Introduction

As a future educator it is critical that I have a good

understanding about what assessment is, how it can best be
applied in the classroom and why it is so important. I
believe assessment is a paramount part of learning as it is it
from assessment students are able to understand the areas
in which they are doing well and more importantly can see
where they need to improve, that is assessment for learning
(SCSA, Assessment Principle 1 & 2). If students to do not
understand what they need to improve on or if I as an
educator do not know what areas a child needs help with
then learning will not progress. It is for this reason that I
must implement assessment tasks that allow this to happen.
In practice, this means using a variety of assessment tasks
that allows all students to demonstrate their learning in a
number of ways, hence understanding what and how
assessment should be implement is critical.
The Relationship between Assessment and Teaching and
Learning
Assessment should be viewed as an element that is central
to learning and as an important part of the learning process.
In other words assessment should not be seen as being
separate from learning. It is therefore for this reason that
the relationship between assessment and teaching and
learning is very strong (SCSA, Assessment Principle 1).
According to Readman and Allen (2013, p. XIX), assessment
is a tool for learning that can powerfully direct students
learning experiences throughout their schooling and
beyond. This notion of assessment for learning and the
application of formative assessment has a powerful
improvement orientation (Popham, 2009, p. 5). This is
primarily because data collected from assessments enables
teachers to understand what students already understand
and what students are still yet to understand. In doing this I
can evaluate my own teaching strategies and make
judgments about whether or not my teaching methods are
working (AITSL, Std. 5.1). Therefore it can be said that
assessment outcomes have a direct impact on learning that
will occur in the future (Popham, 2009, p. 6). To ensure
effective assessment is being carried out in my classroom I
will administer formative assessment on a regular basis to
evaluate how individuals are going and whether or not they
are progressing with their understanding of a topic.

I experienced this concept first hand when teaching a child

about the mathematics concept of measurement. Before we
started any learning activities I performed a diagnostic
assessment with the child to assess what he already knew.
This assessment information was then used as a guide of
what he needed to still learn. During the proceeding weeks I
was able to assess, by observation, what the child
understood and what he was still struggling with therefore
using formative assessment as a tool for learning. The
assessment notes made are seen below.

I will implement formative assessment in my classroom not

only because it enables me as an educator to improve, but
also the students. Formative assessment allows children to
engage in, reflective practices, self-assessment and
metacognition, strategies that are referred to as
assessment as learning. This process positions learns at
the center of the learning process by requiring them actively
engage and act upon their learning. Reflection strategies
enable students to judge their own work and decide how
they might improve their work and what the next step in
their learning journey should be. Metacognitive strategies
require students to be conscious of their own thinking and
learning process and understand how they best learn.
Formative assessments provide the space for students to do
this and develop metacognitive skills that are important
throughout life (Readman & Allen, 2013).
Principles and Values I Follow
In my development as a teacher there are certain principles
and values that I follow. Some of the major values I follow
are that of fairness and equality. Furthermore I believe that
all people should be treated well no matter their

circumstances or background. As a teacher I wish to ensure

that students view assessments as fair. This fairness should
be seen at all levels, from the creation of the assessment, to
the information that the teacher provides about the
assessment and the relationship the student has with the
teacher, that is the student should see the teacher as being
open and fair.
Ethical Decisions and Implications in Relation to Assessment
As an educator I will need to make ethical decisions that will
have implications on how I create and implement
assessments. These decisions include taking into account
the socio-economic area in which I teach and the cultural
background of the students in the class. Furthermore I will
need to take into account the needs of students with
disabilities or learning difficulties.
To ensure fairness and equality are upheld in the classroom I
need to ensure that the objectives of learning and
assessment are clear and all students are aware of them
(SCSA, Assessment Principle 3). A variety of assessment
types should be used to cater for diversity. In some cases
this may mean administering practical assessments and at
other times using classic written assessments. In order for
students to feel that they are achieving comments and other
means of reporting regarding students work should be
relevant to the child and their abilities, commenting on
achievements and providing support to move forward and
progress learning in the future. Students should not receive
feedback that is degrading or humiliating. Furthermore
student confidentiality should be upheld at all times
(Readman & Allen, 2013).
When I am administering assessment it is essential that I
ensure I am being ethical in my approach to creating
assessments, giving assessments and marking assessments
(AITSL Std, 7.1). One part of this ethical conduct in
assessing means that I must uphold equality when creating,
administering and marking assessments. This means
thinking about how I can cater for the learning needs of all
students in the class rather than the majority.
Ensuring an assessment is reliable is another important
ethical factor of any assessment. When administering

assessments, I need to ensure that assessments that are

created will be done in such a manner that a student
receives that same mark on a differently structured
assessment.
At the same time, an assessment piece needs to be valid.
The validity of an assessment measures the extent to which
an assessment is measuring what it is meant to. If this does
not occur, then this will not be fair on the students. As a
teacher, I will need to ensure that I design assessment tasks
that are measuring exactly what the assessment is about.
Lastly, there should be an opportunity for the student to
communicate with the teacher if they feel that they have
been marked incorrectly (Readman & Allen, 2013).
Furthermore I believe that students should be encouraged
through the comments given regarding their assessments so
that they are positively motivated to continue towards
achieving their goals. An example of this concept of
providing positive feedback on assessment pieces from my
previous practicum can be seen below along with the
concepts I was planning to assess. It can be seen below that
the concepts being assessed were commented on positively.
In this particular example, the child actually met all of the
outlined criteria therefore there were only positive
comments to make. However if a child had not included
arrows, I would have altered the feedback to read: Great
work Mitchell! Fantastic use of arrows to show blood flow.
Next time, remember to include labels as they help to
explain what is happening in your diagram. This altered
example is an illustrate on good quality feedback as it
provides an opportunity for the child to self-correct and
opens up opportunities for the student and myself to have a
discussion about the importance of using labels in the
future. In other words this feedback prompts the student to
build on their learning, develop metacognitive skills and
think how can I improve this next time? (Readman & Allen,
2013).

My Goals of Assessment and Evaluation

When administering assessments to students, there are
some goals I wish to achieve in doing so. These goals are
reflective of my understanding of assessment, values and
principles. One of the major goals to achieve in giving
students assessments is to see what students already know
in any given subject area and what they still need to learn.
Secondly in evaluating the results of an assessment I hope
to assess whether or not the teaching methods being
employed are effective. In other words, to evaluate how
children best learn (Readman & Allen, 2013).
In addition to this I also aim to ensure assessment is not
seen as a burden for students but rather as a goal to work
towards and as an opportunity to improve. As well as having
a healthy view of assessment as an educator, it is also

important that I develop students who have a healthy

approach to assessments (Readman & Allen, 2013).
Furthermore as an educator administering assessment I
hope that students would become motivated life-long
learners, hence some of my goals are long term. As a part
of this goal I would aim to help develop students into people
who are self regulated and autonomous learner who are able
to think for themselves (Readman & Allen, 2013).
Assessment Principles, Practices and Techniques to Achieve
Goals
To ensure these goals are met it is important that certain
principles are followed. The underlying principle that I will try
to follow is that assessment, teaching and learning all work
together to propel learning. In essence this is the concept of
constructive alignment, which occurs when intended
learning outcomes, teaching and learning tasks, and
assessment tasks are completely aligned. It is based on a
constructivist view of learning (Readman & Allen, 2013, p.
71).
When planning for assessment I will aim to follow the
Understanding by Design or Backwards Design principle, a
process by which educators start with the end goal or
outcomes and then move to what evidence says about
achieving these goals before finally moving onto planning
the learning experiences. This principle helps to achieve my
goals and also reflects my values. This is firstly due to the
fact that it integrates assessment through the learning
process. I have to think about the assessment and work
towards the assessment from the very beginning therefore
assessment does not become something that is done at the
end. In other words Understanding by
Design emphasises the concept of assessment for learning
and assessment as learning. This principle also helps ensure
students are aware of their end-goal and therefore perform
better (Wiggins, 2001).
Another key assessment principle that is important to
administer in the classroom is ensuring authentic
assessments are being used. An authentic assessment is
one that is closely related to real-life and has relevance to
the students. In making assessments authentic students will

be more engaged as they will be able to relate to the

circumstance and find value in it (Readman & Allen, 2013).
Conclusion
Ones teaching identity in regards to assessment should not
simply be shaped by their personal beliefs based on their
own experiences of assessment. Instead aspects such as
the AITSL standards, ACARA and research regarding how
assessment should best be applied in the classroom should
be taken into consideration. Personally, all of these factors
have worked together to create my philosophy regarding
how assessment should best be used in the classroom,
namely, assessment should be used as and for learning.
This concept feeds into what practices should be used, such
as the backwards planning model of Learning by Design to
ensure diagnostic and formative assessment is being used
appropriately. However it is still important to ensure
summative assessment is still used for reporting purposes
(Readman & Allen, 2013).

References
AITSL. (2014). Australian Professional Standards for
Teachers. Retrieved from
http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professionalstandards-for- teachers/standards/list?
Popham, H. J. (2009). Assessment literacy for teachers:
Faddish or fundamental Theory Into Practice, 8, 4-11.
Retrieved from
https://lms.curtin.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-4215881-dtcontent-rid23777467_1/courses/EDPR3005-FacHum2121860410/EDPR3005FacHum2121860410_ImportedContent_20160727025037/Assessme
nt%20Litera
cy%20for%20Teachers%20Popham
%202009%20_1_.pdf
Readman, K. & Allen, B. (2013). Practical Planning and
Assessment. South
Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University
Press.
School Curriculum and Standards Authority. (2014). Western
Australian Curriculum and Assessment Outline. Retrieved
from http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/publications/circulars/kto10circulars/archive/2015/k-to-10-circular-edition-3-2015
School Curriculum and Standards Authority. (2014). Western
Australian Curriculum and Assessment Outline. Retrieved
from
http://k10outline.scsa.wa.edu.au/home/assessment/principle
s-and-reflective-questions

Wiggins, G. (2001). What is backward design?

In Understanding by Design (pp. 7- 19). Retrieved from
http://edocs.library.curtin.edu.au/eres_display.cgi?
url=dc60270806.pdf& copyright=1