In 2019, Chua Chu Kang Primary School started a task force
to address issues centred on classroom assessment. They began by exploring three
issues of concern: non-reporting of marks in Primary 1 and 2, use of rubrics to
prepare students for high stakes examination, and Edusave criteria based on
learning dispositions. Their deliberation enabled them to articulate the issues
with greater clarity, and over the course of time, it led them to design and
redesign units of work and assessment to test assessment principles against
real problems in the classroom.
The teachers were invited to share the changes in their
assessment practices with participants from the Management and Leadership in
School (MLS) programme, at the elective on Leading Assessment Feedback Practices
in School. Before their presentation, descriptions of their before-practice and
assessment issues were posted on Blackboard Forum Discussion Board to have the
MLS participants offer advice for improvement. This allowed the presenting
teachers to receive feedback and the participants were also able to see how
their suggestions matched up against the after-practice that was enacted. During
the presentations, the teachers also shared how they had continued to hone
their assessment practice across other units of work and participants were able
to better connect assessment theory with practice through the assessment
artefacts and evidence of student work.
1 Aug: Mdm Sarina bte Mohamed presented the shift towards a more student-focused feedback in the English classroom that involved identifying and bridging of learning gaps, focused actionable feedback, and promoting independent learning.
1 Aug: During the middle-hour consultation in the MLS elective, participants tapped on the expertise of Mrs Sheree Chong (Principal) to better understand the structural changes that were put in place to support assessment change in school.
19 Aug: Mr Tay Choon Hong (Senior Teacher) presented the change in feedback practice in the MTL classrooms that drew on three key principles: practise positive feedback, downsize the improvement, and practise more independence.
22 Aug: Mdm Azean bte Abdullah (Senior Teacher) presented examples of redesigned mathematics worksheets to illustrate several assessment principles that informed practice: build confidence through early and easy success by differentiating worksheets according to students’ ability, breaking down a complex problem to its constituent parts in order to identify and bridge learning gaps, and promote independent learning through minimal, but targeted feedback in marking.
31 Oct: Mdm Teo Guat Soon (Senior Teacher) described a more efficacious process of giving feedback on students’ work. It hinged on the redesign of science worksheets that allowed space for students to write a refined answer after the whole class discussion to identify the wrong use of terms and/or lack of conceptual reasoning by examining exemplars of student answers from the first attempt.
The case of Chua Chu Kang Primary School is an illustrative example of assessment reform made possible by strong leadership and teachers’ deliberation on assessment principles and practice. It offers ideas for more impactful teacher professional development that is focused on learning and applying an assessment change for small scale impact and examining evidence of efficacy to inform future practice.