| Chapter 14 Notes for further reading |
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Notes for further reading Members of the Assessment Reform Group contribute to a comprehensive and authoritative overview of assessment used to support learning in the book edited by Gardner. Swaffield's book, also including contributions from many leading figures in assessment, explores key issues, draws on research and provides practical suggestions. For an excellent publication from a leading international expert on assessment which is aimed at helping people to understand issues behind assessment and testing, see Black. Gipps covers many important issues and proposes moving from a testing culture to a broader understanding of assessment. In an eye-opening look at assessment which includes many portraits of teachers assessing pupils' learning, Drummond provides an important critical alternative to current objective, mechanical approaches to assessment. Assessment is seen as a process in which teachers look at children's learning, strive to understand it and then to make use of this knowledge in the interests of children (see also Reading 14.6).
A major development and research project Improving Learning How to Learn looked at developing assessment in the classroom as well as professional and organisational learning within and among schools, and the findings are presented in two books by James and the project team, with practical resources in the 'tools' book.
AAIA’s practical booklet covers all major aspects of
assessment, recording and reporting, and can be used individually or to
support training. Lambert and Lines in their guide to assessment adopt
a pragmatic approach to different forms and purposes. Weedon and
colleagues draw together some of the latest thinking on assessment,
including issues of self-esteem, motivation, self-assessment, and
practical considerations of what schools can do to promote more
effective learning. Wragg draws upon research projects to produce an
accessible and practical guide that includes activities for individual
and group use at all stages of professional development. Assessment in
the classroom, and its relationship with learning, teaching and
schooling, is brought to life through examples and case studies and
sample lesson plans in Earl’s book.
Three books specifically address the assessment aspects of the national standards for qualified teacher status. Briggs et al. Headington focus on primary settings, while Brooks concentrates on the secondary school context.
Blanchard
offers an overview in a different form - he draws together the
different levels of target setting, from individual to whole school.
For an account of how social factors affect school assessment processes, pupil performance and the interpretation of assessment outcomes see Reading 14.7, which is edited from Filer and Pollard (see Section 3).
Section 1: Assessment for learning – formative purposes Two very readable booklets summarising the work of Black, Wiliam and colleagues at King’s College London in helping teachers translate into practice findings about formative assessment are:
The King’s team have also authored a series of subject specific booklets, (for example, English Inside the Black Box, Geography Inside the Black Box) all published by nferNelson. Their work on the King's Medway Oxfordshire Formative Assessment Project is the source for their book:
An action research project developing AfL in secondary schools is reported in a book and CD that includes a number of key messages: DfES (2007) Assessment for Learning 8 schools project report. London: DfES.
Clarke has been one of the biggest influences on primary assessment practices and her books, based on work with teachers, offer a practical and structured approach to implementing formative assessment in primary schools.
She has more recently extended her work into secondary schools in a book that includes references to the King’s Medway Oxfordshire Formative Assessment Project.
Hall and Burke provide case studies in their book illustrating primary formative practice. Hall, K. and Burke, W. (2003) Making Formative Assessment Work: Effective practice in the primary classroom. Buckingham: Open University Press.
A poster presenting ten principles for assessment for learning to guide classroom practice can be found on the Assessment Reform Group website (www.assessment-reform-group.org.uk). An important part of assessment is the provision of effective feedback for pupils. See Reading 14.4. Suffolk County Council offers a detailed look and includes useful quotes and examples, while AAIA offers principles, guidance and illustrations of good practice. Askew's book is useful and readable.
Based on an action research project, Torrance and Pryor explore how the assessment of young children is carried out in the classroom and what the consequences of this are for their understanding of school and their learning.
Sutton provides another straight-forward look at assessment to support learning in:
The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority provide guidance on assessment for learning specifically in relation to mathematics, and include case studies of development in four schools.
Primary Science is the particular subject and phase focus for Harlen's authoritative book, now in its fourth edition.
Many materials to support AfL, including subject specific resources, are available on the QCA website www.qca.org.uk/qca_4364.aspx Section 2: Assessment of learning – summative purposes Many of the books listed in section 1 giving an overview of assessment cover summative purposes. The statutory requirements, information and guidance about national curriculum assessment are published annually in England in separate Key Stage booklets, available on the QCA website at www.qca.org.uk/eara. There is also information on the National Assessment Agency website www.naa.org.uk/tests Cooper and Dunne explore the difficulties that children have when faced with maths tests and tasks couched in 'everyday realistic situations'. Drawing upon test and interview data the authors conclude that 'realistic' items prevent children demonstrating the knowledge and understanding that they possess.
A booklet by the Assessment Reform Group considers how to arrive at a comprehensive summative assessment system based on teachers’ judgements. ARG (2006) The Role of Teachers in the Assessment of Learning.
Section 3: Key issues in assessment The works of Gipps and Black, cited in the overview section above, are particularly relevant to this section on key issues in assessment. Filer and Pollard address many unsettling issues through a comprehensive study of assessment in children's lives. Wiliam takes a critical look at National Curriculum assessment based on levels, places it in an historical context and makes proposals for the future. The Frith and Mackintosh textbook was published nearly 20 years ago but is a comprehensive guide to the technical aspects of testing and assessment.
Fairness and equity are important issues in assessment and are explored by Gipps and Murphy. Stobart and Gipps have a chapter on these aspects of assessment as well as addressing other important issues.
The effects of testing on motivation and learning were the subject of a review undertaken by through the EPPI-Centre. The full review is available on http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk and the Assessment Reform Group has published a readable summary in a booklet:
The relationship between assessment and learning in the classroom is re-examined by Dann. Theories of learning and assessment are explored within the context of national tests, and also through the theme of self-assessment.
Theories of learning and particular models of assessment to which they lead are examined in a book edited by Murphy.
Section 4: Records and reporting There is very little which solely addresses recording and reporting as they are an integral part of the assessment process. ACCAC, the qualifications, curriculum and assessment authority for Wales, has produced guidance on developing effective reporting systems:
Portfolios serve as records of work which can be used for assessment and learning. They are growing in popularity in the Australia, Hong Kong and particularly the US, and Klenowski draws on her extensive experience in these countries to provide a guide on how to implement and use portfolios.
Section 5: Using assessment information The following books explore using assessment for school improvement. Swaffield and Dudley aim to help teachers to understand assessment in order to make best use of it for planning teaching. Practical support for classroom teachers on recording, analysing and using assessment data is provided in a very accessible way by Pringle and Cobb. AAIA’s publications include one concerned with the use of assessment data to support school self-evaluation and another giving case studies of schools working with their local education authorities to support school improvement through assessment. Sumner and McCallum's clear and practical guide with photocopiable sheets shows how to using spreadsheets to create records for monitoring and target setting.
AAIA/DfES explore the use of the Autumn Package (described in Reflective Teaching Chapter 14, Section 5.3) and performance data for school improvement and relate them to the five-stage cycle (see Reflective Teaching, Chapter 14, Figure 14.5). A updated version of the guidance was issued in December 2002 (Ref DfES 0704/2002) and is available on the AAIA website, www.aaia.org.uk.
For approaches to using assessment to ease transfer from primary to secondary schools see:
Two publications which support the role of the primary assessment coordinator: For a detailed look see Wintle and Harrison, while AAIA North West have produced a practical, step-by-step guide.
A broader perspective on assessment is captured by Conner’s edited volume which reflects on what has been learned about assessment since the introduction of the National Curriculum: the book also looks to the future.
The Assessment Reform Group explore the implications of Black and Wiliam's work (Inside the Black Box) for policy makers:
A number of authors, including Clarke, Stobart, Heppell, Harrison and Swaffield, contribute to an edited volume which takes a strategic look at assessment, addressing the curriculum effects of assessment and the implications of ICT.
For insights into the role of assessment in the social structuring of society see:
Early years education in New Zealand is the setting for an inspiring and thought-provoking book that includes how to assess children’s learning dispositions without resorting to over formal methods.
The following book was written before the advent of baseline assessment and presents an alternative perspective of assessment through its focus on the values and principles in assessing young children’s learning.
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