Enabling Learning and Assessment
Assessment activities
Two of the assessment activities that I use are Worksheets (or written questions) and photographic evidence. These assessment activities are the most commonly found within my level 1 group. Worksheets within my area are a very versatile way of collecting information from the student, they can contain short answer questions, multiple choice questions etc. Worksheets are extremely valid because they are usually created by the awarding body of that qualification or by the teachers who have read through what the learners need to achieve. Because it is a direct way of assessing, the learners will not “go off task” as the worksheets are designed to be short, sharp ways of assessing that
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The other bad point to photographic evidence is that you may find yourself having to complete the session again as people may have been away for that session and not got themselves a photo. This can hinder your scheme of work etc. But I still feel that this is one of the best ways of gathering evidence, especially for the lower level groups as they not have the literacy levels to complete what the higher level groups will.
Purpose of assessment
For this part of the assignment I am going to describe and analyse summative assessment.
Summative assessment can be described as:
“…what students tend to focus on. It is the assessment, usually on completion of a course or module, which says whether or not you have "passed". It is—or should be—undertaken with reference to all the objectives or outcomes of the course, and is usually fairly formal.” (www.learningandteaching.info, 2010)
Taking this approach makes the assessment very clear to the student, and not only confirms their overall mark, but also high lights what they have done well, and what they need to improve on;
“Summative assessment is the process of evaluating (and grading) the learning of students at a point in time.” (www.qualityresearchinternational.com, 2010)
Summative assessment also helps the assessor confirm that the student has
The benefits of the learner and others contributing to formative assessment and therefore advising on when summative assessment might be appropriate. The benefits of the learner develop a sense of ownership over the learning and assessment process.
1.1 Assessment measures the learner’s progress towards or the completion of, the learning aim and criteria, and can be used at any point during the learning cycle. It can provide information to adapt the delivery to suit the learner’s needs and abilities; a learner may need more help or time on some aspects, or has progressed quicker than planned and requires additional goals. By standardising the assessment process this creates uniformity for all learners.
Assessment plays a significant role in the learning experience of students. It determines their progression through their programmes and enables them to demonstrate that they have achieved the intended learning outcomes. It is assessment that provides the main basis for public recognition of achievement, through the awarding of qualifications and/or credit.
The summative assessment is a formal assessment that takes place at the end of the learning course, module or programme. It used to measure the achievement of set criteria quality of the work produced. This type of assessment is often stressful to
Assessments are used to track not only learner but tutor progress. Below I have documented some utilised in my everyday teaching life:
Assessment is carried out through formative (checks throughout the course), ipsative (to test against previous marks), and/ or summative (at end of course) activities to help the learner see their development whilst allowing the Assessor to give valuable feedback when appropriate. It’s purpose is to measure the learners understanding of the subject against the anticipated outcomes set by the criteria.
Before any activity, the pupil will need to know what they are going to learn, why they are learning it and how the assessment will take place. The teacher will discuss these with the pupils before the session and when each group of children sit down to start the activity they will be explained to them again. As the pupils get used to assessing their own work, they will find it easier to look at their own work naturally. As well as the objective for the activity, the pupils will need to know their own personalised learning goal so that they can integrate them. One example of how we do this at our setting is by having a learning activity
Summative Assessment: The summative assessment will be the student presentations on day three. Students will individually turn in all of their research for fifteen total points, their part in the presentation will be worth ten points and their ability to answer questions in class discussion is worth five points.
Assessments are the way to find out if learning has actually taken place. Enabling us, as tutors, to see if objectives have been met.
I believe assessment is important and is the basis of planning for instruction, whether it is diagnostic prior to learning, formative during units or lessons, or summative to evaluate student learning. Rowan’s quote in Every Teacher’s Guide to Assessment, "After all, in the end, the problem is less the idea of testing itself, but how we design them, apply, them, and make use of their data." definitely has an impact on my assessment practices. I feel it is necessary to make sure the student acquires all aspects of the learning. Assessment should be used to bring a value for students. Within my instruction, I implement daily formative assessments which may include turn and share, quick writes, graphic organizers, online discussion responses, KahootIt, and other forms. Designing the appropriate formative assessment to match the lesson is important to assess how the learning is taught and whether the students are showing progress. In addition, I have worked on building blocks of formative assessments in checklist style leading up to the point of reviewing for a summative test. Each of these are checked off as completed and instant feedback is given. Feedback from an assessment is essential to student learning and how a teacher will ensure the content is being acquired.
Assessment, both formative and summative, plays a significant part in the learning experience as it determines progression and enables learners to demonstrate that they have achieved their desired learning outcomes.
A summative assessment is given at pre-determined intervals. It could range from a state assessment to a benchmark test, or an end-of-unit test. It specifically is testing the knowledge that a student should have mastered by a particular point in time. A summative assessment is used for accountability.
From the very beginning of the course, teachers should begin to analyse their learners through initial assessment methods. The assessments best suited to guide improvements in student learning are quizzes, tests, writing assignments, and other assessments such as a group activity. These can easily give the teacher/tutor an insight into the learning needs of the learners. Also
In preparing for the assessment, it is important to explain the purpose of the assessment, explaining why it is