The role of frequent assessment in science education at an international school in Singapore
Written by: Jozef Bendik and Fabio Di Salvo
7 min read
JOZEF BENDIK AND FABIO DI SALVO, SINGAPORE
Assessments used in schools often involve teachers administering end-of-unit or -semester tests with questions selected from question banks. The assignment of grades usually relies on either a teacher-determined scale or grade boundaries taken from previous terminal examinations. These methods can introduce inconsistencies into the evaluative process. Furthermore, students can become anxious about these large teacher-graded assessments, and this prevents them from using assessments as a learning device.
In the science department at an international school in Singapore, we’ve initiated a project to produce a more consistent system, using smaller and more frequent assessments spread across the course called progress checks (PCs). PCs are tailored to evaluate a student’s grasp of subject matter within defined curriculum domains, and to provide the opportunity for students to reflect on their own study and assessment habits. Inspired by Ch
Join us or sign in now to view the rest of this page
You're viewing this site as a guest, which only allows you to view a limited amount of content.
To view this page and get access to all our resources, join the Chartered College of Teaching (it's free for trainee teachers and half price for NQTs) or log in if you're already a member.
- Andrade H (2009. Self-assessment procedures used in US classrooms: A descriptive analysis. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice 16(3): 315–333.
- Christodoulou D (2016) Making Good Progress? The Future of Assessment for Learning. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Donarski S (2020) The Researched Guide to Assessment: An Evidence-Informed Guide for Teachers. Woodbridge: John Catt Educational.
- El Saadawi GM, Azevedo R, Castine M et al. (2010) The impact of positive and negative feedback on confirmation bias in an online learning environment. Educational Technology Research and Development 58(1): 1–22.
- Griffiths L and Higham PA (2018) The effects of confidence and diagnostic feedback on diagnostic performance. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 25(6): 2254–2262.
- Roediger HL and Butler AC (2011) The critical role of retrieval practice in long-term retention. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 15(1): 20–27.
- Wiliam D (2011a) What is assessment for learning? Studies In Educational Evaluation 37(1): 3–14.
- Wiliam D (2011b) Embedded Formative Assessment. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
- Zimmerman B (2002) Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory Into Practice 41: 64–70.
Subscribe
Please login to comment
0 Comments
