Using Assessment Data to
Enhance Learning & Teaching
Language Learning Support Section, EDB
22nd Nov, 2007
English
Enhancement
Grant
public
exams
New Senior Secondary
Territory-wide Systems
Assessment
School-based
Assessment
There are so
many of them.
How can we deal
with them all
at the same time?
Is there any
relationship
among them?
How should
we handle all
these
measures?
Why do we have
to do all these?
NSS
firm
foundation
USING ASSESSMENT DATA
TO ENHANCE
LEARNING AND TEACHING
7
CCC Kei To Secondary School
Ms. Dorothy Tsang, English Panel head
22nd November, 2007
BACKGROUND
Our students’
English foundation
is weak and some
TSA is a new
initiative. How are not motivated.
should we prepare What can we do?
our students
for it ?
March 2006
Our English
teachers’ background
is diverse. Is there
anything we can
do to help them?
SUPPORT STRATEGIES ADOPTED
Used
various data
to identify gaps in the
junior secondary
curriculum
Reviewed the
school context
Offered school-based
workshop
Co-planned a unit
as a start
ACTION ITEMS – Curriculum Level
Unit plan
Integrating BCs
into curriculum
planning
Integrating assessment
for learning into
curriculum planning
Teaching
materials
Exposing students to
a variety of authentic
reading materials
Graphic organisers
Using poetry
Differentiated
materials
Bloom’s
Taxonomy
Developing students’
higher-order thinking skills
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Catering for
learner diversity
Criterionreferenced
assessment
Adopting taskbased approach
ACTION ITEMS – Classroom Level
Increase students’
learning
motivation
Use studentcentred learning &
teaching activities
Adopt clear
assessment criteria
Familiarise students
with assessment
criteria prior to the
task assignment
Give more detailed
feedback
Cater for learner
diversity
Use
differentiated
materials
Strategic and
flexible grouping
IMPACT
•Skill-based
• Students benefit from
curriculum
criterion-referenced assessment
• Learner motivation
• A more Welcoming
balanced
the audience
and student participation
•More
focused
and comprehensive
increased
Mind map
teaching
curriculum
Introduction
of the
dish
• Students
learn
from
feedback from peers
• More organised writing
• Learning,
teaching
Ingredients
Student
•Teachers’
and assessment
Level
• Improved
professionalism
• Learner
diversity
more
well-aligned
Sauce
speaking
skills
enhanced
better catered for
•Heightened
Cooking steps
awareness in
•A collaborative
catering for
and sharing
Serving the
dish
learner
diversity
culture started
at curriculum
Teacher
Curriculum
Ending
level
Level
Level
CONCEPTUALIZATION
• Expose students to a wide
variety of authentic materials
and different text-types
• Give students plenty
of opportunities to
recycle the target
skills & language
• Triangulate various sources
of data to identify gaps &
diagnose weakness
• Integrate BC
descriptors in
curriculum planning
Learning &
Curriculum
teaching
Planning
Assess• Adopt an integrative
ment
• Align learning,
approach to plan a
teaching & assessment
skill-based curriculum
• Cater for learner diversity
• Adopt task-based
framework
CONCEPTUALIZATION
• Set clear teaching objectives
• Use a studentcentred approach
• Pay attention to students’
evidence of learning and
intervene only when
necessary
• Give constructive
feedback to students
Learning &
Curriculum
teaching
Planning
• Ask thought• Adopt different
Assessprovoking questions
teaching strategies to
ment
suit diverse students’ needs
• Enhance student-student
interaction
• Use strategic and / or
flexible grouping
CONCEPTUALIZATION
Planning assessment
• Align assessment
focuses with learning
& teaching objectives
Administering assessment
• Familiarize students
with the assessment
criteria prior to the
Learning &
assessment
Curriculum
teaching
Planning
• Give thought to
Assessdifferent
• Give timely and
ment
assessment modes
constructive feedback
to students
• Set unambiguous and
objective assessment criteria
http://cd1.edb.hkedcity.net/cd/languagesupport/index.htm
Using TSA and internal assessment
data to make a smooth transition
between the junior and senior
secondary curriculum
LLSS
Background
Concerns and needs
 low learning motivation
 poor writing skills
 lack of confidence in
speaking
 mainly summative
assessment
 lack of assessment
literacy
 textbook bound
 lack of creative and
imaginative texts
 teacher-centered
 lack of interactive learning
activities
 curriculum plans lack
continuity
 poor transition between
levels
 lack of preparation for NSS
Principles of NSS Curriculum Design
• Promoting assessment for learning by
building on the experience of Standardsreferenced Assessment (SRA) and
School-based Assessment (SBA) … to
facilitate the use of standards to inform
learning and teaching and to enhance
alignment between curriculum and
assessment.
English Language Curriculum and Assessment
Guide (Secondary 4-6) March, 2007
Infusion of assessment strategies
Improve teachers’
questioning and
feedback techniques
integrate assessment
into vertical and
horizontal planning
integrate assessment
into horizontal
planning
analyse TSA question
design
use TSA descriptors to
plan the curriculum
and design learning
and teaching activities
analyse TSA and
d
internal assessment
data to inform teaching
and learning
integrate formative
assessment into unit
planning
recycle Year 1
assessment practice
recycle Years 1 & 2
assessment practice
Yr 1 (F.1)
(04-05)
Yr 2 (F.2)
(05-06)
Yr 3 (F.3)
(06-07)
set task specific
criteria to assess
learners’ performance
use different modes of
assessment activities
Years and levels
TSA data analysis
Writing
Analysis of internal
assessment data
Teaching level
Lack of transition
between levels
Unbalanced
coverage of targets,
skills, text types,
values and attitudes,
etc.
Lack of alignment
between teaching,
learning and assessment
Interface between the junior
and senior secondary curricula
…to make use of the learning targets and
objectives, and the broad learning outcomes,
provided in the English language curriculum
framework, to plan and develop a coherent
school-based language curriculum with built-in
pedagogical approaches which facilitate
learning progression and which suit learners’
needs, interests and abilities at both junior
and senior secondary levels.
English Language Curriculum and Assessment
Guide (Secondary 4-6) March, 2007
Bridging the gap
Holistic Curriculum
junior
secondary
curriculum
P
l
a
n
n
i
n
g
senior
secondary
curriculum
Vertical planning
Key
Learning
Focuses
TSA
Descriptors
Learning
Outcomes
Vertical planning
study the four language skills
descriptors
screen their level of difficulty
scaffold them from F1 to F3
Vertical planning
study what LA elements & text
types students need to learn in
KS3 & 4
match the textbook themes with
the LA elements and text types
scaffold them into F1-F7
curriculum
Horizontal planning
set learning targets and match with learning
outcomes
ensure a balanced coverage of language focus,
text types, skills and strategies, values and
attitudes, etc.
design learning activities to help students
apply the language
design assessment activities to
track students’ progress
Learning level
Writing
Speaking
 lack of ideas and
content
 lack of planning,
organization and
sequence
 inadequate skills for
revising written work
 lack of confidence in
speaking English
 no elaboration of
ideas
 reluctance to
communicate with
classmates in English
Broad learning outcomes
of senior secondary
Writing
1. lack of ideas and content
2. lack of planning, organization
and sequence
3. inadequate skills for revising
written work
Writing
•
Write texts for different contexts,
audiences and purposes with
relevant content and adequate
supporting details
•
Convey meaning using varied
vocabulary, linguistic devices and
language patterns appropriately and
accurately
•
Plan and produce coherent and
structured texts with ideas
effectively presented and developed
•
Write texts using appropriate tone,
style and register and the salient
features of different genres
•
Draft and revise written texts
English Language Curriculum and Assessment
Guide (Secondary 4-6) March, 2007
Broad learning outcomes
of senior secondary
Speaking
•
Express information and ideas with
suitable elaboration
•
Convey meaning using a range of
vocabulary and language patterns
appropriate to the context, purpose
and audience
•
Establish and maintain relationships /
spoken exchanges using formulaic
expressions and appropriate
communication strategies
•
Develop and link ideas using suitable
organizing techniques
•
Pronounce words clearly and accurately
•
Support communication using delivery
techniques
English Language Curriculum and Assessment
Guide (Secondary 4-6) March, 2007
Speaking
1. lack of confidence in
speaking English
2. no elaboration of ideas
3. reluctance to communicate
with classmates in English
Mismatch
Ability of students
in writing
and
speaking
in junior
secondary
Learning outcomes
of writing and
speaking to
be achieved
in senior
secondary
•lack of ideas and
content
•lack of planning,
organization and
sequence
•no elaboration of ideas
•lack of confidence in
speaking English
•reluctance to
communicate with
classmates in English
•inadequate skills for
revising written work
Use of language
arts and a variety
of text types
Use of graphic
organizers
Use of individual
presentation and
group discussion
Use of peer and
self assessment
Process writing project
Teenage problems:
self-image, family, study and friends
stimulate
ideas
Theme
Language arts + a variety of text types:
poems, songs, TV programme, radio programme,
interview, letter, blog, newspaper article, stress test
Input
Use of graphic organizers,
Individual presentation and group discussion,
Self and peer-assessment
Strategies
Writing an article to
students’ association blog to
share problems and provide solutions
Output
elaborate
information
and ideas
plan and organize
ideas
enhance
communication
among classmates
revise and
edit work
Motivation in writing
Do you enjoy…
100
80
60
40
20
0
participating in
English writing
activities
the process of
writing
writing in English
Confidence in writing
I know how to
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
express ideas in
English
write in an
organized manner
edit my work
Writing Skills Development
I learn how to
74.6
74.4
74.2
74
73.8
73.6
73.4
wr ite in an o r g an ized
m an n er
co r r ect m y m istak es
ed it m y classm ate's wo r k
Impact on teaching
 increasing awareness of the shift from
content teaching to skills and
strategies development of students
 better use of different language arts
elements to motivate students
 better use of process writing to develop
students’ writing skills
 better use of different assessment
methods to enhance teaching and learning
Impact on professional development
 reflect on teaching and students’
learning through data analysis
 focus more on curriculum and lesson
design to cater for students’ needs
 learn from each other through coplanning and peer lesson observation
 extend the good practices of using
data to effect changes in the
curriculum to other subjects
Using Territory-wide System Assessment
(TSA) data to improve curriculum
planning and enhance professional
capacity building
Learning
Develop more effective
strategies to help
students improve their
learning outcomes
Teaching
Assessment
Diagnose problems and
identify gaps in the curriculum
What’s your preparation for the NSS?
Preparation for the NSS
Language Learning Support Section
Mr Bruce Bolin
Deputy Project Director
Tel: 3698-4067
Fax: 2364-0273
Email: b_bolin@edb.gov.hk
to prepare
for SBA
Peer assessment
Self assessment
Language arts + a variety of text types
to prepare
for NSS
Graphic organizers
Writing an article
lack of
limited
organization
description
problem
solution
Input
Process
Tasks
 Recipe
 Menu
 Dialogue
completion
 Poem
  Dialogue
practice
Peer assessment
 Text analysis
 Develop
script mind-map of a dish
Student
of students’ choice
presentation
on a group basis
 TV
 Restaurant
review
 Write TV script
individually
   
Feedback
Peer review
(peers, teacher)
Student
writing
Output
DATA ANALYSIS
TSA data analysis
Analysis
&
reflection
Observational
data
Other artifacts,
e.g. scheme of work
DATA ANALYSIS
Use of BC
descriptors is
not evident
Assessment
for learning
is not evident
Task-based
approach
is needed
Use of a wide
variety of
text-types
is needed
Analysis
&
reflection
Language Arts
elements are
not evident
More emphasis
on developing
students higher
order thinking
is needed
REVIEWING SCHOOL CONTEXT
Students’ needs
and diverse background
Reflection:
• Learner diversity
needs attention
• More reading input is
needed
• Help students become
more motivated and
independent
• Teacher development
is desirable
Teachers’ needs
and background
Available resources
Unit Plan
Reading
BC descriptors
Speaking
rubrics
Clear pronunciation
Fluency
Intonation
Voice
projection
Eye
contact
5 criteria for
more able classes
3 criteria for
weaker classes