through a formative assessment (Marshalla & Drummond, 2006). For instance, if the class is on Information and communication technology (ICT), he teacher can identify what the students were not able to learn or they learnt but did not retain, he will also be able to know what the students learnt the wrong way or misunderstood will be identified and this will definitely help the teacher to know what to re-teach (White, 2009). Summative assessment Summative assessment is usually a little different from the formal assessment. Summative assessment is usually done at the end of a learning search, such as at the end of a school term, or at midterm (Blacka, Jamesc, & Pedderd, 2006). This means that the summative assessments are geared towards grading the students as opposed to identifying the learning gaps with an intention of closing these gaps. In most cases, a summative assessment can be a way to identify how effective a program was. In cases where the summative assessment is done by someone else other than the teacher who delivered the lessons, it can also be seen as a way to test not only the students but also the teacher with regard to his or her efficacy on delivering the course or training. It is also argued that all assessments can be said to be summative but not all are formative. Statutory National Curriculum assessments There are some Statutory National Curriculum assessments in the UK education system. These are supposed to be taken by all students in the school and are called SATs. Statutory National Curriculum assessments are taken in various levels (Carless, 2005). The first level is the Key Stage One which is usually a Teacher driven assessment. In this case, the instructor is the one who controls the assessment and so there are no central assessment authorities. The assessment and testing at this stage is geared towards helping the teachers know what their students already understand and what they do not already know. The assessment looks at English, mathematics and science and it is usually done at the end of year 2. The second level for the Statutory Assessment is the Key Stage 2 and is always taken at the end of year 6. The testing and assessment at this stage is mainly done by representatives of STA and is externally marked. Writing is also tested and assessed through teacher assessment. However the testing and assessment is externally moderated in order to aid in quality and integrity. There is also Statutory Moderation Key Stage 1 and 2 which is a statutory assessment and done by from external assessors. The intention for this is to help guarantee that the teacher moderated testing and assessments are at par with nations standards. The external moderation can give a performance score and can determine whether the teacher has been applying national standards in their assessments. Their decision can however be appealed by schools under Statutory Moderation KS1 and KS2 Appeals Process. Conclusion It is very clear that assessments work in more than just testing the student. They work as a way to for the teacher to gain feedback from the students with regard to what they have learnt and what they are yet to learnt. Giving an assessment test to the students helps the teacher to have a way to understand what the students have internalized from the lessons and they did not manage to internal. This will help the teacher to know which areas of the lesson or the course to revisit. In this regard basements aid in the learning process by proving a roadmap the excellence. Bibliography Blacka, P. R., Jamesc, M., & Pedderd, D. (2006). Learning How to Learn and Assessment for Learning: a theoretical inquiry. Research Papers in Education, 21, 2 , pp. 119-132. Carless, D. (2005). Prospects for the implementation of assessment for learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 12, 1, , pp. 39-54. Gadsby, C. (2012). Perfect Assessment for Learning. London, UK: Crown House Publishing. Marshalla, B., & & Drummond, J. (2006). Learning How to Learn, in Classrooms, Schools and Networks. Research Papers in Education, 21, 2 , pp. 133-149. White, E. (2009). Putting Assessment for Learning Into Practice in a Higher Education EFL Context. New York, NY: Universal-Publishers. Wiliam, D. (2009). Assessment for Learning: Why, what and How? London, UK: Institute of Education, University of London. Fautley, M. & Savage, J. (2010) Assessment for Teaching and Learning in Secondary Schools. Learning Matters Ltd Kyriacou, C (2009) Effective Teaching in Schools Theory and Practice Third Edition, Nelson Thornes Wiliam, D (2009) Assessment for Learning: Why, What and How? (Inaugural Professorial Lectures) University College London Black, P. and William, D. (1998) inside the black box: raising standards through Classroom assessment London. Nelson Read More