Formative e-assessment in primary schools

Juliet SizmurNational Foundation for Educational Research

UK

Contents

A formative e-assessment for primary schools

Conclusions

BackgroundAssessment in England (for the last 20 yrs)

Statutory National tests for 11 year olds• Reading• Writing• Maths• Science (till summer 2009; 2010 national sampling)

• Supported by politicians and public• Less so by the assessment academics and the

teaching profession

Formative Assessment / Assessment for learning

Assessment for Learning is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence

for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go and how best to get there.

(ARG 2002)

http://www.assessment-reform-group.org/CIE3.PDFhttp://www.assessment-reform-group.org/publications.html

Formative assessment for learning…

1.is part of effective planning

2.focuses on how students learn

3.is central to classroom practice

www.assessment-reform-group.org/images/Principles for website.doc

Formative assessment for learning…

4. is a key professional skill

5. has an emotional impact

6. affects learner motivation

www.assessment-reform-group.org/images/Principles for website.doc

Formative assessment for learning…7. promotes commitment to learning goals

and assessment criteria

8. helps learners know how to improve

9. encourages self-assessment

10.recognises all achievementswww.assessment-reform-group.org/images/Principles for website.doc

What is i-nfer plan?Currently most assessment data is used to report to external parties. NFER believes that this data should be used to make a difference in the classroom.i-nfer plan is a formative e-assessment package that helps implement Assessment for Learning (AfL)

AfL

.

Conception

• The challenge for the project would be to develop an automated system which gave feedback that was accurate and fine-grained enough actually to be of practical use to teachers in planning teaching and grouping children.

Decisions and specifications

• Not high stakes• Support teaching and learning by giving

focused feedback• Curriculum-based: reading, mathematics,

science• Curriculum topics• Before-and-after structure

Assessment purposesand processes

Summative Formative

Formal Tests and examinations i-nfer plan

Informal Portfolios Classroom assessment

What does it look like?

• i-nfer plan is made up of short, regular e-assessments (Challenges)• All tests are marked instantly with reports available on-line• Extensive summative reporting including levels, age standardised

scores and progress measures is provided …• provides practical descriptive formative reporting helping teachers to

make a difference in the classroom

.

Realisation

Development process• Test specification• Question generation• Think-aloud trials• Technology development• Large-scale trials• Analysis

– IRT leading to scale scores– Latent class analysis

Progression of thinking skills• Knowledge (of basic mechanics/terms/tools - remembering)

• Comprehension (demonstrating knowledge or understanding)

• Application (using the knowledge or understanding)

• Analysis (eliciting and answering own questions; making connections)

• Synthesis (using a range of sources; forming an overview)

• Evaluation (critical review and reflection)

(Based on Bloom’s Taxonomy of knowledge acquisition skills)

Reading topics covered

Ages 5-7 Ages 7-9 Ages 9-11

Stories Stories Stories

Fables Playscripts Playscripts

Traditional tales Poetry Poetry

Information (2 units) Newspapers Biography

Poetry Information (website) Persuasion

Early reading Letters Explanation (website)

Mathematics topics covered

Ages 5-7 Ages 7-9 Ages 9-11

Number Number and shape Models for calculation

Calculations Fractions and decimals Fractions

Money Handling data Decimals

Measures Shape and space Algebra

Data handling Base ten Angles and rotation

Shape and space Proportions Position and movement

Science topics coveredAges 5-7 Ages 7-9 Ages 9-11

Ourselves Magnets and SpringsInterdependence and Adaptation

Green plantsCharacteristics of Materials

Life Cycles

Animals in the environment

Electricity Changing State

Sorting materialsSolids, Liquids and Gases

Reversible and Irreversible Changes

Forces Growing Things How we see things

Electricity How Plants Grow Earth Sun and Moon

Demonstration 1– Reading challenge– Ages 7-9– Playscripts

Demonstration 2– Reporting website

SupportingAssessment for Learning

• Feedback is the central idea of Assessment for Learning

• Assessment information can be elicited in many different ways, formal and informal

• Profiles give feedback about strengths and weaknesses in words, not numbers

• Suggested grouping for teaching• Next steps suggestions can be built into teaching

plans• Child-speak profiles can support self assessment

Example profile:‘child-speak’ version

Well done for completing the Reading Challenge. You are a Reasoning reader. Here are some of the things that the challenge showed about you as a reader:• You have a good understanding of what you read

and know how plays are presented.• You are quite good at understanding what different

characters are like.• You could take a little more time to think about what

characters might be thinking and why. • You are ready to look more closely at how the author

conveys character by making them behave or speak in certain ways, and how you are able to work out their thoughts and feelings.

What does i-nfer plan help teachers to do?

i-nfer plan helps teachers to:• Integrate Assessment for Learning• Personalise learning• Support teacher assessment

-By-• Knowing where pupils are• Knowing what to do about it• Knowing whether it has worked …

.

Integration

Follow-up research

• Every school had a ‘champion’ who believed in the value of e-assessment and knew about the product

One teacher, one subject, one class

All teachers, all subjects, all classes

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Case study:assessment for learning and

e-assessment• Explaining learning intentions• Identifying the ‘gaps’ in children’s learning• Planning teaching to build on the strengths

and fill the gaps• Giving feedback

Explaining learning intentions

Identifying the gaps

For a baseline assessment in September, when you want to get the assessment done as soon as possible, so you know your next steps … just the quickness of it has been really helpful.

Year 5 teacher

Planning teaching

[These three children] all came out with the same profile. So you can look at that and group them together and say right, as a group, these children need to be working on this area. Can we do that through guided reading? Yes we can.

Year 5 teacher

Using feedback

‘I think that’s myself …’

• picture

Can a formal e-assessmentsupport formative assessment?

Tests do not have the immediacy of spontaneous classroom interaction, but …– Give the same information for each child– Give a well-informed starting point for

observations and discussions– Give teachers a shared language– Children say they aid concentration– Have sometimes given teachers surprises

.

Conclusions

Is it a ‘quick fix’ that preventsteachers from developing skills?

Not in the schools we have visited, perhaps because …– Decision to adopt i-nfer plan is part of thorough

review of assessment policy– It is not particularly quick!– Descriptive feedback almost compels teachers to

give attention to children’s learning

Formative e-assessment

• can be used successfully to support learning in the classroom

• the crucial factor is how the results are used

• continuous dialogue and reflection improves motivation AND results

33

Assessment for learning:recent UK research

• Focus has shifted:– from demonstrating that AfL is a good thing– to looking in detail at how to bring about

change in pedagogy

• Threats– Mechanistic application of techniques rather

than real understanding– Fails to penetrate to all teachers

34

.

• ,Thank you

Department for Research inAssessment and Measurement

National Foundation for Educational Researchin England and Wales

www.nfer.ac.uk

Some useful websitesAssessment Reform Grouphttp://www.assessment-reform-group.org/CIE3.PDFwww.assessment-reform-group.org/images/Principles for website.doc

http://www.assessment-reform-group.org/publications.html

I-nferhttp://www.i-nfer.co.uk/

AAIA - for some practical guidance (eg Managing AfL)http://www.aaia.org.uk/publication/