Enhancing learning outcomes using standardized and informal assessment data

Standardized (formal) assessments are professionally developed tests administered under standard conditions and scored in a consistent manner with the aim of producing scores that can be used to evaluate programs or children. Standardized tests provide a quantifiable method to evaluate all applicants on an equal level (Timperley, 2009). This makes them a valid and reliable system of testing. Informal [authentic] assessments, on the other hand, are not quantifiable. They use content and performance observations instead of data and this enables teachers to focus on the students’ individual needs.

Teachers are expected to use the two forms of teaching tools to ensure that learning takes place. The teachers’ methods of teaching in the classroom have changed over the years. The role of today’s teachers is not so much to impart knowledge, as to ensure that learning has taken place (Elango, Jutti & Lee, 1005, p. 511). How can teachers effectively use standardized and informal practices and assessment data in the assessment cycle to enhance the learning outcome of all children? To fully and successfully answer this question, one has to know the practices that are in use. This paper focuses on the standardized tests known as NAPLAN and the informal assessment of portfolios in Year 3 students.

Australia uses both standardized and informal assessment. One of the formal assessments used in Australia today is NAPLAN. This program commenced in 2008 after Australia saw a new need to review its teaching system. NAPLAN stands for National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy. It is an annual national assessment done for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. It includes reading, writing, language conventions which include spelling, grammar and punctuation and numeracy. The materials used for NAPLAN are contributed by government and non-government education authorities (NAPLAN, 2010). Through NAPLAN, the government, teaching authorities, teachers and parents can find out if young Australians are acquiring the skills and knowledge necessary to be productive in society.

NAPLAN tests the skills of the child. Most standardized tests are designed to measure a student’s skills rather than a student’s amount of knowledge. Questions evaluate a student’s ability to solve problems and not their knowledge of facts (Timperley, 2009).).This ensures that the child is not required to memorize information like dates and numbers. Once the tests are done, the teacher can then use the data to do an assessment. Formal assessments have data which is used to support conclusions that are made from the standardized tests. This kind of data is usually mathematically computed and summarized. The score given is in percentiles, or standard scores.

In addition to NAPLAN, there are informal tests that are given by teachers. Informal assessment methods are more suited to young children. For teachers to enhance learning in year three children, they have to first find out what the students know. This is accomplished by using tests and other assessment methods. An assessment cycle of observation, reflection and instruction is used. Teachers observe and interview students and keep records in checklists, rating scales, photos, learning stories, child work and, portfolios, among others.

Portfolios are an excellent method of recording informal assessment. A portfolio is a collection of written accounts of events and activities experienced by a teacher and kept in the form of a journal. It documents student learning, growth and development. The portfolio is both a learning tool and a document of evidence. It should contain not just events and activities but also the teacher’s reflections on these events and lessons learnt. It contains details of learning objectives, resources used and strategies to be taken (Elango et al., 2005, p. 511).

Portfolio learning is a valuable tool as it has many advantages. It enables children to act and learn without being controlled by anyone else, it allows them to assess their strengths and weaknesses and it helps them to identify and meet their learning needs and consequently build an education plan for the future (Elango et al., 2005, p. 511). The documentation of the child’s progress in portfolios is bound to be very accurate as the teacher is the adult who spends the most time with the child. Portfolios have a few shortcomings however. They are time consuming and depend wholly on a teachers’ observation which may be biased.

Standardized tests also have disadvantages. Many feel that if these tests are overused, they narrow down the curriculum such that what is not tested is not usually taught or learnt. The standardized tests also include essays which are graded based on the graders’ views and this is not standard across all graders. Students’ scores are influenced by many factors including knowledge acquired in school, away from school and, their own intelligence as well. For these reasons, teachers should always use both formal and informal assessments while evaluating student’s scores. These two types of assessments are used for different purposes. On the one hand, the formal or standardized tests are used to assess overall achievement, to compare students’ performance, strengths and weaknesses with others in the same age group. On the other hand, the informal assessments are used to guide teachers on where they need to focus their instruction.

To effectively use the assessment data, teachers need to be well trained. In addition, teachers should get adequate guidance in making observations and in writing portfolios. Moreover, school leaders are expected to be a source of information on the meaning of the assessment data. According to a study done by Elango and colleagues (2005), it was demonstrated that trained and motivated teachers are essential for portfolio based learning to succeed (Elango et al., 2005, p. 2005). The assessment data needs to provide teachers with curriculum relevant information. The information needs to be seen by teachers as something that informs teaching and learning rather than as a reflection of the capability of individual students (Timperley, 2009).

A shift from the traditional teaching methods will also be beneficial to learners and educators. In traditional methods, assessment data was considered to be reflective of students’ ability and not much could be done about that. Educators are now expected to use the assessment data as a guide to reflect on the effectiveness of teaching and measures to be taken (Timperley, 2009). There are several ways that assessment data can be used. Teachers should choose multiple measures that give students many opportunities to show progress e.g. interviews, portfolios and self assessment. Those students who don’t have knowledge of what has been taught should have that particular topic repeated to them. The information that is taught is the one that should be tested, criteria for assessment should be made know to the students, knowledge, process and thinking should all be included in assessment and the students should be involved in the assessment process (Dallas, n. d.).

Teachers use an assessment cycle to effectively enhance learning. The assessment cycle is a cyclical process of observing, recording, reviewing, reflecting, and learning from events. The informal techniques used are observation, inventories, interviews, anecdotal records, checklists, and rating scales. Some of the formal techniques have found application as diagnostic instruments, standardized instruments, curriculum-related tests, and diagnostic systems (Black & Puckett, 2007, p. 57). In this case, the observations are first made, after which they have to be recorded in Portfolios. Thereafter, these observations are then reviewed using NAPLAN. The application of NAPLAN therefore enables both the students and teachers to compare student portfolios with the data obtained. Students’ profiles of reading comprehension on different assessment tasks can help teachers to identify what they teach well and what requires a different or new emphasis (Timperley, 2009). This is the reflection part of the cycle that leads to improvement in learning.

Teachers play a very important role in society. For example, they take care of the young children and then shape them to become the leaders of tomorrow. As such, teachers play a very important role in helping to shape the future of the society. For this reasons, every resource should be made available to the teachers to enhance learning. Teachers effectively use standardized and informal practices and assessment data in the assessment cycle to enhance the learning outcome of all children. The most effective teachers use data daily to inform their decisions. A good teacher is able to find out which students are learning and which ones are not. The teacher can then make instruction plans to meet the individual needs of every student. Research shows that teachers who use assessment data to improve their teaching skills are more effective than those who do not.

Teachers should also use teaching assessment based on the age of the students. Young children like those in Year 3 are better suited to informal assessment like portfolios. Formal day care is considered to be good for a child’s cognitive development. NAPLAN and other standardized tests should be used as a guide to help teachers find out where the students need improvement. Teachers should be allowed to enjoy a certain level of freedom when it comes to choosing tools for learning.