What is assessment?

Alongside learning and teaching (Levy-Feldman, 2022), assessment is an essential component of the K-12 education paradigm. In general, it refers to all activities that help teachers acquire information about what their students know and what they can do (Ludwig, 2014). It also refers to activities that reflect student achievement based on curriculum expectations of a subject or course (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010), translate gathered information into feedback in order to make appropriate changes to teaching (Black & Wiliam, 1998) and reveal how effective educational programs are (Ludwig, 2014).

Students are also included in this understanding of assessment. In addition to being assessed by their teachers, they also assess themselves (Black & Wiliam, 1998), which impacts how they know, understand their learning progress, categorize themselves (Nieminen & Yang, 2023) and use gathered information to ahieve success. The purpose of assessment, then, is to improve student learning (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010). Assessment serves as a window into students’ educational experiences and a mirror of teacher’s pedagogical decisions regarding student achievement and learning.

The following video is an example of a teacher who takes a playful approach to assessment with their elementary school students (Edutopia, 2023):

Below is another video (Edutopia, 2015) in which a high school teacher uses problem-based learning^[1] to assess student performance:

What are the different kinds of assessment?

There are three widely accepted categories of assessment: assessment of learning, assessment for learning and assessment as learning. However, terms such as formative, diagnostic, summative and authentic are also used to categorize types of assessments: Formative assessments are sometimes called or categorized under assessment as or assessment for learning; diagnostic assessments often represent examples of assessment for learning; summative assessments are also known as assessment of learning; and authentic assessments^[2] are sometimes used as examples of assessment of, as and for learning. Nonetheless, assessment as, for and of learning have enhanced the general understanding of assessment (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010) because they call attention to the significance of teachers using gathered information to make informed decisions about how best to meet student needs (Black & Wiliam, 1998).

Assessment for learning

Assessment for learning refers to the process by which students and teachers pursue relevant information, interpret it and alter their respective learning and teaching activities because of it (Western and Northern Canada Protocol, 2006; Padmanabha, 2021). Examples of this approach are diagnostic assessments, which occur prior to instruction or an activity and provide teachers with students’ prior learning level, learning preferences and interests, and formative assessments, which are ongoing, frequent and provide insight on student learning progress (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010).

Assessment of learning

Assessment of learning refers to a public approach teachers use to measure (Levy-Feldman, 2022), summarize and report student learning in the past and up until any chosen point in time (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010), which is generally at the end of a learning period. Examples of this approach are final exams and tests at the end of a course unit, which provide a summary of learning that teachers can communicate to key parties such as parents (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010). Authentic assessments may also be assessments of learning if they are designed to measure learning that has occurred at the end of a learning period.

Assessment as learning

Assessment as learning is a process by which teachers use explicit activities and strategies that model structured opportunities for students to develop metacognition skills (Padmanabha, 2021) and become effective, critical assessors of their own learning (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013). An example of assessment as learning is formative assessments, which are ongoing, frequent (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010) and provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning.

The following video (AppalachiaRCC, 2016) is an example of an assessment as learning practice. In a guided reading circle, the teacher uses a traffic light self-assessment to learn how their students are understanding the reading material:

Before you move on, take this short quiz to confirm what you’ve learned so far in this chapter.

What are students assessed on?

What K-12 students are assessed on is dependent on the type of assessment approach they use or are subject to, standards and learning goals. Nevertheless, the province of Ontario uses four categories of knowledge and skills that teachers use to conduct both summative and formative assessments: Knowledge and understanding, thinking, communication and application (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010). Overall, all types of assessments require additional attention to different areas of student learning.

For instance, formative assessments inform teachers and students of students’ own learning progress and confirm the best ways to get there (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010). Additionally, they allow teachers to model learning strategies that students can then use to develop critical thinking skills, reflect on their learning experience, monitor their progress (Padmanabha, 2021) and provide feedback to fellow students (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010). As such, teachers provide opportunities to students for them to demonstrate their learning in accordance with their learning goals. These opportunities could then serve as the basis for assessment (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010), specifically the decisions teachers make about them, including determining the appropriate type of assessment.

What makes a good assessment?

While there are numerous criteria for good assessment (Parker, 2005, as cited in Ellis & Bond, 2016; Martone & Sireci, 2009), what is clear is that authenticity (Gulikers et al., 2004) and alignment (Martone & Sireci, 2009) are key in achieving it. In general, a good assessment aligns elements of student learning – curriculum, standards, instruction, assessment and goals, for example – in order to effectively achieve desired learning outcomes and authentically reflect student learning, progress, skills and achievement.

The following video (Guide Education, 2022) indicates what makes good assessments by explaining the importance of thoughtfulness and intention when deciding which assessments to use and how to use them:

All assessment approaches are not appropriate for all learning experiences because they greatly differ from each other. For instance, summative assessments are inappropriate for ongoing evaluation of student learning and learning skills. Likewise, formative assessments are an inappropriate measure of standardized learning practices. As such, teachers must use their pedagogical knowledge (Kurt 2018) to meet learning goals. In fact, the Ontario Ministry of Education (2013) suggests that K-12 educators incorporate universal design for learning (UDL) principles in tandem with differentiated instruction (DI) practices (Power, 2023) in order to accommodate the learning needs of all students, which include supportive measures that help students meet learning goals. To do this, some teachers develop assessment blueprints^[3] (Ellis & Bond, 2016) to ensure alignment and accessibility for all students. Good assessments, then, require in-depth consideration, planning and evidence to justify subsequent actions.

References

AppalachiaRCC. (2016, October 16). Self-assessment using traffic signals. [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOli2UboqMo&ab_channel=AppalachiaRCC

Basham, J. D., Hall, T. E., Carter, R. A., Jr., & Stahl, W. M. (2016). An operationalized understanding of personalized learning. Journal of Special Education Technology, 31(3), 126-136. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0162643416660835

Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80(2), 139-44. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.uproxy.library.dc-uoit.ca/scholarly-journals/inside-black-box-raising-standards-through/docview/62461198/se-2

Broadfoot, P., Daugherty, R., Gardner, J., Harlen, W., Gordon, J., Gordon, M., & Gordon, S. (2002). Assessment for learning: 10 Principles. Research-based principles to guide classroom practice Assessment for Learning.

Edutopia (2023, July 14). Taking a playful approach to assessment. [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Whm04BV6-cw&ab_channel=Edutopia

Edutopia. (2015, June 23). Performance-based assessment: Making math relevant. [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZomm-1BbYQ&ab_channel=Edutopia

Ellis, A. K., & Bond, J. B. (2016). Assessment. In Research on educational innovations (5th ed.). (pp. 66-78). 77Routledge.

Guide Education. (2022, December 17). The importance of assessment. [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf2YAb2Ucgg&ab_channel=GuideEducation

Gulikers, J. T. M., Bastiaens, T. J., & Kirschner, P. A. (2004). A five-dimensional framework for authentic assessment. Educational Technology Research and Development, 52(3), 67-86. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.uproxy.library.dc-uoit.ca/scholarly-journals/five-dimensional-framework-authentic-assessment/docview/62070986/se-2

Kurt, S. (2018, May 12). TPACK: Technological pedagogical content knowledge framework. https://educationaltechnology.net/technological-pedagogical-content-knowledge-tpack-framework/

Levy-Feldman, I., & Libman, Z. (2022). One size “doesn’t” fit all educational assessment in a multicultural and intercultural world. Intercultural Education, 33(4), 380-390. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2022.2090174

Lin, P., & Lin, Y. (2015). Identifying Canadian teacher candidates’ needs for training in the use of inclusive classroom assessment. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 19(8), 771-786. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2014.970669

Ludwig, N. W. (2014). Exploring the relationship between K-12 public school teachers’ conceptions of assessment and their classroom assessment confidence levels (Order No. 3579798). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1513993136). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.uproxy.library.dc-uoit.ca/dissertations-theses/exploring-relationship-between-k-12-public-school/docview/1513993136/se-2

Martone, A., & Sireci, S. G. (2009). Evaluating alignment between curriculum, assessment, and instruction. Review of Educational Research, 79(4), 1332-1361. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654309341375

Nieminen, J. H., & Yang, L. (2023). Assessment as a matter of being and becoming: theorising student formation in assessment. Studies in Higher Education, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2023.2257740

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2010). Growing success: Assessment, evaluation and reporting in Ontario schools. (1st edition). http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/policyfunding/growSuccess.pdf

Ontario Ministry of Education (2013). Learning for all: A guide to effective assessment and instruction for all students, kindergarten to grade 12. https://files.ontario.ca/edu-learning-for-all-2013-en-2022-01-28.pdf

Padmanabha, C. H. (2021). Assessment for Learning, assessment of learning, assessment as learning: a conceptual framework. Journal on Educational Psychology, 14(4), 14-21. https://doi.org/10.26634/jpsy.14.4.17681

Power, R. (2023). Chapter 7: Theories and models of online learning. In Everyday instructional design: A practical resource for educators and instructional designers. Power Learning Solutions. https://pressbooks.pub/everydayid/chapter/theories-and-models-of-online-learning/

Ulderich, M. (2023). Advancing authentic assessment in STEM education. Technology and Engineering Teacher, 82(6), 8-14. http://search.proquest.com.uproxy.library.dc-uoit.ca/scholarly-journals/advancing-authentic-assessment-stem-education/docview/2777986309/se-2

Unal, A., & Unal, Z. (2019). An examination of k-12 teachers’ assessment beliefs and practices in relation to years of teaching experience. Georgia Educational Researcher, 16(1), 4-21. http://search.proquest.com.uproxy.library.dc-uoit.ca/scholarly-journals/examination-k-12-teachers-assessment-beliefs/docview/2228678755/se-2

Western and Northern Canada Protocol (2006). Rethinking classroom assessment with purpose in mind: Assessment for learning, assessment as learning, assessment of learning. https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/b1a79a94-b2b6-4b85-bbd9-76b5dcc2a5f4/resource/575762b3-a8cf-4455-8f21-8b0e604f94b6/download/2006-rethinking-classroom-assessment-purpose-mind-assessment-learning.pdf