Draft

Module1.3

School Based
Assessment
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INTRODUCTION:
It has been recognized across the globe that a full commitment to teaching and learning must
include assessing and documenting student’s learning. There is a strong external drive for
Outcomes Assessment focuses primarily on improving student learning. Learning Outcomes
are assessment standards indicating the expected levels of learning that children should
achieve for that unit/class. These outcomes can be used as check points to assess learning at
different points of time. The learning outcomes would help teachers to understand the
learning levels of children in their respective classes individually as well as collectively.
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Recently, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has
developed Learning Outcomes for Elementary Education. The learning outcome-oriented
assessment will not only help to make the shift in the focus of student learning from content
to competencies..

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) conducted NAS 2017
which is the largest survey in school education. The NAS 2017 is crucial milestone in the
move towards quality education. The NAS 2017 used learning outcomes as reference for
conducting achievement survey. The District level reports and State reports have already
been released.

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE Act, 2009),
requires that Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation be implemented for children till the
completion of elementary schooling. Considering attitudes, emotions and values as integral
parts of cognitive development, NCF-2005 recommended an internal school-based system of
assessment that could provide information on a child’s overall development in a continuous
and comprehensive manner.

School-based Assessment:

School-based assessment (SBA) is an assessment which is embedded in the teaching and

learning process. It has a number of important characteristics which distinguish it from other
forms of assessment:

 It involves the teacher from the beginning to the end: from planning the assessment
programme, to identifying and/or developing appropriate assessment tasks right
through to making the assessment judgments.

 It can be adapted and modified by the teacher to match the teaching and learning
goals of the particular class and students being assessed.

 It is carried out in ordinary classrooms.

 It is conducted by the students' own teacher.

 It involves students more actively in the assessment process, especially if self and/or
peer assessment is used in conjunction with teacher assessment.

 It allows the teacher to give immediate and constructive feedback to students.

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 It stimulates continuous evaluation and adjustment of the teaching and learning

programme.
 It complements other forms of assessment, including external examinations

2.0 ASSESSMENT:
Assessment of student achievement, the process of collecting, examining and using
information about what students know and can do, is the basis of effective teaching and
learning. The relationship between assessment, teaching and learning is dynamic and
interactive.

2.1 Types of Assessment:

Assessment of learning refers to assessment processes that summarise and report students’
achievements at a given point in time. Usually known as summative assessment, assessment of
learning summarises a student’s learning. This information should give teachers, school managers,
parents and students a dependable and sound summary of students‟ progress and
accomplishments. Examples of assessment of learning include:

 a midterm exam,
 Final Exam
 Teacher created tests
 Performances

Assessment for learning, sometimes referred to as formative assessment, has been defined as
“all those activities undertaken by teachers, and by the students in assessing themselves,
which provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning
activities in which they are engaged.” This assessment involves a close relationship between
the teacher, the student and the teaching and learning programme. Examples of assessment
for learning include:

 Student observation
 Reflection Journals
 Peer reviews
 Portfolio-ongoing
 draw a concept map in class to represent their understanding of a topic
 submit one or two sentences identifying the main point of a topic/concept taught

Assessment as learning is also formative assessment describes the process of students

monitoring their own learning and progress. It occurs when students understand how they are
learning and what they need to do to improve. They can interpret their assessment
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information from different sources and use it to make decisions about their own learning.
Assessment as learning:

 encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning

 requires students to ask questions about their learning
 involves teachers and students creating learning goals to encourage growth and
development
 provides ways for students to use formal and informal feedback and self-assessment
to help them understand the next steps in learning
 Encourages peer assessment, self-assessment and reflection.

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 learning
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.
 Create conducive and supportive environment for students learning

Reflection: Think about when you use assessment as

learning in your classroom. Whether your students are
going for out -of -box solution?
2.2 Feedback: Feedback is an important part of the assessment process. It has a
significant effect on student learning and has been described as the most powerful single
moderator that enhances achievement. Feedback is valuable when it is received, understood
and acted on.

Why feedback? 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.

Assessment as learning and Feedback

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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.
Conventionally, feedback is conceptualised as an issue of ‘correction of errors’ or
‘knowledge of results’.

Feedback provides students with helpful information about their learning. This
helps students “learn to learn”.

Examples: Language

DOES provide feedback Does NOT provide feedback

I noticed that you are

listening to me.
That’s not how you do it. Good boy.

That’s good, the way you

tried to sound out that
word.

Good try! Now say it

like this …

Good. Please do this again

correctly.
You know most of your words.
Which ones do you now NEED
to learn?

This word is spelt

not right. How can
Look at the word again. you check the No. That’s wrong.
What sound does it start spelling of that
with? Is that what you wrote / word?
said?
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Self and Peer Assessment: Important aspects of Assessment as

learning
Self and peer assessment are important aspects of ‘assessment as learning’ practice.
Assessing their own work or that of peer can help students to develop their understanding of
the Intended Learning Outcomes and the Assessment Criteria. Research has shown that
learners make more progress when they are actively involved in their own learning and
assessment.
The main aims of self and peer assessment are to:
• increase student responsibility and autonomy
• strive for a deeper understanding of the subject matter, skills and processes
• lift the role and status of the student from passive learner to active leaner and assessor (this
also encourages a deeper approach to learning)
• involve students in critical reflection
• develop in students a better understanding of their own subjectivity and judgement.

Peer Assessment
What is Peer Assessment?
There are many variants of peer assessment, but essentially it involves students providing
feedback to other students on the quality of their work.

Peer assessment and feedback

Peer assessment and feedback is grounded in the three questions that frame the feedback
loop:

WhereamI going? Whereismy peer going?

WhereamI now? Whereismy peer now?

Wheretonext? Whereismy peer goingnext?

Why use peer assessment?

 Peer feedback can encourage collaborative learning through interchange about what
constitutes good work.
 Students can help each other to make sense of the gaps in their learning and
understanding and to get a more sophisticated grasp of the learning process.
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Implementing peer assessment

 The evidence suggests that students become better at peer assessment with practice.
Students need practice to gain confidence in peer assessment and to become more
competent at it. Other classroom practices can also help to prepare students for peer
assessment, such as exchange and discussion on teaching learning materials.
 Make sure the criteria for any piece of peer assessment are clear and fully discussed
with students (negotiated with them if circumstances are appropriate).

Self-Assessment
What is Self- Assessment?
Self-assessment is defined as ‘the involvement of learners in making judgements about their
achievements and the outcomes of their learning’.
Why Self- Assessment?
Self-assessment supports student learning and is one of the most important skills that
students require for future professional development and life-long learning, as it develops
their capacity to be assessors of learning.
Portfolios:
What is Portfolio?
The portfolio is a cumulative assessment that represents a student’s work and documents his
or her performance. Records may include transcripts, certificates, grades, recommendations,
resumes, and journals.
Portfolios present major scoring problems because each student includes different
pieces. This variation makes it difficult to develop scoring criteria that can be applied
consistently from one piece to the next and from one portfolio to the next.
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Examples of portfolios for different subjects:

Science Math English/Language Arts Social Sciences
• Charts, graphs • Samples of • Reading log  Work sheets
created problem solving • Different types of  Essays
• Projects, Written writing Poems, Essays,  Projects
examples, posters explanations of Letters, Vocabulary  Models
• Lab reports how to solve achievements  Maps work
• Research reports problems • Tests  Self
• Tests • Charts, graphs •Book summaries/reports assessment
• Student reflections •Computer • Dramatizations, creative  Pictures
(either weekly, analyses endings to stories  Observations
monthly, or bi- conducted • Student reflections  Experiences
monthly) •Student (either weekly, monthly,  Anecdotal
reflections (either or bi-monthly) records
weekly, monthly,
or bi-monthly)

Some important aspects for preparing portfolio

 Entries in portfolio must be selected by student
 Entries are biased toward selecting the best work
 Reflections are an important part of the portfolio
 Criteria for evaluating portfolio must be shared with student beforehand
Developing Assessment Criteria and Rubrics
What is a Rubric?
A rubric is a comprehensive set of criteria used to assess students on a specific task based on
a list of performance levels to measure its quality. Rubrics have flexibility and adaptability
that few other assessment tools possess. When used correctly, rubrics have been shown to
provide timely feedback, prepare students to use detailed feedback, encourage critical
thinking, refine teaching methods, and facilitate communication with others.
A good rubric serves three purposes:
1. it creates a systematic way to evaluate students on content knowledge,
2. it provides quick and easy feedback to both the instructor and the students,
3. it measures teaching

Why Use Rubrics:

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 A way to provide feedback

 Defines characteristics of high quality assignment
 Establishes a range of performance categories
 Helps students understand expectations
 Provides students with a way to assess their own performance (self-assessment,
reflection)
Rubrics consist of four parameters:
1. Assignment Description: This provides students with a full description of what the
students must do to complete the task. This portion connects the assignment itself to
the rubric. This will include directions, time limits, and criteria for the assignment.
2. Scale Level: Scales help to distinguish student work, from the most exemplary to the
poorest quality. There are no well-established rules on the number of levels, but some
recommendations include a range between 3 and 6 levels for analytic rubrics .
3. Dimensions: The dimensions of the rubric outline the desired skills the course
instructor expects the students to demonstrate in the assignment. Each dimension
must be linked and mapped back to the course, program, or institutional learning
outcomes.
4. Dimension Criteria: The dimension criteria differentiate the quality of work between
each scale level of each dimension. This section of the rubric allows instructors to
compare what is expected of the students and what the students have produced.
Guidelines for Developing Rubrics

 Find and adapt, tweak existing templates

 Be clear on what you want to assess
 Have clear essential criteria and a realistic number of criteria
 Write rubrics in clear language that students understand
 Make sure marks allocated for criteria correlate to amount of time students spend on
criterion
 Share rubrics with colleagues and students in advance ,Revise & Evaluate
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Using assessment data to inform planning

 Identify areas of low performance

by most of the class → plan to
improve
Identifying learning patterns
 Identify areas of low performance
in a small group →
plan to improve

 Identify strengths
shown by most of the
class → plan to extend

 Identify strengths shown in a small

group → plan to extend

ACTION: Design diagnosis

activities, accordingly. Then plan
the action needed for an individual,
small group or whole class.

Modifying Teaching –
 Modify teaching learning learning Strategies
strategies so that some
activities target areas of low
performance such as reading
skills in need of more teaching
and practice

 Enrich resources e.g.

flashcards, word wall, reading
books, worksheets, to meet the
needs of learners ACTION: Differentiate activities for
students according to their needs.
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Annexure-I

Overview of Planning Assessment

Assessment for Assessment as Assessment of

Learning Learning Learning

Why Assess? to enable teachers to determine next to guide and provide opportunities for to certify or inform parents or others
steps in advancing student learning each student to monitor and critically of student’s proficiency in relation
reflect on his or her learning and to curriculum learning outcomes
identify next steps

Assess What? each student's progress and learning each student's thinking about his or her The extent to which students can
needs in relation to the curricular learning, what strategies he or she uses apply the key concepts, knowledge,
outcomes to support or challenge that learning, skills, and attitudes related to the
and the mechanisms he or she uses to curriculum outcomes
adjust and advance his or her learning

What Methods? a range of methods in different modes a range of methods in different modes A range of methods in different
that make students’ skills and that elicit students’ learning and modes that assess both product and
understanding visible. metacognitive processes process

Ensuring Quality accuracy and consistency of  accuracy and consistency of  Accuracy, consistency, and
observations and interpretations of student's self-reflection, self- fairness of judgements based on
student learning • clear, detailed monitoring, and self-adjustment high-quality information
learning expectations • accurate,  engagement of the student  clear, detailed learning
in considering and challenging his or expectations
detailed notes for descriptive feedback
her thinking  fair and accurate summative
to each student students record their own learning reporting

Annexure-III

Reading Rubric-Examplar

Reading: Reading multiple sources or texts , Inference , Interpretation: i.e., literal, implied, figurative language Evaluates

information and ideas

• Reads information from several texts, only if supported by directions/activities.

Level 1 • Understands basic information contained in texts, with assistance.

• Uses models for evaluation or questioning texts, with assistance if necessary.

• Gathers details or additional information by reading several texts.

Level 2 • Develops a comprehensive, yet literal interpretation of materials collected.

• Evaluates or questions information with assistance.

Level 3
Develops an extended understanding of the topic based on using multiple sources (primary and
secondary texts, literature, art, artifacts).

• Infers meanings and interprets age appropriate texts.

• Understands both literal and figurative meaning in a text.

• Begins to evaluate or question sources independently or in a peer group.

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Level 4

 Synthesizes a varied body of information including primary and secondary sources,

literature, artifacts, etc
• Interprets and uses challenging texts. Comprehends mature vocabulary.

• Understands and integrates the literal and figurative meanings of a text; reads textual
materials with empathy.
• Analyzes sources critically and objectively, cross-checking for differences, conflicts, etc.

Annexure-IV

Rubric for Students (self- Assessment) –Exemplar

Subject: Mathematics Grade : 8

Learning Outcome –Understanding of the square and principle square root of whole numbers.

Level – 1 Level – 2 Level– 3 Level – 4

I need help. I have a basic My work I have a deeper
understanding. consistently meets understanding.
expectations.
 With assistance I  I can determine basic  I can  I can explain why a
can determine basic perfect squares. ndependently perfect square is a
perfect squares.  I can determine the determine if perfect square.
 With assistance I value of a basic specific numbers  I can explain my
can determine the number squared. are perfect strategy for
value of a basic  I can determine the quares. determining the
number squared. value of basic  I can determine square of a number.
 With assistance principle square roots. the value of a  I can explain my
I an determine number squared. strategy for
the value of  I can determine determining the value
basic principle the value of a of a principle square
square roots. principle square root.
root.

Contributors: Dr. Satya Bhushan, NCERT

Shujit Chakravarty
Sh. Subhash Gupta