Working Inside the Black Working Inside the Black BoxBox::

Assessment for Learning in the Assessment for Learning in the ClassroomClassroom

Paul Black, Christine Harrison, Clare Lee, Bethan Marshall, & Dylan Paul Black, Christine Harrison, Clare Lee, Bethan Marshall, & Dylan WilliamsWilliams

Strong Points!Strong Points!

• Assessment should support learning and personal Assessment should support learning and personal improvementimprovement

• Questioning should allow thought rather than Questioning should allow thought rather than right answers in matters of contentright answers in matters of content

• Self/peer assessment can improve a student’s Self/peer assessment can improve a student’s “guild knowledge”“guild knowledge”

• Students should assess their own progress toward Students should assess their own progress toward the outcome at various stages throughout the the outcome at various stages throughout the processprocess

• Concepts/qualities must be learned before Concepts/qualities must be learned before moving on to next stepmoving on to next step

Strong Points 2Strong Points 2

• Learning should be scaffolded but not so Learning should be scaffolded but not so tightly that it limits learningtightly that it limits learning

• Feedback (without a numerical grade) Feedback (without a numerical grade) fosters the idea that students can succeedfosters the idea that students can succeed

• Focus of the classroom environment Focus of the classroom environment should be “How am I allowing students to should be “How am I allowing students to learn?”learn?”

• Thinking should be made public: we are Thinking should be made public: we are teaching students, not contentteaching students, not content

QuestionsQuestions

• How is anecdotal feedback possible when How is anecdotal feedback possible when teachers are constantly rushed to produce teachers are constantly rushed to produce grades (mid-term, parent/teacher, finals)?grades (mid-term, parent/teacher, finals)?

• When the new report card format is in When the new report card format is in place, how can anecdotal comments be place, how can anecdotal comments be made meaningful for perhaps 100 students?made meaningful for perhaps 100 students?

• What are some strategies for tracking the What are some strategies for tracking the degree to which students have addressed degree to which students have addressed issues raised in feedback? Annie Davies? issues raised in feedback? Annie Davies?

Questions 2Questions 2

• How do we get students to create How do we get students to create meaningful goalsmeaningful goals

• How do we monitor whether or not a How do we monitor whether or not a peer assessor is steering the student in peer assessor is steering the student in the wrong direction, creating confusion?the wrong direction, creating confusion?

• Can student conferences be Can student conferences be incorporated into high school parent incorporated into high school parent teacher meetings?teacher meetings?

IssuesIssues

• ““Many teachers will be concerned about the Many teachers will be concerned about the effect of returning students’ work with effect of returning students’ work with comments but no scores or grades…Initial comments but no scores or grades…Initial fears about how students might react fears about how students might react turned out to be unjustified, and neither turned out to be unjustified, and neither parents nor school inspectors have reacted parents nor school inspectors have reacted adversely. Indeed, the provision of adversely. Indeed, the provision of comments to students help parents to focus comments to students help parents to focus on learning issues rather than on trying to on learning issues rather than on trying to interpret a score or grade.” (13)interpret a score or grade.” (13)

• Is this true here?Is this true here?

Issues 2Issues 2

““We have encountered a variety of ways We have encountered a variety of ways of accommodating the new emphasis of accommodating the new emphasis on comments. Some teachers have on comments. Some teachers have ceased assigning grades at all, some ceased assigning grades at all, some teachers enter scores in their own teachers enter scores in their own record books but do not write them in record books but do not write them in the students’ books…(13)the students’ books…(13)

• Won’t workWon’t work• UnfairUnfair

Issues 3Issues 3

• ““The criteria for evaluating any learning The criteria for evaluating any learning achievements must be made transparent achievements must be made transparent to students to enable them to have a clear to students to enable them to have a clear overview both of the aims of their work overview both of the aims of their work and of what it means to complete it and of what it means to complete it successfully”successfully”

• Are rubrics sometimes too prescriptive?Are rubrics sometimes too prescriptive?

• Can they limit the students’ independent Can they limit the students’ independent thinking?thinking?