Olympic ESD Assessment For Learning Course Series
What is Assessment for Learning?
Assessment for Learning is part of everyday practice by students, teachers and peers that seeks, reflects upon and responds to information from dialogue, demonstration and observation in ways that enhance ongoing learning in a formative way.
To tap the full potential of formative assessments, teachers must integrate 5 Key Strategies into daily classroom practice
- Clarify and share learning intentions and criteria for success with students.
- Engineer effective classroom discussions, questions, and learning tasks.
- Provide appropriate feedback that moves learners forward.
- Activate students as the owners of their own learning through self-assessment.
- Encourage students to be instructional resources for one another through peer feedback.
Why should I incorporate Assessment for Learning practices in my classroom?
Research indicates that using assessment for learning strategies improves student achievement. In 1998, Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam (Inside the Black Box:Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment) found that students taught by teachers who used assessment for learning achieved in six or seven months what would otherwise have taken a year. More important, these improvements appeared to be consistent across countries (including Canada, England, Israel, Portugal, and the United States), as well as across age brackets and content areas. They also found, after working with teachers in England, that these gains in achievement could be sustained over extended periods of time.
To make these kinds of improvements, the key to implementing these strategies is to do so on a daily basis and to match appropriate use of strategies to classroom instruction and purpose. The workshops offered by Olympic ESD support teachers with immediate and relevant use of the 5 Key Strategies of Assessment for Learning.
For more information regarding Assessment for Learning courses, or specific questions regarding practice and offering these courses in your district, contact Katy Absten, Math Professional Development Director at kabsten@oesd.wednet.edu
Courses offered by OESD include:
View course descriptions or view downloadable chart
