Opinion

Teachers must reclaim definition of AfL

A recent news item (Make the Grade, Autumn 2009, page 9), on the Assessment Reform Group's report, Assessment in schools. Fit for Purpose? says: 'It [the ARG Report] also suggests the definition of assessment for learning as "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, and how best to get there," is unattainable.'

The ARG has never said that AfL is unattainable. Indeed we have consistently argued, on the basis of strong research evidence, that AfL, properly understood and implemented, can significantly enhance both learning and measured performance. What we do acknowledge is that the concept is sometimes misinterpreted and misrepresented. Furthermore, putting it into practice, authentically, can be challenging, especially when teachers feel constrained by overbearing pressure to meet bureaucratic targets.

If your statement is uncorrected, I fear that CIEA members might say, "Well, if it is unattainable, why are we bothering with AfL at all?" This could set the clock back 10 years.

What the ARG has argued in the report is that teachers need to reclaim the definition of AfL and reassert its role as part of good pedagogy, at the heart of effective classroom practice, for the benefit of pupils' learning.

Classroom Assessment - principles and practice for effective standards-based instruction

Author: James H McMillan
Publisher: Pearson
ISBN: 0205485847
Price: £53.99
Ratings (out of 5) Readability: 5, Usefulness: 4, Relevance: 3

This is a lively and practical insight into conducting assessment in the classroom. It begins with a fitting description of a typical classroom, highlighting the interactions that take place.

We are left with no doubt that the author understands the classroom and the number of decisions that take place there on a daily basis; it is made clear that the teacher is central to effective assessment, but that this is only one of a myriad of jobs that need to be completed daily.

This new edition concentrates on the process of assessment, and guides us through the preparation, the conduct and the feedback, with an emphasis on the personal skills and self-discipline that the successful teacher needs. It is written concisely, informatively and lacks technical jargon.

Readers will soon feel comfortable with the common format to each chapter. For example, a concept map begins each chapter; and the chapter goes on to include: teachers' corner, where staff comment on the principles outlined; case studies for reflection; self-instructional review exercises and suggestions for action research.

The book provides detailed coverage of formative assessment in the classroom and aligns this style of assessments with high-stakes, large-scale testing. It emphasises the difference between assessment of learning and assessment for learning and illustrates how assessment affects daily activity.

However, the context is American. There are frequent references to No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) that often grate and do not translate easily into the English or British systems. Nevertheless, the principles outlined cross such boundaries and the easy-to-follow diagrams help to explain these principles.

Graham Herbert is deputy head of the CIEA