ASSESSMENT

Chapter 2.5 Assessment

“Becoming is better than being” C. Dweck If you were asked what the purpose of assessment in a circus lesson is, how would you answer? The conclusion of our research is that assessment empowers the learner to clarify “ ” what they know, and to provide a basis for future learning. Assessment has less to do with generating grades and more to do with promoting learning. It is part of the educative process, and is used to inform the teacher which framework, which exercise, and which ‘proximal development’ zone, is most useful going forward. To paraphrase the book ‘Working Inside the Black Box’: ‘An assessment for learning is any assessment that has, in its design and practice, as its first priority the aim of promoting student learning. It differs from assessments designed primarily for the purpose of accountability, or student ranking, or certifying competence. Evaluation activities can help learning if they provide information that teachers and their students can use as feedback to evaluate themselves and their peers and modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged.’23 From this perspective, assessment is a constant cycle of improvement, for both teachers and students.

23 Working Inside the Black Box: Assessment for Learning in the Classroom; Black, Harrison, Lee, Marshall, & Wiliam (2004)