Assessments are foundational to modern education, playing a crucial role in guiding teaching strategies, enhancing learning experiences, and informing data-driven decisions. Within the realm of educational assessment, two core concepts stand out: assessment for learning and assessment of learning.
Both types of assessment are vital and serve distinct, yet complementary, purposes. Understanding their individual roles and how they interact is crucial for educators seeking to optimize instruction, implement effective interventions, and ultimately boost student achievement.
Delving into Assessment of Learning
Assessment of learning is typically conducted at the culmination of a learning unit or grading period. Its primary function is to evaluate a student’s overall understanding and mastery of the material. This evaluation is achieved by comparing a student’s performance against established benchmarks or standards at the class, district, or even national level, as highlighted by the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University.
Alt: Students completing a summative assessment in a classroom, demonstrating assessment of learning.
Benchmark assessments are a prime example of assessment of learning. These standardized evaluations are often administered periodically, such as three times a year, to provide a universal screening of student performance and identify those who may require additional support.
Understanding Assessment for Learning
Assessment for learning, also frequently referred to as formative assessment or assessment as learning, takes a different approach. It focuses on gauging student comprehension and skill acquisition during the active teaching and learning process. This type of assessment is not about final grades or scores; instead, it’s about providing ongoing feedback to both students and educators to enhance the learning journey.
According to the Eberly Center at Carnegie Mellon, assessment for learning equips educators with valuable real-time insights, enabling them to:
- Proactively identify students who are struggling or falling behind.
- Make immediate adjustments to their teaching methods and instructional strategies.
- Continuously monitor student progress and learning trajectories.
Alt: Teacher providing formative feedback to student, illustrating assessment for learning in action.
Regular progress monitoring is a practical application of assessment for learning. By frequently assessing student performance between benchmark assessments, educators can determine the effectiveness of current teaching approaches and interventions. This allows for timely modifications if the current strategies are not yielding the desired improvements in student achievement.
Integrating Assessment for and of Learning in Teaching Strategies
Absolutely, a balanced teaching strategy should effectively incorporate both assessment for and assessment of learning. These two types of assessments are not mutually exclusive; rather, they work synergistically to create a comprehensive understanding of student learning. When implemented thoughtfully and in conjunction, they form a robust assessment framework that reveals:
- A detailed picture of a student’s progress in developing fundamental skills and competencies.
- A clear indication of a student’s achievement level relative to established state standards and end-of-year learning objectives.
Catherine Garrison and Michael Ehringhaus, PhD, authors of Formative and Summative Assessments in the Classroom, emphasize that the more data educators can gather about students throughout the learning process, the better equipped they are to make informed decisions about instruction and intervention. This continuous flow of information ensures that every student receives the tailored support needed to advance in their educational journey.
Data-Driven Assessments: Powering Student Progress
“If assessment is to be a positive force in education, it must be implemented properly. It cannot be used to merely sort students or to criticize education. Its goals must be to improve education. Rather than ‘teach to the test,’ we must ‘test what we teach.’”
-Lockwood and McLean, authors of Why We Assess Students — And How: The Competing Measures of Student Performance
When considering how assessment for learning and assessment of learning contribute to evaluating the effectiveness of teaching and learning, it is crucial to critically examine your current assessment practices. Are you utilizing the most appropriate assessments and measurement tools, and are you leveraging technology effectively to support these processes?
This critical self-reflection can help determine if your assessment strategies are genuinely driving instructional decisions and fostering meaningful student progress through data that is both effective and easily interpretable.
A data-driven assessment approach is instrumental in fueling student success by empowering educators to:
- Identify students with specific learning needs and challenges at an early stage.
- Adapt instructional methods and establish personalized learning goals to address individual learning gaps.
- Track the impact and effectiveness of interventions and teaching strategies.
- Monitor each student’s learning trajectory and progress over time.
- Document and report on student responsiveness to interventions.
- Make informed predictions about student performance on key academic indicators.
By establishing a seamless and integrated assessment process that encompasses both assessment for and of learning, you can significantly enhance learning outcomes for your students and facilitate substantial academic growth.
Explore comprehensive, web-based assessment systems that streamline both benchmarking and progress monitoring. These integrated platforms empower you to efficiently screen all students using concise, reliable assessments that are designed to:
- Evaluate student understanding against class, district, or national benchmarks, providing assessment of learning data.
- Gauge student comprehension of specific skills and lessons during instruction, offering valuable assessment for learning insights.
Resources:
1 Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University. “What is the difference between formative and summative assessment?” Accessed May 3, 2017. https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html.
2 Ehringhaus, Michael Ph. D., Garrison, Catherine. NYC Department of Education. “Formative and Summative Assessments in the Classroom.” Accessed May 4, 2017.
3 Lockwood, Robert E., McLean, James E. “Why We Assess Students — And How: The Competing Measures of Student Performance.” Accessed May 4, 2017. https://books.google.com/books/about/Why_We_Assess_Students_And_How.html?id=WFGdAAAAMAAJ.
