Teacher-led assessment (TA)

1. Teacher-led assessment  (TA) Implications for qualifications and assessment? brian.boyd@strath.ac.uk

2. Some recent research • Harlen, W. (2004) Impact on students, teachers and curriculum… • Harlen, W. (2004) Reliability and validity… • Brown, Gavin T. L. (2004) 'Teachers' conceptions of assessment: implications for policy and professional development', Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 11:3, 301 - 318

3. So what are the issues? • Aims of the curriculum: assessment implications • High stakes summative assessment: impact on learning and teaching • Soft skills, deep learning, understanding and metacognition – assessable or not? • Reliability and validity…and confidence in the system of qualifications

4. Benefits of Teacher Assessment? • Building up a picture of pupil achievement over time and over a range of activities • Less pressure – on students and teachers • Greater pedagogical freedom: less teaching to the test • Formative use of assessments • Avoidance of negative impact on student motivation

5. Some concerns about TA • Impact on relationships between teachers and students • Increased workload for teachers • Reduced reliability of outcomes

6. Key questions • Are there outcomes which are best assessed by TA? • Can problems of TA be overcome? • Are end-users likely to accept increased amounts of TA? • Can workload issues be overcome? • What are the contexts and conditions within which TA operates most effectively?

7. Purposes of the curriculum • Successful learners • Confident individuals • Effective contributors • Responsible citizens

8. Task • …and able to: • Take one of the four purposes/capacities and: • Discuss whether we should/could assess each element • Decide whether there are some which particularly lend themselves to TA • Suggest school-based assessment approaches which might be appropriate

9. Can problems of TA be overcome? • Yes, if… • Learning goals are agreed and understood • Teachers are given protected time to meet and share practices and understandings • Teachers have ownership of criteria • If the move to TA is seen as being long-term, bottom-up and has provision for local transformations • If moderation continues to be part of the system

10. Are end-users likely to accept increased amounts of TA? • Yes, if… • Issues of reliability and validity are clarified • Criteria and learning goals are transparent and agreed • Trust is engendered through frequent discussion and communication

11. Can workload issues be overcome? • Yes, if… • “Protected time” at local level is guaranteed • If the national assessment and qualification system ceases to be high stakes and accountability-driven • Teachers recognise that TA can enhance their teaching and their relationships with students • If CPD is ongoing and of high quality

12. What are the contexts and conditions within which TA operates most effectively? • Teachers and students need to believe that improving learning is the goal • Criteria for success must be shared among stakeholders • Teachers/assessors should work collaboratively within and across establishments • The success of TA should not be judged in terms of external examinations