How Can We Improve Assessment Practice?


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Iesha Small

Think Tank associate at LKMco and podcaster for Teacher Toolkit. Iesha is a teacher, writer, podcast producer and speaker. Former school leader who is interested in challenging status quo and solutions.
Read more about Iesha Small

How can assessment be improved to reduce teacher workload?

Education think-tank LKMco is launching a new, 18-month, international study to find a better future for assessment and they want to hear teacher’s views.

The problem with assessment

At Teacher Toolkit we are keen to amplify the voice of teachers and reduce workload so we are happy to support and share the details of the new research that LKMco are carrying out and encourage you to take part.

In December 2017, LKMco and Pearson published ‘Testing the Water’, a report arguing that poor assessment practice was contributing to spiralling teacher workload. It also revealed limited assessment literacy amongst many teachers and the threat this poses to teacher professionalism.

Where are the pockets of positivity?

Pockets of innovation are springing up however, and this new project will identify the teachers, schools, organisations and countries that are making waves in tackling these important workload challenges. The project, called “Making Waves” will ask:

What promising ideas are there out there for:

  1. Reducing the workload associated with assessment
  2. Developing teachers’ expertise in relation to assessment.

How can you help solve the problem?

Making Waves is kicking off with a ‘crowd-sourcing campaign’ to gather the widest possible range of ideas and solutions. An expert advisory group will then select the most promising ideas to be studied over the course of a year, so lessons can be learned for the sector as a whole.

LKMco are specifically looking for innovations that have recently been implemented, or which are about to be implemented at four different tiers:

  1. By individual teachers in their own classrooms
  2. By individual schools
  3. By groups of schools (such as Local Authorities, MATs and Teaching School Alliances)
  4. By countries or jurisdictions (e.g. states.)

Get involved now

Ideas can be submitted using this quick and easy-to-complete online form. The deadline is 28th October 2018. We may be in touch to find out more! Projects selected for the final study will have the opportunity to meet and learn from each other and will be featured and celebrated as part of a high-profile national launch next year!

Do get take part – and make do share your time-saving assessment ideas with other TT readers via Twitter on in the comments below.


One thought on “How Can We Improve Assessment Practice?

  1. How can assessment be improved to reduce teacher workload? Consider incorporating technology in the assessment process. Let the students take short quizzes and other low-risk assessments using online tools that can check the “papers” for you.

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