The need for teachers' assessment literacy is on the increase due to the increasing responsibilities placed on teachers with regard to assessment. Ongoing classroom assessment requires the teacher to be aware of the technicalities of assessment. Not only that, the teacher needs to know how to design a good assessment for her classroom. This might be too much expectation, considering the fact that teachers do not receive much training in this regard during teacher training, and that time is not abundantly available for a teacher. Unless in-service training and personal interest combined with institutional and peer support work hand in hand, teacher may not be able to do this effectively. Also, leaving the teacher out of the circle of assessment will be further widening the gap between theory and practice in the larger discipline called pedagogy- one of the greatest pedagogical tragedies of all times!
The gravity of the fact becomes clearer if we understand that any decision we make at the policy level or administrative level cannot reach the learner without the teachers' sound understanding. So if assessment is well planned and designed by someone other than the teacher, its implementation may not succeed at all, because in the classroom, it is the teacher who has to face the ground reality. If the teacher doesn't understand why the assessment is designed the way it is designed, its implementation may miss the point! Moreover, teacher is the most important element in pedagogy after the learner. It is the teacher who bridges the curriculum objectives and the learner. Therefore, the teacher needs to have a sound understanding of how assessment is designed, implemented and scored.
What works better? One time teacher training or ongoing teacher engagement? Certainly, the latter. It is because ongoing teacher development does not take the teacher away from her teaching context. She can practice and experiment with what she learns in teacher development programmes. The former on the other hand will be a stand alone programme that doesn't connect with teaching contexts or students. It is quite possible that what one learns during a stand alone programme remains unused. For the same reason, it is important that teachers remain active within dynamic professional communities that update themselves about the latest developments in pedagogy. Healthy relationships among teachers can lead to sharing of resources and ideas, and can result in action research with much prospect.
Since teaching and assessment go hand in hand, and assessment feeds back into instruction, a teacher has to have at least the basic know how of assessment. Lack of this understanding will lead to inefficient tests in class, inappropriate interpretation of test scores, and pointless instruction that doesn't reflect in assessment. If teacher has to give quality feedback, she must understand assessment. Hence the importance of assessment literacy.
Teachers should have hands-on experience of identifying learners' learning goals, stating that in clear terms for test development, stating learning outcomes, proposing what authentic assessment is, writing tasks that fit the cultural and social contexts of learners, writing rubrics for assessment, and defining criteria for rating. This can be achieved through practice, while in touch with professional companions, and professional development programmes. How we do it is not as important as the fact that we do it no matter what- because, teacher's awareness of assessment is as important as her awareness of teaching techniques!
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| Teacher in Class: Source |
What works better? One time teacher training or ongoing teacher engagement? Certainly, the latter. It is because ongoing teacher development does not take the teacher away from her teaching context. She can practice and experiment with what she learns in teacher development programmes. The former on the other hand will be a stand alone programme that doesn't connect with teaching contexts or students. It is quite possible that what one learns during a stand alone programme remains unused. For the same reason, it is important that teachers remain active within dynamic professional communities that update themselves about the latest developments in pedagogy. Healthy relationships among teachers can lead to sharing of resources and ideas, and can result in action research with much prospect.
Since teaching and assessment go hand in hand, and assessment feeds back into instruction, a teacher has to have at least the basic know how of assessment. Lack of this understanding will lead to inefficient tests in class, inappropriate interpretation of test scores, and pointless instruction that doesn't reflect in assessment. If teacher has to give quality feedback, she must understand assessment. Hence the importance of assessment literacy.
Teachers should have hands-on experience of identifying learners' learning goals, stating that in clear terms for test development, stating learning outcomes, proposing what authentic assessment is, writing tasks that fit the cultural and social contexts of learners, writing rubrics for assessment, and defining criteria for rating. This can be achieved through practice, while in touch with professional companions, and professional development programmes. How we do it is not as important as the fact that we do it no matter what- because, teacher's awareness of assessment is as important as her awareness of teaching techniques!
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