Assessment

This section is being updated, come back soon for new information.

In the meantime you may want to check for national examination agency advice.

QCDA (England) http://www.qcda.gov.uk/default.aspx and www.ncaction.org.uk
DCSF (England) KS3 Strategy Assessment for Learning http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/secondary/keystage3/all/respub/afl_ws
CCEA (Northern Ireland) http://www.ccea.org.uk/ and http://www.nicurriculum.org.uk/
DENI (Northern Ireland) http://www.deni.gov.uk/
TLS (Scotland) http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/assess/index.asp
DELLS (Wales) http://old.accac.org.uk/eng/content.php?mID=181

There is a wide range of articles on assessment and free examples in the Resource Vault (Members only)

Assessment for learning in D&T

There has been a great deal of focus in D&T on the holistic nature of capability which has possibly led to an over-emphasis on summative assessment and insufficient attention being given to formative assessment. Good departments realise that it is necessary to assess students' knowledge, skills and understanding alongside their ability to apply these and to combine them with both practical and cognitive skills when designing and making (capability).

So how can D&T departments balance formative and summative assessment in D&T? What is the relationship of between formative and summative assessment in D&T and how may both be managed? Assessment for learning (Afl) provides a useful framework and solution.

Assessment for learning (formative assessment) is different from assessment of learning (summative assessment) which involves judging students' performance against national standards (level descriptions), usually at the end of a unit of work, year or key stage. An important aspect of assessment for learning is the formative use of summative data, so it is important to plan for this. Assessment should be for learning, not just of learning. And formative assessment should inform summative assessment.

Assessment for learning involves using assessment in the classroom to raise students' achievement. It is based on the idea that students will improve most if they understand the aim of their learning, where they are in relation to this aim and how they can achieve the aim. It recognises that motivation and self-esteem, crucial for effective learning and progress, can be increased by effective assessment techniques.

Research has shown that being part of the review process raises standards and empowers students to take action to improve their performance.

Key characteristics of assessment for learning are:

- using effective questioning techniques
- using marking and feedback strategies
- sharing learning goals
- peer and self assessment

These characteristics are reflected in Ofsted's subject report for D&T in secondary school (2003/04), which reports that for many schools the quality and use of assessment remains an area for development and that assessment should:

- remain an essential and integral part of teaching and learning
- involve sharing learning goals with students
- help students to know and recognise the standards they are aiming for
- involve students in peer and self-assessment
- provide feedback which leads to students recognising their next steps and how to make them
- involve both teacher and students in reviewing and reflecting on assessment data

Ofsted considers that the most significant characteristic of good practice in assessment is that assessment is not seen as an end in itself, but as a means to improving young people's achievement and helping teachers to improve their own teaching programmes.