2.+Assessment+for+Learning

**Defining assessment for learning:**
In assessment //for// learning (AFL), also referred to as formative assessment, "teachers use assessment as an investigative 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" (Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Education, 2006, p. 29).

Assessment for learning is an ongoing process in which the teacher is evaluating students through the different interactions that occur in the classroom. These interactions include such activities as effective questioning techniques in which students communicate their responses to one another, as well as to the teacher through discussion; written feedback on assignments, as opposed to a mark or letter grade; as well as self and peer evaluations of work.

What does assessment for learning look like?
AFL's ongoing and interactive nature provides teachers with many different options for gathering information about students' learning. Some examples listed in the Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Education (2006) document include:
 * focussed observations
 * questioning
 * conversations/discussions
 * learning logs
 * computer-based assessments

Other examples include:
 * journals
 * concept maps
 * quizzes



With such variety as listed above, students are able to demonstrate their learning not only through written tasks, but also using visual representation as well as oral responses, which is beneficial for students who struggle with reading or written output.

A key component of assessment for learning is feedback from teachers, as well as other students. However, the type of feedback given should not be evaluative in nature, in other words, students should not be given a grade, nor should comments indicate correct or incorrectness. The type of feedback that is most effective is descriptive feedback which helps students to learn by giving them the details about what they are doing well, what they need to work on, and what they can do to improve (Ontario, 2010, p. 34; Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Education, 2006, p. 33). The purpose of meaningful feedback is to provide students with encouragement to make improvements on their work so that they eventually submit their best work. Also, in the process of receiving and reading descriptive feedback, students are learning the vocabulary and skills necessary to assess their own work, as well as that of other students (Ontario, 2010, p. 34).

The video below exemplifies the importance and effectiveness of descriptive feedback.

media type="youtube" key="KStqDThoZsU" height="390" width="480"

Why does assessement for learning happen?
AFL is designed to improve student learning and help students to become independent learners. Both the "student and teacher learn together in a collaborative relationship, each playing an active role in setting learning goals, developing success criteria, giving and receiving feedback, monitoring progress, and adjusting learning strategies" (Ontario, 2010, p. 30). Teachers use this form of assessment to discover what students think they know, the kinds of connections students are making, what prior knowledge students have, as well as figuring out where there are missing pieces of information. Once equipped with this knowledge, teachers are then able to structure their lessons to provide students with the necessary learning opportunities to "reinforce and build on productive learning, and to challenge beliefs or ideas that are creating problems or inhibiting the next stage of learning (Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Education, 2006, p. 30).



Positives

 * gives teachers an idea of where students are at in their learning, allowing them to make lesson adjustments accordingly (Volante et al., 2010, para 2).
 * students are active participants in their learning, which ultimately can lead to increased engagement and motivation (Volante et al., 2010, para 2; Western and Northern Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Education, 2006, p. 30).
 * there is research that shows "consistent use of these formative strategies can double the speed of students' learning" (Volante et al., 2010, para 5).
 * formative assessement reduces the achievement gap by helping low achievers the most (Black & Harrison, 2004). This can be attested to by the fact that assessment is viewed as non-threatening by students who are receiving feedback rather than a mark.

The following video offers some insight into the positives of formative assessment by Rick Wormeli. media type="youtube" key="rJxFXjfB_B4" height="510" width="640"

Negatives

 * Students (and parents) tend to be driven by marks, so buy-in by students to assessment for learning may be difficult
 * More work for teachers to develop effective questions and design peer and self evaluations
 * Anecdotal comments require teachers to spend much more time on student assignments, and as a result, written feedback occurs less frequently.

Connections
Jes' Connections: Assessment for learning has been the focus in our British Columbia school district for almost a decade, so it is not a new idea, for me as a teacher. In my high school English classroom I provide students with opportunities for discussion with peers, as well as conversations with me in order to demonstrate their knowledge, or their uncertainties, about what we are learning. A specific example of AFL occurs during my short story unit when students complete several essays for me, which I then give written feedback on. Once this is completed I hold individual conferences with students where we talk about what they have done well, what they need to continue to work on, and where they could improve. Students then take their essays, choose one to "perfect," and submit a final copy for marking. This is a time consuming process, but I have noticed that it helps to improve student writing considerably.

In our school district, we have a District Assessment of Reading Team (D.A.R.T) which helps classroom teachers complete and evaluate reading assessment tests performed on individual students in the fall. These results are then used to help teachers come up with reading strategies for students, which are then implemented throughout the school year. In the spring students are assessed once again using the same test as in the fall. The information that is obtained from these tests is then passed on to the future teachers of the students.

Darryl's Connections: The most recent focus in our school division is a reading assessment called the RAD (grades 1-9) and the OCA (grade 10). All students in our division take these assessments at the beginning of the school year and then again at the end of the school year. The assessment is designed to be used as a tool to identify specific reading skills and strategies for students to focus on throughout the year. Individual, class, school and district results are available throughout the year for teachers to access. Information gained in this assessment is used to improve literacy skills in all curricula throughout the year. The assessment done near the end of the school year measures student growth that can be tracked through the years provided individuals remain in our school division. Access to an online resource to view and track student progress has recently been developed and is beginning to be used by teachers to help guide their instructional practices. Following the spring assessment (an example of assessment of learning) we are able to identify and measure growth and understanding of specifically identified literacy strategies. From the results we gain, we are then again able to shape instruction according to student needs so it is not solely for summative purposes and can be considered assessment of learning as well as assessment for learning.

This assessment was created by the Surrey School District #36 with Pearson Education. More information can be found at [].

Val's Connections: Assessment for learning is a focus in our district and province. Some Assessment for learning tools I use are blogs, self and peer assessment (ongoing through feedback), interaction and discussion on the class wiki, collaboratively developed rubrics, oral presentations, KWL charts and lots of sticky notes for descriptive feedback. At the beginning of the year my 3/4's handed in work as a first draft then I would write comments on a sticky and return it to them. They had to work on all the areas commented on and return it. This could take 3 or 4 cycles. Gradually we moved to peer-assessment for the first draft and A-B partners have stickies to comment on their peers work. We are now working on self-assessment, students are still given the coloured stickies, as they really like them and it motivates them to think of concrete ways they can improve their learning. Students don't recieve a grade until all the sticky comments are checked off. It has been, and still is for some, challenging to not hand in an assignment and be done with it. I say to students (completely taken from a colleague of mine) "I will only mark your best work" the rest is work in progress. I like AFL because it takes the pressure off of heavy marking and focuses on the students' progression of learning.