The Value of Assessment

At Boys’ Prep, we believe that effective assessment is crucial to inspiring teaching practice. When asked about the value of assessment, one of our teachers put it quite simply. “Assessments help me to establish what I taught, how it was received by my students and what I should do next.”

Upon completion of the chapter, Latitude and Longitude, the Grade Six Social Sciences teachers noticed that there were still a few gaps in some of the students’ knowledge and abilities regarding the use of coordinates.

They decided to respond to this by grouping students according to their responses to the Coordinates task. Those who scored well in a particular section became team leaders, who guided the following activity. Under their guidance, the groups had to record an instructional video, explaining one core concept. It was amazing to see the involvement of all the boys and their differentiated and unique approach to the task. The students put their technological skills acquired during IT to good use and can be proud of their efforts. Here is a link to one of the videos: https://bit.ly/3XLyY0o

Using assessment results to inform teaching practice is the preferred approach at Boys’ Prep. It allows us to package learning in ways that suit students’ ability and current understanding as we journey towards achieving the intended outcomes.