Classroom assessment— writing

1. Classroomassessment—writing Professor Liz Hamp-Lyons The University of Hong Kong The University of Nottingham Sponsored by

5. Assessment is… • A process of making judgements • Of something • For *us* it’s someone, some people—OUR LEARNERS • For a purpose

6. Making Judgements about Student Performance Norm-referenced Assessment Performance is judged relative to other learners. The purpose is to rank and to select. Criterion-referenced Assessment Performance is judged relative to defined standards. The purpose is to select those most suited to a job, a course of study, a course level. Growth-referenced Assessment Performance is judged relative to defined standards and to the individual’s own development towards those standards. The purpose is to ensure each learner develops to the full potential.

7. Norm-referenced Assessment The Bell Curve

8. Criterion-referenced Assessment • All learners can be successful if they meet the standard of performance (achievement) • Requires descriptions of expected performance • These descriptions should be based on the demonstration of learning not on percentage or score.

9. Growth-referenced Assessment • Learners are successful if they can show a change in performance over time. • A baseline assessment is used as a starting point for measurement. • Collaborative goal setting exercises (involving the student) identify growth targets. • The process of learning is tracked. • Judgements are made about the quality of the learning processes and products.

10. Paired discussion activity • Think of a writing lesson you taught recently and briefly describe it to your partner • Did you feel satisfied that everyone had reached the lesson’s objectives? • How did you know whether or not your students had understood what you had taught? • What else could you have done to make certain everyone had learned?

11. Purposes and audiences for classroom assessment • Purposes • monitor and record students’ progress toward and attainment of curriculum objectives • Audiences • Learner • Teacher • Local community of teachers • Beyond the classroom • Once beyond the classroom, we have a different construct

12. Purposes and users beyond the classroom • There is no wholly innocent assessment -- (teachers, students, parents, school board, government etc…) • The power for decision-making is always in the hands of the highest authority – expert knowledge is not a criterion • Are your students the users, the decision-makers, or the objects/subjects of the assessment decision? • Are we doing the assessment with our students or to our students?

13. Making the most of classroom assessment opportunities • 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. • HOW CAN WE DO THIS?

14. Paired discussion activity • With your partner try list 3 or more • of the following: • Examples of assessment we do TO students • Examples of assessment we can do WITH students • A lesson where you did some good growth-focused assessment • A lesson that showed you where many students had needs for more help • A technique you enjoy using in class that leads to good assessment for learning

15. Hong Kong education policy for school-based assessment “… teachers should use assessments (e.g. as simple as effective verbal questioning, or observation of student behaviour) and provide immediate feedback to enhance student learning in everyday classroom lessons. The focus is on why students do not learn well and how to help them to improve rather than just to use assessments to find out what knowledge students have learned”

16. Assessment for learning: The 10 AfL principles • Is part of effective planning • Focuses on how students learn • Is central to classroom practice • Is a key professional skill • Is sensitive and constructive • Fosters motivation • Promotes understanding of goals and criteria • Helps learners know how to improve • Develops the capacity for self-assessment • Recognises all educational achievement

17. How can we assess writing in the classroom? • Formal or informal? • timed and marked writing • peer assessment • writing portfolios • ‘kid watching’ • Collaborative or solitary • peer/collegial • Teacher to single student • Process or product? • multiple drafts • writing conferences • focused marking/correction • One-shot marking

18. Paired discussion activity • Look at the handout “Assessment for learning” (Chris Davison and Liz Hamp-Lyons) • On page 3, which of the distinctions listed do you think makes the most difference when trying to make assessment formative instead of summative?

19. Teachers’ classroom assessment practices • most frequently used assessment activities: • exercises  scoring • in-class writing on a set topic  marking/correction • revision that = correction  checking compliance • few teachers use: • peerwork • writing journals • case studies (teacher observation) • portfolios • diagnostic activities

20. Hamp-Lyons, Chen and Mok, 2000

21. What do teachers need? • more time eg. “more time to enjoy the work produced”, “time to read and digest students work first and understand their line of thought and structures” • better marking schemes to manage workload/guide feedback eg. “it would be better is we can sometimes focus mark some of the writing assignments”, “a more effective and student-friendly system of ‘symbol marking’”, “a balanced marking scheme and not having every single mistake corrected”, “focusing on a major area may be more effective”… • more professional dialogue/peer interaction eg. “a sharing session whereby we can learn from each other”, “share with colleagues”, “peers to help marking”. (Davison & Tang, 2000, 2002)

22. How can we fulfil teachers’ professional development needs? • systematic and comprehensive pre-service and in-service teacher training in classroom assessment; • appropriate assessment resources, activities and techniques to help textbook–bound teachers assess more creatively • structural support at the school and classroom level • A network of colleagues with similar concerns

23. Making it happen • Exploring and discovering how assessment for learning “looks and feels very different” (Leung, 2002) to traditional assessments of learning. • Providing teachers and schools with the opportunity to share evolving assessment beliefs and practices in order to develop a sense of ownership, common understanding of the assessment process, and a more critical but informed perspective on assessment practices. • Recognizing that the problem of teacher interpretation and conflict is an inherent strength, not a weakness, of school-based assessment.

24. HKU school-based assessment project(s) Undertake systematic Identify problem; analysis; identify patterns develop plan for assessment activity Structure observation Try out new assessment activity and evaluation; collect data • Collaborate • (and disseminate) 5. Reflect 2. Plan 4. Observe 3. Act

25. How can we be successful in changing assessment in the classroom? • A number of factors can help us be successful in making changes: • The change should support good educational principles • Everyone involved should understand the reasons for the change • Everyone involved should be kept informed of progress • The assessment should focus on an important teaching objective • The objectives of the assessment should be clearly stated • The assessment should use authentic tasks and authentic texts • Even classroom assessments must be careful and fair • Students should take part in the assessment process as far as possible

26. Implementation Planning (and reflecting) Assessing (and feedback/reporting) Teaching (and observing/monitoring) Teaching (and observing/monitoring) Learning (and recording/self-evaluating)