Ruffling the calm of the ocean floor: merging practice, policy and research in assessment in Scotland

Abstract

The formative Assessment for Learning proposals outlined by Black and Wiliam (e.g. Black et al, 2002)

School-based curriculum development in Scotland: curriculum policy and enactment

“…CfE has been heralded by its architects as 'one of the most ambitious programmes of educational change ever undertaken in Scotland' (Scottish Government 2008, p.8). It is said to build upon earlier programmes of reform, notably Assessment is for Learning (AifL: see, for example, Hayward, Priestley and Young 2004;Hutchinson and Hayward 2005) 1 , which have sought to shift the emphasis in classrooms away from inputs by teachers towards the development of autonomous, self-directed learners. CfE is often claimed to be distinctive, but as we noted in the introduction to this paper, it is typical of much contemporary worldwide curriculum policy, manifesting a set of common trends or features, including the following identified by Michael Young (2009, p.1): 'the introduction of National Qualifications Frameworks; the shift to learning outcomes; and the move from subject specific to generic curriculum criteria'.…”

Un panorama de la recherche sur l’évaluation formative des apprentissages

“…aujourd'hui, l'évaluation qui prend la forme d'un soutien explicite aux apprentissages plutôt que celle d'une sanction et qui, selon plusieurs experts (allal & Mottier lopez, 2005 ;Black & wiliam, 2006 ;cizek, 2009 ;laveault, 2009 ;scallon, 2000, offrirait des possibilités d'amélioration et de correction des processus d'apprentissage, trouve une pertinence accrue en raison du contexte de réformes éducatives conduites dans plusieurs pays qui visent à accroître la réussite scolaire. en conséquence, depuis une dizaine d'années, les recherches se multiplient telles qu'en témoignent les initiatives internationales, par exemple celle de l'organisation de coopération et de développement économiques (2005) appelée l'évaluation formative : pour un meilleur apprentissage dans les classes secondaires, ainsi que les initiatives nationales telles que celle de l'écosse appelée A ssessment is for learning programme (voir la description qu'en font hayward, Priestley & young, 2004). un certain consensus émerge maintenant autour d'une définition de l'évaluation formative des apprentissages, et ce, malgré certaines variantes tributaires des conceptions de l'apprentissage qui teintent les différentes définitions repérées dans le domaine.…”

Formative Assessment: Revisiting the territory from the point of view of teachers

“…In this context, attention to the formative function of assessment -that is, that aspect of assessment that supports rather than certifies students' learning acquisition -has come under closer scrutiny, as evidenced by international initiatives such as "Formative assessment: Improving learning in secondary classrooms," put forward by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2005), and by national initiatives such as that described by Hayward, Priestley and Young (2004) in "Assessment is for learning program" in Scotland, a program that aims to explore ways of bringing research, policy and practice in assessment into closer alignment using research on both assessment and transformational change. Likewise, the formative assessment practices of primary and secondary teachers have attracted the attention of many researchers that have, at the present time, been stepping up investigations in the classroom, adopting a range of angles to examine the ways teachers use formative assessment to support learning processes (e.g., Black & Wiliam, 2006;Torrance & Pryor, 2001).…”