TDA 3.7 SUPPORT ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING
The main role of the class teacher is to monitor and assess the child??™s academic achievement. They need to know how all of the children in their class are progressing, so they are able to report back to parents and other members of staff as well as being able to set individual education plans for all pupils. Assessment is an on-going process that can take different forms including summative and formative assessment. As a teaching assistant it is my role to assist the teacher with the on-going assessment process through various different methods.
It is the teacher??™s responsibility to plan lessons that set out clear objectives and goals so that progress of pupils can be monitored. It is important that the children as well as the adults know what the learning objectives are for each lesson so that children know what is to be expected of them and the support staff are fully aware of what support will be required. At the beginning of each lesson a L.I: (learning intention) will be written on the white board and displayed on the smart board, the children are to write the learning intention on the top line of their learning journals along with the date. They are also to put a T/C (teacher/child grid) in top left corner of the same page. At the end of the lesson the teacher will ask the child to fill in their T/C, they are told if they understood everything that was taught without any issues they are to put a cross under the C if they understood some of what was taught or feel they need more practice they are to put a dash and if they haven??™t understood anything at all and nee lots more practice to place a dot under the C. When marking the child??™s work at the end of the lesson the teacher will do the same under the T to say how well they believe the child understood what was taught. The class teacher has overall responsibility for assessing and observing the pupils so that they can plan the lesson to suit the needs of all pupils within the class. As a teaching assistant I have a responsibility to report any concerns or achievements of children to the class teacher.
At Balliol Primary school I would fill out a report form in order to let the class teacher know of any concerns or achievements I have witnessed. Whilst doing individual reading I will listen and assist the children once they have finished we will discuss how well they have done and then I will fill out a reading record which I will pass on to the teacher whom can then look at how well the child is doing and plan what stages they need to move on to. We also have a 30 min debrief at the end of the working day where we discuss how the day went and voice any concerns we may have about how specific children are doing and if we feel there are any changes need to be made to the planning for the next day.
There are two methods of assessment used within schools these are formative and summative. It is important to measure children??™s learning against objectives set out in IEP??™s (individual education plans), so that we can make necessary changes so the children receive a good well balanced education.
Formative assessments are:
Using open ended questions to encourage the children to put their ideas forward, questions like ???what would you do next time??¦??¦???
Observing children, children are observed on a daily basis to see how they are managing with the tasks they have been given, looking at the strategies they use to figure things out and what they find more difficult, we can also carry out more formal direct observations if we have specific concerns about a child??™s progress or needs.
Checking pupils understanding, we can do this by asking the children questions about things they have learned and their understanding of it, ask them to explain to me what they have done so that we know they understand the tasks that have been set.
Summative assessment
Summative assessment happens at the end of term or at the end of a topic, when it??™s important to know what the children have achieved. Summative assessment can take place in the form of SAT??™s or an end of year report, this type of assessment advises parents and other members of staff how well a child is doing with their academic achievement.
Assessment for learning informs and promotes achievement for pupils; it encourages them to take responsibility for their own learning. the process involves explaining learning outcomes to pupils, giving them feedback on their progress and assisting them to develop their self-assessment skills so they can recognise and reflect on their own achievement.
Assessment for learning:
* is part of effective planning
* focuses on how students learn
* is central to classroom practice
* is a key professional skill
* is sensitive and constructive
* fosters motivation
* promotes understanding of goals and criteria
* helps learners know how to improve
* develops the capacity for self-assessment [and peer assessment]
* Recognises all educational achievement.
Children, who feel they are involved with their own progress, will want to take ownership of their learning and will become willing to develop their learning further. This will also have a positive effect on their self-esteem and motivation, children who feel they are not involved in their own learning are likely to become less interested in the work they are set. Effective feedback not only ensures that adults are supporting more able students but that they are giving the less able pupils the same support and give them the best tools to help them achieve their fullest potential. Assessment for learning is used to enable pupils to understand the learning they have been given and what they need to do to reach their goals. In the EYFS they user child centred learning this is a process which is focused on the needs of a child rather than what is expected of a child, it focuses on the needs abilities and interests of the pupils with the teacher as a facilitator.
Child centred learning
Promotes communication between peers, reduces disruptive behaviour, builds relationships between the staff and pupils, promotes active/discovery learning and generates a responsibility for one??™s own learning.
Assessment for learning contributes to all future planning for all those involved within the learning process. Effective assessment for learning will enable the teaching staff to pass on responsibility to the child over time to manage their own learning so they will become more actively involved with the learning process. The process will inform the pupils how to approach their learning objectives and how to overcome areas which need more work. By increasing their awareness of how they learn the pupils will gain more self-confidence and be able to ask for help for areas in which they struggle. The process will assist the learning support practitioner to approach pupil questioning depending on what we know the pupils have learned about how they learn. It enables us to assist pupils with the correct amont of support for the needs they may have.
