How can you improve student assessment and feedback skills for yourself and your staff?

1 Understand the purpose of assessment and feedback

The first step to improving your assessment and feedback skills is to understand the purpose and benefits of these practices. Assessment and feedback are not just about grading and ranking students, but about enhancing their learning and motivation. Assessment and feedback should align with the learning outcomes, the curriculum, and the students' needs and interests. They should also provide clear criteria, standards, and expectations for students and staff. By understanding the purpose of assessment and feedback, you can design and implement them more effectively and efficiently.

2 Use a variety of assessment and feedback methods

The second step to improving your assessment and feedback skills is to use a variety of methods and tools that suit the learning context and the students' preferences. Assessment and feedback can be formative or summative, formal or informal, individual or collaborative, written or oral, qualitative or quantitative, and so on. You can also use different technologies, such as online quizzes, portfolios, rubrics, peer feedback, video feedback, and so on. By using a variety of methods and tools, you can capture a more comprehensive and accurate picture of student learning and provide more meaningful and timely feedback.

3 Involve students in assessment and feedback

The third step to improving your assessment and feedback skills is to involve students in the process and make them active partners in their learning. You can do this by engaging students in setting goals, self-assessing, peer-assessing, co-creating criteria, giving and receiving feedback, and reflecting on their learning. By involving students in assessment and feedback, you can increase their ownership, autonomy, and responsibility for their learning. You can also foster a culture of feedback that values learning from mistakes and improvement.

4 Provide constructive and actionable feedback

The fourth step to improving your assessment and feedback skills is to provide feedback that is constructive and actionable. Constructive feedback is feedback that is specific, balanced, respectful, and supportive. It highlights the strengths and areas for improvement of the student's work, without judging or comparing them to others. Actionable feedback is feedback that is clear, relevant, timely, and manageable. It provides concrete suggestions and examples for how the student can improve their work, without telling them what to do or doing it for them.

5 Monitor and evaluate the impact of assessment and feedback

The fifth step to improving your assessment and feedback skills is to monitor and evaluate the impact of your practices on student learning and motivation. You can do this by collecting and analyzing data, such as student performance, feedback, surveys, interviews, observations, and so on. You can also seek feedback from your staff, peers, mentors, or experts on your assessment and feedback practices. By monitoring and evaluating the impact of assessment and feedback, you can identify what works and what doesn't, and make adjustments accordingly.

6 Support and develop your staff's assessment and feedback skills

The sixth and final step to improving your assessment and feedback skills is to support and develop your staff's skills in this area. You can do this by providing professional development opportunities, such as workshops, webinars, coaching, mentoring, and so on. You can also create a collaborative and supportive environment, where staff can share their experiences, challenges, and best practices, and learn from each other. By supporting and developing your staff's assessment and feedback skills, you can enhance the quality and consistency of teaching and learning in your organization.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?