Who is Assessment For?
I’m going to argue that assessment is not really for parents.
And probably not for students.
It’s main purpose is to improve your curriculum.
Thought Experiment
Imagine your assessment is completely meaningful at KS3. It’s the bee’s knees of assessment.
How many students will go up a grade at KS4 as a consequence of how well you have assessmed them? None, I'd guess. They’ll go up a grade at GCSE based on how well they have learned what you’ve taught them. That will be the same, whether your assessment is the bee’s knees, or the bee’s backside.
However accurate your assessment at KS3, the student probably won't get a tutor until an adverse assessment in year 10 or 11.
So, for me, in the best case scenario at KS3, informing parents, however accurately, will make no difference to how students do at GCSE.
There are 4, more important, jobs of assessment:
Improving the curriculum,
Making sure students learn what they are taught,
Making sure students remember what they are taught,
Making sure that students and teachers find out what they still need to learn
I accept this is a biased view.
Assessment Comes at the Beginning of the Curriculum, Not the End
For me the curriculum starts with the intent, which dictates the assessment tasks, which dictates the knowledge and skills taught, which dictates the activities in the curriculum and the sequencing of those.
Although this seems deeply weird, if we think of learning outside of the context of a school, it is obvious.
For example:
We want drivers to drive safely, following the rules of the road, in a variety of traffic and roads, with the ability to park, reverse, hill start, emergency stop.
So our assessment is a drive that incorporates a variety of roads and traffic, and those other skills.
Then we construct a test which covers a large enough sample of the rules of the road, with a high enough pass mark to convince us that the rest of the domain of knowledge has probably also been mastered.
Then we construct sequenced driving lessons that move through those skills until drivers are ready to pass the test.
The intent determines the assessment. The curriculum follows from that. It is obvious.
Assessment isn't something we put at the end of the curriculum, to see how well students have learned it. We put it right at the beginning of the curriculum to work out that it is the right curriculum.
Let me illustrate that with ChatGPT
This AI is a helpful idiot. It is trained, by and large, on the American internet up to 2021. It makes predictions based on what is most likely - in other words, not from ‘the best of what has been thought and said’, but from the average of what Americans on the internet have thought and said.
So, it is going to be a high quality average. After all, most people post their best versions on the internet. Most websites aren’t Facebook and Twitter.
To show you what I mean by assessment leading your curriculum, I enlisted ChatGPT. I wanted to see if even this ‘high average’ thinker would create a more interesting writing curriculum than that generated by schools whose perspective is warped by the question types at GCSE.
My Instruction
I want to test the proficiency of 16 year olds as writers.
I want them to be able to write well in a number of genres.
These genres should include fiction and non fiction.
I want you to design 10 writing tasks.
Taken as a whole, these 10 tasks need to develop every aspect of writing which you consider important for a 16 year old student to master.
Write a clear set of instructions for each task which will help the student complete it to a level you would be satisfied with.
Include a maximum and minimum word limit for each task.
Ok. Now read what it came up with and ask yourself how much better this might be than the experience of writing students have in your curriculum:
Task 1: Personal Narrative
Instructions: Write a personal narrative recounting a significant event or moment in your life. Ensure you include vivid descriptions, dialogue, and reflection on the importance of the event.
Word Limit: Minimum 500 words, Maximum 800 words.
Task 2: Descriptive Essay
Instructions: Describe a place that is special to you. Use sensory details to create a vivid picture for your readers. Focus on using descriptive language and effective transitions.
Word Limit: Minimum 400 words, Maximum 600 words.
Task 3: Argumentative Essay
Instructions: Choose a current social issue that matters to you (e.g., climate change, technology's impact on society). Present a well-reasoned argument supporting your stance on the issue. Include evidence, counterarguments, and a conclusion.
Word Limit: Minimum 600 words, Maximum 900 words.
Task 4: Short Story (Fiction)
Instructions: Write a short story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Develop characters, setting, and plot. Ensure your story has a central conflict and resolution.
Word Limit: Minimum 700 words, Maximum 1000 words.
Task 5: Expository Essay
Instructions: Explain a complex process or concept (e.g., photosynthesis, the impact of social media on mental health). Use clear and concise language, provide relevant examples, and organize your ideas logically.
Word Limit: Minimum 600 words, Maximum 900 words.
Task 6: Poetry (Free Verse or Rhymed)
Instructions: Write a poem on a theme of your choice. Focus on imagery, figurative language (such as similes, metaphors), and rhythm. Experiment with different poetic devices to convey emotion or meaning.
Word Limit: Minimum 200 words, Maximum 400 words.
Task 7: Review (Non-Fiction)
Instructions: Write a review of a book, movie, or music album you recently experienced. Provide a summary, critique, and recommendation. Support your opinions with specific examples from the work.
Word Limit: Minimum 500 words, Maximum 700 words.
Task 8: Persuasive Letter
Instructions: Write a persuasive letter to a local official or community leader about an issue that affects your community or school. Use persuasive techniques such as ethos, pathos, and logos to make your case.
Word Limit: Minimum 400 words, Maximum 600 words.
Task 9: Research Report
Instructions: Choose a historical event, scientific discovery, or cultural phenomenon to research. Write a report summarizing your findings, including background information, key developments, and significance.
Word Limit: Minimum 800 words, Maximum 1200 words.
Task 10: Dialogue (Fiction)
Instructions: Write a dialogue between two characters discussing a controversial topic (e.g., school uniforms, social media usage, environmental conservation). Ensure the dialogue reveals character traits, perspectives, and conflicts.
Word Limit: Minimum 300 words, Maximum 500 words.
Encourage students to revise and proofread their work carefully, paying attention to grammar, punctuation, and style. Provide feedback that highlights both strengths and areas for improvement, helping them develop as versatile and proficient writers.
Next Steps
If these were your assessment tasks, you would totally change your curriculum, wouldn’t you?
But, you are a professional, passionate about your subject.
You and your team could come up with 10 tasks which are even better than the average American on the internet, can’t you?
What is stopping you? The fear of the GCSE.
Well, imagine students who can do well at all of these tasks. Would they do better or worse at GCSE than your current students?