Practical Planning and Assessment

Practical Planning and Assessment takes the viewpoint that assessment is as an integral part of curriculum, pedagogy and student learning, and demonstrates how assessment can be used to aid, support and enable learning. Relevant and readily applicable examples and classroom scenarios highlight the major topics of the text: assessment principles, practices, issues and futures.The text addresses current issues in the teaching and study of assessment planning by following a format that could be used to design a course on assessment for any phase of learning. The currency of the book is demonstrated with particular focus on topics that have become of interest in recent years: engaging with new technologies, using data to plan curriculum and assessment, the national curriculum and sustainable approaches to assessment as well as structuring a practical approach to assessment at the level of the professional classroom teacher.Features Integrated Australian national curriculum information and gives examples from all states and territories Planning and Assessment in Action Boxes help students link theory to practice by demonstrating how assessment and planning are used in real-life scenarios Includes practical examples of good and bad practice and questions to help students reflect on their learning .

Table of Contents:
Introduction: Assessment Built-In or Bolt-On?PART ONE Assessment Principles 1. Developing a healthy attitudes to assessment for teachers Assessment isAssessment, teaching and learningStrategies to develop a healthy attitude to assessment2. Developing a healthy approach to assessment among students Perceptions of fairnessMotivation and resilienceSelf-theories and expectancy valueRecognition of effortFailure—A valuable tool for learning?3. Non-negotiables in assessment How beliefs and values on plagiarism can impact on assessmentSources of positive beliefs and values for non-negotiablesHow educational authorities express principles of assessmentOur non-negotiables PART TWO: Assessment Practices 4. Planning and Programming Assessments Principles behind the planning of assessmentThinking about planning an assessment programConstructive alignment: An outcomes-based approach to teaching,learning and assessment5. Classroom Formative Assessment Processes Engage students through questioningUnderstand learning through observationShare learning goals and success criteriaBuild commitment to shared learning goalsInvolve pupils in their learning6. Creating Helpful Feedback Cycles Principles associated with feedbackBenefits and challenges of creating helpful feedback cyclesGiving feedback so that it has the most positive effect on learningCommon features of efficient and effective feedback cyclesComparison of approaches to feedback at different points during learning7. School-based Summative Assessment: Design, Development and ConductExaminations and testsQuality assurance8. Making Judgements about Student Achievement Determining the assessable elements of a taskIdentify the role of criteria and standards-based rubrics in assessmentdecision makingWriting a rubric that is constructively aligned to the learning outcomesWays to enhance your judgments about students’ achievement9. Recording and Reporting, Reviewing and Responding RecordingReportingReviewing and responding—The growing requirement for data analysis PART THREE: Assessment Perspectives 10. Assessment, Middle Schooling and the National Curriculum General features of the Australian CurriculumAssessment implications of the Australian Curriculum framework11. Classroom Implications of High Stakes, Standardised Testing and Examinations Preparing your students for high-stakes tests or examinationsData analysisReviewing teaching and learning by analysing test data12. Planning and Assessment in the Early Years (Vicki Schriever)The current policy context within early childhood educationIssues facing the early years’ teacherImpact and opportunities for assessment practicesA holistic and strength-based approach to assessing childrenCrystal ball—The future of early childhood assessment13. Planning and Assessment in the Senior Years Purposes of summative assessment in Years 11 and 12Summative assessment in Years 11 and 12 across AustraliaApproaching assessment in Years 11 and 12—What to look forTrends and directions for senior phase assessment in the futureSustainable assessment14. Accommodations of Assessment for Students with Special Needs (Mervyn Hyde) What is assessment accommodation?Classroom assessments and state or national tests: High-stakes assessments?School-based assessment accommodations15. Using Emerging Technologies to Engage With Assessment Drivers to increase technology integration in schoolsModels of technology integration for engaging with assessmentTechnologies that are likely to emerge in the school system in the next one to five yearsConclusion: The Future of Classroom AssessmentNon-negotiables as the compassAttitude is everythingUnderstand the terrain your students have traversed‘Are we there yet?’Your journey

About the Author :
Kylie Readman is Director, Centre for Support and Advancement of Learning and Teaching, University of the Sunshine Coast. Kylie Readman is a national ALTC award winner in the area of assessment practice and is also the recipient of the 2010 Vice Chancellor's Medal for Learning and Teaching at the University of the Sunshine Coast. William Allen is Senior Lecturer, School of Science, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast. He is involved in teacher education in the Graduate Diploma and Undergraduate programs, and in the professional development of practitioners in post-graduate programs at Graduate Certificate and Master's levels.