Assessing Student Learning - core principles Enhancing learning by enhancing assessment Assessment is a central element in the overall quality of teaching and learning in higher education. Well designed assessment sets clear expectations, establishes a reasonable workload (one that does not push students into rote reproductive approaches to study), and provides opportunities for students to self-monitor, rehearse, practise and receive feedback. Assessment is an integral component of a coherent educational experience. The ideas and strategies in the Assessing Student Learning resources support three interrelated objectives for quality in student assessment in higher education. The relationship between assessment practices and the overall quality of teaching and learning is often underestimated, yet assessment requirements and the clarity of assessment criteria and standards significantly influence the effectiveness of student learning. For most students, assessment requirements literally define the curriculum.
7 Strats Ch 1.pdf onlineed.pdf The Key Differences Between Summative And Formative Assessments It’s not a stretch to say that assessment is a hot button issue in education; however, you’d be hard pressed to find an educator who doesn’t see the value in measuring student progress. Assessments themselves have been vilified, when, in fact, it’s why assessments are given and how the data is used that is really the issue. The Glossary of Education Reform gives this great overview of what high-stakes testing is and how it impacts students, teachers, and schools. Basically, high-stakes testing has consequences for the test-takers and givers—sometimes in the form of a high school diploma, grade advancement, and even teachers’ salaries. Let’s take a look at what assessment is, why it’s important, and how it can be delivered in the classroom in a useful manner. What is assessment? Assessment is the measurement of what students are learning. Why do we do it? The information gleaned from assessments is extremely valuable. Assessment Basics Types of Assessment Question Types Delivery Methods
Choosing appropriate assessment Vary assessmentsStudent learning styles vary widely, and their strengths and challenges with respect to assessment vary as well. Instructors need to consider that variation as they choose assessments for their courses. By varying the way we assess student understanding, we are more likely to offer opportunities for every student to demonstrate their knowledge. This can be accomplished by creating courses with three or more forms of assessment, for example papers, class projects and exams. This can also be accomplished by offering choices of how to be assessed, for example giving students the option of writing a paper or taking an exam for a unit of instruction, as long as by the end of a course they have done both forms of assessment. This might also be accomplished by offering multiple questions, and having students choose which to answer. Consider intervals for assessmentThe frequency of assessment varies widely from course to course. Reflection of Faculty Expectations top of page
Formative Assessment Definition Formative assessment refers to a wide variety of methods that teachers use to conduct in-process evaluations of student comprehension, learning needs, and academic progress during a lesson, unit, or course. Formative assessments help teachers identify concepts that students are struggling to understand, skills they are having difficulty acquiring, or learning standards they have not yet achieved so that adjustments can be made to lessons, instructional techniques, and academic support. The general goal of formative assessment is to collect detailed information that can be used to improve instruction and student learning while it’s happening. What makes an assessment “formative” is not the design of a test, technique, or self-evaluation, per se, but the way it is used—i.e., to inform in-process teaching and learning modifications. Many educators and experts believe that formative assessment is an integral part of effective teaching. Reform Debate
Assessing Student Learning - five practical guides ‘If lower-order learning is an unintended educational consequence of on-line assessment, then any perceived or real gains made in efficiency, staff workload reduction and/or cost savings are at a questionable price.’ Why consider on-line assessment? A good deal of investigation and development is underway in Australian universities into the possibilities for effective and efficient on-line and computer-based assessment. There are many reasons why on-line assessment is being adopted by Australian universities. The move to on-line and computer based assessment is a natural outcome of the increasing use of information and communication technologies to enhance learning. At the same time, in a climate of increasing academic workloads, the adoption of on-line assessment may help to manage large volumes of marking and assessment-related administration efficiently. Is on-line assessment improving the assessment of student learning? Realising the educational benefits of on-line assessment NB.
The lessons to be learnt from three recent high profile child abuse cases Daniel Pelka (Credit: Rex Features) In less than a month two high profile serious case reviews and a criminal trial have concluded, which all involved a mother killing one of her children, despite the involvement of several agencies in the child’s life. The first was the case of Daniel Pelka, a four-year-old living in Coventry who was singled out for abuse and neglect by his mother and her partner until his death from a blow to the head in March 2012. The second was the case of Keanu Williams, a toddler living in Birmingham who died with 37 separate injuries on his body, inflicted by his mother in early 2011. The last was the conviction of Amanda Hutton in Bradford Crown Court for the severe neglect and manslaughter of her four-year-old son Hamzah Khan. The boy’s mummified remains were found in his cot in September 2011, two years after his death in the squalid flat where other children were living. Tucker is hopeful that more multi-agency safeguarding hubs (MASH) will provide a solution.
The Benefits of Using Online Assessments With the end of the year setting in, you may be in the midst of assessment season. Or maybe you’re getting everything ready for your class assessments directly after the Christmas break. Setting up assessments can be a complicated and time consuming activity for teachers and trainers, so you may want to take a look at some different techniques which might make your life a little bit easier. One way of changing up the way you administer your final tests or exams could be to use online assessments. You may already be making your students complete their course work online, or do required reading online, so why not let them complete assessments that way too? There are lots of tools which means you can create online assessments, many of which are free depending on how many assessments you need to create, or how complex they are going to be, so it’s important to have a look around and see which tools you think would work best for your course content. Less Preparation Less Work Afterwards
Child Protection Children Act 1989 While the protection of children from harm has always existed in legislation in some form throughout the 20th Century, the Children Act 1989 is seen as the first significant law which put in place most of the child protection structures and principles we use today. These included ensuring the needs and safety of a child is always put first, that professionals should initially attempt to work with parents to keep the child safe and that children should always be placed with their own family rather than in care unless it would put them at risk of significant harm to do so. However, numerous child abuse cases over the previous two decades have prompted a series of overhauls to child protection procedures. Victoria Climbie, Every Child Matters and The Children Act 2004 The most high profile case was the death of Victoria Climbie in February 2000. Jessica Chapman, Holly Wells and Vetting and Barring Baby P, the Second Laming Report and Working Together to Safeguard Children
Transforming Assessment Impact Victoria Climies death had on safeguarding children legislation - Silkysteps early years forum - planning ideas for play This info may help you too its taken from this website In the aftermath of her death and the court case convicting Kouao and Manning of murder, Lord Laming was instructed to undertake an iquiry into the circumstances leading up to Climbie's death and make recommendations on how the system should change. As a result of this report the government published a green paper entitled "Every Child Matters" and consequently passed the Children Act 2004. The changes it put in place included scrapping child protection registers in favour of child protection plans and creating an integrated children's computer system (ICS) to ensure information was more routinely and robustly collected. Structural changes included creating the post of a director of children's services in each council who would ultimately be accountable for the safety of all children in their area.
Assessing Student Learning - five practical guides The issue of workload is central in any decisions about assessment of large classes for it is a serious one for students and staff alike. Staff teaching large student groups invariably undertake an informal, qualitative weighing-up of the efficiency of assessment tasks vis-à-vis their educational effectiveness. There is little doubt that establishing an effective assessment program — developing criteria, guides, exemplars and models; discussing and refining them and communicating them to students and other staff — will have an initial negative impact on workload for staff with coordinating responsibilities. However, this preparatory work is likely to lead to three gains. The assessment of large student cohorts presents five distinct though interrelated challenges: In an effort to manage these challenges, academic staff have increasingly turned to group and on-line assessment. 1. 2. Timely, individual feedback is central to guiding learning.
Baby P legacy five years on: what has been the impact on child protection? | Social Care Network 11 November 2008 was a significant date for all who give their working lives to protecting children. It was the day when three adults were found guilty of causing or allowing the horrific death of a seventeen-month-old little boy. And it was day one of the extensive media reporting about Baby P. Within a day the media had turned its attention, its vengeance and vilification away from the adults who were held accountable for this terrible crime. But the impact has been much more widespread. The workloads of those who remained increased year on year. And then there are the public sector cuts. As if it could not be made much worse, the government has also churned up the NHS, undermined communities of schools, and is about to do the same with the probation service, with the focus on fragmentation and competition rather than collaboration and cooperation. So five years on from November 2008, where are we at in England in protecting children? Why not join our social care community?