A complete and effective assessment cycle

Assessments are a vital part of school life. There are many different types of assessments, they happen at different points in a school year and for various reasons.

If people don’t understand the purpose of each assessment, it’s no wonder that teachers, students, and parents can feel frustrated. Assessments can be confusing. This lack of clarity leads to misunderstandings.

Even the recent review of 11-16 curriculum and assessment in England, carried out by leading UK awarding body OCR, found that there is a pressing need to ‘reduce the assessment burden’ felt in schools.

The review makes clear the ideal that: ‘The assessment process ought to help the student, supported by their parents and teachers, to understand what they know, understand and can do and where they need to put in the effort to increase their knowledge, understanding or skills to master their subject.’

The complete assessment cycle is one way to ensure this process. We’re going to look closer at the different types of assessments students and teachers encounter in schools. We’ll also explore how they all complement each other to form a complete cycle and a holistic approach to learning.

Assessments

Assessments can generally be grouped into two categories: summative and formative.

Summative assessments

• Taken at the end of year/learning stage.
• Checks knowledge and understanding of curriculum.
• ‘How did my students do?’

Summative assessments are perhaps the first things thought of when discussing assessment. These are typically to see how much knowledge and understanding students have learnt over the course of a module, year, or learning stage. Externally marked examinations and qualifications at the end of key stages in education, like Cambridge Checkpoint, IGCSE and A Level, are summative.

Formative assessments

• Taken during the year/learning stage.
• Tests for understanding and misconceptions during the process of learning.
• ‘How are my students doing?’

Formative assessments, also known as Assessment for Learning, helps students and teachers understand their learning progress. They show where they are in their learning, where they need to go, and how best to get there.

These assessments usually takes place in the classroom. They can include informal verbal questions or feedback. They may also involve traditional written tests, such as Cambridge Progression Tests. The key aim of formative assessment is to aid the learning process.

Completing the assessment cycle

Formative and summative assessments help us understand how learners are doing and what they have learnt. But how do we know if the results of formative and summative assessments mean that the student is performing as expected? Could they be underperforming, or even overperforming? How can we answer these questions without knowing where the learner began?

The final piece of the assessment cycle is actually how the cycle starts – with baseline assessment.

Baseline assessment

• Taken at the beginning of the year/key stage, or if a student joins school mid-year
• Tests aptitude and skills.
• ‘Where are my students now and where could they be?’

Unlike formative and summative assessments, which both test curriculum knowledge, baseline assessments focus on a learner’s underlying abilities. Based on extensive research, baseline assessments measure the three core areas that impact attainment in all subjects: reading and vocabulary, mathematics, and non-verbal ability.

The data from baseline assessments also provides insight into a student’s potential. Cambridge secondary and post-16 baseline assessments provide predictions and chances graphs to IGCSE and A Level. This makes them ideal tools for teachers to benchmark, plan their lessons, set ambitious yet realistic targets, and monitor student progress.

Cambridge digital baseline assessments also have a unique adaptive testing feature, which gives a more personalised assessment experience for the student and a better picture of an individual’s potential.

So, what is the assessment cycle? 

The assessment cycle is the recurring pattern that schools take their learners through every year and at every stage of their education. It mirrors the broader teaching and learning cycle of Assess > Plan > Do > Review, which teachers use every day in every lesson.

How to use the assessment cycle effectively

"We use Cambridge baseline assessments (MidYIS for students aged 11 to 14) and Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary assessments to provide a complete 'ecosphere' on the learners" 

Davide Cooksey, Head of Academics, The New English School, Jordan

The way to get the most out of the assessment cycle is to be clear about its purpose at each stage.

Start of learning stage: measure potential

By beginning with a baseline assessment, teachers can understand where their students are starting from and structure their approach to have the greatest impact on learning. A baseline assessment does not require any previous knowledge of a specific curriculum, nor does it rely on a student’s school or background.

Use baseline assessment to:

• Identify learners’ strengths, barriers to learning and areas for support
• Support professional judgement with objective data
• Set motivational targets, target support and plan early interventions

Key questions to ask at this stage:

• Where are learners at this moment in time?
• How does their performance compare against students of a similar age?
• Where could learners be with the right interventions?

During learning stage: provide feedback and monitor progress

Formative assessment is a continuous process. This stage has its own cycle as formative assessment allows teachers to adapt and adjust their lesson plans based on feedback whilst learning is happening. This is about deciding the best next steps for students to reach their goals.

Another effective practice in formative testing is to involve students in their own learning. By sharing feedback, learners are given opportunities to reflect on and see how they could improve themselves.

Use formative assessment to:

• Check learners’ knowledge, skills and understanding
• Adapt lesson plans to suit strengths and weaknesses
• Encourage students to reflect on and improve their performance

Key question to ask at this stage:

• Where are my learners going (or what are their goals)?
• How are my learners progressing?
• What are the best next steps for my learners?

End of learning stage: check achievement

The final assessment, whether that is Cambridge Checkpoint, IGCSE or A Level, demonstrates a learner’s subject knowledge at the end of their course. Schools are able to see how their learners perform against an international benchmark, and in comparison to the rest of their class.

While summative assessment can easily monitor individual and group performance, used together with baseline assessment data from Cambridge, secondary schools can also see the value-added impact of their teaching.

Use summative assessment to:

• Check learner performance and achievement
• Understand learner performance in comparison to internal and external benchmarks
• Measure impact of teaching and learning with value-added reports from baseline

Key questions to ask at this stage:

• How much have my students learnt?
• Have my students met expectations? Have they over or under achieved?
• What impact has teaching made on their learning?

Benefits of completing the assessment cycle

Completing the assessment cycle provides a wealth of information, not just about individuals, but also about what teaching and learning looks like in schools.

As much as we celebrate a final IGCSE or A Level grade, what does that tell us about a learner’s progress?

With a baseline assessment giving a starting point, teachers can easily see the progress of learning and impact of their teaching. Using the information from the baseline assessment to set clear goals and targets, teachers can use formative assessment to ensure learners make the best possible progress. The baseline assessment can also put the final exam grade or summative assessment result into the context of whether the student has met expectations, or under or over achieved.

The complete assessment cycle puts the learner and learning at the centre of education - not assessments.