ABSTRACT
Educational assessment is about using evidence to make judgements against a set of criteria about whether children have achieved a learning objective. It relies on the ability to make professional judgements using pedagogical and subject knowledge. The values and beliefs underpinning the philosophical stance of the assessor in relation to the assessed inform the process. Let us examine two possible approaches to assessing a child’s performance in relation to a key objective for Year 5 from the National Numeracy Strategy (NNS) Framework for teaching mathematics: ‘Carry out long multiplication of a two-digit by two-digit integer’ (DfEE 1999 Section 2: 4). A teacher who believes that performance of the calculation in a particular way to achieve a correct answer every time is an indication of achievement might have the expectation that the children use the most compact method as shown:
11 C H A P T E R
In such a situation, the teacher might assess children producing alternative methods as not having achieved the objective, even when the answer is correct. Such a teacher might also have focused on teaching the method by ‘rote’ rather than through understanding. Teaching by ‘rote’ means teaching children how to perform calculations without understanding why the methods work. Such a teacher might value mathematical teaching and learning processes that might appear to produce quick and effective improvements in test results for many children in the class.
