CCE Corner - Shree Vallabhashram's - M.C.M. Kothari International Girls' Residential School

Assessment of Learning


	Most commonly, assessment is defined as a process whereby someone attempts to describe and quantify the knowledge, attitudes or skills possessed by another. Teacher directedness is paramount and the student has little involvement in the design or implement of the assessment process in these circumstances.

Assessment for Learning


	The assessment for learning involves increased levels of student autonomy, but not without teacher guidance and collaboration. The assessment for learning is sometimes seen as being akin to ‘formative assessment’ and can be seen as informing teaching. There is more emphasis towards giving of useful advice to the student and less emphasis on the giving of marks and the grading function–

	Teacher designs learning Teacher designs assessment with feedback to student Teacher assesses what has been learnt (student develops insight into what has not)

Assessment as Learning


	‘Assessment as learning’ is perhaps more connected with diagnostic assessment and can be constructed with more of an emphasis on informing learning. Assessment as learning generates opportunities for self assessment and for peer assessment. Students take on increased responsibility to generate quality information about their learning and that of others–

	Teacher and student co-construct learning Teacher and student co-construct assessment Teacher and student co-construct learning progress map

	Assessment for learning and assessment as learning activities should be deeply embedded in teaching and learning and be the source of iterative feedback, allowing students to adjust, rethink and re-learn.

Assessment in Learning


	The assessment in learning pl aces the question at the centre of teaching and learning. It deflects the teaching from its focus on a ‘correct answer’ to focus on ‘a fertile xii question’. Through the inquiry, students engage in processes that generate feedback about their learning, which come from multiple sources, and activities. It contributes to the construction of other learning activities, lines of enquiry and the generation of other questions–

	Student at the centre of learning Student monitors, assesses and reflects on learning Student initiates demonstration of learning (to self and others) Teacher as coach and mentor

	Teachers and students need to understand the purpose of each assessment strategy so that the overall assessment ‘package’ being used by learners and teachers accurately captures, generates and uses meaningful learning information to generate deep learning and understanding.

Purpose of Assessment


	To ascertain what learning, change and progress takes place in the child over a period of time in different subjects of study and other aspects of the child’s personality. To find out the needs and learning style of every learner. To devise a teaching-learning plan that is responsive to the individual needs and learning styles. To improve the teaching-learning materials by adding value. To help every learner find out their interests, aptitudes, strengths and weaknesses so that the learner can evolve effective learning strategies. To measure the extent to which curricular objectives have been realized. To enhance the effectiveness of the teaching-learning process. To record the progress of every learner and communicate it to parents and other stakeholders. To maintain a dialogue between the teacher and the student and also the parents as a collaborative endeavor for overall improvement of the system. To involve the learners in the process through peer and self assessment.

Formative Assessment


	Formative Assessment is a tool used by the teacher to continuously monitor student progress in a non threatening, supportive environment. It involves regular descriptive feedback, a chance for the students to reflect on their performance, take advice and improve upon it. It involves students’ being an essential part of assessment from designing criteria to assessing self or peers. If used effectively it can improve student performance tremendously while raising the self esteem of the child and reducing the work load of the teacher.

Summative Assessment

Summative Assessment is carried out at the end of a course of learning. It measures or ‘sumsup’ how much a student has learned from the course. It is usually a graded test, i.e., it is marked according to a scale or set of grades. Assessment that is predominantly of summative nature will not by itself be able to yield a valid measure of the growth and development of the child. It, at best, certifies the level of achievement only at a given point of time. The paper pencil tests are basically a one-time mode of assessment and to exclusively rely on them to decide about the development of a child is not only unfair but also unscientific. Over emphasis on examination marks focusing on only scholastic aspects makes children assume that assessment is different from learning, resulting in the ‘learn and forget’ syndrome. Besides encouraging unhealthy competition, the overemphasis on Summative Assessment system also produces enormous stress and anxiety among the learners.

We believe that education aims making children capable of becoming responsible, productive and useful member of society. Knowledge skills and attitudes are built through learning experience and opportunities created for learner in school.

We believe “Excellence in diverse areas should be recognized and rewarded. And it is children’s responsiveness to what is taught rather than just their capacity to retain it, that should be the focus of evaluation”

In comprehensive evaluation we cover both the scholastic and co – scholastic aspects of the students growth and development. Since abilities, attitudes and aptitudes can manifest themselves in many forms, so we assess the learner’s development in the areas of learning like:

Knowledge
Understanding
Application
Analysis
Evaluation
Creativity

So as a part comprehensive evaluation we do assessment in both formative & summative

Formative Assessment is carried out during a course of instruction for providing continuous feedback to both teachers and the learners. It is also carried out for taking decisions regarding appropriate modifications in the transactional procedures and learning activities.

The tools used for formative assessment

a. Languages:

i. Listening comprehension

ii. Reading comprehension

iii. Debate / Speech / Group discussion / role play / presentation commentary.

iv. Dramatization / dialog / conversation / commentary.

v. MCQ’S Quiz.

vi. Grammar Exercise

vii. Writing / completing a poem, story, dialogue, script, play, diary entry etc.

viii. Web charts, concept mapping

ix. Visual representation.

x. Letter, email, data interpretation, article, bio sketch

b. Mathematics

i. Data handling analysis

ii. Group projects

iii. Problem solving

iv. Maths lab activities

v. Quiz / Oral questions

vi. Experiments

vii. Presentations

viii. Chart, model making

ix. Visual representation

x. Assignments

xi. Puzzles, crosswords etc

c. Science

i. Experiment, information gathering deducing

ii. Experiments / concepts presentation

iii. Investigation

iv. MCQ / Quiz

v. Assignments

vi. Group work / projects

vii. Model making

viii. Symposia / Seminars

ix. Preparation of different compounds / salts etc

x. Explanation of natural phenomenon

d. Social Science

i. Assignments – inference / evaluation interpretation and commentaries

ii. Simple projects ( individual / group)

iii. Presentation (individual / group)

iv. Quiz / MCQ

v. Model Chart

vi. Debates , symposia, seminar

vii. Collecting historical facts, visiting places

viii. Role plays and dramatization

In Summative Assessment analyze:

a. Assessment of learning

b. It is generally taken at the end of a semester to demonstrate the “sum” of what they have or have not learned.

Conclusively we at Vallabh girls lay emphasis to

• Reduce stress on children

• Make evaluation comprehensive & regular

• Provide space for teacher for creative teaching

• Provide a tool of diagnosis and remedial action.

• Provide learners with greater skills.

All this helps students to feel being at home, although being apart from home.