Dr Ann McCarthy, NACE Research & Development Director, shares examples from our recent member meetup on the theme “rethinking assessment”.
As part of NACE’s current
research into effective assessment strategies, we recently brought our member schools together for a meetup at New College Oxford, to share thoughts and examples of successful practice. We examined assessment as a systematic procedure drawing from a range of activities and evidence. We saw how this contrasted with the necessary but limiting practice of testing, which is a product not open to interpretation.
Practitioners attending the meetup generously shared established and emerging approaches to assessment and were able to discuss the related strengths and challenges. They had time to examine the ways in which new practices had been introduced and strategies used to overcome any barriers or difficulties. Most importantly, they articulated the positive impact that these practices were having on the learning and development of pupils in their care.
When schools develop successful assessment strategies, they consider the following questions:
- How does it link to whole school vision?
- Where does it sit inside the model for curriculum, teaching and learning?
- Who is the assessment for?
- What is the plan for assessment?
- What types of assessment can be used?
- What is going to be assessed?
- What evidence will result from the assessment?
- How will the evidence be used or interpreted?
- How can assessment information be used by teacher and pupil?
- What impact does assessment information have on teaching and learning?
- How does assessment impact on cognition, cognitive strategies, metacognition and personal development?
Example 1: “purple pen” at Toot Hill School
Toot Hill School shared how the use of the “purple pen” strategy can be effective in developing the learning and metacognition of secondary-age pupils.
Pupils most commonly receive feedback at three stages in the learning process:
- Immediate feedback (live) – at the point of teaching
- Summary feedback – at the end of a phase of knowledge application/topic/assessment
- Review feedback – away from the point of teaching (including personalised written comments)
A purple pen can be used to:
- Annotate purposeful learning steps;
- Make notes when listening to key learning points;
- Respond to whole-class feedback;
- Facilitate peer assessment;
- Respond to teacher marking;
- Question and develop themes to achieve learning objectives;
- Recognise key vocabulary;
- Explain learning processes.
Much of the success of this strategy at Toot Hill School can be attributed to the clear teaching and learning strategy which is in place and the consistency of practice across the school. Some schools have used this practice in the past and abandoned it due to inconsistency, lack of evidence of impact or increased workload. At Toot Hill this is not the case as its introduction included a consideration of overall practice and workload. Pupils are fully conversant with the aims and expectations. Subject leaders are well-informed and work together to ensure that pupils moving between subjects have the same expectation. Here we find assessment planned carefully within ambitious teaching and learning routines.
This example of effective assessment demonstrates the importance of feedback within the assessment process. In this example pupils are being assessed but also assessing their own learning. They have greater control of their learning. This practice is particularly effective for more able learners, who will make their own notes on actions needed to improve. They are also influential in promoting good learning behaviours within their classrooms as they model actions needed for improved learning. This practice keeps the focus of assessment on the needs of the learner and the information needed by the learner to become more independent and self-regulating.
Successful assessment practice places the pupil at the heart of the process. Assessment enables pupils to:
Example 2: “closing the loop” at Eggar’s School
Eggar’s School shared details of an initiative which is being piloted, aiming to improve outcomes in formal assessments. A template for whole-class “feed-forward” sheets has been introduced. This shared template enables teachers to keep a track record of assessments. It also tracks their intentions to adapt their teaching as a result of evaluating student assessments. They are focusing on “closing the loop” in feedback and learning.
The rationale behind the strategy is that it is easier for teachers to:
- Reflect on attainment over the course of the year, comparing pieces of work by the same student over time;
- Compare attainment between year groups and ask: Has teaching improved? Are there different needs / interventions required in the current cohort compared with those of previous years?
- Get a snapshot of a student’s work.
The approach also allows the Lead Teacher and Curriculum Leader to spot-check progress and discuss successes or concerns with the class teacher.
As this is an emerging practice, the teachers are learning and adapting their practice to make it increasingly useful. The school’s findings include:
- The uniformity of the layout of the feed-forward sheets is helping students to understand the feed-forward process.
- Completion of the feed-forward sheets was originally time-consuming, but is now taking less time.
- In feed-forward lessons live modelling is being used rather than pre-prepared models.
- More prepared models are created in advance of assessment points as guidelines/reference tools for students.
- Prepared models are used after formal assessment as a comparison for students to use when self- or peer-assessing their performance.
- The specific focus in the feed-forward sheets on SPaG has been a helpful reminder to utilise micro-moments in lessons to consolidate technical skills.
- The teacher uses a ‘Students of Concern’ section (not visible to students) to provide additional support and interventions and to reflect on the success of any previous intervention.
- ‘Closing the Loop’ books have been introduced and have become a powerful tool in improving the value of assessment as a teaching and learning experience. These use a template for whole-class feedback and enable teachers to keep a track record of assessments and a track of their intentions in terms of adaptations to teaching as a result of assessment information about students’ knowledge, understanding and progress.
This is an example of assessment which is increasing the teacher’s criticality of the teaching and learning process and their expertise within this. The pupils benefit from the focused response to their work and the modelled practice. This exemplifies aspects of assessment used to achieve high-quality teaching:
“Rethinking assessment” across the NACE community
Other NACE member schools shared their experiences, including:
- A focus on understanding personal development – considering ways in which pupils’ overall experience and development can be better understood and supported, as part of assessment.
- Retrieval introduced as a core and explicit part of lesson sequences and schemes of work.
- The use of science practical activities linked to examination questions, to expose pupils to desirable difficulties. These reveal pupils’ knowledge and skills; support development and progress; and provide information needed to scaffold support at an individual level.
- Changes to reporting introduced to empower pupils, as well as informing leaders, teachers and parents.
- Developing the use of Rosenshine’s principles with a focus on higher-order questioning; this challenges more able pupils to think more deeply, extends their thinking, and has demonstrable benefits for other pupils in a mixed ability classroom.
- Models of excellence shared with pupils.
- Use of film resources and extended book study to encourage critical thinking and application of skills.
These varied approaches to assessment reflect the different contexts in which teachers work. They include assessment being used in three distinct ways:
Each of these has a place within teaching and learning. It is important that each type of assessment has a clear purpose and will impact effectively on the quality of teaching and the depth of learning. Pupils need to develop both within and beyond the content constraints of a curriculum. They need to learn about concepts as well as content. They need to understand what they are learning and how it links to other areas of learning. They need to develop cognition and cognitive strategies so that their learning is more useful to them both within school and in life.
The greatest gains can be achieved when the assessment itself is a part of learning and pupils have greater ownership of the process. As assessment practices develop within schools, the aim should be to upskill pupils so that they have the information they need to become self-regulating and to develop metacognitively.
Key factors for successful implementation
During the meetup, we observed that the schools with well-established assessment practice have introduced this within a whole-school ethos and strategy. Staff and pupils have a shared understanding of the use, purpose and benefits of the practice. Middle leaders are influential in the development of strategy, its consistency and the successful use within a subject specific context. Pupils are at the heart of the model and interact with assessment and feedback to improve their own learning. They develop cognitively and understand their own thinking and learning.
Share your experience
We are seeking NACE member schools to share their experiences of effective assessment practices – including new initiatives, and well-established practices.
You may feel that some of the examples cited above are similar to practices in your own school, or you may have well-developed assessment models that would be of interest to others. To share your experience, simply
contact us, considering the following questions:
- Which area of assessment is used most effectively?
- What assessment practices are having the greatest impact on learning?
- How do teachers and pupils use the assessment information?
- How do you develop an understanding of pupils’ overall development?
- How do you use assessment information to provide wider experience and developmental opportunities?
- Is assessment developing metacognition and self-regulation?
Read more:
Plus: NACE is partnering with The Brilliant Club on a webinar exploring the links between metacognition and assessment, featuring practical examples from NACE member schools. Details coming soon – check our
webinars page.
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Posted 27 April 2022