learning matters (nz)
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Rethinking Reassessment
This week sees the closing of submissions on reassessment opportunities in NZQA. This is one of those important debates that flies under the radar for many in education.
Effective assessment practice is a critical element of education. We assess what we value, so any changes to assessment practices must be sure to reflect what we value. And I question whether the proposed changes do so.
The suggested guidelines seek to push internal assessment closer to one-off assignments, to be more like tests or exams. This is done in the name of authenticity. They propose that once an assessment is submitted, students should have no further ability to get feedback and then re-consider their thinking.
And this is the point. There is a greater drive in education towards developing thinking skills and communication skills, rather than content. On process rather the final product. Yet these guidelines (inadvertently or otherwise) push assessment in the wrong direction.
If, for example, a teacher designs an assessment around original thinking (e.g. an analytical essay, a creative art piece) ... then at some stage they must leave students a significant body of time to formulate their thinking, as opposed to data gathering, etc. It is not always possible to place milestones in this process, nor in reality will students take advantage of these. The reality is that many students leave work until late in the piece and we must accept this reality, especially given how busy students are.
Certainly some teachers, and it is a very small minority, have abused the current freedom in assessment guideines. But let's not punish our students. We urge our students to 'give it a go' and to 'learn from their mistakes'. So too with assessment, we must allow students to formulate their thinking, communicate it, receive feedback ... and then have an opportunity to reconsider their thinking.
The re-assessment guidelines must allow for students to re-do an assessment (all or part of it) after they have received feedback from the teacher. This makes for effective learning. Will appropriate guidelines, this can be done very effectively.
We value thinking and clear communication, so we must assess it - properly.
Effective assessment practice is a critical element of education. We assess what we value, so any changes to assessment practices must be sure to reflect what we value. And I question whether the proposed changes do so.
The suggested guidelines seek to push internal assessment closer to one-off assignments, to be more like tests or exams. This is done in the name of authenticity. They propose that once an assessment is submitted, students should have no further ability to get feedback and then re-consider their thinking.
And this is the point. There is a greater drive in education towards developing thinking skills and communication skills, rather than content. On process rather the final product. Yet these guidelines (inadvertently or otherwise) push assessment in the wrong direction.
If, for example, a teacher designs an assessment around original thinking (e.g. an analytical essay, a creative art piece) ... then at some stage they must leave students a significant body of time to formulate their thinking, as opposed to data gathering, etc. It is not always possible to place milestones in this process, nor in reality will students take advantage of these. The reality is that many students leave work until late in the piece and we must accept this reality, especially given how busy students are.
Certainly some teachers, and it is a very small minority, have abused the current freedom in assessment guideines. But let's not punish our students. We urge our students to 'give it a go' and to 'learn from their mistakes'. So too with assessment, we must allow students to formulate their thinking, communicate it, receive feedback ... and then have an opportunity to reconsider their thinking.
The re-assessment guidelines must allow for students to re-do an assessment (all or part of it) after they have received feedback from the teacher. This makes for effective learning. Will appropriate guidelines, this can be done very effectively.
We value thinking and clear communication, so we must assess it - properly.
Labels: assessment, education, learning
posted by learning matters (nz) at 8:44 PM
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