What’s The Point Of Assessment?

At times is can feel like our piles of marking grow and grow like weeds in the Summer. It’s easy to feel powerless against the tide or to even fall into the trap of thinking that it’s pointless.

The truth is that assessment is essential.

But it’s only effective if it’s done well.

What’s the point in all of that marking if we give it back weeks later when our students can barely remember what they did in the first place? What the point in all of that marking if our students never read our comments?

We need to make them aware of the purpose of assessment.

1. The first point of assessment is so that we can help our students make progress.

We all want our students to succeed and to come out of their school experience with grades that they can be proud of. Assessment informs us, and our students, of where they’re currently working. That means that assessment is only valuable if it’s accurately marked.

That’s not to say that we shouldn’t marked in different ways! We all know that, when we’re umming and ahing between marks it’s best to go with the lower one well before the exam for motivational reasons, however that last minute essay before the final exam needs a mark on the high side of accurate for exactly the same confidence boosting reason.

When we’re assessing an individual student’s work, we need to make sure that we’re making note of what they’re doing well and what they need to be working on to step up. Whilst we’re marking the whole class set, we need to make our own notes because…

2. The second point of assessment is that it informs our teaching.

How on earth can we know what we need to cover or even re-cover without assessment?

I’ve lost count of the times where I’ve thought a class has nailed a particular skill or really got to grips with a specific text only to discover, when marking the assessment, that, actually, they only got it when I was teaching them it. They were still relying on me.

The other thing it helps with is revealing where I’ve over or under taught something. At times, assessment shows me that I need to take a step back. Assessment is totally essential in letting us know what comes next in our teaching sequence. As English teachers, this is really significant when it comes to recognising class wide writing issues.

3. The final point of assessment is to get our students asking questions and making improvements.

Asking questions is a good way to get students to start asking their own questions. Think about what you’d like students to change or add in and then ask questions like:

  • How could you develop your language analysis here?
  • How could you better integrate quotes?
  • What do you think the reader’s response to this would be?

Questions as simple as ‘Why?’ or ‘How?’ really work too! Check out my post on blowing bubbles – it sounds random but it really works. Promise.

Whatever you call it, at my school it’s known as ‘Mind The Gap’, assessment is an opportunity to enable students to self-reflect or peer-assess their work before trying to make it better. There are loads of ways of doing that!

At times, I use a colour coding grid.

Other techniques are providing a model answer and asking students to compare their response to mine.

Even essay speed dating! ALevel Literature Feedback – Speed Dating-25sumvk

The more familiar students are with success criteria and work that successfully meets it, the better.

So, what’s the point of assessment?

It grows successful, confident students who know how to make progress and action it.

Even if, at times, it feels like a really pain in the butt trying to get it all marked!

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