NEW POLICIES AND INITIATIVES IN
ASSESSMENT IN SCHOOLS
Presentation to JTA Conference
Ritz Carlton Hotel
April 4, 2013
Introduction
A paradigm shift from assessment of learning to
assessment for learning has been taking place in recent
years.
The shift is attributable to work place demands for new
knowledge and abilities in recruits.
In the global economy of the 21st century, students need
to understand the basics, but also to exhibit a range of
competencies and skills
Helping students develop these skills requires changes in
assessment at the school and classroom level
New approaches to large-scale, high-stakes assessment
are also required to guide policy decisions
Introduction
Cognisant of this paradigm shift internationally, the MoE
has been reviewing and revising approaches to
assessment at the national level.
The work being undertaken to revise the national standard
curriculum of Jamaica, Grades 1-9, will also impact
assessment at the national level given our commitment to
a programme of curriculum-based assessments.
At the school level, changes to the national curriculum will
increase the focus on assessment for learning, and require
greater use of assessment data to modify curriculum based
on demonstrated learning needs.
The New National Standard Curriculum
The National Standard Curricula for Grades 1-9 is currently
being revised to:
• ensure a clear progression and articulation from one grade to
the next
• more clearly define grade expectations
• remove unnecessary and repetitive content
• ensure students are well-prepared to master the CSEC
programme
• create a greater focus on concepts, skills and competences to
balance the current over-emphasis on acquisition of content
knowledge
• ensure that young people are well prepared for the challenges
and opportunities they will meet as adults in this century of
rapid technological and social change
Philosophical Underpinning
The revised curriculum
• adopts a constructivist approach
• places greater emphasis on generic skills, such as critical
thinking, problem solving and independent learning than
the existing curriculum
• ensures that all subjects are appropriately sequenced,
with clear progression from Grades 1 to 9, to provide
adequate scaffolding and preparation for the CSEC syllabi
at Grades 10 and 11.
Philosophical Underpinning
• provides clear statements of standards or grade
expectations for each subject to ensure that all education
stakeholders are clear about the expected level of
competence of each student in each subject and grade.
• Ensures that a strong focus on Literacy and Numeracy is
woven into the Language Arts and Mathematics
curriculum respectively, and where possible in other
subjects as well.
New Policies and Initiatives
Improvements in Data Management
• To be facilitated by
- the full implementation of the National Student
Registration System
- Implementation of a School Management System
- Collaboration with e-Learning Jamaica on a
Primary School ICT Project
Assessment in Schools
Given the shift in focus of the new curriculum, Continuous
Assessment will be adopted so as to ensure that
instruction is modified as students are learning. This will
reduce the practice of whole scale ‘re-teaching’ of an entire
lesson and achieve greater efficiency and accountability for
student learning
Diagnostic Testing
• Grades 2 and 9 Diagnostic Tests
• The philosophical approach taken to assessment at
Grades 2 and 9 is diagnostic testing which will enable
educators and other stakeholders to determine where
students are in terms of their attainment and will provide
teachers with enough knowledge to plan programmes of
study that will assist all students to meet the grade
expectation.
Diagnostic Testing
The new test will be developed to guarantee production of
highly reliable and valid diagnostic testing instruments,
based on an “Evidence Centred Design” (ECD) approach
(Mislevy 2003) which constructs educational assessments
in terms of evidentiary arguments.
Diagnostic Testing
• The test design will enable diagnosis of “Higher Order
Thinking Skills” (HOTS) relating to a “Depth of
Knowledge” approach (Webb 2005) that gives a more
effective insight into students present learning and future
needs.
• This is similar to the approach used by the “Programme
for International Student Assessment” (PISA) (OECD
2003) and focuses on students’ ability to apply their
knowledge in a range of situations. This fits well with the
approach of the revised curriculum.
Grade 2 Diagnostic Test
• Will include assessment of attainment in the affective
•
•
•
•
domain, in addition to Language Arts and Mathematics
Will assist in early identification of students with special
needs
Will support the implementation of the Proficiency
Pathway
Shifting the test from Grade Three to Grade Two will allow
for a longer period of preparation to impact mastery on
the Grade Four Literacy and Numeracy Tests.
The blueprint for this assessment is approximately 80%
completed.
The Grade 9 Diagnostic Test
• Will identify those students needing more support,
especially in literacy and numeracy and ICT literacy, as
they enter CSEC programmes.
• It will also serve as an endorsement that those not
needing this support will have reached a minimum
requirement of functional literacy and numeracy
(Verhoeven 1994).
• This will be recognized in the school leaving certificate.
• Those not reaching this minimum level by the end of
Grade 9 will receive extra support so that they can have
reached it by the end of Grade 11.
•
The Grade 9 Diagnostic Test
• Will replace existing tests at Grade 9
• All grade 9 students will be required to sit the test as it will
be used to monitor performance across the system
• Will identify those students needing more support to
master the CSEC syllabi
• Will provide the academic base for the NSLC
Secondary Transition Mechanism (GSAT)
• It is proposed that the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) should
be a test of attainment within the curriculum as at present,
but that this should be supplemented by an element of
teacher assessment.
• It will focus less on memorisation and more on higher
order thinking skills (HOTS) within a ‘Depth of Knowledge’
approach that is a key element of the new curriculum.
• It will not include content from the Grades 4 & 5 curricula,
because the knowledge being tested progressively
deepens and needs to be tested at its latest stage
Secondary Transition Mechanism (GSAT)
• The assessment will be referenced against the attainment
targets within the curriculum
• Will be administered in May, annually, at a later stage of
the Grade six programme
Primary Exit Profile
Ability Test
H O T Test
Teacher
Assessment
Primary Exit Profile
Ability Test
Standardised Test
Verbal
Quantitative
HO
T
Test
TA
Primary Exit Profile
HOT Test
Achievement
Ability
Test
Curriculum Based
TA
Primary Exit Profile
TA
Ability HOT
Test Test
School Based
• Book Review
• Project
Community Service
Advantage of the PEP
• It will be less possible or necessary to revise for the test
because it will be one of understanding rather than recall
• Students will not need to attempt to memorise content
from Grades 4 & 5
• The teacher assessment will be able to assess areas of
development that tests do not easily reach, and will be
able to take account of the students’ achievement over a
broad spectrum.
Advantage of the PEP
• Will provide a fuller picture of a student’s attainment at the
end of Grade 6.
• A more equitable measure of assessment as it will also
test ability, thereby reducing socio-economic bias and the
effect of poor teaching
• Will reduce the pressure on students at the time of the
test
• Will be less necessary to revise specifically for the test
because it will be one of acquired understanding rather
than recall
Placement Mechanism
• The scores for three components of the PEP can be
aggregated in any desired proportion/weighting to
produce an overall score than can be used in placement –
Index for Secondary Admission (ISA).
• Teacher Assessment to be included in the ISA in
proportion with growth of reliability and robustness of
schools’ competence in using this element
Index for Secondary Admission
• Select applicants using academic and TA scales.
ISA
Ability
Test
HOT
Test
TA
Placing Students in Secondary
Schools
• A model of “Partial Zoning” is recommended for
secondary school placement.
• Students have 5 Preferences
• 2 Free Flow
• 3 Cluster Schools
• Free Flow Preference
• Students can select two (2) schools from anywhere in the Island
Placing Students in Secondary
Schools
• Zone/Cluster Preference
• Student select three schools from assigned Cluster
• A Zone/Cluster is:
• Defined by the Ministry of Education
• Based on the Proximity of the Primary School to the Secondary Schools
• Considers Transportation (assumes if the student can attend the
primary school can also attend the secondary schools in close proximity
Preference Selection Structure
1
First High School
Free Flow
Preferences
2
Maybe High School
3
Cluster X – School 1
4
Cluster X – School 2
5
Cluster X – School 3
Cluster
Preferences
Paradigm Shifts
The old selection system
The proposed selection system
Uniformity
Embracing diversity
Talk equity
Deliver equity
National School Leavers Certificate (NSLC)
• will be awarded to all students at the end of G11
• designed to provide a record of achievement across the
whole range of the curriculum and in the personal and
social domains
• the national Grade 9 Diagnostic Test will certify proficiency
in communication, numeracy and ICT.
• will record academic and technical/vocational
achievements
• personal and social development and contribution to the
community (promoted by school programmes) will be
assessed through a negotiated personal statement
against a common rubric
National School Leaving Certificate
Academic
CSEC qualifications
Proficiency qualifications (G9+)
Vocational
CXC vocational qualifications
NVQ qualifications
Other vocational qualifications
School Programmes
A negotiated statement from a common rubric
Expected Impact of New Policies and
Initiatives
• Improved student learning
• Greater accountability for student performance
• Improved quality of data to guide decision making at
school and national levels
• Greater equity in the placement at Grade Seven
• Improved levels of readiness of students for the next
grade or level
• Development of a culture of assessment in which
strategic decisions and teaching/learning interventions are
based on evidence gathered from a variety of data
sources.
Summary
• The Ministry of Education is re-examining current approaches to and
practices in student assessment at both the classroom and national
levels.
• The Ministry will more actively promote and support continuous
assessment at the classroom level to facilitate a shift from the
assessment of learning to assessment for learning
• National assessments at Grades 2, 4, 6 and 9 are being reviewed to
strengthen the basis for decision making, resource allocation, and
strategic planning.
• The new policies and initiatives will fully embed assessment for
learning as a classroom standard, emphasise the assessment of
competences and skills, increase confidence in the use of national
assessment data for decision-making, provide and encourage
continuous professional development in the area of assessment,
enhance the capacity of the system to use assessment data to
improve learning, and incorporate the use of technology to support
and enhance assessment.