How English schools can use assessment to help them improve?

How English schools can use assessment to help them improve?

Introduction

Assessment is a judgment of quality, in education, it relates to testing and examination of students, teachers, and English schools and at end of day Government of time (TenBrink 2008). Whenever we enter into a relationship, whenever we do anything in a social context we open ourselves to other people's assessment. They form opinions of us, have a perceived image of us, or may instantly judge us. If they did not, then we would be essentially unpredictable to them: they would not know what to expect of us or how to behave towards us.

Discussion

In informal relationships, we expect people to make assessments in light of their own direct experience of us. People share their assessments about other people with friends: "What do you think of Ken?" and "How do you get on with Ray?" (Tenbrink 2004) and "Have you heard latest about Jim?" Gossip, whether, charitable or spiteful, is a means of establishing norms. Assessing is viewed as primarily giving information to other establishments, employers or other teachers on succeeding courses. Assessment is not popular with many people, students do not like being assessed, teachers also do not like being assessed (OFSTED), but there is no escaping need for assessment as a means of recording and reporting information. (Rowntree2009)

Assessment in education can be divided into four main types of assessment

Formative assessment: An ongoing process of assessment during a project or activity

Summative assessment: Used at end of a project or activity to determine effectiveness of learning during a project or activity when it is finalized

Norm referencing: The attainment level of student(s) and his/her performance during a project or activity are measured against past and or present performances and compared with other groups of students.

Criteria referencing: A student's performance is measured against predetermined criteria. The student can attain or not attain desired criteria (current GCSE exams are criteria referenced (Johnstone 2008)

One of most prevalent forms of assessment involves multiple choice or fill-in--blank questions that have been developed from a given set of critera that has been deemed worthy of being "necessary knowledge". For instance battle of Hastings in 1066 had a big impact on history of Great Britain. When students are lectured on a subject, they are overloaded with facts, statistics as well as information that are to be regurgitated at a later date in form of some assessment test. (Gipps 2007)

Assessment Grades

Much of criticism of assessment is aimed at grading system, are grades an empty symbol of assessment? Grades on there own do not tell you much about person being assessed, so their main drawback is one of omission. What grades on their own don't do is tell all that is known about student's performance or abilities. Important qualities and features differentiating one student from another are obliterated by grades. (Duncan 2005)

Thus students who've got same grade may have tackled problems during a project in quite different ways and come up with there own ...