School Policy on Assessment -
Changing Assessment Practices

This is one of the series of 15 booklets in the Basic Education Curriculum Guide-Building on Strengths. Its contents are as follows:

School Policy on Assessment -
Changing Assessment Practices

5.1Purpose of the Booklet

The purpose of this booklet is to highlight the main ideas and principles underlying assessment. Suggestions are made as to how schools should design and develop a whole-school policy on assessment to promote learning for every student.

All schools should review their current assessment practices and put more emphasis on assessment for learning. The latter is a process in which teachers seek ti identify and diagnose student learning problems, and provide quality feedback for students on how to improve their work. Different modes of assessment are to be used whenever appropriate for a more comprehensive understanding of student learning in various aspects.

5.2Emphasising Assessment for Learning

Based on the beliefs that every student is unique and possesses the ability to learn, and that we should develop their multiple intelligences and potentials, the CDC Report on "Learning to Learn - The Way Forward in Curriculum Development" (CDC, 2001) recommends that there should be a change in assessment practices and schools should put more emphasis on 'Assessment for Learning' as an integral part of the learning, teaching and assessment cycle.

In other words, teachers should use assessments (e.g. as simple as effective verbal questioning, observation of student behaviour) and provide immediate feedback to enhance student learning in everyday classroom lessons. The focus is on why they do not learn well and how to help them to improve rather than just to use assessments to find out what knowledge dtudents have learned.

5.3	Understanding Assessment
5.3.1	Definition and Aims of Assessment

Assessment is the practice of collecting evidence of student
learning in terms of knowledge, skills, values and attitudes through observation of at student behaviour when carrying out tasks, tests, examinations, etc.

The aims of assessment are:

	For students to understand their strengths and weaknesses in learning     understand what they should try to achieve next, and how best they might do this     improve their learning based on feedback from teachers and other assessors
	For teachers and schools to diagnose the strengths and weaknesses in the learning of their students     provide quality feedback and specific advice to students so that they know how to improve their learning     review and improve their learning objectives / expectations of students, curriculum design and content, strategies and activities so that they are better suited to the needs and abilities of their students to enhance learning and teaching effectiveness
	For parents to understand the strengths and weaknesses of their children     consider how to help their children to improve their learning     have reasonable expectations on their children
	For the government to evaluate the standard of students in specific areas     rank and select students for admission purpose

5.3.2

Connections between Curriculum and Assessment

The curriculum has set out what students should learn in terms of the learning targets / objectives (e.g. knowledge, skills, values and attitudes). The assessment methods used to collect evidence of student learning should be so designed that they assess what students are expected to learn (i.e. learning targets and content) and the learning processes that lead there. Feedback can then be given to students and teachers to form basis on decisions as to what to do to improve learning and teaching. Hence, assessment is an integral part of the curriculum, learning and teaching, and feedback cycle.

5.3.3

Formative Assessment and Summative Assessment

(1)	Formative Assessment In order to improve learning in daily classroom teaching and teaching throughout the term / year, formative assessment can be used to collect evidence from time to time on student learning with a view to promoting better learning. Methods such as probing questions, tasks, observations can be used to serve the aims of assessment outlined above. Research evidence indicates that the impact on student achievement is higher in circumstances where students receive quality feedback rather than marks.
(2)	Summative Assessment From time to time, it is also necessary to have snapshots of what a student has learned and how much has been achieved, i.e. a picture of the product of learning through summative assessment. Summative assessment is often carried out through pen and paper tests and examinations at the end of a teaching unit / school term / school year. Assessment is considered as a discrete and separate stage at the end of a learning and teaching cycle. Student assessment results may be reported in profile form, grades or marks, though the latter is considered to be less desirable.

Formative Assessment	Summative Assessment

 

Formative Assessment	Summative Assessment
Usually carried out informally in everyday lessons or formally during the course of the year	Usually conducted at the end of school term / school year / key stage formally
Criterion-referenced	Norm-referenced and criterion-referenced
Focus on the learning process and on learning progress	Focus on the product of learning mainly
An integral part of the learning and teaching cycle, i.e. part of effective teaching and planning for the future	A separate stage at the end of the learning and teaching process
The process could be fluid at times and subject to student response and teacher feedback	Usually pre-designed
Qualitative feedback in reports, profiles, portfolio Report in grades, marks, profiles

The assessment practices of a school can be presented in the framework given below:

5.4	Developing School Assessment Policy - Balancing Assessment for Learning and Assessment of Learning

Fundamental changes in school assessment practices to bring a better balance across assessment for learning and assessment of learning need to be planned, discussed, shared, negotiated and agreed by all teachers in each school. A corresponding assessment policy and mechanisms to bring it about need to be worked out at whole-school and classroom levels. The following sections highlight how the related key issues might be addressed.

FLOW CHART OF SCHOOL ASSESSMENT POLICY PLANNING

5.4.1

Linking Assessment Policy to Whole-school Curriculum Planning and the Short-term Targets of the Curriculum Reform

Consider the following with regard to the consensus built among teachers in your school in the process of whole-school curriculum planning and development:

(1)	With reference to Section 5.3.1, set out the aims of assessment the school would like to achieve. Examples Provide quality feedback to students     To be accountable to parents through summative assessment
(2)	Determine the areas in which the school will collect evidence of student learning according to the consensus built, so as to develop a fair assessment system which gives all students the opportunity to have their full range of learning assessed.