Secondary curriculum 2b – Assignment 2

Assessment is an important part of education as it provides teachers with a clear and

current understanding of student progress and attainment of knowledge. It is defined by the
NSW Department of Education & Training (DET) (2008) as “The process of collecting
evidence of student learning in order to draw an inference about an individual’s (or group’s)
current level of attainment” (p. 1). As a result, it suggested that assessments must be
purposeful and designed to collect an accurate result of student performance and
understanding. In relation to this, assessments must be designed according to the principles
of effective assessment. These principles involve ensuring that assessments enable students
to demonstrate what they know as well as provide evidence that current understanding is a
suitable basis for future learning (NSW DET, p. 1, 2008). Likewise, Bennett (2011) suggests
that aside from assessing student attainment, assessment tasks should also be a valuable
learning experience. The idea of assessment for learning allows teachers to use tasks that
assess and encourage deeper learning at the same time. Laveualt & Allal (2016) stated that
“Optimal forms of assessment for learning are those that are embedded in instructional
activities and are designed to ensure interactive regulation of student learning” (p.9). This
indicates that student learning must be constantly regulated, allowing students to engage in
a learning experience. Laveualt & Allal (2016) also discussed the three main dimensions of
learning that should be considered when designing assessment tasks. These dimensions
included “Depth of Learning, which can be assessed by gathering information on activities at
different levels of complexity” and “Transfer of learning, which requires assessment
information collected in a variety of contexts to determine if learning generalizes to
different and/or novel situations.” (p. 11). Similarly, effective assessment also requires that
assessments are designed to be fair. The NSW DET (2008) states that “Assessment needs to
provide opportunities for every student to demonstrate what they know, understand, and
can do” (p. 2). Consequently, teachers must consider the different ways in which their
students can effectively demonstrate their understanding. Additionally, the NSW Education
Standards Authority (NESA) suggests that adjustments are necessary in assessment practices
to allow students to demonstrate what they can do in relation to the syllabus outcomes (p.
4). Andersson & Palm (2017) demonstrated that teachers’ integration of different strategies
for formative assessment provided extended learning opportunities for students (p. 118).
Through reflection upon this discussion, teachers must ensure that the assessment task
does not limit students to only one way of demonstrating their knowledge. In relation to
assessment for learning, it is important for teachers to consider the importance of effective
feedback in assessment. According to NESA (2019), effective feedback is one which
ultimately supports student learning. For example, feedback supports student learning
when it clarifies learning in relation to outcomes, criteria and standards. It also supports
students learning when the feedback is timely and provides opportunities for students to act
upon advice. Anderson, et al., (2019) state that studies have shown that “Written feedback
is likely to be neglected by the student if it is given along with a grade.” (p. 110). This
demonstrates that feedback must be identified as a major contributor to student so that it is
delivered more effectively. In addition, Percell (2017) supports the idea that “Feedback must
be timely, actionable, and consistent in order to be effective.” (p. 2). It is also suggested that
feedback is mostly given at the end of assignments, and this can be ineffective as it is not
timely enough and does not allow students to reflect, think of ways to improve and follow
up through actions to improve. Stephens (2017) states that effective formative feedback
involves explicit teacher articulation of the learning goals and criteria as well as
demonstration of the knowledge and skills that are expected from students in order to
succeed. Likewise, this is only effective if feedback is delivered in a timely matter where
students are given the opportunity to benefit from the feedback rather than to read and
dismiss it. Percell (2017) suggests the benefit of feedback that is conversational as it allows
students to think deeply about how they can improve. This gives students the opportunity
and time to rethink their work and the ways in which they can change it in order to achieve
what is being expected by the teacher (p. 114). Overall, effective feedback in assessment is
important as promotes growth mindset by allowing students to actively recognise the ways
in which their work can be improved.