Backward planning brings to the forefront the

importance of assessment planning as the process

starts with the goal of what the students should be
able to do with the learning. Through backwards
mapping (Readman & Allen, 2013, p. 65) the
summative assessment are created before a series of
intermediate assessments pointing towards the final
project (Edutopia, 2012). Formative assessments
provide opportunities for students to demonstrate
growth in understanding.
Tasks are created,
keeping the pathway and destination in mind
(McTighe & Wiggins, 2011, p. 8).
Rubrics carefully structured are used to evaluate
bias free and consistent across al students
(NSWDEC, 2014, p.2). At the start of a unit
students are given the rubric, teacher will explain
the rubric and check for understanding. This is both
transparent and engaging leading to student
motivation and clear direction (Readman & Allen,
2013, p.34).
Feedback is essential at all stages of learning, as it
supports their progress (Black & William, 2011, p.7)
and enables students to approach summative
assessments confidently and with certainty (Butt,
2010, p.79). Feedback also empowers students to
identify the gaps, and devise plans, perhaps with
scaffolding, to move towards their goal (Kivunja,
2015a, p. 78).

What then will be the focus

assessments in my classroom?

of

Summative assessments have their place in the

learning cycle, but formative assessments offer
greater opportunities for student success (Black &
Wiliam, 2001, p. 6). Assessment becomes integral to
learning in the constructivist classroom (Butt, 2010,
p. 15) because students see what learning still
needs to occur, and how to reach their goal (Black
& Wiliam, 1998, p. 21). By helping students and
teacher make necessary adjustments (Popham,
2009, p. 5), formative assessments keep children in
control of their learning (Readman & Allen, 2013, p.
34), which can lead to improved outcomes.

Not just what, but why!

It is not enough for children to know what they have
learned. They must understand it. Assessments should help
children move beyond knowledge, to making sense of what
they learn, and transferring what they learn to new contexts
(Grant Wiggins, 2012). Each assessment needs to measure
understanding (Hawker Brownlow Education, 2013). By the
time children leave school they are expected to think
critically and to solve problems creatively (ACARA, 2016b).
While tests struggle to evaluate such capabilities, carefully
considered formative assessments can (Kivunja, 2015b, p.
2120). For example, a multiple choice test about times tables
facts can identify what the children know and remember,
but an educationally-valuable assessment challenges
children to not just state what the answers are, but explain
why. This is where children demonstrate understanding and
application.

Information Brochure
for Parents
FINAL THOUGHTS
Assessment is necessary for leaning, as leaning, and of
learning.
Assessment types include summative,
formative, and diagnostic.
Quality feedback to
students is essential for assessment to be for learning.
Data collection and evaluation is important for teacher
and student reflection and to guide future
teaching/learning. Assessment needs to be fair and
equitable for all students. Reporting to students and
parents ensure assessment is transparent and desired
outcomes are achieved.
Authentic and valid
assessment increased student motivation and sees
tasks that relate to real life.

MRS XIROS
Email: mrsxiros@me.com
Phone: (02) 91111 1111

ASSESSMENT
IDENTITY

OLYMPIA XIROS
16498662
BACHELOR OF EDUCATION (PRIMARY)
EDP323 ASSIGNMENT 2
TASK 4

1
2

My view on Assessment
Assessment is necessary for leaning, as leaning, and of learning. Assessment types include summative, formative, and diagnostic.
Quality feedback to students is essential for assessment to be for learning. Data collection and evaluation is important for teacher and
student reflection and to guide future teaching/learning. Assessment needs to be fair and equitable for all students. Reporting to
students and parents ensure assessment is transparent and desired outcomes are achieved. Authentic and valid assessment increased
student motivation and sees tasks that relate to real life.
Assessment should not be an after-thought or a document to prove that mandated content have been covered. End-of-term tests, no
matter how formal and standardised, are also inadequate. What counts are, comprehensive, carefully considered assessments, that
illuminate the pathway to a childs deep understanding. They reflect and add to the learning. Assessments help to inform teaching and
provide a scaffold for students. The information presented here shows that assessment is an essential medium linking effective teaching
with successful learning.

MINDSET AND VALUES

Four principles or values underpin my approach
to effective assessment:

Fairness and Inclusion

Freedom from bias

Validity

Consistency

A fair and inclusive approach gives every child

equal access to educational opportunities.
Children of all backgrounds and abilities
(Westwood, 2013, p. 3) can engage in, make sense
of, and apply what is taught.
Fairness in
assessment includes, for example, equality and
equity, building trust with students, and being
open about assessments (Readman & Allen, 2013,
p. 24). While Standard 5 of the Australian Institute
for Teaching and School Leadership (2014a) is not
explicit about fairness, the Code of Ethics from the
NSW Department of Education and Communities
[NSWDEC] is (2014, p. 22). Teachers committed
to providing high quality education to all children
will place fairness and inclusion at the centre of
assessment practices. Preventing discrimination
against students is a priority.

An assessment is only valid if students have learned

something because of it (Readman & Allen, 2013, p.
47). Consistency in assessment puts teachers under the
spotlight, to confirm that judgments applied to one
students learning are also applied to all students
learning (AITSL, 2014a, Standard 5). The use of rubrics
in summative assessments is an example of how this
might work in a classroom (AITSL, 2014b). Even
rubrics, though, need to be constructed and interpreted
with consistency (School Curriculum and Standards
Authority Government of Western Australia, 2014). It is
through a consistent approach to assessments that
student performance in evaluated fairly.

3.

important reflective element as teachers can identify

how they can modify and improve their future
instruction and assessment (AITSL, 2014a, Standard
5).
Self-assessments empower students, into taking
responsibility for their progress (Butt, 2010, p. 79).
Creating this autonomy in the classroom is a key desire
of the professional teacher (Waring & Evans, 2015, p.
3). It also improves childrens confidence and
motivation (Readman & Allen, 2013, p. 21) as they face
each new learning challenge.

PRACTICES AND TECHNIQUES

PURPOSE
The purpose of assessments is to add educational value
to the students. This purpose, which is central to
constructive alignment (Readman & Allen, 2013, p.
15), can be accomplished in three ways:
1. Assessments support students as they move
towards their learning goals (Butt, 2010, p. 50;
Readman & Allen, 2013, p. 65). They show the
students and the teacher exactly where the children
are and where they perhaps should be, thereby
creating opportunities for corrective action
(Kivunja, 2015, p. 78).
2. Assessments can improve instruction (Stiggins,
1999, p. 25). Teachers use the assessments to
identify understanding gaps, and create tasks and
learning experiences that help close those gaps
(Readman & Allen, 2013, p.12). This is an

A teachers philosophy drives the practices and techniques

employed for building assessments into lessons and units.
For example, assessment items are steered by the purpose
of the lessons and what the children should know and be
able to do at the end (Stiggins, 1999, p. 5). They should
identify each childs zone of proximal development
(Woolfolk & Margetts, 2013, p. 98) and act as scaffolds for
further learning (Readman & Allen, 2013, p. 8). Careful
consideration of assessments for constructive alignment
(Readman & Allen, 2013, p. 8) can increase student
success.