LANGUAGE

ASSESSMENT
STUDENT BASED CONTINOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

AoL and AfL

Lia Herawaty
 Assessment for Learning
•  1-2 things you already know about how AfL supports
learning
•  1-2 ideas you have integra<ng AfL into your next
lesson OR
•  1-2 ques<ons you have about AfL
 RE-VISIONING ASSESSMENT

To assess

Comes from the La<n verb ‘assidere’ meaning ‘to sit with’. In
assessment one is supposed to sit with the learner.

This implies it is something we do with and for students and
not to students. (Green, 1998)

3
 Two ways of looking at assessment

Assessment OF Assessment FOR
Learning Learning
(Summa<ve (Forma<ve
Assessment) Assessment)

hPp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns0gkx0UTxY
In what way is pracHce like teaching and tournament
matches like assessment? 5
 “When the cook tastes the soup, that’s forma6ve assessment.
When the customer tastes the soup, that’s summa6ve
assessment.” (Paul Black)
6
 Assessment of Learning
(SummaHve Assessment)
Summa<ve assessment is used … at the end of the semester or
year* in order to measure what has been achieved both by
groups and by individuals.

Source: Hughes, A (2003) Tes<ng for Language Teachers, 2nd edi<on, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, p. 5

*Could also be at the end of a unit of work

The goal of summa<ve assessment is to measure the level of

success or proficiency that has been obtained at the end […] by
comparing it against some standard or benchmark

hPp://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/howto/basics/forma<ve-summa<ve.html
 FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
(Assessment for Learning)
Assessment is forma<ve when
teachers use it to check on the
progress of their students, to see
how far they have mastered what
they should have learned, and
then use this informaHon to
modify their future teaching
plans. Such assessment can also
be the basis for feedback to
the students.
 AfL AcHviHes
Informal tests or quizzes may have a
part to play in forma<ve assessment
but so will simple observaHon (of
performance on learning tasks, for
example) and the study of porPolios
that students have made of their
word. Students themselves may be
encourages to carry out self-
assessment in order to monitor their
progress, and then modify their own
learning objec<ves.
Shirley Clarke (Unlocking Formative
Assessment, 2001):

“…if we think of our

children as plants …
summative Source: guardian.co.uk

assessment … is
the process of simply
measuring them
Formative assessment … is the …
equivalent of feeding and watering plants
… directly affecting their
growth.” (helping them to grow)

Source: gardeningunlimited.com
The Two Faces of Assessment: AoL and AfL

As teachers, we must
be able to see the
two “faces” of
assessment.

AoL and AfL are both
important and
necessary in
improving learning.

Source: macrimon.wordpress.com
12
 Comparing & Contras<ng AoL and AfL
Assessment Focus Assessment for Learning Assessment of Learning
(Forma<ve) (Summa<ve)

Reason for assessment? Progress check Measuring achievement/

Feedback for teachers and proficiency
students
Modify teaching process
To Inform who? Students Parents
Teachers School
Stakeholders
Students
Teachers

Focus on what? Process Product
Giving feedback
Specific objec<ves

Teacher’s Role? Facilitator Evaluator

Monitor/Mentor Tester
Administrator??? Administrator
Researcher Judge
Student’s Role? Learners Test taker 13
Mentees
 Comparing & Contras<ng AoL and AfL
Assessment Focus Assessment for Learning Assessment of Learning
(Forma<ve) (Summa<ve)

Reason for assessment? To improve learning To measure learning

To Inform who? Students (feedback) Parents & other stakeholders

Teachers (evalua<on) (summa<ve)

Focus on what? Learning objec<ves Learning standards in

curriculum (external
benchmarks)

Teacher’s Role? Set and share learning targets, Develop classroom tests,
Design tasks/ac<vi<es, provide administer assessment,
feedback, engage and involve assign grades or scores,
students in learning inform students of grades
Student’s Role? Meet target, Meet standard,
use feedback to improve get a high score, avoid failure
learning, reflect on how to L
improve
14
 AfL helps students to:
Understand Work
expecta<ons independently

Recognise their Focus on their

effort and personal
achievements development areas
 Giving feedback quote
“The most powerful single moderator that enhance
achievement is feedback. The most simple
prescrip<on in improving educa<on must be
dollops feedback. This does not mean using many
tests and providing over prescrip<ve direc<ons. It
means providing informa6on about how and why
the student understands, and what direc6ons the
student must take to improve.”
John Haoe, Influences on Students Learning
Useful language for peer feedback
•  Well done, you met the criteria
•  I enjoyed listening to/reading your text
•  I can see you tried very hard.
•  Your handwri<ng/picture/idea/text is very good
•  I like the way you…
•  Can you show me where you included this
criteria?
•  I think you could include...
•  Your work would be bePer if you...
 Rules for pair and groupwork
A good talker… A good listener..
•  Isn’t scared of making mistakes •  Looks at the person who is
•  Gives reasons and examples speaking
•  Shares their ideas •  Waits their turn and doesn’t
interrupt
•  Invites others to give their opinion
•  Looks interested
•  Doesn’t talk all the the <me
•  Shows they are listening by noding
•  Thinks before they speak
and using facial expressions
•  Is respecpul
•  Remembers and responds to what
others say (when it’s their turn to
talk)
Formative feedback
•  Is based on agreed success criteria
•  Indicates what students have done well
•  Indicates what could have been done bePer
•  Give sugges<ons for improvement
•  Gives students <me to respond
 An example of self-evaluation feedback on
writing task
WRITING TIME. Write a leaflet about o  You wrote an interes<ng
how to reduce rubbish or how to save introduc<on and conclusion
electricity. Use the ideas provided OR you o  You included 5 <ps – great!
can use your own ideas. o  Your design is very aPrac<ve
SUCCESS CRITERIA: o  I no<ce you didn’t write a
draq. Why? How can wri<ng a
q  Write a plan or first draq draq help you?
q  Use the impera<ve (5-6 o  Look again at the language box
examples) then check you used the
q  Include an introduc<on and impera<ve correctly. Here’s an
conclusion example:
Switch off your computer when
q  Include at least 4 interes<ng you go to bed
<ps

q  APrac<ve design – pictures/
folded paper
Tasks for formaHve assessment are different from regular classroom tasks in
these ways:

•  Aims – intended to check student learning

•  Measurable results – produce “measurable evidence”

•  Assessment criteria – task must have set of assessment criteria

•  Learner’s predisposi<on – if learners know the tasks are assessed they may try
harder

•  Timing – usually set at specific <mes during the learning process (e.g. end of
theme or unit)

•  Par<cipa<on – all learners must take part

•  Record keeping/learner profiling – performance is recorded and kept on file

(Source: Ioannou-Georgiou and Pavlou 2003, pp. 13-14)

 IntegraHng FormaHve Assessment into a Lesson

Peer
assessment

Source: hPp://www.ncca.ie/uploadedfiles/publica<ons/assess%20%20guide.pdf
Make a poster showing the
RELATIONSHIP between forma<ve
assessment (AfL) and summa<ve
assessment (AoL)

1.  Give your poster a catchy Htle.
2.  Make the poster aUracHve.
3.  Include accurate informa<on from
our lesson.
4.  You have 20 minutes to complete
the poster.
5.  We will vote for the BEST poster
based on the above criteria. There
will be a prize for the best poster.

23
 Vo<ng for the Winner
1.  You have two votes
each. J J

2.  You may NOT vote for

your own group.

3.  Make your vote

according to the
criteria.

4.  The poster with the

most votes is the
winner.

24
 K-W-L: What we Learnt
•  We learnt that…
•  We realise that…
•  We now know that…
•  We didn’t know … but now …
•  We are s<ll confused about …
•  We wonder about…

25
Common Misconcep<ons about AfL and AoL
Misunderstanding 1:
(1)  Classroom-based assessment or CBA,
(2)  School-based assessment or SBA,
(3)  Ongoing assessment, and
(4)  Con<nuous assessment
… are the same as AfL or forma<ve assessment.

ClarificaHon:
These may be for forma<ve or summa<ve purposes depending
on how it is used.
The above assessment types relate to who administers the
assessment (1 & 2) and when it occurs during the learning
period (3 & 4)
26
Misunderstanding 2:
Summa<ve assessment happens only at the end
of the term or school year.

ClarificaHon:
Summa<ve assessment can take place at the
end of a unit of work, a chapter in a textbook, or
a topic - if the purpose is to measure how much
the students have learnt and if there is no
feedback to improve learning.
27

ConstrucHve Alignment Outcomes and
objec<ves can be
found in syllabus
or curriculum

documents
… is concerned with the
alignment of learning outcomes
… student learning required to
achieve these [teaching method],
and assessment of the student
ac6vi6es to demonstrate the
degree to which the outcomes
have been achieved (Biggs 2011)

Source: labspace.open.ac.uk
29
Final exam does not have to cover
all LOs 30
Alignment of assessment with learning (from Katz, 2012, p. 71) in
The Cambridge Guide to Second Language Assessment

Learning objecHve Classroom acHvity Assessment tool

Student will be able to Students will create flash Two parts:

develop and maintain a cards from their own A.  Students will race against
“lexical” vocabulary notebooks using lexical clock to see how many
notebook chunks. On one side is the cards they can name in a
chunk, on the other is a minute. Every week,
picture or mnemonic they will measure against
device. their previous score and
the score of their peers.
B.  Students will fill in a self-
assessment form.
 Assessment Literacy
The typical teacher spends a third to half of his/her professional <me
(Herman and Dorr-Bremme, 1982; S<ggins and Conklin, 1992; Cheng
2001)

Only half of teacher educa<on programs include a course on

assessment skills and the 50 percent that do include any assessment
don’t cover the skills completely (Schafer 1993).

Teachers’ assessment and evalua<on prac<ces as largely incongruent

with recommended best prac<ce (Galluzzo 2005).

Source: The Cambridge Guide to Second Language Assessment, p. 20 33