How Peer Assessment Can Affect The Progression And Confidence Of My Pupils

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.

Peer and Self Assessment is an effective way to get the learners involved and it gives a clear idea of what the learner is currently at and what action is needed to meet the standards and criteria. This can be done through feedback.

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.

Assessment, both formative and summative, plays a significant part in the learning experience as it determines progression and enables learners to demonstrate that they have achieved their desired learning outcomes.

Promoting confidence that every child can improve will see the child gain satisfaction on their own progress and will give them a sense that they can continue to improve, a teacher or TA can do this by giving

Through the identification of these assessment methods, I will analyse their purpose and the role that they play in my learner’s development; and how these are used to identify learner progress and confirm their knowledge and understanding. I will explore theories and principals of assessment, covering formative and

There are many reasons why we assess learners. Assessments enable tutors to measure learner’s progress towards their goal. And feedback can be given to help them such as outlining their strengths and weaknesses. Feedback is used to help learners learn and improve, and is the most important aspect of formative assessment. This can be given in various ways such as written, oral, in the form of graded/marked assignment etc. When giving feedback it is good practice to bear in mind the following points. It is important to give immediate feedback if possible; turn negative comment into constructive comments such as what to improve on before the next assessment; make assessment criteria clear, accurate and available; feedback to be clear, accurate and recorded; praise learner on achievement; encourage positive attitudes and make further suggestions. Learners can be encouraged through communication of how well they are doing and what skills and knowledge they are developing.

This artifact portrays the ability of students to self and peer assess during learning activities. “Self-assessment is more accurately defined as a process by which students 1) monitor and evaluate the quality of their thinking and behavior when learning and 2) identify strategies that improve their understanding and skills (McMillian and Hearn, 2008).” This particular activity was part of a larger learning target.

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.

The goal of educational assessment is to record, evaluate and enable improved student learning. The monitoring of student work, through developing understanding of key subject concepts and their achievement of syllabus objectives requires comparison against outcomes and standards. These outcomes and standards help define the criteria which is considered essential and relevant for assessment. Through correct implementation, integration, and reliability and validity, all forms of assessment should enable improved student learning when teaching is targeted towards syllabus outcomes, objectives and through highlighting gaps in student knowledge.

How different types of assessment help in supporting and monitoring learning and helping learners to make progress

One Sturgeon Bay High School teacher by the name of Nicole Herbst, works as an educator in the art department, and was open to give her opinion on student-teacher evaluation as well as her concerns. Mrs. Herbst, like many others, brought up the worry of students not taking the assessment seriously. However, she acknowledged and supported the idea, that if the examination was done in the right way, it would be valuable. When asked, should high school students be able to evaluate their teachers? Mrs. Herbst answered with, “Yes, they should be allowed to, but as long as it is set up with different questions, criteria, and the teachers are given the rubric first, that's what we did with college professors. That way, it is fair for the students to think about different areas to score them on, as well as to show what strengths and weaknesses there could be in order for the teacher to get feedback on what could be working or what is confusing with their teaching style. Also, if the teachers know what they are getting graded on, like we should offer for the students, it helps to know what the teachers should professionally focus on more. It helps if the grading is in a survey style and rating system with areas to offer specific comments versus just one flat grade in order to truly be effective.” Her

Accordingly to (Bostock, 2000), it “involves using discipline knowledge and skills, while accepting peer assessments engages with others' knowledge and skills”. However, this practice has some important pitfalls that might impact the quality of the feedback students would receive from it. The lack of experience and background knowledge of the assessors, and the tendency of applying over criticism while assessing, might directly affect the outcome of this evaluation process (“Research on Peer Review”, 2007). In other cases, like this Brazilian case of study, the grades provided by students were higher than the ones provided by teachers (Machado, Machado, Grec, Bollela, & Vieira, 2008). This lack of reliability in the grading part of the peer assessment might lead to discomfort when peer grading is indeed involved in the process (“Research on Peer Review”, 2007). Independently, some solutions to address these aforementioned pitfalls were already recognized: clear evaluation criteria; double anonymity; multiple assessors of each piece of work (Bostock, 2000). Luckily, UoPeople already applies them all (University of the People, 2016, p.

In utilizing a range of both primary and secondary, Ali has been able to draw a valid conclusion. In doing so, Ali has demonstrated an extensive understanding of the topic, with the analysis of his survey; he has been able to explore the factors that influence the young adolescents’ religious and spiritual beliefs. Additional secondary research processes were conducted, which allowed him to correlate his results with the wider findings of the Internet. Hence, he was able to support his statements with evidence from his secondary sources, which were all appropriately referenced. Overall, the report is well written and has a good structure that insightfully discusses his key points.

With the utilization of visual and performing arts, students can begin to enhance their personal growth. By producing original works, enjoying the time spent on the piece of art, and having a sense of pride in one’s accomplishments, an art student will experience an increase in self-esteem and confidence (Importance). A child who receives praise for their art work from parents and teachers will most likely be more positive in their artistic abilities. For example, when a child brings a painting home to his parents and his parents react with smiles, cheers and display the picture on the refrigerator, the student will in turn feel very proud of his accomplishments. This newly found self-esteem and confidence often expands into other subjects at school to the overall benefit of the individual. Participating in art is also a way for students to