Process of gathering and interpreting information education essay

Assessment is a process of gathering and interpreting information about learners to determine the learning goals of an academic program. Assessment allows learners to demonstrate what they have learned or what they already know and how they can use the knowledge. It is an integral part of teaching and learning. There are many different methods of assessment used at Leicester College. It is used as a quality indicator at local and national levels and therefore provides individuals with recognised qualifications that meet their educational and training needs. Each assessment is designed to produce the evidence to show that they have the knowledge, understanding and skills for the qualification they are aiming for. Their work experience and any particular support or health needs and concerns are also recorded. Learners have an opportunity to discuss their past learning, experiences, their hopes and aspirations, their long-term goals, such as gaining a qualification or finding a new job. Initial assessment identifies the level of the learner’s current skills and levels and provides the information needed to decide a starting point for the learner. A learner might have different levels of reading, writing, numeracy and language skill. Initial assessment is used to help place the learner in an appropriate learning programme. It is usually followed by detailed diagnostic assessment. The results of this assessment are recorded in ILPs for the tutors of the allocated programme. The assessor discusses the options that are available including national qualifications and other vocational courses. Advice and guidance is provided that directs the learner towards a suitable programme. Diagnostic assessment is administered and carried out by the teacher at the beginning of a learning programme to identify a learner’s strengths and weaknesses in specific areas. For ESOL learners, diagnostic assessment covers all four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. It provides a detailed assessment of a learner’s skills and abilities and the results are recorded in the learner’s individual learning plan (ILP) to agree on goals for a set timescale and are negotiated with the learners. The tutors also finds out the learner’s reasons for learning: personal goals, immediate needs and contexts for using skills. The teacher and learner agree goals and targets that reflect the results of the diagnostic assessment, the learner’s particular needs, the context in which the learner will use literacy, language or numeracy which are used to plan learning activities and resources for the learners. During diagnostic assessment, the teacher also carries out assessment to identify the learner’s preferred learning style. They also help the learner to appreciate that different people learn in different ways. Formative assessment takes place in the classroom and provides information on the learner’s progress. It helps to identify future learning needs, an individual’s support needs as well as any issues which might affect the learning process. The results are formally recorded in ILPs. The results of formative assessment are used to set learning goals and to provide feedback to learners because it is an assessment of learning progress against ILP targets. This type of assessment contributes to effective learning when the assessments are well designed and the results of assessments are fed back to learners. Feedback provides learners with information on how well they are learning and how they can improve helps the teacher to modify the program to improve student learning. Summative assessment assesses the learner’s progress and achievements against his or her goals and targets which can be done by taking an accreditation or completion of individual learning plan and provides a record of achievement for the learner. It provides the learners with information about what they can move on to and records decisions on the progression for both the learner and the college. Summative assessment can be either internal or external. The outcomes of all types of assessment are interpreted in the context of learning goals and objectives and used to make decisions about changes. The most important use is for improving academic programs and enhancing student learning and also assisting learners to make choices about their future learning. Task 4The basic purpose of assessment is to evaluate your own teaching practice to improve the quality of teaching and learning and to determine if the learning outcomes are being achieved. You can get reliable results, provide feedback on learning and enable students to improve their learning. It’s very important for a teacher to assess if the learning is truly taking place in order to meet the learning goals because if you, as a teacher, clearly know how well your students are learning and progressing, you will be able to teach them more effectively. However, using the same assessment methods can disadvantage the students because individual students have individual strengths and weaknesses. There are numerous ways of assessing teaching and learning and as a tutor, I personally feel the need and urge to explore different ways of assessing learning and by using a variety of assessment methods, I would be able to assess a range of skills and get more reliable results. Reading some resources and online search would give me valuable ideas for methods of assessment to improve teaching and learning. I would also consult and observe some experienced teachers and explore different types of assessment methods which, I strongly feel, will enable me to make my assessment more effective, valuable and interesting for both myself and my students. When creating assessment activities, I need to think clearly about what I want my students to achieve from this course, so that the assessment methods are appropriate to the diverse level, needs, abilities and different learning styles of the students and therefore should aim to enhance student learning. It is also worthwhile to consider involving other experienced staff members in the assessment practice and observe my lessons to evaluate and review my own assessment methods to help me plan future teaching and learning and motivate students. Assessment results contribute towards quality assurance in terms of feedback, improvement and monitoring of teaching and learning within the department. The results also enable the organisation to enhance teaching and learning quality for both internal and external evaluation processes. Peer observation helps develop your own practice, share good teaching practices, gather new ideas of teaching strategies, enhance own teaching skills and identify areas for improvement. Attending staff development sessions will help me learn and implement new skills and ideas in my practice that will improve my own teaching skills and increase student achievement.