ABSTRACT
Another consequence of the emphasis on external systems of assessment designed for accountability is that it can distract from the more important role of assessment in informing and improving teaching and learning. It is often claimed that the different purposes for assessment should be kept in mind and reconciled in practice but this is more difficult than is often assumed. Preparation of pupils for standard tests at Key Stage 3 and external examinations at Key Stage 4 can easily distract from the need to give wide-ranging feedback to pupils to improve their general achievement in the subject. It is as if a driving instructor decides to conduct a driving lesson by waiting at a given destination to which the pupil has been told to drive. The instructor proceeds to look at the time it took, checks the vehicle for any bumps and scratches and then provides the pupils with a report which gives a simple grade and includes comments such as ‘could do better’, ‘go a bit faster next time’, or ‘watch your steering’. For a teacher to use assessment effectively it is necessary to be thoroughly
8 C H A P T E R
‘beside the wheel’ and involved in the process of learning. It is easy to get so submerged in the language of assessment (summative/formative;
normative/criterion referenced; validity/reliability) that one loses any real insight into the tensions and issues at the heart of the process. Similarly, close involvement with the mechanics of assessment may distract from a real sense of educational purpose. I begin this chapter therefore not with a consideration of technicalities but with a discussion of a sample of a pupil’s writing which raises a number of general issues. This is followed by a brief description of a traditional, narrow approach to assessment in English before considering contemporary developments.
