EXAMS
Keeping assessment relevant I
n our Feature Focus piece this month on the UK’s exam system, Paula Wilcock, Chief Assessment Officer at the International Baccalaureate (IB), considers what
makes assessment meaningful for today’s students and how to keep it relevant in an increasingly complex and innovative world. Living in the digital age, children are exposed to an ever-changing range of technology, both at home and at school. The evolution of such technology and a student’s ability to adapt means that we have had great opportunities innovating assessment practices to reflect this evolution. The pace of change has moved fast and staying at the cutting edge of this technology has been a priority for assessment at the IB.
For educators and parents, it can be difficult to
keep pace with evolving methods in teaching and assessment – no one wants their child to be a ‘test subject’ – however, living in an age of rapid change, it is the duty of schools and examination boards to understand what will truly benefit the students of today, for the future. Many schools are committed to providing students with access to a range of devices and are developing innovative ways to integrate technology in many aspects of day-to-day teaching and learning; from online collaboration with peers or subject matter experts in other locations, to the involvement of parents in their children’s learning. For example, we have seen educators using Skype to open up the door to classrooms around the world. You may have read about the trend of the ‘flipped’ classroom – the idea of inverting traditional teaching methods and harnessing technology to deliver the lesson online in the traditional homework slot, then using the time together in the classroom to consolidate the learning. The concept is increasing in popularity in the USA and UK, and studies have shown it can lead to greater engagement. It is encouraging to see that schools are introducing these types of technologies in the classroom to enhance students’ learning and equally it provides great opportunities for us to innovate within assessment.
Making assessment meaningful In the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) for students aged 11 -16, we offer assessment that is
26
www.education-today.co.uk June 2017
leading the way. We have revolutionised onscreen examinations through our MYP eAssessment, which go beyond knowledge recall. Just 25 per cent of the MYP eAssessment is based explicitly on knowledge. The rest of the examination focuses instead on inquiry, communication and critical thinking skills. Students are challenged to connect what they have learned with what they might learn next, make predictions and take action to see what happens, collect data, analyse results, and apply big ideas to solve real-world problems.
Assessment strategies in the MYP are diverse, ranging from carefully-defined classroom activities for performance-oriented subjects (arts, design and physical and health education) to an extended personal project that students plan and
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
