H OW L EA R N IN G P LAT FO R M S CA N H E L P BU SY TE ACHE RS M ANAGE ASS E SS ME NT FOR L EARNING 1

MA N AG ING A SS E SSM E NT FOR LEARNI NG

HOW LEARNING PLATFORMS CAN HELP BUSY TEACHERS MANAGE ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING
2 MAN AG I N G A SSESS M E N T FO R LE A R N IN G HOW LEARNING P LATFORMS CAN HELP B USY TEAC H ERS MAN AGE ASSESS MEN T FO R L EAR N I N G 3

How to succeed with

assessment for learning
Contents
Most teachers and researchers agree that
THE THEORY
assessment for learning can help raise
teaching quality, improve the learning Page 6. What is assessment for learning?
experience for students and increase The path to successful learning and the 5 principles of feedback
student outcomes. But how can time-
pressed teachers, who relate to as many Page 7. Formative assessment: showing the path to success
as 170 students a week, deliver quality What is useful feedback? And how can it empower students to improve?
feedback to each and every student?
Page 8. Planning for learning
How to make assessment for learning work Using assessment to improve your teaching

For many teachers, success with assessment for

Page 9. Combining the physical and virtual classrooms
learning boils down to time: the more students a
teacher interacts with, the more time it takes to How learning platforms can help you deliver relevant and timely
assessment in and outside of class
deliver high-quality feedback that students can use
to improve their performance.
Page 10. Saving time with more accurate teaching
This paper shows how teachers can put assessment Making classroom time more valuable and sharing assessment
for learning into practice successfully. It also looks information with the people who need it
at how a learning platform can give more people,
including senior leaders and parents, a clear THE PRACTICE
overview of student progress - and gives practical
examples of simple assessment practices that can Page 12. A whole-school approach to assessment for learning
be delivered electronically. See how one school spread the assessment for learning concept to all
its teachers
You will:
Get practical tips on how to manage the Page 13. Tailoring feedback to individual student goals
workload associated with assessment for Find out how one teacher gives personalised feedback to all students
learning
Learn how to give feedback that students can Page 14. Removing grades with assessment rubrics
use to improve their academic performance Theres a whole theory around assessment rubrics, but the concept is
simple to understand and easy to put into practice
Learn how to use feedback to improve your
teaching
Page 16. Tips and tricks
See examples of how teachers are putting
Simple and practical ways to improve your assessment practice
assessment for learning into practice in their
classrooms
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?
Learn how to extend the feedback situation
beyond the physical (and time) constraints of the
Page 20. The future
classroom
Creating a productive and challenging learning environment where all
students can progress
4 MAN AG I N G A SSESS M E N T FO R LE A R N IN G HOW LEARNING P LATFORMS CAN HELP B USY TEAC H ERS MAN AGE ASSESS MEN T FO R L EAR N I N G 5

THE THEORY
What is assessment for learning?
And how can it improve teaching quality and student performance?
6 MAN AG I N G A SSESS M E N T FO R LE A R N IN G
What is assessment for learning?
Assessment is a core activity in teaching and, if done correctly, forms a bridge between
teaching and learning. It serves two main purposes: to use student reaction to improve
teaching and to encourage students to reflect on their own learning.
Understanding the process of learning
Assessment for learning requires that students
know what they are expected to learn. The teacher
works with each student to understand what he
or she already knows and to identify any gaps in
their knowledge or skills. Then, as the teaching
progresses, the teacher works with each student
to assess their progress, and gives feedback that
will help the student improve.
In essence, assessment occurs at all stages in
the learning process and is beneficial for both the
student and the teacher. The student learns from
the teacher how to progress correctly through the
course; and the teacher learns from the student
what areas of their teaching should be improved
or repeated.
The word assess comes
from the Latin verb
assidere, meaning to sit
with. This implies that
the teacher should sit
with or beside the learner
when giving assessment.
But this doesnt have
to be physical; it can
be delivered through
electronic forms as long as
the student feels central to
the teaching universe.
The UK Assessment Reform Group (1999)
identifies the big 5 principles of assessment for
learning as:
1. The provision of effective feedback to students
2. The active involvement of students in their own
learning
3. Adjusting teaching to take account of the
results of assessment
4. Recognition of the profound influence
assessment has on the motivation and self-
esteem of pupils, both of which are critical
influences on learning
5. The need for students to be able to assess
themselves and understand how to improve
The question is:
How can teachers put this theory into practice?
HOW LEARNING P LATFORMS CAN HELP B USY TEAC H ERS MAN AGE ASSESS MEN T FO R L EAR N I N G
Formative assessment: showing the path to success
Assessment for learning requires giving frequent feedback that students can use to
improve their learning as the course progresses.
What is quality feedback?
All students perform better if they know the goals
they are aiming for. Therefore, feedback cant
begin until the teacher has outlined the skills a
student should master, or the knowledge they
should have by the end of the course. Once this
has been done, feedback should be given regularly
to ensure that the student continues to move along
the path to success.
Connecting feedback to individual student goals
According to Gordon Stobart, Emeritus Professor
of Education at the University of London, quality
feedback should be clearly connected to the
learning objective and should also be directed to
the individual goals of the student. Some students,
for example, may be aiming to get a simple pass
grade, while others may be aiming for a pass with
distinction. To put this into practice, the teacher
should know each students goals and tailor their
feedback accordingly.
Using descriptive feedback, instead of marks, to
motivate
balance that suits their way or working and their
In traditional secondary education, grades work as
a motivating factor for many students. But, while
grades can be motivating for high performing
students, they can be equally demotivating
for low performing students, as Dylan Wiliam,
Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment at
the Institute of Education, University of London,
argues.
Research shows that, when done well, formative
feedback is much more motivating for students.
The feedback must focus on the students
achievement as well as their need to improve. It
should praise where the student has succeeded
and point out what the student can do to improve
the quality of the work even further. And, while
grades are often not awarded in primary school,
primary students will still benefit enormously
from descriptive feedback of this kind.
7
Timing is crucial
For Henning Fjrtoft, Associate Professor at the
Norwegian University of Science and Technology,
who has worked extensively with descriptive
feedback, timing is key. The feedback should be
delivered in connection to the actual work, before
the final grade has been given, so students have
the opportunity to use the feedback to improve
their work.
The feedback model
You mention a lot of key concepts, but dont
demonstrate your understanding of them.
Perhaps you can add a section showing how we
can use the concepts in the context. For example,
you could draw a parallel with the concept of
democracy and the elections last year.
This is an example of a good feedback model. The
teacher describes what the student has done, then
offers a way to improve. By using this model, the
student learns what they have done well and is
then given a way to do better. But there are many
other feedback models and most teachers find a
students.
Formative feedback
There is no single definition of formative feedback,
but it can be summed up as feedback given during
the education process before a final grade is
given that helps the student improve the work
they are doing.
Summative feedback
Summative assessment comes at the end of the
education process, once the work is complete. Its
usually a grade that shows how well the student
has understood and used what they have learnt.
8 MAN AG I N G A SSESS M E N T FO R LE A R N IN G HOW LEARNING P LATFORMS CAN HELP B USY TEAC H ERS MAN AGE ASSESS MEN T FO R L EAR N I N G 9

Planning for learning Combining the physical and virtual classrooms

Assessment for learning is not just about the student: its also a valuable tool in a teachers How can learning platforms help teachers deliver relevant and timely assessment to
planning and can help ensure the teaching gets better and better. students in and outside of the classroom?

Planning for assessment Extending the classroom formative feedback that students can use to
improve work before the final deadline. With
In order to succeed with assessment Learning platforms give teachers the ability
itslearning, for example, every student has both
for learning, the learning goals need to improve the quality of feedback they give to
a working portfolio (for work in progress) and an
to be clear right at the start for both students during class. And the same tools can
assessment portfolio (for completed work).
the teacher and the student so that also be used to extend the teaching space beyond
This gives teachers the opportunity to look at a
assessment during the course has a clear the traditional confines of the classroom without
students work in progress and add constructive
objective. Its therefore important that a extending a teachers day. This is because online
formative feedback so the student can revise and
teacher begins their planning by identifying learning platforms, such as itslearning, enable
improve their work before final delivery. This also
the learning goals and success criteria, students to log on at home and continue their
means that the teacher does not have to assess
and then designs activities that will help work. Once a teacher has set up an online learning
all their students work at the same time. Instead,
their students achieve those goals. environment, their students can continue to work
they can spread out the assessment work, either
at home, learning from videos, revision documents
working from home or school depending on their
Not just for students and other study materials, and interacting with
schedule.
other students through online discussion forums
By constantly evaluating students work
and chats, surveys and video conferencing tools.
throughout the course, teachers can Revising teaching based on student
identify the aspects of their teaching that understanding
students have not understood. Its then Assessment for learning in and outside the
According to researchers such as Dylan Wiliam,
possible to repeat certain aspects again, classroom
the best teachers constantly assess their students
perhaps in a different way, until students For teachers looking to practice assessment understanding and adjust their teaching to suit.
have understood them. In this way, for learning, learning platforms give them ever This can be done through a simple show of hands
feedback helps teachers constantly assess more opportunities to deliver timely and relevant or a question and answer session or inside the
and improve their own teaching. feedback to students enabling their students learning platform.
to improve work before the final deadline and
Using assessment for next terms planning gather assessment information to help them plan Teachers can, for example, post concept-check
At the end of the course, the teacher can and improve the next class. But how can this work questions on online discussion forums, surveys
look back at the assessments they made. in practice? or digital tests and ask students to respond to
This should give them a clear overview of the questions during the class, and then use the
what worked during the course and what Giving students a voice after class students responses to find out how well they
didnt and they can then plan their next grasped the concept. Teachers can also use these
Polls, discussions or surveys allow teachers to
terms teaching with this in mind. tools to check student understanding between
invite students to comment or contribute their
By reviewing assessments, teachers classes and use the results to adjust their next
thoughts on the days teaching when they get
should also get a good idea of what lesson plan so their students are spending enough
home. As well as enabling students who do not
concepts or topics their students time on each task. (See the tips and tricks section
feel comfortable speaking in front of the class to
understand easily and what concepts they to see how to do this in practice.)
comment, this also allows students to offer more
generally struggle with. Although next
considered replies, after theyve had time to digest
years students may have different needs,
the days teaching. The teacher can address some
this information is a valuable guideline
of the comments or issues raised in the next class.
when deciding how much classroom time
to dedicate to different areas of the subject
and can help ensure teachers dont lose The formative power of online portfolios
classroom time teaching a concept that ePortfolios are a great example of how online
students already understand. learning platforms can help teachers deliver
10 M AN AG I N G A SSE SS M E N T FO R LE A R N IN G HOW LEARNING P LATFORMS CAN HELP B USY TEAC HERS MANAGE ASSESS MEN T FO R L EAR N I N G 11

Saving time with more accurate teaching

Assessment for learning requires dedicating time to every student. This can be problematic
for time-pressed teachers, many of whom teach many classes a week. But when done well,
assessment for learning should save teachers time in the long run.

Making classroom time more valuable

According to Auckland University Professor
John Hattie, up to 50% of what is taught in the
classroom is already known to students. Gathering
assessment information from students on an on-
going basis for example, through tests, surveys
and discussion forums in the learning platform
enables teachers to understand exactly what
students know and dont know. They can then
use this information to re-evaluate their lesson
plans, and ensure they are using their classroom
teaching time to address gaps in their students THE PRACTICE
understanding.
There are many teachers who are making assessment for learning work for themselves
All the information at your fingertips and for their students. In this section, youll find examples that you could use in your
Using a learning platform to deliver assessment teaching.
for learning is not just about delivering timely and
relevant feedback. It also helps the teacher gather,
organise and share assessment information quickly
and simply.

Traditionally, a teacher will add feedback and

grades to the end of the piece of work, record
the grade in a class or student grade book, and
then return the paper to the student. As a result,
the teacher has no long-term overview of the
feedback theyve given each student and so has
to rely solely on grades to see how the student has
performed over time.

However, if the grade and feedback are added to

the work electronically inside the learning platform,
this information can automatically be transferred to
the class and student grade book. The grade book
then provides a permanent record of every students
assessment information for the entire term, making
preparing reports simpler. The information can also
be easily shared with other teachers, mentors and
even the student. It can also be shared with parents
before teacher/parent meetings, ensuring both
parties are on the same page at the start.
12 M AN AG I N G A SSE SS M E N T FO R LE A R N IN G
A whole school approach to assessment for learning
Many individual teachers find their own way to make assessment for learning work with
their schedules, resources and students. But can the theory be applied to a whole school?
Simplicity: the best motivation for all staff
At one upper secondary school in Norway,
staff have embedded assessment for learning
into the entire teaching system. It may sound
like a daunting prospect, but the technique is
surprisingly easy: and this is a key reason why it
works.
Putting formative assessment at the heart of
education for all teachers
All teachers in the school use itslearnings online
learning platform to set assignments and return
them to students. This gives them a fantastic
opportunity to give valuable assessment to each
student after every assignment.
When returning an assignment, the teacher simply
writes comments in the notes field, explaining 13
things that the student did well, and 13 things
the student can do to improve. These comments
(as well as the grade) are automatically included
in the student grade book, which gives both
teachers and students a quick overview of all their
assessments over the term.
Since employing this technique, teachers at
the school have noticed a marked increase in
the quality of student/teacher conversations
during the term, because the teacher always has
information to hand about the students progress.
Keeping parents and form teachers in the loop
itslearning also includes a secure parent portal
where parents can find information about their
child. All grades and assessment comments from
the grade book are automatically exported to the
parent portal, giving parents a quick overview of
how well their child is doing and what they need
help with. Similar information is also available to
each students form tutor and mentor.
HOW LEARNING P LATFORMS CAN HELP B USY TEAC HERS MANAGE ASSESS MEN T FO R L EAR N I N G
Tailoring feedback to individual student goals
The best feedback acknowledges individual student goals. Heres one technique that makes
this possible and quick even with large groups.
Dealing with mixed motivations
In secondary school, most teachers are faced
with a common problem. Students have varying
abilities and vastly different motivations. For
example, one student may want to pass a subject
with the highest possible grade; while another
is happy to scrape a pass so they can get the
necessary points to study a different subject at
college.
Both these students need different things
from their teachers feedback. The problem
is gathering and then remembering all these
different motivations every time you give individual
feedback.
Assessing individual goals at the start
One maths teacher at a vocational college has
developed a simple technique to address this
issue. At the start of the course, he sets his
students a basic maths test in itslearning to find
out what level of understanding they have. He also
asks his students to complete a survey about their
motivations, including the grade they are aiming
for and their goals for the future.
13
Your goals, your feedback
The teacher uses the results from the initial test
to adjust his standard course plan. For example, if
most students struggled with complex equations
in the test, he plans extra time for that topic in
class.
He also transfers the information from the survey
to the students individual learning plan in the
learning platform. This gives him a clear overview
of each students motivation that he can refer to
every time he gives feedback either in written
form on assignments or in conversations during
a lesson. This way he can ensure the feedback
addresses the specific goals that the student set
out at the start of the course.
According to the teacher, even if he only speaks to
the student for two minutes, because the feedback
is directed towards their specific goals, they still
feel theyve got a lot from it and that makes it
simple for him to give valuable feedback often.
14 M AN AG I N G A SSE SS M E N T FO R LE A R N IN G HOW LEARNING P LATFORMS CAN HELP B USY TEAC HERS MANAGE ASSESS MEN T FO R L EAR N I N G 15

OUTSTANDING APPROVED NOT APPROVED

Removing grades with assessment rubrics
Theres a whole theory around assessment rubrics, but the concept is simple to understand Design and readability The blog has a reader- The blog has a The blog does not
and easy to put into practice. friendly design and a reader-friendly have a reader-friendly
relevant illustration design, but is missing design.
from a source with a illustrations.
CC licence. (http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Creative_Commons)
Using gradeless assessments to guide student
growth Body text The body text contains The body text contains The body text contains
For many students, grades are the ultimate 35 links to relevant 12 links to relevant 01 links to relevant
assessment. But, as both Dylan Wiliam and documents, websites documents, websites documents, websites
Henning Fjrtoft argue, if a student is concentrating or other sources that or other sources that or other sources that
on the grade, they can miss the important are discussed. are discussed. are discussed.
development information in the feedback. One
approach is to remove grades from coursework Title and subject tags The blog entry has The blog entry has a The blog entry is
altogether and instead use assessment rubrics. a relevant title and relevant title. missing a title.
relevant subject tags.
An assessment rubric is a scoring guide that is
used to evaluate a students performance based
on various criteria rather than a single grade.
Usually handed out before the assignment, it acts This example of an assessment rubric is used by Henning Fjrtoft inside itslearning with adult learners. He
as a working guide for students and teachers, and uses the learning platform to distribute assignments and rubrics, and his students hand in assignments
requires that students think about the criteria on through the platform. In this way, the platform acts as a digital container. All Hennings rubrics, student
which their work will be judged right from the start. work, feedback and assessments are gathered there, giving Henning a quick and clear overview of his
students progress.
Putting rubrics into practice
The technique described here is based on a practice HIGH GOAL MEDIUM GOAL LOW GOAL
by a teacher trainer, but it can be applied in almost ACHIEVEMENT ACHIEVEMENT ACHIEVEMENT
any subject. Heres how it works.
You show a very You show a great deal You show some This example of an
The teacher puts the assessment rubric onto the good overview of the of knowledge about knowledge of the assessment rubric comes
learning platform alongside the assignment. The important facts. the subject. subject. from a primary school
rubric contains three or four assessment criteria, in Norway. The rubric
as well as three levels of accomplishment: not But does it save you time? You can explain things You can explain some You show that you see comments only on positive
approved, approved and outstanding. The students as part of a greater connections and show some connections and achievements: this means
read the rubric before they start, and work with the Initially, this approach may take time to get started. whole and use facts to the ability to discuss. can discuss them in a that even the lowest level
assessment criteria in mind. (Its also possible to You need to create the assessment rubrics for discuss it. simple way. shows what they student
work with students when creating the rubrics so each assignment, and you need to carefully read
has mastered as opposed
they have ownership and understanding from the the students work in order to match it to their own You actively take part You take part in You take part in to what they have failed to
start.) assessment. But as your students progress, they in discussions and discussions and discussions and argue do.
become much better at assessing their own work use your technical use some technical for your opinions.
When theyve completed their work, the students and you can simply skim their work to make sure knowledge to argue knowledge to argue
look back at the rubrics and assess their own work. their assessment is correct. for your opinions. for your opinions.
At the end of the assignment, they hand in their
assignment along with their own assessments, On some tasks, its also possible to hand the
including a brief description of why they believe assessment over to the students completely. In this
they achieved that level in each of the assessment case, you can ask students to assess each others
critera. work using the assessment rubrics.
16 M AN AG I N G A SSE SS M E N T FO R LE A R N IN G
Tips and tricks
There are lots of ways to make assessment easier to do regularly and often. Here are
some ways that you can use a learning platform to improve how you deliver formative
assessment and gather formative information from your students.
Using polls to track student
understanding
Its important to continually assess student
understanding throughout the course. This way, you
can find out what your students are struggling with,
and adjust your teaching to suit. A quick and easy
way to do this is to use the learning platform to poll
your students understanding and opinions.
Simply create a poll that asks a simple concept-
check question and add it to the front page of the
course. Your students answers will quickly tell you
whether or not theyve grasped the concept. You can
ask students to complete the poll during class time
to check theyve understood the teaching; or you
can ask them to take the poll at home and then use
their answers to adjust your next lesson plan so you
are covering topics the students will most benefit
from.
Quick check
What do you think was the main cause
of temperature increase during the 19th
century?
Man-made causes
Natural causes
Vote! view result
A simple question like this will tell you whether or
not your students have understood the teaching.
How to do it in itslearning:
1. Click Add content block on your
course page
2. Select Poll
3. Add your question and click OK
4. You poll appears on the course
dashboard
You can also use this type of poll to find out what
type of activities your students prefer and which
ones theyd like you to drop.
Think about it.
What do you know?
It is snowing because it is cold 60%
It is cold because it is snowing 20%
I dont know 20%
Vote!
Polls give teachers a very quick idea of how
successful their teaching has been.
HOW LEARNING P LATFORMS CAN HELP B USY TEAC HERS MANAGE ASSESS MEN T FO R L EAR N I N G 17
Using online discussions for You can use their responses to judge how well they
have understood the concept, and adjust your next
assessment for learning lesson plan if required. You can also give feedback
to students in the discussion itself, or wait to
Online discussions can be an excellent tool for
address issues in class.
assessment for learning.
As opposed to polls, online discussions allow
Lets say youve been working on the concept of
students to have greater input. The students can
democracy for a couple of lessons and want to
influence the direction of the discussion and learn
know how well the students have understood the
from each other in the process.
work. You can hold a classroom discussion, but
not all students are comfortable speaking in front
of the class and they dont have much time to How to do it in itslearning:
reflect on their answers before they speak. So it
1. Go to your course dashboard and click
might be worth using an online discussion, either
Add in the tree menu.
instead of the classroom discussion or in addition.
2. Select Add discussion
Simply start the discussion with a simple question
3. Give the discussion a title and
and ask your students to respond for homework.
description and click Save
The students can share their ideas and opinions in
the discussion forum, and can also make it more 4. Now click Start new thread. Give the
thread a title and ask your question in the
interesting by adding photos, sound or video files
description. Click Save.
or links to support their comments.
What is democracy? Reply with quote Edit Delete
This feedback gives
Give a practical example of a situation where you
the teacher valuable
were part of a democratic process. information about how
students perceive the
Miss Anderson concept democracy. She
Fake democracy? Reply with quote Edit Delete has a permanent record
of the discussion and can
We voted for a captain on the football team. It was use the information when
bad. The most popular guy got elected, not the deciding how to improve
best player. The process was democratic, but not
upcoming lessons.
Tim Right
right
School democracy? Reply with quote Edit Delete
I was elected to the student council by my class
mates. We were 4 candidates but I got most votes
and got the seat in the council.
Benjamin C.
Reply with quote Edit Delete
The student council does not work. They never
take the decisions I would like them to. Like the
question of the theme for the next school dance.
Morten F.
My suggestion was much better than the one they
chose.
18 M AN AG I N G A SSE SS M E N T FO R LE A R N IN G HOW LEARNING P LATFORMS CAN HELP B USY TEAC HERS MANAGE ASSESS MEN T FO R L EAR N I N G 19

Letting students answer Audio feedback

assignments with audio Many teachers find that they give faster and
more nuanced feedback when they speak to their
Many teachers dont have time to listen to all
students. But in large classes, giving face-to-face
students read their work during class and this
feedback to each student can be time-consuming.
can be a problem, especially for language teachers.
One simple answer is to use your learning
One solution is to ask your students to record
platforms audio recorder.
themselves reading at home or in the computer
lab. This way, you can listen to everybody when
Once youve read the students work, simply
you mark the assignment and can give feedback
open the audio recorder in the learning platform
on pronunciation as well as other elements of the
and record your feedback. Your student will get
work. (You can give written feedback, or record your
a notification that the feedback is ready and
feedback orally).
will be able to listen to it at home. When used
in combination with face-to-face and written
This technique can be used in many settings. For
feedback, this technique can add a new dimension
example, you may ask students to read books for
to a students educational experience.
homework and explain what the book is about to
the rest of the class. You can do this with some
students during class time, but you will rarely
have time for every student to speak. So ask the How to do it in itslearning:
other students to record themselves talking about
the book at home. You can then add the recording 1. Make sure you have a microphone and
to an online discussion forum and ask the other (optional) web camera connected to
students to give feedback on both the review and your computer
the presentation.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?
2. Open the assignment answer. Click the
Comment text field, and click the Insert
button. Select New video recording or
How to embed recordings in New Audio recording.
discussions in itslearning: 3. Select Allow when the pop-up box
opens.
1. Ask the student to open the discussion.
4. Enter a name for the recording. Click
When they are ready, they need to click
the red record button and start talking.
the text field, click the Insert button and
When youre done, click Stop.
select New video recording or New Audio
recording. 5. If you are happy with the recording, click
Insert. You can redo the recording by
2. The student needs to click Allow in the
clicking the record button again.
pop-up box and enter a name for the
recording on the next screen. 6. The recording will be automatically
inserted into the Comment text field.
3. To record, they click the red record button
(An icon represents the sound or video
and start talking.
clip.) The student can play the recording
4. If they are happy with the recording, they when they open the assignment.
click Insert to add it to the discussion.
They can redo the recording by clicking the
record button.
5. The recording will be automatically
inserted into the text field (an icon
represents the sound or video clip) and
other students will be able to play it when
they open the discussion forum.
20 M AN AG I N G A SSE SS M E N T FO R LE A R N IN G
What does the future hold?
Assessment for learning places the student at the centre of the learning universe. By
ensuring every teacher not only practices assessment for learning, but shares their
knowledge of their students with other teachers, we can ensure a holistic approach to
education that nurtures the students and helps them achieve more.
Educating the whole child
Hillsdale High in the US worked for over ten years
to change the focus of their teachers. The goal
was to stop teachers working in isolation. Instead,
teachers at the school work in a group to educate
every child, and share assessment information with
other teachers. This has been extremely successful:
fewer students drop out, more students make quick
progress and every student feels they are the heart
of learning at the school.
This is not an isolated case. In many schools
in Norway, for example, every student has a
mentor (called a Contact teacher) who receives
assessment information across all subjects. This
person uses this information in discussions with
the student and the students parents, helping them
understand the entire picture: so they can work on
general weaknesses and nurture general strengths.
The ultimate goal
For teachers, the goal of this work is to create a
school environment where students intellectual
and creative capabilities are stimulated every day
and in every subject, so they retain their love of
learning and strive to improve themselves. The goal
is to nurture more rounded human beings and not
just good academic performance and maximise
every students potential to contribute to society.
How can technology support this?
The 2011 Horizon Report K-12 Education looks at
the technologies most likely to impact education in
the coming five years. Released by the New Media
Consortium in collaboration with the Consortium
for School Networking, the report recognises new
technologies that have the potential to change the
way educators, students and institutions work.
HOW LEARNING P LATFORMS CAN HELP B USY TEAC HERS MANAGE ASSESS MEN T FO R L EAR N I N G 21
The reference list
Assessment for learning / Vurdering for lring:
Several video lectures in English on the topic
Assessment for learning.
http://www.udir.no/Vurdering-for-laring/
Sporsmal-og-svar/
Fjrtoft, Henning: Effektiv planlegging og
vurdering, Landslaget for norskundervisning 2009
There are two particular technologies identified by http://www2.svt.ntnu.no/ansatte/ansatt.
the report that could have a major impact on how aspx?id=1024
schools deliver assessment for learning.
Hattie, John: Visible Learning, Routledge, 2008
Video clip: The leader as evaluator, part 3: seeing
One is the rise of personal learning environments
learning through the eyes of students:
(PLEs). A PLE is a concept in which students can
http://vimeo.com/23887656
develop their own approach to learning. For this
to happen, the student and teacher need access
Stobart, Gordon
to a customisable learning technology, such as a
http://www.ioe.ac.uk/staff/CPAT/LCCN_78.html
learning platform. The student can then create their
own learning space within the learning platform,
including their own resource libraries that Video lectures:
incorporate materials that suit their learning style. Gordon Stobart - Taking AFL forward, part 1
This will require a shift in the teachers role from an Gordon Stobart - Taking AFL forward, part 2
instructor to a guide, who helps the student decide
http://www.udir.no/Vurdering-for-laring/
what and how to learn and provides individual
Sporsmal-og-svar/
formative and summative assessment.
Wiliam, Dylan
Another key technology is learning analytics
http://www.dylanwiliam.net/
(advanced and detailed data on student
performance). At the moment, most learning
Video clips:
analytics data focuses on summative assessment,
BBC The Classroom experiment (2011)
but in the future learning platforms will
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00txzwp
increasingly enable educators to gather, access,
share and analyse formative data. This data can
Video lecture: Assessment for Learning (2010)
then be used by teachers to recalibrate their
http://media01.smartcom.no/Microsite/
teaching to suit their students ever-evolving needs;
go.aspx?eventid=5099
and by school leaders to develop better and more
relevant teaching strategies.
Hillsdale High School, San Mateo,
California, USA:
Case study:
Hillsdale Case Study from Windows on
Conversions
http://www.srnleads.org/events/institutes/
hillsdale/hillsdale_files/pre/old-stuff/hillsdale_
case.pdf
Apeltun Primary School, Bergen, Norway:
Removing the barriers to parental engagement
http://www.itslearning.eu/
apeltun-primary-school
22 M AN AG I N G A SSE SS M E N T FO R LE A R N IN G

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