 The
Goal of Assessment FOR Learning
Our goal in using assessments
FOR learning is to improve student
achievement. Classroom assessment for student learning
turns the classroom assessment process and its results into
an instructional intervention designed to increase, not merely
monitor, student learning, confidence, and motivation.
Research
evidence gathered around the world shows the positive effect
on student achievement when the principles
of assessment FOR learning are used effectively. Few
interventions in education come close to having the same
level of impact as assessment FOR learning.
What Makes Assessment FOR Learning Successful?
Assessment FOR learning practices use what is know about how
the brain works, how we learn, and how we're motivated to
maximize learning. According to those who study the
human brain:
- We all have an innate desire to learn.
- We are born with intrinsic motivation.
- Learning is required for survival.
- The brain is built to see information, integrate it with
other information, interpret it, remember it, and bring
it to bear at the appropriate times.
According to these researchers, this intrinsic motivation
to learn is supported when the learner meets the following
criteria:
- Has a sense of control and choice.
- Gets frequent and specific feedback on performance.
- Encounters tasks that are challenging, but not threatening.
- Is able to self-assess accurately.
- Encounters learning tasks related to everyday life.
Encouraging the Motivation to Learn
Royce Sadler, an Australian researcher, defined three requirements
to establishing the conditions for students to feel in control
of their environment.
A key premise is that for students to be able to improve,
they must have the capacity to monitor the quality of
their own work during actual production. This in
turn requires that students:
- Know what high quality work looks like.
- Be able to objectively compare their work to the
standard.
- Have a store of tactics to make work better based
on their observations.
Under these circumstances students can be challenged without
feeling threatened.
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