Assessment

Assessment is an integral part of the learning experience. Teachers, and learners themselves, are continually making judgements about their progress. Learners may be comparing their own achievements with those of others in ways which may or may not be helpful. Whether assessment is formal or informal, a dialogue about the criteria upon which assessments are made is needed.

Assessment may be formative (designed solely to help the learner progress) or summative (designed to measure learning and arrive at an overall assessment).

The quality of assessment practice may be improved by:

• integrating assessment into schemes of work
• planning assessment to reinforce learning as well as measure it
• using methods that allow learners to show what they know, understand and can do
• responding to diversity and providing additional support where needed
• making sure that methods used for formative assessment contribute to learning and prepare learners for forms of assessment they will encounter at the summative stage or in programmes to which they hope to progress
• sharing good practice in assessment, developing common approaches within programmes and moderating outcomes
• recognising that assessment cannot capture all of the learning that takes place and being clear what is to be assessed, how and why.

Providers ensure that all learners undergo initial and diagnostic assessment. This is to ensure that learners are on the right programme at the right level and that, if necessary, they receive support in functional skills. Providers also need to ensure that planned learning styles are appropriate to individual learners.

The DfES is also piloting new initial assessment tools. Some of these are related to specific vocational areas.

As well as periodic reviews of learner progress and achievement, teachers, trainers and assessors are also responsible for the ongoing assessment and recording of achievement. These records will feed into the periodic reviews of individual learning plans (ILPs).

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