The 21st Century classroom continues to evolve not only as a physical space that isn’t bound by it’s physical walls with the infusion of ICT, but also with students that demand a challenging and customized learning experience. This individually tailored programming is driven by informed teaching based on a continual analysis of data gathered from many different forms of assessment. The main purpose of assessment is to illuminate each learner according to their unique strengths as well as clarify needs that require attention. This culminates in a differentiated learning environment where all students are successful in being active participants in their own learning.
Forms and Purpose of Assessment
Peering into this effective classroom, one would see a teacher committed to student learning. To make this happen, the teacher is passionate in using
diagnostic assessments in order to gather data that would be used to inform the course necessary for large group, small group, and individual instruction. Carmel Crevola, Peter Hill, and Michael Fullan reported their research in an article entitled “Assessment for Learning in Action” where they list the key principles of assessment for learning as:
1. be recognized as central to classroom practice,
2. be part of effective planning of teaching and learning,
3. focus on how students learn,
4. be regarded as a key professional skill of all teachers,
5. promote commitment to learning goals and shared understanding of the criteria by which students are being assessed,
6. provide constructive guidance about how to improve,
7. develop learners’ capacity for self assessment so they can become reflective and self managing, and
8. recognize the full range of achievements of all learners.
Assessment for Learning can be in many different forms (group discussion, paper pencil test, student-teacher conference, anecdotal records, & KWL chart are just a few examples). The data will be used in the Teaching, Learning Cycle (TLC) where a Moderated Planning session involves teachers of similar classes (i.e., division) “
engaging in discussion involved in assessing student work and collective sharing of effective strategies in planning next steps for instruction”
(The Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat: Capacity Building Series). Teachers would agree on what the different skills will be the focus and what constitutes student performance level from this data. Read-aloud texts, shared reading texts, guided reading texts, and independent reading foci will address the needs of the large group right down to the individual. These strategies will support all student learning in meeting agreed upon curricular expectations. Diagnostic data will also be used by teachers individually to progress student learning as needs arise. These
formative assessments (i.e., checklists, running records, conversations, observations, etc.) provide feedback throughout a course of study indicating effectiveness of teaching/learning strategies. Some of these strategies may need to be tweaked in an ongoing effort to reduce learning stressors along the learning experience. The cycle of learning weighs heavily on the effective use of diagnostic and formative assessment data guiding instruction.
This dynamic classroom would also incorporate intentional teaching strategies to include students in the setting of success criteria, rubrics, and checklists to make transparent what denotes success in their tasks. Throughout the learning, students will conference with teachers to set goals for individual improvement and underscore what students do well. This reflection process is
Assessment As Learning where descriptive feedback empowers students to gradually assume responsibility for self assessment in setting their own goals and gagging their own learning. This process would take some time to evolve as continual formative assessment coaches the student along, but it does happen through the support and guidance of purposeful teacher instruction.
Assessment for learning and as learning serve the purpose of guiding effective instruction for efficient student learning. This will culminate at the end of a unit of study via authentic assessment tasks that include students in the making of success indicators and provide meaningful tasks for students to put their learning to use. This
Assessment of Learning has a purpose in the classroom.
Summative assessments are the completion of the learning cycle where the teacher uses the data to assess their effectiveness in designing learning paths for students that encompass individual strengths and needs. The data will help to identify what strategies and skills were transferred successfully and which students need further individual support to bridge the learning into the next course of study. The teacher will plan with this end in mind from the onset of the cycle and ensures that the learning was scafolded to prepare students for success. The less frequent summative data is combined with the more frequent formative data for reporting purposes to parents. Standardized summative assessment of learning data (EQAO, DRA, PM Benchmarks) will provide system administrators data on the effectiveness of programs and initiative efforts.
In summation, pealing open the shell of this classroom reveals the living multi-cell organism of assessment with its many unique characteristics creating a productive flow of reflection, goal setting, and supporting learning paths dedicated to individual success. Data perpetually drives instruction staging a commitment to the unique instructional needs of each student as well as providing early indicators for students that need direct intervention. The forms of diagnostic and formative assessment comprise Assessment For and As Learning culminating in much less frequent summative Assessment of Learning. After in-depth analysis of the data, the cycle begins again with a new moderated effort focussing on the next curricular expectations along the progressing continuum of learning.
