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North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making assessment credible and learning inspiring Dr Maddalena Taras University of Sunderland

North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

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Page 1: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

North of England Education Conference, Sheffield

Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening

resilience16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15

Making assessment credible and learning

inspiring

Dr Maddalena Taras University of Sunderland

Page 2: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

My ResearchMy ResearchAreas of original innovative expertise and publications in Assessment:1. Original self-assessment model for student learning and inclusion in assessment2. Original theoretical framework for summative, formative and self-assessment3. Evaluated and developed assessment theories and practices within and across sectors4. Research on linguistic and cultural influences on perceptions of assessment5. Critiques of theoretical claims for Assessment for Learning plus some solutions6. Evaluated institutional discrepancies in assessment practices and discourses in HE

Page 3: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

My aim: to make you think and challenge your ideas

Discuss solutions to problems of theory in “Assessment for Learning”

Page 4: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Main points of Main points of presentationpresentation

Importance of assessmentDefinitions of assessment process,

functionsRelationship between summative (SA)

and formative assessment (FA)Understand problems of theory in AfL (In HE problems because of import from

Compulsory Sector)Conclusions

Page 5: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Previous relevant papers:Taras, M. (2005) Assessment – Summative and Formative – some theoretical reflections, British Journal of Educational Studies. 53(3), 466-478Taras, M. (2007) Machinations of Assessment: Metaphors, Myths and Realities, Pedagogy, Culture and Society, 15(1) 55-69Taras, M. (2007) Assessment for Learning: understanding theory to improve practice Journal of Further and Higher Education 31(4) 363-371Taras, M. (2009) Summative Assessment: the Missing Link for Formative Assessment Journal of Further and Higher Education, Feb 33(1), 57–69Taras, M. (2010) Back to Basics: definitions and processes of assessments, Revista Práxis Educativa, Vol. 5, No 2 (2010) 123-130. http://www.revistas2.uepg.br/index.php/praxiseducativa/article/view/1829/1386Taras, M. (2012) Where is the Theory in Assessment for Learning? Online Educational Research Journal http://www.oerj.orgTaras, M. (2012) Assessing Assessment Theories. Online Educational Research Journal http://www.oerj.org

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“Assessment for Learning” (AfL)

Is AfL a) same/similar to FA?b) different to FA?

Problem between AfL and FA discourses

Page 7: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

“Assessment for Learning”

It has opened the “Black Box” of the classroom, has received the endorsement of the UK government, provided a key element of the national assessment framework in Wales and been an important export to the US, Hong Kong and countries across the world.

I am supportive of the “opening of the Black Box” and the focus on an ethical, practical working philosophy of institutional learning which prioritises formative assessment BUT critical of epistemological position, particularly the lack of cohesion and coherence in the theory of AfL.

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Assessment for learning

Black and Wiliam 1998 review of research, world-wide renown

Black et al. 2003 p2 the ‘Bible’ of assessment for learning

Page 9: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Social and political importance of

assessment“…in recent years the importance of assessment as a policy tool has grown enormously as governments have increasingly come to realise its powerful potential as a mechanism of state control” (Broadfoot and Black 2004 p9)“Assessment serves as a communication device between the world of education and that of the wider society” (Broadfoot and Black 2004 p9)

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What are (assessment) functions?

Page 11: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Assessment functions

Do you agree

a) uses/functions of assessment can be many?

b) can decide one function and then use it differently (one day/week/year later)?

c) difficult to control uses/functions?

Page 12: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Assessment functions

Uses to which the products of assessment are put

Can be social, political and educational choices

Functions could influence criteria, NOT process or standardsi.e. selecting for entrance to course has one focus (criteria) assessing for exam may have another focus and different criteria

An assessment can have multiple functions

Page 13: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Theory, empirical research and practice

Tight (2004 p406) notes that “... there are strong pressures on those working in educational departments to focus their research energies on identifying what works best in the classroom or lecture theatre ..”“...the demand for evidence-based practice gives relatively little priority to theory.”

Page 14: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Assessment for Learning Theory

There is confusion of:1. process and functions of assessment2. summative and formative assessment are distinguished by functions3. definitions of formative assessment4. assessment of process/product with classroom interaction

Page 15: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Relationship between FA Relationship between FA and SAand SA

Scriven 1967 was the first to make the distinction between summative and formative

BUT Black and Wiliam claim otherwise:“From the earliest use of these terms it

was stressed that the terms applied not to assessment themselves, but to the functions they served.” (Wiliam and Black 1996 p538 use Bloom et al 1971)

Page 16: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Assessment functions Assessment functions and assessment processand assessment process

First major problem with AfL: process of assessment, SA or FA, constantly sidelined by insistence on ‘functions’

Confusing functions of assessment with the process major problem of assessment and AfL

Page 17: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Implications of Implications of assessment for learning assessment for learning

theorytheoryFocusing on functions means

Working with ephemeral and imprecise aims, criteria, standards

Changing functions for SA and FA means changing criteria

Page 18: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Assessment theoriesAssessment theories

Scriven 1967: assessment definition distinction SA - FA

Sadler, 1989, 2010 – theory of FATaras 2005, 2009, 2010, 2012 –

theory SA, FA and self assessmentBlack and Wiliam 1998, 2003, 2006,

2009 – theory FA (and AfL) (cross sector)

Page 19: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Assessment or Assessment or EvaluationEvaluation

“Evaluation is itself a methodological activity which is essentially similar whether we are trying to evaluate coffee machines or teaching machines, plans for a house or plans for a curriculum” (Scriven 1967 p40)

Assessment is a ubiquitous processScriven in context of curriculum

evaluation, generalisable to all assessment processes

Page 20: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Definition of AssessmentDefinition of Assessment

“Assessment: a judgement justified according to specific weighted set goals, yielding either comparative or numerical ratings.

Necessary to justify (a) the data-gathering instruments or

criteria(b) the weightings(c) the selection of goals” (Scriven 1967

p40)

Page 21: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Is Summative assessment is linked to

a) functions of assessment?b) processes of assessment?c) grades?d) feedback?e) learning?

Page 22: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Is Formative assessment is linked to

a) functions of assessment?b) processes of assessment?c) grades?d) feedback?e) learning?

Page 23: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Distinction SA - FADistinction SA - FA

Scriven 1967 – based on assessment processes

SA = assessment

FA = assessment + feedback (used)

Page 24: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Theory of FATheory of FA

Sadler – FA linked to goals, standards, (criteria) + self assessment

FA = feedback used

SA hardly mentioned therefore assessment process becomes implicit

Page 25: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Theory of FA, SA + ssa Theory of FA, SA + ssa

Taras uses Scriven SA + FA + Sadler FA

Plus - assessment and feedback MUST be negotiated for understanding and take-up by learner – therefore self-assessment mandatory

SA + feedback negotiated , decided + used by learner = FA

Page 26: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Relationship SA – FARelationship SA – FA

(Taras) SA and FA are processes

SA is a judgement according to criteria and standards (implicit or explicit)

Judgement (SA) provides feedbackUse of feedback is FA

SA + feedback SA + feedback negotiationnegotiation + use = + use = FAFA

Page 27: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Where is the theory in Where is the theory in AfL?AfL?

AfL synonymous with FA but differentEarly work AfL link to FA and

assessmentLater work AfL just learning but

3 of 4 AfL interventions are feedback from assessment!

ie feedback through marking, peer and self-assessment and the formative use of summative tests (4th = questioning)

Page 28: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Theory in AfLTheory in AfL

FA linked then synonymous with AfL 2 types of FA (1) same as SadlerFA (2) teacher action to improve L + TBlack and Wiliam 2009 removed AfL link to FAAfL = learning only BUTAfL interventions = egs feedback from

assessment All theories & empirical research agree student

self-assessment is mandatory for learning

Page 29: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Problems in AfL theory

1. SA and FA based on functions

2. Separate SA + FA totally (cuts rich(est) feedback from SA)

3. Confusion AfL + FA

Page 30: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

AfL theory creates problems

FA needs a separate evaluative process

Repetition of FA and SA

Wastes tutors’ time and effort

Confuses change of criteria with functions

SA (and criteria) implicit within FA

Page 31: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Problems solved if

1. base SA + FA on processes2. FA – one definition to

encompass all contexts3. explicit link between SA + FA

processes4. explicit link between processes

and functions

Page 32: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

ConclusionConclusion

SA is central and necessary to all assessment

SA is a stepping stone to FA i.e. learning

FA a step which justifies and explains SA

Page 33: North of England Education Conference, Sheffield Mind, brain, community: Inspiring learners, strengthening resilience 16 January 2013 3.15 to 4.15 Making

Thank you for Thank you for participatingparticipating

Any questions or Any questions or comments?comments?

[email protected]