KEY IDEAS ABOUT ASSESSMENT

Here's a radical thought about assessment: Assessment is the same thing as planning.

You may have got to this page from the planning page where that assertion is implied by the lack of content.

Here's how it works: A plan is a set of intentions about what's going to happen next. In class it refers to learning experiences and is driven by outcomes and objectives. The outcomes and objectives are created from what has happened before and will be adapted in the light of experience. There is no planning without assessment and no assessment without planning. Hence they're only getting the one page on this website. For now.

Educational assessment should comprise the observation and recording of learners' skills, attitudes, characteristics and knowledge. It can give an instant snapshot (grades, test scores) or guidance for next steps (formative, evaluation). Quality assessment is the purposeful observation and recording of learner achievements.

Einstein said, "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid." If you judge a dancer by his ability to write novels then you'll be sailing close to the wind - the UN Convention on the rights of the child wind. (Article 13.1 - The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child's choice.)

A key element of assessment is feedback - actually telling the learner about what we have seen, heard and assessed.Three features of the most effective feedback are:

1. Clarity - feedback is simple, precise and directly related to learning intentions

2. Immediacy - feedback takes place immediately or as soon as possible after the learning experience - or while it is happening.

3. Purpose - the reason for giving feedback is clear, agreed and the information is used to plan further learning.

If these happen naturally and repeatedly, planning looks after itself and may even be taken care of by the pupils themselves: see November 2015's article about Autonomy.