Assessment For Learning: Why Is It Still Important For Your Teaching?

Assessment for learning is an essential tool for any teacher. It is not a new concept in teaching and learning and it has been the focus of considerable research, with widespread agreement that this form of assessment is a key factor in improving learning and teaching.

In this blog we will be exploring assessment for learning, looking at what it is, how it differs from other types of assessment, where it originated and what the key principles and features are.

What is assessment for learning?

Assessment for learning is a process that occurs at every stage of the learning process, with effective feedback used to improve students’ performance. Assessment for learning is therefore different from assessment of learning, or ‘summative assessment‘, where teachers assess achievement, often through an exam or test, at defined key points during the school year, usually at the end of a learning period. In summative assessment, teachers usually grade students.

Assessment for learning is therefore formative. Its purpose is to close the gap between where the learner is then, to where they want to be. It involves both formal and informal assessment activities. Teachers use assessment information to adjust their teaching strategies, with an emphasis on learning progress and achievement, rather than failure.

An example of assessment for learning (AFL) is the use of traffic light cards. Learners have a red, amber and green card, to represent their level of understanding. At any point in the lesson, they can show a card to demonstrate their level of understanding.

• Red = they don’t understand;

• Amber = partial understanding;

• Green = strong understanding.

This strategy becomes formative when educators use adaptive teaching in response to student feedback.

This is a very simple, but effective assessment the children can use to be involved in the assessment of their learning and for the teacher to quickly formatively assess student understanding and learners’ progress at that point in time. It’s worth mentioning that this strategy gives a subjective measure of confidence. It could be that students can’t self-assess accurately so it could be best used in accompaniment to other formative assessment strategies.

For example, the teacher could use this strategy in conjunction with small whiteboards. A student might have incorrectly answered a question on the small whiteboard but display a sign that they’re confident in their answer. This could indicate that the student has not understood the concept even if they think they have and need some support.

How is assessment for learning different from other forms of assessment?

The key difference between assessment for learning and assessment of learning, or formative and summative assessment, is that the goal of assessment for learning is to monitor student’s learning to provide feedback that can be used by the teacher to adapt instruction and by the students to improve their learning. In contrast, the goal of assessment of learning is to evaluate the student’s learning at the end of a block of work, against a standard benchmark.

Exit tickets can be used by teachers to get ongoing feedback from the students to inform their teaching. In our one-on-one online math tutoring, students answer post-session questions. Their responses inform the next selection of lessons. This ensures that their learning journey with Third Space Learning is personalized and focused on the individual’s learning gaps.

In assessment for learning and formative assessment, students are encouraged to take an active role and become fully involved in the learning process and their progress, through answering questions, peer and self-assessment. 

In assessment of learning, the student takes a passive role and the teacher takes on the main role, for example, through the marking of formal essays and tests.

Where did assessment for learning come from and why is it important?

In 1989, a group of educational assessment researchers formed the Assessment Reform Group, with one of its members, Caroline Gipps, first introducing the term ‘Assessment for Learning’ in 1994. A clear link was made between assessment of learning (summative assessment) and assessment for learning (formative assessment). The concepts of formative and summative assessment have been around much longer, having been first introduced by Michael Scriven in 1967.

Following this, UK professors Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam reviewed assessment practices across all sectors of education. In their 1998 publication, Inside The Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment, Black and Wiliam likened the classroom to a black box (an object which can be viewed in terms of its inputs and outputs, without any knowledge of its internal workings). They investigated teaching and learning in classrooms and discovered that students who learn in a formative way achieve much better results than students who do not.

More recent research continues to focus on the importance of assessment and feedback. In his book, Visible Learning for Teachers (2011), John Hattie looked at the attributes of schooling that would truly make a difference for student learning. He ranked feedback strategies 10th out of 150 factors that significantly improve learner outcomes, particularly if the strategies involved feedback about the learner’s work.

Third Space Learning’s online one-on-one maths tutoring programmes begin with a prior learning question so tutors can assess the student’s understanding.

If students struggle to answer the question or answer incorrectly, the tutor can adapt the lesson to cover the concepts students need before they can access the current learning objective.

But, if students answer correctly, they can continue with the progression of the lesson.

Importance of assessment for learning

Assessment for learning is important not only because of the adjustment teachers can make in their teaching but also because formative assessment supports students’ development of metacognitive strategies and helps them to take a more active role in their learning.

Research shows that learners who take part in self-assessment can better identify what they have done wrong which enables them to review, edit and improve their work. This in turn boosts the learner’s confidence and achievement and helps to develop a growth mindset in the classroom.

Assessment for learning, responsive teaching and assessment for learning

The terms ‘assessment for learning’, ‘formative assessment’ and ‘responsive teaching’ are often used synonymously. Some writers see a distinction between assessment for learning and formative assessment, such as Dylan Wiliam, but others do not. Some researchers argue that responsive teaching incorporates research findings from cognitive science.

However, one commonality is that they all refer to the wide variety of methods teachers use to assess:

• Students’ understanding;

• Identification of students who are struggling;

• Adjustments a teacher makes in response.

Below, we’ve listed the key principles of assessment for learning, many of which are shared by responsive teaching and formative assessment.

10 key principles of formative assessment

The Assessment Reform Group (2002) identified 10 principles of assessment for learning:

1. Effective planning

A teacher’s planning should provide opportunities for both the learner and teacher to obtain and use information about progress towards learning goals. Planning should include formative assessment for learning strategies to ensure that learners understand the goals and the criteria being used to assess their work.

2. Central to classroom practice.

A lot of what teachers and learners do in classrooms is assessment. Learners demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills and teachers observe and make judgements concerning:

• The direction of learning;

• How it can be adjusted to meet the needs of the learners.

3. Promotes understanding of goals and criteria.

For effective learning to take place, learners need to understand what they are trying to achieve. When learners have some part in deciding the goals and identifying criteria for assessing progress, they are more likely to have greater understanding and commitment.

4. Sensitive and constructive.

Teachers should have an awareness of the impact that comments and grades can have on learners’ confidence and enthusiasm. Feedback should be as constructive as possible, focusing on the assessment task, rather than the person.

5. Fosters motivation.

Motivation is fostered through the emphasis of achievement rather than failure. Comparison with others who have been more successful is unlikely to motivate learners and can lead to them withdrawing from the learning process.

6. Recognises all educational achievements.

Assessment for learning should be used to enhance all learners’ opportunities to learn in all areas of educational activity, enabling all learners to achieve their best and be recognised for their efforts.

Often, there’s a heavier focus on core subjects such as math and English than on other subjects. However, some students thrive in those other subjects and educational achievements in these subject should be equally celebrated.

7. Focuses on how students learn.

The teacher and the student should be thinking about the process of learning. Learners should be as aware of the ‘how’ of their learning as they are of the ‘what’.

8. Helps learners know how to improve.

Learners need information and guidance to plan the next steps in their learning. Teachers should focus on the strengths and be constructive with any areas to improve and how students can do this. High quality feedback should be timely and provide clear steps to the individual student to move the learning forward.

9. Develops the capacity for peer and self-assessment.

Children should be able to engage in self-reflection and peer feedback and be able to identify the next steps in their or their peer’s learning. Teachers need to support students through developing their skills of self-assessment.

10. Assessment for learning is a key professional skill.

Teachers need to have the professional knowledge and skills to: 

• plan for assessment; 

• observe learning; 

• analyze and interpret evidence of learning;

• give feedback to learners;

• support learners in self-assessment. 

Teachers need initial support and continuing professional development for this.

Implementing assessment for learning: 6 tips for classroom practice

Implementing assessment for learning in the classroom requires a deliberate and systematic approach. Teachers must adapt their teaching practice to incorporate formative assessment strategies that enable ongoing progress monitoring of the whole class and promote student learning and engagement. Here are some tips for implementing AFL in the classroom:

1. Clearly define learning objectives and success criteria

Outline the intended learning outcomes and the success criteria at the start of each lesson. This helps students understand what they are aiming to achieve and how their progress will be measured.

Use a range of strategies to make sure children have a clear understanding of them. For example, using WILF (What I’m looking for) or involving students in the negotiation of the criteria and rubric. Write these on the board for children to see clearly.

2. Use a variety of formative assessment strategies

Incorporate different formative assessment types such as:

• effective questioning;

• peer assessment;

• self-assessment.

These methods provide valuable insights into student learning and help identify areas that need further attention. Peer assessment and self assessment get students involved in the assessment process and gets them actively engaged in their learning.

3. Provide regular and constructive feedback

Feedback is a crucial component of AFL. Both formal and informal feedback is key – simply ensure that it is timely, specific, and focused on guiding students towards improvement. Constructive feedback helps students understand their strengths and areas for development.

4. Encourage student ownership of learning

Create a classroom environment where students take an active role in their own learning. Encourage them to set personal learning goals and reflect on their own work. Self assessment is a great way to empower students to take responsibility for their own learning. This boosts their motivation and when students monitor their own learning, it helps them develop metacognitive skills.

5. Leverage technology for immediate feedback

Use technology tools to facilitate formative assessment and provide instant feedback. Digital platforms can offer interactive quizzes, polls, and other activities that help gauge student understanding in real-time.

6. Use questioning effectively

Questioning helps teachers to identify and correct any misconceptions the students may have. It provides teachers with information about student thinking and what they know and understand. Effective questioning requires the use of open questions, which encourage the use of thinking skills, whilst closed questions only ask learners to recall.

Here are some open question sentence stem examples:

·   Can you explain…..?

·   Why is X important?

·   What if…..?

·   How would you…..?

Conclusion

Regardless of the term being used by teachers and senior leaders, whether it be assessment for learning, formative assessment or responsive teaching, it is clear that the use of assessment and assessment strategies are a key component in ensuring student success for all in the classroom. 

School leaders and teachers need to evaluate whether what is currently happening in their schools and in their classrooms is having a genuine impact on their teaching practice, student progress and student achievement.

If teachers are spending huge amounts of time filling out spreadsheets to show the progress the children are making, but this evidence isn’t being used to impact teaching and student learning, then the spreadsheets are meaningless. All they are doing is providing information on what the students do and do not know.  Real impact only occurs when this information is used effectively to improve the learning outcomes of all students.

Assessment for learning FAQs

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