Feedback and Assessment
I believe that assessment is a crucial element in effective teaching. By providing my students with effective, relevant and timely formative feedback, they are able to internalise their learning which will encourage them to make new goals for their own learning with which they can progress. Throughout my professional placements, I have been able to implement a range of different assessment strategies in order to monitor my student’s learning, inform my future teaching and to develop my preferred assessment strategies and styles; I constantly search for new and innovative ways in which I can assess student learning as I fully understand the significance of effective assessment.
Summative assessment is of equal importance as it allows me as a teacher to understand what my students have learned and areas in which I need to extend or elaborate to ensure that students are making progress. It also allows me the opportunity to reflect upon my own teaching practice and identify any factors that may have contributed to my student’s results and areas in which I myself can improve for future teaching.
Assessment needs to be constant, consistent and utilised in order for it to be effective. Assessment plays an integral part in assisting to cater and tailor lessons to individual learning needs to optimise your students learning experiences. Examples of assessment strategies I have implemented throughout my professional placements:
- Early Years English Online Interview
- Math Online (identifies students strengths and areas of interest)
- Early Years Numeracy Test
- Running Records (assists in streaming for literacy rotations)
- Student Self Reflection (encourages students to set further learning goals)
-Informal (discussions with students)
- Observation (fine-motor skills, speech development)
Assessment needs to be continual, consistent and actually carried out with a purpose. Students need to know areas they need to improve, but they also need to be aware of areas in which they excel. Students don’t need to be continually told what they can’t do.
While assessment is an imperative part of my teaching practice, I’ve seen for myself that assessment does not necessarily accurately reflect a child’s ability, nor their potential. Many factors can contribute to a child’s performance and that is why assessment should not be an event that happens at the end of the term to see what a child has or hasn’t achieved, but instead implemented and carried out constantly and consistently throughout the entire year. I understand that often time does not allow for frequent and rigorously intense one-on-one assessment, but not all assessment has to involve you sitting down alone with a child and a magnifying glass to inspect the inside of their brains. Assessment should be an ongoing and constant process: even so much as talking to a child and observing the way they hold a pencil can be a summative assessment. It is essential that assessment is accurate and meaningful, only then it will assist students to achieve success in their future learning.
Provide feedback to students on their learning – Feedback needs to be well developed, praising the students for what they did well, whilst also providing them with detailed analysis of how they can improve upon the work/understanding.
Make consistent and comparable judgements – Assessment practices need to be consistent across all students. If ever in doubt over a certain student’s work, it is a good idea to seek moderation from a fellow teacher as they will be able to provide you with assistance
Interpret student data – As a teacher, you must be able to make connections between student assessment and student learning, and use this information to inform best teaching practice.
Report on student achievement – Parents sometimes have difficulty understanding and interpreting the more technical aspects of assessment; (thought you slave away for hours writing reports), often parents don't understand the significance of VELS progression points and instead just want to hear that their child is behaving positively, working well and improving in all areas. In is important to keep accurate records to show good behaviour/attendance and improvement across all areas to parents if they ask about their child's progression.
Summative assessment is of equal importance as it allows me as a teacher to understand what my students have learned and areas in which I need to extend or elaborate to ensure that students are making progress. It also allows me the opportunity to reflect upon my own teaching practice and identify any factors that may have contributed to my student’s results and areas in which I myself can improve for future teaching.
Assessment needs to be constant, consistent and utilised in order for it to be effective. Assessment plays an integral part in assisting to cater and tailor lessons to individual learning needs to optimise your students learning experiences. Examples of assessment strategies I have implemented throughout my professional placements:
- Early Years English Online Interview
- Math Online (identifies students strengths and areas of interest)
- Early Years Numeracy Test
- Running Records (assists in streaming for literacy rotations)
- Student Self Reflection (encourages students to set further learning goals)
-Informal (discussions with students)
- Observation (fine-motor skills, speech development)
Assessment needs to be continual, consistent and actually carried out with a purpose. Students need to know areas they need to improve, but they also need to be aware of areas in which they excel. Students don’t need to be continually told what they can’t do.
While assessment is an imperative part of my teaching practice, I’ve seen for myself that assessment does not necessarily accurately reflect a child’s ability, nor their potential. Many factors can contribute to a child’s performance and that is why assessment should not be an event that happens at the end of the term to see what a child has or hasn’t achieved, but instead implemented and carried out constantly and consistently throughout the entire year. I understand that often time does not allow for frequent and rigorously intense one-on-one assessment, but not all assessment has to involve you sitting down alone with a child and a magnifying glass to inspect the inside of their brains. Assessment should be an ongoing and constant process: even so much as talking to a child and observing the way they hold a pencil can be a summative assessment. It is essential that assessment is accurate and meaningful, only then it will assist students to achieve success in their future learning.
Provide feedback to students on their learning – Feedback needs to be well developed, praising the students for what they did well, whilst also providing them with detailed analysis of how they can improve upon the work/understanding.
Make consistent and comparable judgements – Assessment practices need to be consistent across all students. If ever in doubt over a certain student’s work, it is a good idea to seek moderation from a fellow teacher as they will be able to provide you with assistance
Interpret student data – As a teacher, you must be able to make connections between student assessment and student learning, and use this information to inform best teaching practice.
Report on student achievement – Parents sometimes have difficulty understanding and interpreting the more technical aspects of assessment; (thought you slave away for hours writing reports), often parents don't understand the significance of VELS progression points and instead just want to hear that their child is behaving positively, working well and improving in all areas. In is important to keep accurate records to show good behaviour/attendance and improvement across all areas to parents if they ask about their child's progression.