Exploring the Black Box: Assessment for Learning the Development of Autonomy in Key Stage 2

|assessment as a process of making judgments of learners’ knowledge, skills and competence against set criteria |

Pupils may also have difficulties with the work in general or they may have listening troubles. Asking pupils to evaluate their own work may enable them to identify their own problems and the teaching assistant can address these where appropriate.

Assessment plays a significant role in the learning experience of students. It determines their progression through their programmes and enables them to demonstrate that they have achieved the intended learning outcomes. It is assessment that provides the main basis for public recognition of achievement, through the awarding of qualifications and/or credit.

In 1989 a group of voluntary researchers named the Assessment Reform group (ARG) were formed by the British Educational Research Association (BERA). The group had the task to take account of relevant research and evidence in regards to assessment for policy and practice. In 1996 BERA’s support ceased and was taken over by the Nuffield Foundation till the ARG dissolved in 2010. It was in 1996 that the foundation funded Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam members of the ARG to review literature on the use of assessment to help with learning. As a result, evidence was found that ‘formative assessment’ could help to improve learning and the findings were published under the title ‘Inside the black box’. The ARG was one of significant influences on the design of Scotland’s Assessment is for Learning (AfiL) initiative which aimed to develop assessment in learning in Scottish schools. This essay will discuss and explore how effective formative assessment of pupils’ progression can be carried out.

Effective assessment will identify individual educational needs of all children as well as informing them about their specific performances and achievements, this will then allow teachers to use approaches that are personalised to the needs of a child. Assessment can be used not only to measure learning but also to promote learning by teaching pupils how to ask questions as well as answering them, by emphasising to a child that it is acceptable to ‘have a go’ and that by giving the wrong answer is still an opportunity to learn. It further provides the student with an understanding of what levels they are working at, what level they would like to working towards, and plan on how they are going to reach that level.

Scotland re-evaluated assessment strategies which saw the Assessment is for learning (Aifl) initiative implemented in 2002 which aimed to improve children’s life chances through a more coherent system (Gov.scot, 2005). The revised system, A Framework for Assessment (BtC5), incorporates principles of Curriculum for Excellence (CFE) and the values of Aifl, which collectively aim to support pupil progression. Furthermore, they aim to build confident individuals and successful learners (Educationscotland.gov.uk, 2008) who are active participants in their own learning and set their own targets. However, ‘for this to be effective teachers need to build an intimate and detailed knowledge of their pupils’ thinking and assist them, with fairly specific advice and scaffolding, in achieving the next stage’ (Harris, 2007). Therefore, for formative assessment to effectively support learner attainment, teachers must have a detailed knowledge of pupil capability and support them progressively in developing their own metacognition.

“Assessments should be a regular process; it might not always be formalised, but you should be observing what your learners are doing, asking questions and reviewing their progress throughout their time with you”.

Assessing is a crucial component of education that informs teachers on individual development and understanding (Booker, Bond, Sparrow

national curriculum. If the children werenâ€TMt assessed then how would the teachers check their understanding in all areas of the curriculum and be able to report back to the parents what progress was being made by their child.

The function of assessment in learning and development is to provide a measurable way of planning and supporting students’ progress. Assessment is carried out by means of checks and tests carried out throughout the course. Assessors should provide feedback throughout ensuring that learning is occurring and the learner is at the correct level. It is also important that assessor’s decisions are also consistently reviewed and internally and externally verified.

1.1 Analyse the role and use of initial and diagnostic assessment in agreeing individual learning goals,

Besides, teachers do not spend much time sharing their skills and knowledge with one another. Teachers need a countless amount of autonomy if they are going to be dynamic and independence life long learners, and effective in the classroom. Teachers need to have the freedom to recommend the finest treatment for their students as doctors or lawyers do for their clients.

Having lack of autonomy at a job can also have an effect on your schooling right alone with your childcare, and also your relationships. When unable to control your own hours at a job can put a big strain on your schooling. Take Ms. Navarro for an example, she was just a few credits shy of an associate degree in business and talked of getting a master’s degree. She also was three classes away from being able to transfer and take advantage of the tuition offer. Navarro’s degree was on indefinite pause because her shifting hours left her unable to commit to classes. She knew that school was going to get her a better job but felt she needed to work all that she possibly could. I can sympathy with

A highly significant change to the national curriculum made at the 2014 update for KS3 is the introduction of assessment without levels (Department for Education, 2014). The system by which children were assigned a numerical level based on their attainment was ceased on the commencement of the new curriculum in September 2014 for all subjects, including science (Department for Education, 2013). This action was implemented based on a report by the Expert Panel for the National Curriculum review, which suggested that due to changes made to the curriculum over various reassessments, the concept of attainment targets, on which level descriptors were based, had been clouded, making levels difficult to understand and apply (Department for Education, 2015). This meant that level descriptors were no longer clear and should be removed to allow assessment to focus more closely on an individuals’ specific strengths and weaknesses on the content within the curriculum, rather than simply focus on ensuring that a child achieved a certain arbitrary level (Expert Panel for the National Curriculum Review, 2011). The abolition of levels has given schools more freedom to design their own assessment framework and address the perceived issue that emphasis of levels as a tool for measuring school performance had led to negative influence on the way individual pupils were assessed (Department for Education, 2015). Bell (2014) suggests that the introduction of assessment without levels is a

Learning and development are both connected. The learner needs guidance to understand what it is they have to learn, if they are on track and how they may improve. Assessment is essential for this to happen. There will be observation, teaching one to one to assess