Pull up our socks! Developing effective assessment systems to - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Pull up our socks! Developing effective assessment systems to improve learning for all BRIDGE Community of Practice Meeting Johannesburg, 21 February 2017 KanjeeA@tut.ac.za

Outline of paper  Based on brief provided, I am going to argue that we need an effective, enabling assessment system to support all role players (parents, teachers, school leaders, district officials, provincial officials, and national officials) to address the learning needs of all learners, especially the poor and marginalised.  My presentation is based on research experiences in South Africa over the last 15 years, current research conducted at TUT and from experiences in other countries.

The challenge of Equity and Quality  Almost 23 year after ”democracy” we still have large percentage of learners not functioning at the requisite grade level  Limited to no learning taking place in majority of schools – which could be attributed to limited to no teaching

Of 100 students that started school in 2002 16% Do not reach matric Fail matric 2013 49% Pass matric 2013 24% Pass with university endorsement 2013 11%  550,000 students drop out before matric  99% do not get a non-matric qualification (Gustafsson, 2011 Spaul, 2014

Mean Reading score for poorest 25% (SACMEQ III) 600 557.7 550 531.6 Mean Reading score 517.8 510.8 509.3 499.4 500 481.3 474.4 469.6 459.6 457.8 452.1 448.5 450 428.8 423.2 418.8 400 350 Zambia South Africa Malawi Lesotho Mozambique Namibia Uganda Zimbabwe Botswana SACMEQ III Zanzibar Seychelles Mauritius Kenya Swaziland Tanzania v d Berg, 2011

Maths teacher content knowledge (SACMEQ 2007) 6 Source: Stephen Taylor

Mathematics teacher mathematics score by school QUINTILE SACMEQ III 950 Kenya 900 Mathematics teacher mathematics score South Africa 850 Tanzania Botswana Zimbabwe Kenya Namibia Swaziland Seychelles 800 South Africa Swaziland Tanzania 750 Zimbabwe 700 1 2 3 4 5 Quintiles of school SES V d Berg, 2012

% learners in achievement levels Grade 9 Mathematics 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% LP MP NW NC KN FS EC GP WC Total 8

Percentage learners in achievement levels Grade 9 HL 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% LP KN NW MP EC NC GP FS WC Total 9

Key challenge to address  IMPROVE TEACHING  Greater support to teachers

Effective classroom practice Curriculum Learning Teaching Assessment

Key challenge Curriculum LEARNING Teaching Assessment

TWO key, linked challenges impacting on assessment in SA

First - Dominant focus -Testing/Measurement  Current policy – Assessment focussed but Measurement Driven  Prescriptive formal assessment requirements  High stakes emphasis of Ass Surveys, e.g. ANAs  Emphasis on RANKING - recording, reporting scores – Limited feedback  Focus on – comparing performance of schools, districts rather than against Curriculum Objectives  Emphasis on administrative and bureaucratic functions  Results used to classify schools as “Underperforming”  Limited guidelines / support to improve learning  Questionable methodology and design  Easily amenable horizontal accountability regimes  to a top-down approach (Kanjee & Moloi , 2015; Kanjee, 2012)

Reflected in how CURRENT system functions Classroom Assessments School Monitoring & Evaluation Examinations School Support Assessment Surveys - ANA Learner performance

Second - Limited capacity and skills  Low levels of Assessment literacy and Skills • Teachers in all quintile categories – EQUALLY POOR • District, Provincial and National Officials • Teachers scored higher on the summative assessment component  Limited use of assessment evidence – • Limited guidelines, tools, resources  Data Rich and Information poor

Mathematics teacher mathematics score by school QUINTILE SACMEQ III 950 Kenya 900 Mathematics teacher mathematics score South Africa 850 Tanzania Botswana Zimbabwe Kenya Namibia Swaziland Seychelles 800 South Africa Swaziland Tanzania 750 Zimbabwe 700 1 2 3 4 5 Quintiles of school SES V d Berg, 2012

So how do we achieve this shift in policy and practice? Question to participants (pair & share + get two responses)

Options for consideration Foreground Assessment for Learning: Initiative Exemplars Driver/Responsibility Provide relevant capacity TUT Assessment DBE, SACE, Unions, Course Universities development initiatives Develop National Performance DBE, PDE Levels - Moloi & Framework for using Kanjee Assessment evidence TUT excel sheet; DBE, PDE, NGOs, Univ. Provide Assessment Tools HSRC Programme and Templates New Zealand DBE Review /Revise Ass Policy Improve use of Formative TS/TW District Teachers, School programme Leaders, Districts Assessment

What we is a shift Classroom Assessment Surveys Assessments School Monitoring & Evaluation School Monitoring & Evaluation Examinations Examinations School Support Assessment School Support Surveys - ANA Classroom Learner Assessment performance Learner performance

Overview - Enabling Assessment System Low Assessment Surveys School Evaluation Examinations Frequency School Support Classroom Assessment Learner High Performance

Theory of Change S U P P O R T at Improvement Classroom / Learner Levels in Learning Enhance Obtain decision Reliable and making to Implement Valid Interventions develop Evidence interventions Improve functioning of system S U P P O R T at System Level (School, District, National)

Possible Model  Develop AfL capacity and skills of ALL Education Officials  Focus on supporting teachers implement AFL approaches in Classrooms and Schools  Improve quality of tests and exams  Conduct regular National Assessments – • e.g. Every 3 years to track learners in 3, 6, & 9  Simultaneously provide Assessment tools & resources (IT?) for use in classrooms annually  Revise policy & systems and process

Possible Options – From recent evidence

FIRST Enhance effective use of exams and assessment survey data at the school and classroom levels

Addressing Equity Goals – Focus on improvement Overall School or District performance

School District National Example: School or Class School District Results National by Gender, Sub- domain & Cognitive levels

Example - Overall Maths results for class or school

Addressing Equity Goals – Focus on improvement Achieved Not Achieved Partially Achieved Advance Level Boys % Girls % Boys % Girls % Boys % Girls % Boys % Girls % School 23 14 43 28 26 38 8 20 Province 11 5 48 31 23 42 18 22 Country 18 10 39 27 28 44 15 19 Equity Focus – • Getting more learners from the Not Achieved level into the Partially Achieved • Get more learners from Partially Achieved into Achieved • Also report by School poverty levels or Urban-Rural Emphasis on learners who need ‘most’ assistance Moving from NA to PA levels (RED to Yellow to Green)

Example HoD analysis - areas less than 50% Gr 3 Gr 4 Gr 5 Gr 6 Halving Equivalent Fractions Equivalent Fractions Descending order Ordering fractions: Multiplication Ratio Equivalent Fractions halves, quarters, thirds Division Solves money problems Rounding off to 5 Adding Fractions Ratio Lines of symmetry Problem Solving Division Two D shapes Time problems 24 hour time Adding Fractions (years and months ) BODMAS Recognises 2D shapes 2D shapes

SECOND Apply formative assessment in the classroom Question – what is your understanding of Formative Assessment

Understanding Formative Assessment  Formative Assessment – a process/approach  Integrated in teaching and learning process  Involves ALL aspects – including • Lesson planning • Lesson preparation • Lesson presentation • Lesson review and evaluation • Lesson revision and improvement

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT (AfL)  Five key strategies to conceptualise formative assessment (Leahy, Lyon, Thompson & Wiliam, 2005). Where the learner is Where the learner How to get there going is now Teacher Engineering effective Providing discussions, tasks feedback that and activities that moves learning elicit evidence of forward Clarifying, sharing learning and understanding Peer Activating students as learning learning intentions resources for one another and success criteria Learner Activating students as owners of their own learning

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT (AFL) (cont) Black & Wiliam, 2007:  Teachers who effectively use this approach : • see considerable learning gains among learners, • learning gains noted for all learners , irrespective of their socio economic backgrounds.  However , to successfully apply AfL approaches teachers require: • high levels of expertise and experience, • appropriate tools and techniques, and • adequate time to develop relevant techniques