Supporting Assessment Design at Key Stage 3
Assessment and learning
On this page
This section enables you to:
- understand how assessment links to and supports learning;
- explore the purposes of assessment; and
- understand the types of assessment.
Assessment and learning go hand in hand to help pupils reach their potential. Assessments measure progress, strengths and areas to improve. They also evaluate teaching methods and provide feedback. When assessment is linked to learning, pupils take ownership of their learning, set goals and engage more actively – which helps them understand subjects better. Effective assessment both guides and enhances teaching by identifying areas needing support. This allows teachers to adjust their methods for each pupil's needs.
Assessment for Learning: 10 Principles
In Assessment for Learning: 10 Principles (2002), the Assessment Reform Group stated that ‘Assessment for Learning is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go next, and how best to get them there.’
The group also set out the 10 research-based principles of Assessment for Learning to guide classroom practice listed below.
Assessment for learning:
- is part of effective planning
- focuses on how students learn
- is central to classroom practice
- is a key professional skill
- is sensitive and constructive
- fosters motivation
- promotes understanding of goals and criteria
- helps learners know how to improve
- develops the capacity for self-assessment
- recognises all educational achievement.
Reflection
- How do you currently use assessment data to inform your teaching?
- What types of assessments do you use most frequently in your classroom? Why?
- In what ways could you use assessment more effectively to support pupils’ learning needs?
- How can you provide pupils with feedback in a timely, constructive manner?