ASSESSMENT AS LEARNING (SELF ASSESSMENT)
What is Assessment as Learning?
Assessment as learning can be equated to self-assessment, where the learner is at the center of the
assessment process. According to McMillan & Hearn (n.d,), self-assessment is a process by which
students 1) monitor and evaluate the quality of their thinking and behavior when learning and 2)
identify strategies that improve their understanding and skills. Students set learning goals and then
judge their own work to identify gaps between current and desired performance. They use clearly
designed standards (standards-based education) or criteria for their self-assessment.
In self-assessment, students are the vital link between assessment and the learning process. Lorna
(2003) stresses the importance of metacognition in this process whereby students become actively
engaged and critical assessors who can make sense of information and relate it to prior knowledge.
Students personally monitor what they are learning and use feedback from this monitoring to make
adjustments, adaptations and even major changes in what they understand.
How is assessment as learning done? (Process)
Self-assessment is a student-centered approach. Student uses a clearly designed assessment form or
rubric to actively evaluate his/her own work. The information is obtained by the student himself/herself
as they use check-lists / self-evaluation forms or assessment rubrics. During the self-assessment process,
the learner asks himself/herself such questions as 1) What is my progress and deficiencies? 2) What is
my responsibility to close this gap? 3) What can be done?
Self-assessment or self-judgment involves identifying progress toward targeted performance. Bruce
(2001) stresses that if self-assessment is made in relation to established criteria; the judgments give
students a meaningful idea of what they know and what they still need to learn.
The following steps can be taken practically in the classroom to implement self-assessment (Rolheiser,
1996):
a)
b)
c)
d)
Establishing criteria
Teach students how to use criteria.
Provide feedback to students on application of criteria.
Set learning goals and strategies
Benefits of assessment as learning
1. Creates autonomy in the learner as they become actively engaged in own learning, self-correction
and self-directing.
2. Promotes self-monitoring which in turn give focused attention to some aspects of behavior and
thinking (Schunk, 2004). Promotes thinking skills in students.
3. Self-assessment is an essential component of cognitive and constructivism theories of learning and
motivation. Shepard (2001) stresses that self-monitoring of learning and thinking is important for
knowledge construction. Students connect new knowledge, understandings, and skills with what
they have already stored and used.
4. Self-assessment promotes metacognition; cognitive skills that involve capacity to monitor, evaluate,
checking understanding, predicting outcomes, planning activities, managing time, and switching to
different learning activities. According to Schunk (2004) metacognition is a set of skills that relates
positively to increased performance.
5. Promotes self-efficacy; self-assessment contributes significantly to development of self-perceptions
that lead to greater motivation. Students’ self-efficacy beliefs are defined as perceptions of their
ability to do well on a specific task, and value of doing well (Pintrich and Schunk 2002; Schunk 2004).
Students actively estimate what they can do and the likelihood of successful performance.
6. Enhances student motivation and achievement.
REFERENCES
Earl, Lorna (2003) Assessment as Learning: Using Classroom Assessment to Maximise Student Learning.
Thousand Oaks, CA. Corwin Press.
http://web.uvic.ca/~thopper/iweb09/GillPaul/Site/Assessment_files/Assessment.pdf
McMillan, James H, Jessica Hearn, (2008) Student Self-Assessment: The Key to Stronger Student
Motivation and Higher Achievement. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ815370