Assessment in Schools: Principles in Practice – serie

Rubrics offer concrete artefacts of what schools evaluate to be of merit, and what educators and schools value to be worth rewarding. Assessment Rubrics Decoded offers insights into a myriad of issues that affect, and are affected by, the construction of merit in students’ learning and the articulation of (underlying) educational ideologies in the assessment of student achievement. Designed for both students and teachers – who should have parity of involvement in developing and using rubrics – this book covers the problematic issues of assessment in schools while offering readers practical solutions to navigating the ensuing tensions and dilemmas. The notion that rubrics may hinder assessment transparency is also discussed, with examples, to warn against uncritical use of rubrics that may discipline rather than help learners. The perspective of a school leader in providing assessment leadership to rubrics usage across a school is included for extending awareness of rubrics beyond classroom contexts. This provides an informed approach for teachers to understand the stakes and complexities involved in judging learning, and learners, whilst offering concrete options and suggestions to consider. This book will be a valuable resource for classroom teachers, school leaders, teacher educators and researchers interested in the field of assessment rubrics.

Rubrics offer concrete artefacts of what schools evaluate to be of merit, and what educators and schools value to be worth rewarding. Assessment Rubrics Decoded offers insights into a myriad of issues that affect, and are affected by, the construction of merit in students’ learning and the articulation of (underlying) educational ideologies in the assessment of student achievement. Designed for both students and teachers – who should have parity of involvement in developing and using rubrics – this book covers the problematic issues of assessment in schools while offering readers practical solutions to navigating the ensuing tensions and dilemmas. The notion that rubrics may hinder assessment transparency is also discussed, with examples, to warn against uncritical use of rubrics that may discipline rather than help learners. The perspective of a school leader in providing assessment leadership to rubrics usage across a school is included for extending awareness of rubrics beyond classroom contexts. This provides an informed approach for teachers to understand the stakes and complexities involved in judging learning, and learners, whilst offering concrete options and suggestions to consider. This book will be a valuable resource for classroom teachers, school leaders, teacher educators and researchers interested in the field of assessment rubrics.

This book provides the basics of student self-assessment and implementation challenges, and it offers practical solutions and examples for navigating the use of student self-assessment in various subject disciplines in primary schools, secondary schools and higher education. It provides an informed approach for educators to understand the complexities and subtleties involved in implementing self-assessment, and how this might include and impact on teachers and students.Involving students in assessment is not a new idea nor is student self-assessment a new assessment tool in schools. Despite the advantages and the necessity for including it in our pedagogic processes explicitly, the use of student self-assessment has been far from commonplace and consistent in classrooms, schools and universities. This book makes clear the choices of what, how and why student self-assessment is important and usable in the classroom.This book is designed for educators at different levels, and educational researchers. It will provide food for thought for pre- and in-service teachers and school leaders who are interested in nurturing independent and self-directed learners by involving students in the assessment process and maximising student learning through the use of student self-assessment.

This book provides the basics of student self-assessment and implementation challenges, and it offers practical solutions and examples for navigating the use of student self-assessment in various subject disciplines in primary schools, secondary schools and higher education. It provides an informed approach for educators to understand the complexities and subtleties involved in implementing self-assessment, and how this might include and impact on teachers and students.Involving students in assessment is not a new idea nor is student self-assessment a new assessment tool in schools. Despite the advantages and the necessity for including it in our pedagogic processes explicitly, the use of student self-assessment has been far from commonplace and consistent in classrooms, schools and universities. This book makes clear the choices of what, how and why student self-assessment is important and usable in the classroom.This book is designed for educators at different levels, and educational researchers. It will provide food for thought for pre- and in-service teachers and school leaders who are interested in nurturing independent and self-directed learners by involving students in the assessment process and maximising student learning through the use of student self-assessment.

Learners of all levels receive a plethora of feedback messages on a daily – or even hourly – basis. Teachers, coaches, parents, peers – all have suggestions and advice on how to improve or sustain a certain level of performance.This volume offers insights into the complexity of students’ engagement with feedback, the diversity of teachers’ feedback practices, and the influence of personal assessment beliefs in tension with prevailing contexts. It focuses on two main sections: what is students’ engagement with feedback? And what is the variety of teachers’ feedback practices? Under these themes, the content covers a broad range of key topics pertaining to instructional feedback, how it operates in a classroom and how students engage with feedback. Unarguably, feedback is a key element of successful instructional practices – however we also know that (a) learners often dread it and dismiss it and (b) the effectiveness of feedback varies depending on teacher’s and student’s characteristics, specific characteristic of feedback messages that learners receive, as well as a number of contextual variables. What this volume articulates are new ways for learners to engage with feedback beyond recipience and uptake.With nuanced insights for research and practice, this book will be most useful to teachers, university teacher educators, and researchers working to design and enact new ways of engaging with feedback in schools and beyond.

Learners of all levels receive a plethora of feedback messages on a daily – or even hourly – basis. Teachers, coaches, parents, peers – all have suggestions and advice on how to improve or sustain a certain level of performance.This volume offers insights into the complexity of students’ engagement with feedback, the diversity of teachers’ feedback practices, and the influence of personal assessment beliefs in tension with prevailing contexts. It focuses on two main sections: what is students’ engagement with feedback? And what is the variety of teachers’ feedback practices? Under these themes, the content covers a broad range of key topics pertaining to instructional feedback, how it operates in a classroom and how students engage with feedback. Unarguably, feedback is a key element of successful instructional practices – however we also know that (a) learners often dread it and dismiss it and (b) the effectiveness of feedback varies depending on teacher’s and student’s characteristics, specific characteristic of feedback messages that learners receive, as well as a number of contextual variables. What this volume articulates are new ways for learners to engage with feedback beyond recipience and uptake.With nuanced insights for research and practice, this book will be most useful to teachers, university teacher educators, and researchers working to design and enact new ways of engaging with feedback in schools and beyond.

Offering a valuable introduction to those beginning their journey into educational assessment, this book provides both teachers and students insights into the challenging world of designing, implementing, and interpreting classroom assessments.School-based assessments are essential in planning for quality teaching and learning, but getting assessments "right" can be a challenging task for teachers, especially those who are new to the profession. It is exacerbated by the fact that because learners often experience assessment last in the lesson cycle, it is also the last consideration in teachers’ minds. This text is divided into four sections: (a) “Foundations of Assessment”, (b) “Assessment Design and Development”, (c) “Approaches to Formative Assessment”, and (d) “Sustainable Assessment for the Future”. By the end of the book, readers will have a solid understanding of classroom assessment practices and be equipped to design and implement assessments that support student learning, promote equity and inclusion, and take into account the important psychosocial aspects of assessment (e.g. how it impacts students’ well-being).It is a must read for trainee teachers, education policymakers, and in-service teachers looking to freshen their knowledge of the latest educational assessment innovations.

Offering a valuable introduction to those beginning their journey into educational assessment, this book provides both teachers and students insights into the challenging world of designing, implementing, and interpreting classroom assessments.School-based assessments are essential in planning for quality teaching and learning, but getting assessments "right" can be a challenging task for teachers, especially those who are new to the profession. It is exacerbated by the fact that because learners often experience assessment last in the lesson cycle, it is also the last consideration in teachers’ minds. This text is divided into four sections: (a) “Foundations of Assessment”, (b) “Assessment Design and Development”, (c) “Approaches to Formative Assessment”, and (d) “Sustainable Assessment for the Future”. By the end of the book, readers will have a solid understanding of classroom assessment practices and be equipped to design and implement assessments that support student learning, promote equity and inclusion, and take into account the important psychosocial aspects of assessment (e.g. how it impacts students’ well-being).It is a must read for trainee teachers, education policymakers, and in-service teachers looking to freshen their knowledge of the latest educational assessment innovations.

This book provides students, teachers, and researchers with a deeper examination of educational assessment fundamentals and examines assessment beyond (best) practices. The authors go beyond simply updating what is best practice assessment by understanding “best practices” in a way that will hold true for the future, especially in the wake of the drastic disruptions in these past few years.Covering key topics of inclusive assessment, psychosocial impacts and wellbeing of students, and assessment in the age of technological proliferation and artificial intelligence, this book is divided into four sections: (1) “Assessment fit for the future in schools, for society”, (2) "Assessment literacy and leadership”, (3) “Theories and technicalities of assessment”, and (4) “Assessment for all learners in schools and society”. By the end of the book, readers will have nuanced understandings of the complexities of assessment issues that can enable a re-examination of what is fundamental to assessment and learning in schools, and how that prepares our learners for uncertain futures in society.This book is a must-read for teachers, school leaders, policy makers, and researchers looking to reflect critically on their assessment practices and consider new ways of formulating assessment that is fit for all learners in schools, and beyond.

This book provides students, teachers, and researchers with a deeper examination of educational assessment fundamentals and examines assessment beyond (best) practices. The authors go beyond simply updating what is best practice assessment by understanding “best practices” in a way that will hold true for the future, especially in the wake of the drastic disruptions in these past few years.Covering key topics of inclusive assessment, psychosocial impacts and wellbeing of students, and assessment in the age of technological proliferation and artificial intelligence, this book is divided into four sections: (1) “Assessment fit for the future in schools, for society”, (2) "Assessment literacy and leadership”, (3) “Theories and technicalities of assessment”, and (4) “Assessment for all learners in schools and society”. By the end of the book, readers will have nuanced understandings of the complexities of assessment issues that can enable a re-examination of what is fundamental to assessment and learning in schools, and how that prepares our learners for uncertain futures in society.This book is a must-read for teachers, school leaders, policy makers, and researchers looking to reflect critically on their assessment practices and consider new ways of formulating assessment that is fit for all learners in schools, and beyond.

This book examines the principles and practice of authentic assessment. It seeks to answer the following questions. What is authentic assessment? How is authentic assessment different from 'performance assessment' or 'alternative assessment'? How can authentic assessment support learner-centred education, especially when a performance-oriented culture favours pen-and-paper examinations?The book is structured into two major parts. The first, 'Principles of authentic assessment design', provides readers with a conceptual explanation of authenticity; the principles for designing quality authentic assessments for valid evidence of student learning; and guidance about how to develop quality rubrics to structure assessment tasks.The second part of the book, 'Theory into practice' provides examples developed by teachers to demonstrate an understanding of authentic assessment. The subject areas covered include humanities, languages, mathematics, sciences, character and citizenship. Two case studies are discussed to demonstrate how authentic assessment can be used to comprehensively address key learning objectives in a variety of curriculum contexts.This book provides practitioners with concrete examples on how to develop authentic assessment to suit their context and also enhance their students’ learning. The book will also enable teachers to face assessment challenges present in our changing world.Chapter 1 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com