Issue 5 PD Feature

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PD FEATURE Why focus on Assessment Literacy?

Learn more about Assessment Literacy and why it is crucial for today's teachers.

What is Assessment Literacy?

Assessment Literacy refers to having the knowledge of and ability to apply assessment concepts to plan and design assessments which involve and support learners, and to use assessment information to evaluate and improve teaching and learning.

It taps a teacher's skills in knowing how well students have learnt and leveraging assessment information to further improve students' learning.

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Why is Assessment Literacy Important?

MOE’s assessment vision is "Learner-Centred and Balanced Assessment"

PURPOSE As encapsulated in the Singapore Curriculum Philosophy, assessment is integral to the teaching and learning process, and helps students become self-directed learners.

It has an impact on students in their pursuit of current and future learning.

BENEFITS FOR TEACHERS Being assessment literate enables teachers to plan, design and conduct different assessments with clarity of purpose to find out what students know and are able to do, to provide feedback to extend students' learning, and to adapt subsequent teaching and support learning.

SOCIO-EMOTIONAL ASPECTS Assessment is an inherently social and emotional process — students will typically experience a range of emotions before, during and after assessment tasks, and when receiving feedback from their teachers and peers. These emotions are mediated by the social environment they are in, including parents’ and societal expectations.

COMPETENCIES Assessment literate teachers are competent in communicating the purposes of assessment to students and involving students in these assessment processes meaningfully.

They also support students’ well-being, by being mindful of the way they provide feedback to students.

BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS By involving students in the assessment process, teachers can instil in them a greater sense of ownership of their learning, develop their selfefficacy and their disposition to learn for life.

BENEFITS FOR STUDENTS

Teachers design appropriately-pitched assessment tasks.

This will reduce unnecessary anxiety, promote greater engagement and motivation in learning, which in turn translates to better learning outcomes.

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FOUR KEY ASSESSMENT COMPETENCIES The four assessment competencies that are important for teachers to develop under SkillsFuture for Educators are:

1. Planning and designing assessment to assess student learning 2. Understanding and communicating purposes and criteria of assessment 3. Involving the learner in assessment 4. Using assessment information

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Ways in which teachers can involve students in assessment and develop their metacognition effectively Involve students in assessment meaningfully When students are meaningfully involved in assessment, such as by reviewing their work or reflecting on areas for improvement, they will develop a deeper understanding of assessment as a means to heighten their awareness and management of their thought processes.

Teachers can provide regular opportunities for students to be involved in self-assessment and peer assessment.

Discuss your beliefs about the purposes of assessment Teachers can involve students meaningfully in assessment by first discussing their beliefs in the purposes of assessment.

When students better understand and appreciate the role of assessment and the assessment processes in which they are involved, they develop a greater sense of ownership in monitoring their own learning.

Promote reflection and metacognition Teachers can guide and support students to make better judgements of their learning and evaluate their learning strategies. They can model their thinking and reflections so that students learn how to do the same for their peers. Teachers need to scaffold this process and use questions that would promote metacognition, including: What are you doing?

Why are you doing it?

How does it help you?

How well are you doing it?

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Assessment literacy is intricately linked to development in educational theories and other strands of development in education which posit different and new ways to assess.

Assessment is also closely linked to the other Areas of Practices in SkillsFuture for Educators. For example, assessment in part serves as the basis for differentiated instruction and the harnessing of technology.

Given the ongoing developments in the educational landscape and the changing profiles and needs of our students, assessment literacy is and will remain an area of PD need.

Teachers will have to reflect on their assessment beliefs and practices and continue to grow in their assessment literacy in tandem with other developments in education.

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What are some good assessment practices schools can develop?

We believe that we have made some headway towards achieving MOE’s vision of Learner-Centred and Balanced Assessment. We see schools enacting the whole spectrum of formative and summative assessment practices with good clarity. Schools are also becoming more adept at calibrating the assessment demands in their summative assessment, especially the school preliminary examinations. Moving forward, schools can strengthen their learner-centred assessment practices, including being able to identify areas for improvement by analysing students’ responses, and creating opportunities for students to act on feedback given.

Beyond feedback practices, teachers can provide more opportunities for students to engage in self- and peer assessment, which can help to sharpen students’ judgement of their work. While a common concern among teachers about self- and peer assessment is that students may not have the ability to assess themselves accurately, teachers must first provide guidance and regular opportunities for students to apply the assessment criteria in assessing their work, and to hone their ability to make better judgements over time through the following: Define or help students define the criteria with which they assess their work.

Guide students to set and monitor learning goals that take into consideration the criteria, and their self-assessment.

Guide students to apply the criteria, through giving feedback to one another and themselves.

Give students feedback on their self- and peer assessment.

Provide sufficient time for reflection and opportunities for acting on feedback.