ABSTRACT
A critical question for researchers and educators is how to assess the quality of learning practices and the outcomes they produce for individual learners. This chapter summarizes a learner-centred view of how to arrive at the best methods of assessment in our educational systems. Data are presented to demonstrate that the best methods are those that use a collaborative 360 degree assessment approach, contextualized within local contexts and cultures. With a 360 degree assessment approach, all stakeholders in the learning process are given the opportunity to provide their perspectives on the extent to which the student is experiencing a positive learning environment and instructional practices that meet their learning needs. This chapter also presents quantitative results to show that focusing on what the students perceive as learning supports at school and classroom levels explains the most variance in a range of learning outcomes that focus on the whole learner. The findings suggest a simpler and more valid approach to assessment that takes into account students’ and teachers’ perceptions of the teachers’ learner-centred practices.
This chapter presents the case for the 360 degree learner-centred assessment framework as a simple solution to understanding student's views of the quality of their educational experiences and environments. To examine how a 360 degree assessment system was implemented in real school contexts, the chapter looks at two studies with middle school students, and three studies with Grades K3 students. The studies examined the effects of learner-centred practices on pre-adolescent academic engagement and achievement via profile analysis using multidimensional scaling and latent profile analyses respectively. The K3 Assessment of Learner-Centred Practices (ALCP) surveys were used to examine children's and teacher's perceptions of practices to create positive interpersonal relations, provide motivational support, and facilitate learning. The ALCP data presented in the chapter shows that what students perceive and self-report about their classroom and school practices provide reliable and valid evidence that they are engaged learners in a climate and culture of learner-centred practices.
