Once again a spot on post. Your observation that students are 'sick of sitting so many tests' is critical. The ONLY point of data, is if it improves outcomes for students, which means it has to meet their emotional needs as well as learning needs. As soon as it doesn't then it serves no purpose. You don't need it to teach well. If teachers are trusted, administrators don't need it for monitoring purposes. The only data I collected was a 'demonstration of understanding of a concept' made DURING the process of learning. That process of learning for my students was always embedded in an interesting task so was not an extra job they had to do such as a test. The recognition of demonstration of understanding was very low key, resulting in a simple ticking/colouring in/recording made in consultation with the student. Multiple demonstrations meant that a student understood the concept. That was what I used to design their next learning.
Great thoughts here Mark. The whole question of who we are accountable for in our practices as schools and teachers seems to be important to revisit time and time again. Are we ultimately accountable to the education departments or (maybe binary is not the way to go here though) our students and communities. I think it's a big ideological, cultural and pedagogical shift that needs to be supported within school structures. It's looking like the next few years I'll be getting into this way of doing assessment, looking forward to it!
Due to existing power structures in our job, finding ways to meet expectations while remaining true to our primary role is an unfortunate necessity. To make it easier for my teachers to meet expectations I found ways to massage their data drawn naturally from tasks, into that demanded by adminstrators/department. I was lucky enough to have administrators who trusted my methods, backing me even when the broader department questioned what I did.
I will accept that compliment and really the issue for me has always been how to create agency while ensuring all the other demands of the job and protecting teachers from the demands. Agency is similar to Autonomy in my favourite motivation theory, so it was an important part of my leadership style.
Once again a spot on post. Your observation that students are 'sick of sitting so many tests' is critical. The ONLY point of data, is if it improves outcomes for students, which means it has to meet their emotional needs as well as learning needs. As soon as it doesn't then it serves no purpose. You don't need it to teach well. If teachers are trusted, administrators don't need it for monitoring purposes. The only data I collected was a 'demonstration of understanding of a concept' made DURING the process of learning. That process of learning for my students was always embedded in an interesting task so was not an extra job they had to do such as a test. The recognition of demonstration of understanding was very low key, resulting in a simple ticking/colouring in/recording made in consultation with the student. Multiple demonstrations meant that a student understood the concept. That was what I used to design their next learning.
Great thoughts here Mark. The whole question of who we are accountable for in our practices as schools and teachers seems to be important to revisit time and time again. Are we ultimately accountable to the education departments or (maybe binary is not the way to go here though) our students and communities. I think it's a big ideological, cultural and pedagogical shift that needs to be supported within school structures. It's looking like the next few years I'll be getting into this way of doing assessment, looking forward to it!
PS. I also never left other teachers feeling unprotected. The responsibility for meeting departmental expectations fell on me, not them.
Due to existing power structures in our job, finding ways to meet expectations while remaining true to our primary role is an unfortunate necessity. To make it easier for my teachers to meet expectations I found ways to massage their data drawn naturally from tasks, into that demanded by adminstrators/department. I was lucky enough to have administrators who trusted my methods, backing me even when the broader department questioned what I did.
Sounds like your leadership really allowed for agency amongst your staff, very cool.
I will accept that compliment and really the issue for me has always been how to create agency while ensuring all the other demands of the job and protecting teachers from the demands. Agency is similar to Autonomy in my favourite motivation theory, so it was an important part of my leadership style.