School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A small-scale study was conducted in observing the impact of School Based Assesment
on students’ learning processes. The School Based Assessment method here takes example from
the SBAfL concept that is currently being considered as a solution to Brunei education system in
light of a student-centred and less examination oriented education. The sample group involved in
this study comprised of female students from Year 8 Level, 12 to 14 years old, with a bell-curve
pattern English proficiency spectrum. The school is a government school (name withheld).
Using assessment checklists and rubrics prepared by the teacher, the students assess their
own learning progress by means or peer of self assessment with guidance from the rubrics. The
study was conducted in two weeks and was aligned with a newly proposed E2L learning system
called ‘Learning with Modules’. The study specifically focused on the easiest module, an
introductory to sentence structures.
Upon completion of the duration of the study, bearing in mind that the module itself is
still ongoing, it was found that students were more engaged in their learning in terms of
motivation and participation. It was observed that students utilized self-reflection more than
before now that time is being allocated to do so in the classroom with proper tangible guidance.
Overall, the students were able to work with rubrics and assessment checklists and were
quite pleased with the formative assessment knowledge that they gained after, giving them a
measurement of where they are in terms of their capacity in the topic being learnt.
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
CONTENT PAGE
DECLARATION i
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1
CONTENT 2
1. INTRODUCTION 4
1.1 Background 4
1.2 Purpose 5
1.3 Area of Study 6
1.4 Context of Study 6
1.5 Scope and Limitations 7
2. METHODOLOGY 9
2.1 Instruments and Materials 9
2.1.1 Assessment Rubrics 9
2.1.2 Assessment Leaflets 10
2.1.3 Dictionary with Word-class keys 11
2.1.4 Outline of the Module 11
2.1.5 Formal Assessment 12
2.1.6 Evaluation Feedback Form 12
2.1.7 Specialised Lesson Plans 12
2.2 Sampling 13
2.3 Timescale 14
2.4 Methods 15
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
3. DISCUSSIONS 17
3.1 General Findings 17
3.1.1 Students’ Reactions Towards Rubrics 17
3.1.2 Teacher’s Comments on Rubrics in Lessons 18
3.2 Student Peer Assessment 19
3.3 Student Self Assessment 20
4. CONCLUSION 21
BIBLIOGRAPHY 22
APPENDICES 23
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
On 19th, 20th May and on the 29th and 2nd of June 2010, I attended the first half sessions of
the SBAfL workshop as one of its participants from the English Language group. During the
sessions, the participants were initially introduced to the concepts of SBAfL, with agenda that
included among others, its implementation in regions of similar learning contexts to that of
Brunei, several case studies on the usage and significance of rubrics – consequently peer and self
assessment and reflection, and discussions on the application of these concepts to each
participant’s teaching based on their respective students’ needs.
As a closure for the first half sessions, and acting as the prerequisite for the second half
sessions which will take place a few weeks after this report has been written, participants of the
aforesaid workshop were instructed to perform a small-scale experiment which involved the
usage of rubrics and self or peer assessments in one’s teaching, ultimately providing evidence
that would juxtapose self or peer assessments against school-based assessment for learning
(SBAfL).
.
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
1.2 Purpose
The purpose of this study is two-pronged and intertwined, with one representing the area
of study and the other a hidden agendum in determining the effectiveness of school-based
assessment, via self and peer assessment using rubrics, in learning:
1. Conducting an experiment on the effectiveness of a bottom-up sequentially tiered
modules system in gradually introducing students towards the concepts of the English
Language.
2. Utilising rubrics and self/ peer assessment methods in determining the effects of the
modules system aforementioned on students’ learning.
Nonetheless, this report specifically puts emphasis on the latter as the former has fallen
beyond the timescale expected – thus continuing to be studied until a point in time whereby data
is sufficiently collected has been determined. This has little implication towards the efficacy of
the study performed as the latter has been executed and its findings analysed, and presented as
this report progresses.
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
1.3 Area of Study
I have opted to experiment with the knowledge gained from the SBAfL workshop on a
topic based on the first module of my modules system. The module is titled ‘Introduction to
Sentence Structures’, and the rationale for using this topic as a platform for experimentation is
because of its simplicity and isolation from other components of the language which expectedly
would confuse a majority of students during their first spell with assessment materials. Further
details of this study is elaborated in Chapter 2, whereby the processes that were undertaken prior
to and during the study are described under their respective sub-sections
1.4 Context of Study
The study was conducted in a government school (name withheld) that ranks as a top-tier
in relation to exam achievements. The school follows a streaming system that is guided by
applicants’ attainment in core subjects English Language, Bahasa Melayu, Maths and, to some
extent, Science. The target group chosen, regarded as the sample in Section 2.2, is in the median
of the streaming spectrum. The target group is further described in detail in Section 2.2.
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
I, the teacher and researcher, is a non-native ESL teacher assigned to teach English
Language to the target group and also acts as the form teacher, having access to students’
background.
In terms of research ethics, this study was conducted with knowledge that the data
collected would not be a separate entity from the actual scheme of work and curriculum. Thus,
this report merely acts as a written document in portraying the learning progress of the students.
Any personal information thereof will not be presented.
1.5 Scope and Limitations
Since this study is conducted on a small scale and with limiting variables that transpired,
several factors were taken into consideration to ensure that the study would generate data that
could be regarded as a microcosm of the learning processes that usually occur in greater lengths.
Thus, the study only took into account the first few modules of the modules system, inasmuch as
the assessment materials that were employed were constructed in tandem with the simplicity that
the modules system aims to portray, ignoring other aspects of the English Language taught.
However, the modules system itself in forethought was constructed to minimize and isolate
diminutive concepts of the language for the sake of learning clarity.
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
The scope of this study therefore falls within one module of the modules system, which is
on the topic of ‘Introduction to Sentence Structures’. Under this umbrella topic, several basic and
watered-down components of English were introduced, which included 1) SV and SVO type
sentence structures, and 2) Introduction to Word Classes: Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs and
Prepositions. Contamination by other components of the language was minimized due to
students working on word and phrase levels. Hence, this study did not assess and did not use
assessment materials that fell beyond the topic concerned.
With regards to limitations, several variables were identified and consequently modified
to fit with the purpose of the study without compensating students’ learning needs.
The study is non-longitudinal but was made as a small initial part of a longitudinal
study.
Bite-sized topics were used to minimize cognitive overload when tasked with
assessment aids.
Peer and self assessments were introduced in the later stages to allow for initial
digestion of the topic being taught.
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
2. METHODOLOGY
2.1 Instruments and Materials
For this study, several instruments were created to allow for the usage of rubrics and self
and peer assessment activities in the classroom. These instruments, collectively called
‘assessment materials, was constructed in accordance with the key features highlighted during
the workshop as well as the students’ needs. Several other materials were prepared for the study,
and ultimately formed the collection described below. Samples and copies of these materials are
attached in the Appendices and noted in the respective sub sections.
2.1.1. Assessment Rubrics
The assessment rubrics utilized in this report were constructed with the main objective of
allowing students to assume full control of what they have learned and how far they know of
what they have learned. Thus, the rubrics acted as guidelines whereby students could identify
where they stood in terms of their proficiency on the topic concerned. The structure of the rubric
mimicked the traits of rubrics commonly used in assessing students work in national exams;
known as bands.
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
For this study, two versions of rubrics were prepared. The first version (see Appendix A)
consisted of concise rubrics each complementing an assessment leaflet (either peer or self). The
rationale behind having these mini rubrics is to allow for students to gain feedback directly after
the completion of a lesson. Due to the concise nature of these leaflets, students were expected to
take less time in reflecting on their learning. In addition, these rubrics were used to provide
formative assumptions that would help construct the next lesson.
The second version (see Appendix B) consisted of one comprehensively structured rubric
that would take into account information gained from the all the concise rubrics. The sole
purpose of having this rubric is to allow for formative assessment that would structure future
modules, as opposed to future lessons. It is expected that students would spend more time in
reflecting on where they stand in terms of their proficiency in the whole module.
2.1.2. Peer and self assessment leaflets
Assessment leaflets were created with the intention of aiding in peer and self
assessments. These leaflets were constructed on the need for clarity, practically and simplicity,
and took into its design ideas that were brainstormed and shared during the SBAfL workshop.
These included using checklists akin to a Likert scale input, with an open ended comment
enquiry to allow for reflection. An assessment leaflet was designed for each lesson, with lessons
either incorporating a self assessment or a peer assessment activity (see Appendix C).
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
2.1.3. Dictionary with word-class keys
As the teacher, I assume that in order for the students to be able to assess themselves, the
knowledge that they gained must be owned by them. One way to optimize the role of the
students as their own teachers was to have dictionaries as an academic item of reference. The
nature of the topic involved identifying word classes, which should be adequately facilitated by
dictionaries having word-class keys in their word entries (see Appendix D).
With the presence of a dictionary, students were able to reflect on the words that they
have personally opted to present in their exercise answers, and consequently would be able to
decide there and then how much they have satisfied the criteria enquired in the assessment
leaflets.
2.1.4. Outline of the ‘Introduction to Sentence Structure’ note sheet
The’Introduction to Sentence Structure’ module is the first module in the Learning With
Modules System, an English Language learning system that will be simulated as an experimental
study in 2011 on Year 7 students of the school (name withheld). The outline of this module is
made accessible to students via printout (see Appendix E)
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
2.1.5. Formal Assessment
A formal assessment worksheet was created to offer an opportunity for formative and
summative reflection of the lessons experienced in sequence (see Appendix F). This assessment
worksheet is complemented with the 2nd version of the assessment rubrics (as mentioned in
2.1.1). The formal assessment aimed to assess what students have learned throughout the module
and how the self and peer assessment leaflets had impacted on their learning.
2.1.6. Evaluation feedback form
A feedback form, similar to a survey, has been prepared. However, the module is yet to
be completed and this feedback form will only be utilized after students enter a second module.
The feedback form aims in determining the effects of using self and peer assessment in
monitoring and improving a student’s learning progress.
2.1.7. Specialised lesson plans
With regards to lesson planning, the inclusion of rubrics and assessment leaflets in a trial
setting really warranted the need for detailed lesson plans, as opposed to the current lesson plan
format that I am familiar with. These lesson plans, coined Specialised Lesson Plans, helped in
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
asserting assessment as an integral component of the lesson itself and not one of a set of
objectives as what was usually done previously.
2.2 Sampling
The sampling method used is group sampling, mainly determined by the classes that I
teach. The main sample, akin to a target group, consists of 21 female students within the age
range of 12 to 14. The class is currently streamed in a Year 7 normal stream and Students come
from various background with 3 differing levels of language usage, ‘Sangat Selalu’ (Always),
‘Selalu’ (Often), and ‘Kadang-Kadang (Occasionally) as revealed by the recent personal forms
administered by the Ministry of Education. The language proficiency exhibits a bell-curve
pattern, and lessons had been conducted with differentiated instruction.
A different group of students, a Year 8 class that consists of 22 female students within the
age range of 13 to 14, was also given involvement; acting as a control group to gain a different
perspective of the study. This group concurrently experienced similar lesson contents but with
the usage of rubrics and self / peer assessment materials omitted. However, it is safe to note that
this group was meant to act only as a control group to ensure that data attained from this study
has not been contaminated by factors contributing from the topic being taught.
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
2.3 Timescale
The administration of this study on the ‘target group’ was performed within the expanse
of two weeks. Below is a comprehensive table of the study arranged chronologically.
Day Module and Info Subject matter Activity (-ies) Assessment method
1 29th June 2010Introduction to Sentence Structure
1 hour lesson
Basic sentence structures (SV, SVO)
Construct five S-V phrases and five S-V-O phrases
Construct five phrases, each with a main verb.
Peer assessmentusing:
- Checklist on a simple rubric
- Dictionary to confirm correct verbs usage
2 30th June 2010Introduction to Sentence Structure
1 ½ hour lesson
Other sentence structure types (SV, SVO, SVOA, SVOC)
Word classes
Making verb phrases
4 basic verb rules- Past tense in narrative compo- To + infinitive- Modal + infinitive- Operator + infinitive
Write a compo of at least 80 words on the topic “The Most Recent Party I Attended”. Students show understanding via sentence construction and following the 4 basic verb rules, consequently labeling their presence in the compo.
Self assessmentusing:
- Checklist on a simple rubric
3 3rd July 2010Introduction to Sentence Structure: Adjectives
1 hour lesson
Adjective rule on adjective sequencing
Construct twenty adjectival phrases
Peer assessment using:
- Checklist on a simple rubric
- Dictionary to confirm correct adjectives usage
4 6th July 2010 Identifying Construct ten Peer assessment
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
Introduction to Sentence Structure : Prepositions
1 hour lesson
prepositions of time, location, motion and state.
sentences each with a prepositional phrase
using:
- Checklist on a simple rubric
- Dictionary to confirm correct preposition usage
5 13th July 2010Introduction to Sentence Structure
Trial assessment of Day#1 – 4 learning
Identify and classify words into respective word classes, guided by a ‘sentence structure’ template.
Self assessment using:
- Checklist on success criteria
6 14th July 2010Introduction to Sentence Structure: Adjective and Adverbs
1 ½ hour lesson
Identifying adjectives and adverbs
Location of adjectives and adverbs in sentence structures
Identify ten adjectives and ten adverbs from the dictionary
Self assessment
Table 2.1 Time-scale of the Modules System
2.4 Methods
The methods employed during the process of this study stressed the need to maintain the
teacher’s and students’ workload in the processes of planning, execution and reflection to be on a
par, if not lighter, than the current workload the teacher and students have to perform. Therefore,
the two-week study was initially drafted as one that could be feasibly completed within a week,
yet was stretched into twice the duration to allow a more calculated learning experience from the
students’ part.
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
The methods for each lesson are elaborated in the Specialised lesson plans (see Appendix
H). In brief, each lesson incorporated a similar workflow in hopes of students gaining familiarity
towards learning via means of a module. The flow for each lesson was divided sequentially as
follows:
Introduction to the lesson objective
o Visually in written display
o Verbally in a brief description of definition and function
Note-taking
o Characteristics of the topic of the lesson
o Examples of the topic out of and in context (modeling)
Short cognitively light exercises
o Students providing their own examples
Distribution of assessment leaflets
o Students self or peer assess, with the dictionary as academic guidance
In essence, completing the assessment leaflets act as a closure activity, and ample time of
around 10 minutes were given at the end of every lesson to ensure that reflections assessments
were both enriching and manageable.
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
3. DISCUSSIONS
Prior to the introduction of using rubrics and assessment leaflets to students, the only
instances where rubrics were used this year were from the teacher’s part in marking students’
work and to a certain extent, for the perusal of the teacher in determining students’ level of
ability and in providing feedback. The findings of this study are expressed below. It is paramount
that we exercise caution in analyzing the information attained from these assessment materials as
I note that analyses were not guided by any particular data analysis methods, relying mainly on
surface level observations of similarities and differences in patterns of assessment.
3.1. General Findings
3.1.1 Students’ Reactions toward Rubrics
Initially, when the 1st version rubric for the first lesson was introduced, students were
unfamiliar with the purpose that it served. However, due to the concise nature of the rubric,
students were able to relate the brief statements present in the rubric with the events in the lesson
as complementary elements.
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
On the first day, the rubric was distributed at the end of the lesson alongside the
assessment leaflet and their purpose was explained briefly. In contrast, on the second day, the
rubric was distributed at the beginning of the lesson, and was found to have aided the students in
understanding what was demanded of them. The rubric henceforth became a guideline to the
lessons and crucially re-addressed the written objectives displayed on the whiteboard. After
exercises were completed, the rubric was then used by students in guiding them in filling the
assessment leaflets.
From observation in the classroom and the scrutinizing of students’ work, it can be
concluded that the rubrics helped minimized students from veering off topic and off task.
Moreover, the rubric allowed students to take the role of teachers, particularly in peer
assessment, where weaker students sought the help of more able peers.
3.1.2. Teacher’s Comments on Rubrics in Lessons
The first observation made after the introduction of rubrics in the lesson was that students
were quickly engaged in their task. The rubric, being new to the students, acted as an
‘anticipatory set’ that enticed interest. However, it is predicted that in future lessons, especially
when rubrics become overused and habitual, it may cause stagnation from some. Perhaps,
differentiating the layout and format of the rubric, even experimenting with different mediums
such as paper and online forms, might prolong the ‘shelf-life’ of the rubric method.
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
Another observation that was noted was that during certain timeframes in a lesson, the
rubric wholly took the role as the facilitator of task, with the students becoming self-reliant and
the teacher only attending to a few misinterpretations of the rubric.
3.2. Student Peer Assessment
To begin with, the target group is quite familiar and had been groomed in the skills of
peer correction. Like a double-edged sword, students tend to confuse peer assessment as peer
correction. However, eventually, students began to focus and even engage with the most
important measuring instrumentation in the leaflet, which was the comment section. The leaflets
employed the ‘2 stars 1 wish’ approach that was mentioned and shared during the SBAfL
workshop. Due to the low-stake nature of the lessons, the process of providing comments for
their peers was cognitively light.
On average, one student was able to assess their peers in approximately less than 3
minutes. It was found that several comments were similar to each other and these were regarded
as the shared weaknesses and strengths of the group that provide invaluable information for the
lesson that comes after. Several of these universal comments can be classified as listed below,
with my conclusions of them in emphasized italics.
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
Vocabulary used could be more interesting (common words showed lack of
attempt to impress, which might entail attempts in composition writing)
Some words are repeated (evidence of a small vocabulary pool)
Mistakes in spelling (showed no referring with a present dictionary)
3.3. Student Self Assessment
The self-assessment done by students were interesting quite similar to peer assessment.
Several hypotheses as to why these occurred included the similar leaflet formats employed in
both self and peer assessment, and the abilities of most students were not far off from one
another.
One notable difference was in the atmosphere of students assessing themselves. In self
assessment, students looked engaged in their rubrics and were evidently reflecting on where they
stood in the rubric, while in peer assessment a few bickering ensued and a few were tense on
being assessed by their peers.
In terms of the quality of comments and reflection, the employment of both self and peer
assessment in tandem helped in covering the disadvantages of using either.
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
5. CONCLUSION
If this study had a research question, its main query would be on “how beneficial would
the use of rubric and self/ peer assessment leaflets in learning and measuring students’ progress”.
As the small-scale study stands, it is too early to conclude a definite response. However, from
observation and the analyses of the assessment materials, nuances of its benefits can be accepted
as evidently practical to be sustained as an integral component of a student’s learning progress.
The study indicated that rubrics and assessment leaflets add to the dynamics of learning
inasmuch as promoting student-centrism and ownership of the learning process itself. On the
other hand, it also revealed that in order for students and teachers to reap the benefits of SBAfL,
other factors have to be transitioned into this practice; and pedagogies, schemes of work and
curricula are all constructed in such manners that would allow room for students to
1. Easily keep track of their progress
2. Easily reflect on their strengths and weaknesses
3. Easily use the knowledge from their reflection in determining concepts of the language
that they are most proficient in and take advantage of them, while simultaneously revise
on their weaknesses
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School Based Assessment for Learning : A Report
4. Easily arrive on formative assumption of their learning progress to prepare for the
opportunities in using them both in academic context and in everyday pursuits.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Angrage, H. G. (2000) Using rubrics to promote thinking and learning. Educational Leadership,
57 (5).
Goodrich, H. (1997) Understanding rubrics. Educational Leadership, 54 (4).
Mertler, C. A. (2001). Designing scoring rubrics for your classroom. Practical Assessment,
Research & Evaluation, 7(25). Retrieved July 8, 2005 from http://PAREonline.net/getvn.asp?
v=7&n=25
Moskal, B. M. (2000). Scoring rubrics: what, when and how?. Practical Assessment, Research &
Evaluation, 7(3). Retrieved September 6, 2005 from http://PAREonline.net/getvn.asp?v=7&n=3
Suthers, D., Toth, E., and Weiner, A. (1997, December). An integrated approach to
implementing collaborative inquiry in the classroom. In Proceedings of the 2nd International
Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL'97) pp. 272-279. Toronto.
Webb, N. (1989). Peer interaction and learning in small groups. International Journal of
Education Research,13:21-40.
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