Assessment of Learning

The purpose of this kind of assessment is usually SUMMATIVE and is mostly done at the end
of a task, unit of work etc.
“It is designed to provide evidence of achievement to parents, other educators, the students
themselves and sometimes to outside groups (e.g., employers, other educational institutions).”
“Assessment of Learning is the assessment that becomes public and results in statements or
symbols about how well students are learning. It often contributes to pivotal decisions that will
affect students’ futures. It is important, then, that the underlying logic and measurement of
assessment of learning be credible and defensible.”
Teachers’ Roles in Assessment of Learning:
“Teachers have the responsibility of reporting student learning accurately and fairly, based on
evidence obtained from a variety of contexts and applications.
Effective assessment of learning requires that teachers provide:
• a rationale for undertaking a particular assessment of learning at a particular point in time
• clear descriptions of the intended learning
• processes that make it possible for students to demonstrate their competence and skill
• a range of alternative mechanisms for assessing the same outcomes
• public and defensible reference points for making judgements
• transparent approaches to interpretation
• descriptions of the assessment process
• strategies for recourse in the event of disagreement
about the decisions.”
Assessment for Learning
The emphasis shifts from summative to FORMATIVE assessment in Assessment for Learning.
Assessment for Learning happens during the learning, often more than once, rather than at
the end.
Students understand exactly what they are to learn, what is expected of them and are given
feedback and advice on how to improve their work.
“In Assessment for Learning, teachers use assessment as an investigable tool to find out as
much as they can about what their students know and can do, and what confusions,
preconceptions, or gaps they might have.
The wide variety of information that teachers collect about students’ learning processes
provides the basis for determining what they need to do next to move student learning forward.
It provides the basis for providing descriptive feedback for students and deciding on groupings,
instructional strategies, and resources.”
Teachers’ Roles in Assessment for Learning:
“Assessment for learning occurs throughout the learning process. It is interactive, with teachers:
• aligning instruction
• identifying particular learning needs of students or groups
• selecting and adapting materials and resources
• creating differentiated teaching strategies and learning opportunities for helping individual
students move forward in their learning
• Providing immediate feedback and direction to students
“Teachers also use assessment for learning to enhance students’ motivation and commitment to
learning. When teachers commit to learning as the focus of assessment, they change the
classroom culture to one of student success.”
Assessment as Learning
Through this process students are able to learn about themselves as learners and become aware
of how they learn – become metacognitive (knowledge of one’s own thought processes).
Students reflect on their work on a regular basis, usually through self and peer assessment and
Decide (often with the help of the teacher, particularly in the early stages) what their next
learning will be.
Assessment as learning helps students to take more responsibility for their own learning and
monitoring future directions.
“The teachers’ role in promoting the development of independent learners through assessment
as learning is to:
• model and teach the skills of self-assessment
• guide students in setting their own goals, and monitoring their progress toward them
• provide exemplars and models of good practice and quality work that reflect
curriculum outcomes
• work with students to develop clear criteria of good practice
guide students in developing internal feedback or self-monitoring mechanisms to validate and
question their own thinking, and to become comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty that is
inevitable in learning anything new
• provide regular and challenging opportunities to practice, so that students can become
confident, competent self-assessors
• monitor students’ metacognitive processes as well as their learning, and provide descriptive
feedback
• Create an environment where it is safe for students to take chances and where support is
readily available.”
“Complex skills, such as monitoring and self-regulation, become routine only when there is
constant feedback and practice using the skills. Effective feedback challenges ideas, introduces
additional information, offers alternative interpretations, and creates conditions for self
reflection and review of ideas…If all feedback does is provide direction for what students
need to do that is, the feedback doesn’t refer to students’ own roles in moving forward to the
next learning-they will perpetually ask questions like Is this right? Is this what you want?
Rather, feedback in assessment as learning encourages students to focus their attention on the
task, rather than on getting the answer right.
It provides them with ideas for adjusting, rethinking, and articulating their understanding, which
will lead to another round of feedback and another extension of learning.”

What is Assessment for Learning?

Assessment Reform Group (UK 2002):
Assessment for Learning is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners
and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go and
how best to get there.

Assessment for Learning is also known as formative assessment.

What is the difference between formative and summative assessment?

Activities associated with summative assessment (Assessment of Learning) result in an
evaluation of student achievement - for example, allocation to a level or standard or allocation
of a letter or numerical grade, which might later appear in a report.

Activities associated with formative assessment (Assessment for Learning) do not result in an
evaluation. Information about what a student knows, understands and is able to do is used by
both the teacher and the learner to determine where learners are in their learning and how to
achieve learning goals.

What are Assessment for Learning strategies?

Research has identified a number of classroom strategies that are particularly effective in
promoting formative assessment practice.

Assessment for Learning strategies are:

the strategic use of questioning

Questioning is used not only as a pedagogical tool but also as a deliberate way for the teacher to
find out what students know, understand and are able to do.
effective teacher feedback
Effective teacher feedback focuses on established success criteria and tells the students what
they have achieved and where they need to improve. Importantly, the feedback provides
specific suggestions about how that improvement might be achieved.
peer feedback
Peer feedback occurs when a student uses established success criteria to tell another student
what they have achieved and where improvement is necessary. Again, the feedback provides
specific suggestions to help achieve improvement.
student self-assessment
Student self-assessment encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning. It
incorporates self-monitoring, self-assessment and self-evaluation.
the formative use of summative assessment
Summative assessment is a necessary aspect of education. Formative use can be made of
summative assessment, both before and after the assessment event.

Assessments have become integral to today's teaching, learning, and data-driven decision-
making efforts. Within the world of assessments, there are two paramount ideologies at work:
assessments for learning and assessments of learning.

Both forms of assessments serve a distinct and powerful purpose, and it's important to
understand how they play off one another and ultimately enhance instruction, intervention, and
student achievement.

Assessments of Learning
Assessments of learning are typically administered at the end of a unit or grading period and
evaluate a student’s understanding by comparing his or her achievement against a class-,
district-, or nationwide benchmark or standard,1 as noted by the Eberly Center for Teaching
Excellence & Educational Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University.

Benchmark assessments are examples of assessments of learning, where students are assessed
three times per year for universal screening (early identification).

Assessments for Learning

Assessments for learning – also described as assessments as learning – assess a student’s
comprehension and understanding of a skill or lesson during the learning and teaching process.

According to the Eberly Center at Carnegie Mellon, this provides educators with ongoing
feedback and allows them to:
Identify at-risk students early
Adjust instruction accordingly and immediately
Monitor student progress1
Frequent progress monitoring is an example of assessments for learning, where a student’s
academic performance is regularly assessed between benchmarks to determine if the current
instruction and intervention is positively impacting student achievement or if adjustments need
to be implemented.

Assessment and evaluation requires thoughtful planning and implementation to support the
learning process and to inform teaching. All assessments and evaluation of student achievement
must be based on the outcomes in the provincial curriculum and allow for flexibility determined
by the needs of the student.

There are three interrelated purposes of assessment. Each type of assessment, systematically
implemented, contributes to an overall picture of an individual student’s achievement.

Assessment for learning (formative assessment) involves the use of information about student
progress to support and improve student learning, inform instructional practices, and:

is teacher-driven for student, teacher, and parent use;

occurs throughout the teaching and learning process, using a variety of tools; and
engages teachers in providing differentiated instruction, feedback to students to enhance their
learning, and information to parents in support of learning.
Assessment as learning (formative assessment) actively involves student reflection on learning,
monitoring of his/her own progress, and:

supports students in critically analyzing learning related to curricular outcomes;

is student-driven with teacher guidance; and
occurs throughout the learning process.
Assessment of learning (summative assessment) involves teachers’ use of evidence of student
learning to make judgements about student achievement and:
provides opportunity to report evidence of achievement related to curricular outcomes;
occurs at the end of a learning cycle using a variety of tools;
provides the foundation for discussions on placement or promotion.Evaluation compares
assessment information against criteria based on curriculum outcomes for the purpose of
communicating to students, teachers, parents/caregivers, and others about student progress; and
to make informed decisions about the teaching and learning process.