As a parent, I understand that moment of opening your child's report. When my children receive strong results, it feels as though I have personally been awarded a gold star. And when they don't, I find myself wondering what I could have done. What didn't I know? Did I miss something? Is it too late?
Even though I'm a teacher, it's still difficult not to get emotional. I can only imagine what it must be like for parents who feel like they have to fight for the needs of their child. But knowledge, when we choose it over emotion, is power. With that in mind, I will outline the different types of assessment that take place in schools.
Diagnostic assessment
This kind of assessment is usually at the beginning of a year or unit and establishes a baseline of what the student knows and doesn't know, can and can't do. Depending on the task, disability provisions may be unhelpful. For example a struggling reader who receives the provision of a reader will not actually be assessed on their reading comprehension. Comprehension yes, reading no. The test won't provide much reading data that the teacher can use. Diagnostic tasks help the teacher to tailor interventions, so they have a value even if the student doesn't excel. An extreme but easy to understand analogy would be a doctor who completes a blood test to diagnose a broken leg.
Formative assessment
This kind of assessment happens every day. It can be the teacher checking for understanding, a practice task, or a progress quiz. The important thing is that formative assessment needs to result in a response from the teacher. If 80% of my students don't understand, I reteach. If 20% don't understand, I intervene directly with those students. If all understand, I make a conscious decision to move on. Rest assured that teachers know your child. If they excel in listening comprehension rather than reading, the teacher will know through formative assessment.
Summative assessment
The final measure of whether a student has learned a skill or content is summative assessment, which is usually completed at the end of a term, unit of work or academic year. Learning is defined as the ability to recall information or apply skills that were learned in the past. That simple. The summative task measures whether the learning that the teacher intended actually happened. The data can be fed forward into future years.
Adjustments and modifications are recommended for students who may not have the skills to show their understanding of content. Even a conversation with the teacher can reveal understanding, for example where the student can't access traditional means of showing their learning, like writing or speaking.
Questions to ask
What could be blocking my child from learning?
Did staff know that my child was experiencing issues that may have influenced their learning?
What progress or gains have they made? Summative assessment does not always capture before and after data
What targets should my child be setting for themselves? Sometimes manageable goals are better than aiming for overall improvement.