ABOUT
Assessment plays a critical role in teaching and learning. As teachers become aware of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of students, they use this information to inform their instruction. This then supports each child on their journey to success.
“ETFO Members Sharing in Assessment” provides teachers with a collection of tools and examples to enhance this ongoing process. Exploring the website will allow teachers the opportunity to choose or adapt tools that meet the needs of their students and their daily instruction practice.
The focus of this website is Assessment for Learning and Assessment as Learning. The tools shared reflect this focus. Each of these processes is outlined below.
Pick what works for you
ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING
Is this process of gathering evidence about a student’s learning from a variety of sources, using a variety of approaches, or “assessment tools”, and ongoing interpretation of that evidence to enable both the teacher and the learner to determine:
- where the learner is in his or her learning;
- where the learner needs to go;
- how best to get there.
Assessment for learning enables teacher to develop the knowledge of their students that they need to provide personalized precise instruction and assessment.
Ministry of Education, Ontario (2011)
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ASSESSMENT AS LEARNING
Is the process of developing and supporting metacognition in students.
- Focuses on the role of the student as the critical connector between assessment, and learning;
- Allows students to be active, engaged and critical assessors; making sense of information, relating it to prior knowledge and using it for new learning;
- Students monitor what they are learning and make adjustments, adaptations, and changes.
When teachers utilize assessment as learning they use classroom assessment as the vehicle for helping students develop, practice, and become comfortable with reflection and critical analysis of their learning.
Earl, L. & Katz, S. (2006) Rethinking Classroom Assessment with Purpose in Mind, WNCP
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ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING
Is the process of collecting reliable summative assessment data that illustrates what a student knows and is able to do as a result of teaching, learning, and informative feedback.
- Occurs at or near the end of a period of learning;
- Is used to summarize learning;
- Supports the communication of information about achievement to students, parents, teachers, and others.
“It is good to have an end to journey towards, but it is the journey that matters in the end.”
Ursula Le Guin