Re-Envisioning Assessment Updated

Assessment in schools
Lesson 1
What is assessment?
Assessment is the process of gathering,

recording, interpreting, using, and
reporting information about a child’s
progress and achievement in developing
knowledge, skills and attitudes.
What is assessment?
 the systematic collection, interpretation

and use of information to give a deeper
appreciation of what pupils know and
understand, their skills and personal
capabilities, and what their learning
experiences enable them to do.
Principles of assessment
 The following five (5) principles underpin quality

assessment. It should:
 be complementary to and supportive of
learning;
 be valid and reliable;
 be fit for purpose and manageable
 support teachers’ professional judgement
 support accountability
Purpose of assessment
assessment is integral to all areas of the

curriculum and it encompasses the diverse
aspects of learning .
provides the teacher with the information
he/she needs in order to make important
decisions about the teaching and learning
process:
➢ selecting curriculum objectives

➢ identifying appropriate teaching
methodologies
➢ designing learning activities
➢ choosing suitable resources
➢ differentiating learning,
➢ giving feedback to children on how well
they are doing.
These everyday activities place
assessment at the very heart of teaching
and learning
➢ Assessment is about building a picture

over time of a child’s progress and/or
achievement in learning across the
Primary School Curriculum.
➢ Information about how the child learns
(the learning process) as well as what
the child learns (the products of learning)
shapes the picture.
 The teacher uses this information to

identify and celebrate the child’s current
learning, and to provide him/her with
appropriate support for future learning.
 Assessment can serve different purposes

according to how we use the
information it provides .
 Assessment has four (4) main purposes:.
Diagnostic assessment
 Diagnostic Assessment identifies strengths and

weaknesses.
 Normally takes place at the beginning of a learning
programme.
 It involves the teacher working closely with the pupil
to identify their strengths and learning needs.
 Teachers identify the nature of a pupil’s learning
difficulties and use this information to plan
interventions to address the issues discovered.
 They should then share this information with the pupil
to plan the next steps to improve their learning
Formative assessment
 Often referred to as Assessment for Learning (AfL), is

part of the everyday teaching and learning process.
Teachers gather evidence about a pupil’s learning, for
example by observing, listening, questioning,
discussing and reviewing pupil work.
 They can then use this evidence to:
 identify progress and gaps in learning (including
individual support needs)
 set learning goals and success criteria;
 provide feedback to pupils
Summative Assessment
 Gives pupils, parents and teachers valuable

information about a pupil’s overall performance at a
specific point in their learning.
 Can occur at different intervals such as weekly, on
completion of a topic of work, at the end of each
term, or at the end of the year.
 The feedback indicates pupil progress and
achievement in the knowledge and skills in a
particular area of learning, sometimes in grade-
related or numerical terms.
Evaluative assessment
 The main purpose of evaluative

assessment is to ensure that there is
appropriate accountability at all levels
for the performance of our school system
(CCEA, 2011).
 Evaluative assessment informs curriculum
planning and provides information for
monitoring and accountability.
What does it involve?
Assessment involves gathering, recording,

interpreting, using, and reporting
information about a child’s progress and
achievement in developing knowledge,
skills and attitudes.
➢ It concerns the daily interactions

between the teacher and each child
that include moment-by-moment
conversations, observations and actions.
 Whether the teacher is:

questioning and listening to children
observing children working on a task
or using the results of a weekly test to inform
teaching and learning,
 assessment involves many overlapping and
often simultaneous activities—gathering,
recording, interpreting, using, and reporting
information.
➢ The gathering, recording, interpreting,

using, and reporting information can
happen within a few seconds or, in
contrast, over a period of days or weeks
depending on the purpose of the
assessment and the methods used.
➢ The information enriches the teacher’s
understanding both of what and how
the child learns.
➢ The teacher uses that information to plan

learning experiences based on appropriate
objectives from the curriculum, and on the
child’s previous learning:
➢ Through assessment the teacher constructs a
comprehensive picture of the short-term and
long-term needs of the child and plans future
work accordingly
Assessment as part of the
classroom
Using assessment as part of teaching and

learning, the teacher…
➢ plans new learning using assessment
information and curriculum objectives.
➢ shares with the children what their new

learning will involve.
Assessment as part of the
classroom
➢ explores with the children what
successful learning looks like.
➢ uses appropriate methodologies and

classroom organizational strategies.
➢ gathers and records information about

what and how children are learning
HOW HAS ASSESSMENT
DEVELOPED
The Primary School Curriculum emphasizes,
➢ in general terms, the importance of assessment
in enabling the teacher to extend and enrich
children’s learning across all curriculum areas.
➢ In recent years, research, theory and practice in
teaching and learning have highlighted more
specifically how the teacher can use assessment
to;
➢ make learning more enjoyable,
➢ more motivating, and more successful for each
child.
How has assessment
developed?
 Drawing on these developments, these
guidelines describe a re-envisioning of
assessment in the primary school and
provide the teacher with information
and examples to show how assessment
can translate into daily practice in the
classroom
HOW HAS ASSESSMENT
DEVELOPED
The curriculum describes assessment as
having four (4) functions—
 formative
 summative
 evaluative
 diagnostic
HOW HAS ASSESSMENT
DEVELOPED
In re-envisioning assessment in the primary
school, the guidelines build on these
functions, and focus on two (2) principal
approaches to assessment:
➢ Assessment for Learning (AfL)
➢ Assessment of Learning (AoL).
Assessment for learning
 AfL - extends the potential of formative

evaluation
 Usually takes place on day to day interaction
between student and teachers
(asking questions, working on a project/tasks etc.
 Natural part of how they learn
 Feedback is focused on the learning task on
hand
AfL
 Emphasizes the child active role in his/her

learning
 Helps children identify progress and
achievements and challenges
 Teachers can use AfL to evaluate his/her
teaching, the teacher can make changes to
his/her plans
 The teacher uses evidence on an ongoing basis
to inform teaching and learning (AfL)
AfL
 Ten (10) guiding principles underpin AfL.

It should:
 be part of effective planning
 focus on how pupils learn
 be central to classroom practice
 be a key professional skill
 be sensitive and constructive
 foster motivation
AfL
 promote understanding of goals and

criteria
 help learners know how to improve
 develop the capacity for self-
assessment
 recognize all educational achievement.
Assessment of learning
 AoL focuses more on medium and long-

term assessment
 Involves testing a child at the end of a
given period
 A grade or score is often the only
feedback that a child receives
AoL
 Useful to the teacher

 Can be limited to the child unless the teacher
identifies the essential information about the
child's progress and achievement and
communicate this to the child.
 Helps teacher to plan future work, to set new
targets
 Provide feedback for end of year assessment
Sources
 Prescribed Readings
 National Council for curriculum and Assessment
(NCCA) (2007). Assessment in the Primary School
Curriculum guidelines for schools. Dublin,
www.ncca.ie. retrieved from Assessment-
Guidelines.pdf
 Northern Ireland curriculum (2013).Guidance on
Assessment in the Primary School
 Guidance on Assessment in the Primary School .pdf
(ccea.org.uk)
Learning Task 1
 Groups (6 per group)

 Read and discuss
 National Counsel for Curriculum and
Assessment (NCCA 2007). www.ncca.ie.
Self-assessment
 What is self assessment?

 How is self assessment used?
 Its value as an assessment method?

Re-Envisioning Assessment Updated

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Assessment in schools

Assessment is the process of gathering,

 the systematic collection, interpretation

 The following five (5) principles underpin quality

assessment is integral to all areas of the

➢ selecting curriculum objectives

➢ Assessment is about building a picture

 The teacher uses this information to

 Assessment can serve different purposes

 Diagnostic Assessment identifies strengths and

 Often referred to as Assessment for Learning (AfL), is

 Gives pupils, parents and teachers valuable

 The main purpose of evaluative

Assessment involves gathering, recording,

➢ It concerns the daily interactions

 Whether the teacher is:

➢ The gathering, recording, interpreting,

➢ The teacher uses that information to plan

Using assessment as part of teaching and

➢ shares with the children what their new

➢ uses appropriate methodologies and

➢ gathers and records information about

 AfL - extends the potential of formative

 Emphasizes the child active role in his/her

 Ten (10) guiding principles underpin AfL.

 promote understanding of goals and

 AoL focuses more on medium and long-

 Useful to the teacher

 Groups (6 per group)

 What is self assessment?

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