Assessment for learning
Jack D.
England, United Kingdom
Making the grade?
Jason H.
England, United Kingdom
Why is student voice important? What difference will giving students a voice make?
Jessica T.
England, United Kingdom
Student website
Ninestyles School
England, United Kingdom
Is feedback on how to improve more useful than a mark or a grade?
Student Aspiration Team
England, United Kingdom
‘Feedback on how to improve is more useful than a mark or a grade.’ Do you agree?
Matthew L., James B., Emily B., Samantha M., Caroline S. & Bethany S.
United Kingdom
An important way of improving
Nerida
Australia
Assessment for learning
Davenant Foundation School students
United Kingdom
Assessment
Nazareth College
Australia
Assessment for learning
Jack D.
Year 11
The Romsey School
England, United Kingdom
Progress in education can be assessed and graded in many ways. It is my opinion that one-to-one feedback is more effective at helping pupils to improve their work. However, for such attention to be given to all pupils would be time-consuming. Written feedback can be just as valuable providing it is read and understood by the pupil. Feedback is invaluable but needs to be accompanied by a grade or mark, or else no indication of working level can be obtained by the pupil. There is the threat of bad marks being damaging to confidence. Though some may find a bad mark motivational, and use it to help them focus on achieving more in the future.
In terms of preference of exams and coursework, I find that a medium between the two must be attained. Too much coursework can be exhausting and result in failing to meet deadlines; continuous examinations will have similar effects. Although, if a large percentage of a grade is placed on a single examination, it will result in a significant amount of pressure. It is my opinion that such methods of grading are unfair, as final grades can be based predominantly on the accomplishment of an individual in a short space of time, and may not reflect the actual abilities of a pupil. Coursework enables pupils who are perhaps not very proficient in test scenarios to achieve marks towards their grade outside of an examination hall. Nevertheless, examinations are an important part of learning. They are efficient ways of testing pupil’s abilities in a timed situation.
It is my belief that the current balance between examinations and coursework is fair and successful and should be continued. Although I do not think all pupils would agree with this. Perhaps a system in which pupils would be able to choose the levels of exams and coursework they are required to complete to attain their desired grades would create a situation that all can be happy with. This system would perhaps be semi-flexible, so that a pupil could opt to do less coursework in order to enter an extra examination or switch one exam for a few extra pieces of coursework.
Ultimately, it is down to the preferences of each individual of how they wish to have their work marked. Through using a constant mixture of these marking conducts, then it can be made sure that all pupils will be able to achieve the necessary grades they require, providing they are willing to learn.
Making the grade?
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Jason H.
16 years
Courts Fields Community School
England, United Kingdom |
(Jason H. Audio)
I have just received feedback from my English teacher about how I have done in the recent mock exams. I was pleasantly surprised. However, needless to say, there’s still room for improvement! Teachers in the English faculty each marked specific sections of the exam. As well as looking over each of our pieces of work, checking them against the criteria sheet, then giving them mark, teachers each produced a ‘report’ to the class about the section they marked. The ‘report’ said about the main strengths and weaknesses of the class’s work, and also told us about points that were not so good. The mark was important but what more important was getting information about how everybody could do better.
Speaking to my friends, it seems to me that students generally feel that this feedback is important. They might get the mark they want for a piece of work, but what they want to know is how they can do better in that particular subject. For example, again in English, instead of simply getting a mark for an essay on a play. Students want to know how they can improve writing essays, and how they can carry out close textual analysis on pieces of work.
It’s not that suddenly students now have the need to find out how they have done in work. That has probably always happened. But now, student voice can have a massive impact on assessing work.
Self-assessment
The teachers use a criteria sheet to mark your work, so why not use the sheet to mark your work on your own? OK, it probably won’t be appropriate to mark a major piece of coursework by yourself, but for other pieces of work you write, it may be possible to mark against this criteria sheet.
When creating my recent piece of maths coursework, because the teacher had given me the criteria sheet beforehand, I could simply look at the sheet and see where I needed to take the piece of work forward. This is also the same in my I.T work when I was working on a website project design. I had the criteria sheet, so I could see what I needed to include in my evaluation, and what I needed to have in my project. I would personally encourage students to ask their teachers if they don’t have a criteria sheet or some sort of criteria for the piece of work. Why not use your student voice? After all, it wouldn’t harm would it?
Another version of self-assessment is using a model answer. In drama, the teacher had various portfolios from previous classes she had taught. I had to also create a portfolio. Throughout these previous examples of work being out, I could see what sort of thing I had to produce. Because these examples of work were higher grades pieces of work, I could see what I had to do to get the marks. But, in a class room setting, a model answer could be just as good in helping to you to review a piece of work you had created. It might not be the ‘right’ answer, but it is a suitable answer, nevertheless, and would help you to see whether you have to put another detail in your piece of work, for example.
So what are the benefits of self-assessment? Well, for a start, only you know how you done in a piece of work, you don’t have to be embarrassed if you didn’t do particularly well this time! But also, self-assessment means that you are actively involved in the learning process - you are understanding what you have done well and not so well. This is instead of a teacher writing a comment down on a piece of work, that if you were honest you wouldn’t understand what that actually meant in practical terms.
But then again, self-assessment still isn’t perfect. After all, you could over-estimate the mark of your piece of work (a challenge of this form of assessment is honesty!). Also, because only you have marked the piece of work, you haven’t gained a second opinion.
Peer assessment
You could also use the criteria sheet you used before in peer assessment. Giving your piece of work to another student in your class for them to mark means that the possibility of ‘over-estimating’ your piece of work reduces. Or does it – after all, I suspect that it might depend on who you give the piece of work to, as they may over-estimate your work, just so they don’t get disliked.
Another form for this assessment may be handing over your piece of work to another student and they write two good points about the work, and two not-so-good ones. I used this form of assessment in an English lesson. I had written a piece of original writing for a draft piece of coursework, using a series of symbols and metaphors. I handed it to a fellow student across the room. He marked it, and then gave it back to me. I looked upon his suggestions of what should be changed and I then re- drafted the piece of work. Each time, suggestions were made on how to improve the piece, and by the end of it all, the essays had been completed. I had achieved a good mark – peer assessment had helped me with this greatly.
In my English lesson, because a student had marked my work, he had written it in ‘student’ speak (and not simply quoted out of the examining board handbook), so therefore I could relate to the suggestions he had written about my work, and make improvements as suggested. I also suspect he was far more ‘critical’ of my piece of work than I would have been!
Self-assessment versus peer assessment
There are various ways that peer and self-assessment can be located in the classroom. Which one is the most effective? We all have different ideas. But one thing is for sure – student voice can help make assessing work more effective, thorough and more helpful. Assessment for learning can help students learn the skills from a piece of work, instead of just simply getting a mark.
Jason's Powerpoint
Why is student voice important? What difference will giving students a voice make?
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Jessica T.
12 years
Blackfriars School
England, United Kingdom |
At my school we have a student council and I am a member of it. It lets the pupils have a chance to decide some of the things that happen around the school, like mad hair day, red nose day and children in need. We also raise money for other charities, like dogs for the disabled and people in Africa. We sometimes raise money for our own school for things like new books, equipment, furniture and new playthings for our nursery. We also had our playground resurfaced and a new fence around the nursery. The primary children all had new hats and school bags to put their school books in. That has helped both the teachers and the pupils because it has made sure that the children’s books are kept safe. This was one of the things that we decided on in one of the council meetings and these things would not have happened if all pupils did not have a voice.
Before the event happens, all of the council members get together and decide what we will do on the day. Sometimes we have things for sale, like red noses, and we sometimes have some stalls with toys, books, cakes, toiletries, clothes and white elephant (things that people don’t want). We have a tombola where you can get prizes. It is really good when we have events like that because we get to help on the stalls and it makes you feel like you have helped a charity.
We have recently raised 155 pounds for dogs for the disabled by some of the children walking around Newcastle town centre. It was a really good day and all of the children felt like they had helped some people in some way and achieved something doing it.
We often have meetings to discuss the events and important issues. We also decided on things like having some more bins put around the school and having some new benches.
On a Tuesday we have a healthy tuck, where you go into the hall and choose what you want. There are things like toast, cheese spread, fruit drinks and fruit like bananas, apples, oranges, pears and we have healthy snack bars. The healthy tuck is a good idea because it makes the pupils eat healthily and if they like the food here, they might eat healthily at home.
I have asked some of the year 11 students why they think it is important that students have a voice. These are some of the things that they said. One pupil commented that he thought that it is a good idea that pupils have a chance to decide some of the things that happen in school and not always leave it to the teachers. Another boy has said that he thought that it was good that the pupils got together and had council meetings every few weeks to discuss things to do with the council and school, and they then have a chance to voice their opinion.
I think that student voice is important because it lets students have a chance to say what they think and get involved in things that happen around the school. I think that giving the students a voice will make a big difference because it will make the students feel like they have helped someone or something in some way.
Website
Ninestyles School
England, United Kingdom
This is a video that is located on the Ninestyles School website. You will need speakers in order to hear what the students are saying. It may take you some time to download the video but it’s definitely worth the wait.
http://www.ninestiles.bham.sch.uk/video.htm
Is feedback on how to improve more useful than a mark or a grade?
Student Aspiration Team
12-16 years
Penryn College
England, United Kingdom
These are our answers to this question.
Exams don’t leave room for further learning. You only seem to learn stuff for the exam.
You need comments in writing but talking with your teacher helps you to understand - it’s even better.
Self-esteem depends on subjects. If you tried really hard and got bad marks, this could make you feel bad. Also, whether you can be bothered.
A mark or grade is good; however feedback is better because you know how to improve.
When a mark is given, the teacher should say if you did this or this, then you could have got this mark, and explain how you can get to the next level.
I think that we should have feedback, as well as a grade.
Exams are good for revision but coursework is better for improving. If coursework is handed in late, then marks should be taken off.
Yes – we can understand how to improve if we are given more than a number.
‘Feedback on how to improve is more useful than a mark or a grade.’ Do you agree?
Matthew L., James B., Emily B., Samantha M., Caroline S.
& Bethany S.
14-17 years
The Davenant School
England, United Kingdom
The standard educational grading system in this country has been around for decades. It is a time-honoured system that has worked incredibly well since its inception. However, it is our belief that it is time for a change because, as society, education and young people evolve, so should the schemes for assessment.
In the past, it has evidently been acceptable for teachers to read students’ work, compare it to a mark scheme and give the work an ‘appropriate mark’. In most cases, this does not take the student’s effort into account; all the student can tell, from what their grade is, what level of certification they can look forward to if they continue producing work at a given level. This is not enough.
Marks and grades offer no scope for improvement; there is no indication where a student could improve their method or writing style or what information they need to revisit. Even if the mark is a high one, the student does not know how far inside the boundary for that grade they are. This can lead to complacency and/or apathy about the subject work and, ultimately the student will not gain the grades that he or she were hoping for. The student might get a nasty shock after their exams!
Exam results obviously mean a lot to any students who want to achieve the best they can in life; this often results in ‘friendly competition’ between students. Grades add fuel to this fire of competition, a competition that is wholly unnecessary when it’s a competition where everyone (who does their very best) can be a winner. Unfortunately, young people are often naïve to this simple fact and therefore can get dealt some harmful hits to their self-esteem, especially if their friends seem to be ‘achieving more’.
Constructively critical feedback does not concentrate on standardised achievements. With this type of assessment, a student would be told exactly if they were performing at their best - not whether they compare well to modelled students’ answers. If a definite status marker is needed to relate to the standards expected from a given syllabus, a teacher or student can refer to the mark schemes for the grade. It stems from the feedback; the feedback is not based on the grade. In this way, feedback can be properly tailored for individual students, and can be positive as their strengths are focused upon, not what they have done wrong in comparison to the mark scheme.
Feedback also reduces the competition and comparison between students. It is ‘person specific’ and therefore cannot be judged in a wider, generalised body of work. This kind of assessment also serves as an impetus to rise higher in ability without needing to be ‘better’ than other students. Grades can seem to be unattainable and therefore cause the student to give up if there seems to be no way to achieve them and the students that they know have attained the grade are ‘really clever’. Giving constructive assessment, which is unique to every pupil, helps to set individual targets. These are always achievable in the mind of a student, as the teacher sets them at reasonable levels.
Assessment targets are also very valuable to students who do achieve high grades. Instead of a student reaching an ‘A’ and being comfortable in that margin, a teacher can give her or him feedback and set the student a goal he or she need to reach to get a very high A/A* and therefore continue to be challenged by the syllabus and gain personal achievement.
We can therefore conclude that feedback is more useful than marks or grades because it helps to eliminate many of the competitive, apathetic and comparative problems produced by rigid marking schemes. Feedback also generates its own positive points, individual targets, unique assessment and working incentives. It is more practical in every way, in comparison to marks and grades.
An important way of improving
Nerida
12 years
Leanyer Primary School
Darwin, Australia
Assessment for learning is an important way of improving. If you only get a mark and no feedback you won’t know what to work on next time, so you won’t do any better. If you know what you did wrong you can work on this point and you will do better next time.
Assessment for learning
Davenant Foundation School
United Kingdom
Click here to view their online PowerPoint presentation.
On this page the presentations is under the section 'Online Conference'
Assessment
Nazareth College
Melbourne, Australia
View the students' website by clicking here.
