Assessment

Best practice in assessment requires the integration of :

• Assessment FOR learning (summative): To provide information on student knowledge, skills and behaviours to inform the next stage of learning.
• Assessment AS learning (formative): To provide feedback and opportunities for student reflection and/or self-assessment to support future learning.
• Assessment OF learning (ongoing): To provide information about what students have learnt in relation to the standards.

Policies / Guidelines

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA)

• Prep to 10 Assessment
• Assessment and Reporting
• Assessment Principles
• Assessment Resource

Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD)

• Prep to Year 10 Assessment – Assessment Professional Learning Modules
• Assessment Advice (Powerpoint)
• Prep to Year 10 Assessment
• Year 10 to 12 Assessment
• Student Learning Whole School Self-Assessment Tool

National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (Naplan)

• National Summary Report: Achievement in Reading, Writing, Language Conventions and Numeracy 2008

Websites

• Assessment for learning: Using Statewide Literacy&Numeracy tests as diagnostic tools (PDF 155 KB)
• Assessment Terminology: A Glossary of Useful Terms (New Horizons)
• Assessment – a Toolbox (Columbus State Community College)
• Assessment: How Should We Measure Student Learning?
• Assessment for Learning website (Curriculum Corporation on behalf of the Education Departments of the States, Territories and Commonwealth of Australia)
• Assessment&Reporting(Aussie Educator)
• Assessing students' social and emotional development (ACER eNews)
• Assessing and reporting student achievement (Australasian, Curriculum, Assessment and Certification Authorities (ACACA)
• Closing the Loop: The conceptual basis of the strategies to improve student learning (PDF - 568Kb) (Office of Learning&Teaching, DE&T)
• Educational Assessment Australia [EAA] Online e-Newsletter (PDF 3 MB)
• Formative Assessment - Questioning
• Formative Assessment
• From constructivist research to formative e-assessment (focus on boys) (YouTube)
• Kathy Schrock’s Guide – Assessment
• Learning through Assessment AS Learning (PDF 95 KB)
• Leaving School in Australia - Year 12 State by State
• Planning Decisions: Assessment AS Learning (PDF 78 KB)

Authentic Assessment

• Wiggins, Grant (1990). The case for authentic assessment. Practical Assessment, Research&Evaluation, 2(2). Retrieved October 26, 2008
• What is Authentic Assessment? (Authentic Assessment Toolbox)
• Hildebrand, Gaell (no date given). Designing Authentic Assessment Tasks to tackle “real” problems in schools. (PDF 897 KB)
• Authentic Assessment (performance based assessment) (YouTube)
• Performance based Assessment
  Brualdi, Amy (1998). Implementing performance assessment in the classroom. Practical Assessment, Research&Evaluation, 6(2). Retrieved October 26, 200
• Products and Performances for Performance-Based Assessments
• Alternative/Performance-Based Assessment

Student self and peer assessment

• Student self-assessment (Curriculum Corporation)
• Student self and peer assessment (PDF 258 KB)

Assessment in a particular discipline

• Assessment for Learning in Maths
• Assessment For Learning in KS3/4 Science - Andy and Physics
• Strengthening Assessment in Mathematics
• Traffic Lights - Instant Feedback (no hands policy - math) (YouTube)

Assessment rubrics

• RubiStar
• Designing Scoring Rubrics for Your Classroom
• Rubistar Video Tutorial - Part 1 (YouTube)

Online publications

• Ainley, John (2005) Measuring Australian Students' ICT Literacy. Research Developments: Vol. 14, Article 5.
• Black, P. J. (2003). Assessment for learning: Putting it into practice. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Online access Concordia University College Internet Access Grande Prairie Regional College Internet Access Red Deer College Internet Access UA Internet Access
• Matters Gabrielle&Curtis David (2008). Study into the assessment and reporting of employability skills of senior secondary students (PDF 643 KB). Australian Council of Educational Research and Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Accessed October, 2008
• McCurry, Doug (2005) "Taking a New Approach to Student Assessment," Research Developments: Vol. 13, Article 4.
• Shacklock Geoff (2006). Assessment Practices in an Applied Learning Context  (PDF 129 KB)(RMIT University, 2006)
• Hickey, Daniel T.; Kruger, Ann Cale; Fredrick, Laura D.; Schafer, Nancy Jo; Kindfield, Ann C. H.
  Balancing Formative and Summative Science Assessment Practices: Year One of the GenScope Assessment Project. accessed 20 October, 2008
• McMillan, James H. (2000). Fundamental assessment principles for teachers and school administrators. Practical Assessment, Research&Evaluation, 7(8). Retrieved October 26, 2008
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Centre for Educational Research and Innovation. (2005). Formative assessment: improving learning in secondary classrooms. Paris: OECD. Online access RMIT: Available on SourceOECD

Publications

• Blythe, Tina Allen, David P.&Powell, Barbara S. (1999). Looking together at student work: A companion guide to assessing student learning. New York: Teachers College Press.
• Boston, Carol (2002). The concept of formative assessment. Practical Assessment, Research&Evaluation, 8(9). Retrieved October 26, 2008 from
• Butler, Susan M.&McMunn, Nancy D. (2006). A teacher’s guide to classroom assessment : understanding and using assessment to improve student learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
• Coombe, Christine A. Folse, Keith S.&Hubley, Nancy J. (2007). A practical guide to assessing English language learners. Ann Arbor, Mich: University of Michigan.
• Earl, Lorna M. (2004). Assessment as learning: using classroom assessment to maximize student learning. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin Press.
• Fautley, Martin&Savage, Jonathan (2007). Assessment for learning and teaching in secondary schools. Exeter: Learning Matters.
• Harlen, W (2006). Teaching, learning and Assessing Science 5-12 (4th Ed). London: SAGE.
• Johnson, David W.&Johnson Roger T. (2004). Assessing students in groups: promoting group responsibility and individual accountability. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
• Layton, Carol A&Lock, Robin H. (2008). Assessing students with special needs to produce quality outcomes. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.
• McMillan, James H. (2007). Formative classroom assessment: Theory into practice. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.
• Peterson Elizabeth R. & Irving, S. Earl (2008). Secondary school students' conceptions of assessment and feedback. Learning and Instruction, 18(3) p. 238-250.
• Pohlman, Craig (2008). Revealing Minds: Assessing to understand and support struggling learners. San Francisco Jossey-Bass.

Examples of school practice

• Bowral High Assessment Policy, Procedures and Practices (PDF 230 KB)
• The Gresswell Cluster of Schools (PDF 134 KB)
• John Cabot City Technology College in Bristol is taking bold steps to make students responsible for their own learning.