Assessment is a prime concern for everyone involved with education. Unlocking Assessment explores the values, principles, research and theories that underpin our understanding of assessment, encouraging an enquiring and reflective approach to practice.

Assessment is inextricably linked with learning and teaching, and its profile in British schools has never been higher. Recently the value and importance of formative assessment in supporting learning and teaching has also become widely recognised. Although assessment is a prime concern of anyone involved in education it remains a highly complex field where much controversy and misunderstanding abounds. This book explores the values, principles, research and theories that underpin our understanding and practice of assessment. It also provides practical suggestions and examples, and addresses some key points about the future development of assessment. The book makes accessible complex but crucial ideas and issues, so that teachers can be more confident and proactive in shaping assessment in their classrooms, in ways that support learning and avoid unintentional harmful consequences.

"This book is written by one of the leading experts on assessment. It contains the deep knowledge and understanding that comes with knowing a subject inside out; but Jan Dubiel’s approach is very practical." -Professor Tina Bruce CBE, University of Roehampton How we assess our youngest children is a vital part of early years practice. The new edition of Jan Dubiel’s bestselling book offers a clear explanation of the role of assessment in the revised Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), and step-by-step guidance for those working with children from birth to five on making and recording observations in practice. Updated throughout the second edition now features: A brand new chapter on the History of the Baseline Assessment Policy A companion website including access to SAGE journal articles, child observation videos and examples of completed assessments Detailed guidance on the new Integrated Health and Education check at age two This book continues to help students and practitioners develop an evidence-based understanding of assessment and an appreciation of what constitutes effective assessment in early years settings.

This book is a practical guide to implementing assessment strategies that will engage with and support children's learning, improve progress and raise confidence and self-esteem. It explains how formative assessment can be developed as an integral element of good classroom practice by taking the core themes of planning, sharing learning intentions, pupil self-evaluation, feedback and target setting, and placing them in the context of literacy, numeracy and the New Zealand curriculum. It also looks at the use of questioning as a tool for effective teaching, ways to raise pupil's self-esteem and frameworks for monitoring progress.

Teachers often spend a considerable amount of their time monitoring and assessing their pupils' performance. But what are we assessing for, and can assessment practices be changed to make them more useful to teachers and learners? Assessment activities in schools are frequently criticised by government inspectors - often being reported as the least successful aspect of schools' work. Drawing on established research, Making Assessment Matter focuses on the purpose of assessment, and suggests strategies for managing assessment in a more effective way. The author considers the role of assessment in promoting learning, rather than simply measuring it, provides tips on setting and attaining assessment targets, and brings together considerations of 'high stakes' assessment at the national level with day-to-day assessment practice in the classroom. This timely and informative book will be essential reading for anyone involved with, or interested in, the role of assessment within schools, including teachers, trainee teachers and managers.

"Schools are not intentionally equitable places for English learners to achieve, but they could be if the right system of support were put in place. Diane Staehr Fenner and Sydney Snyder recommend just such a system. Not only does it have significant potential for providing fuller access to the core curriculum, it also provides a path for teachers to travel as they navigate the individual needs of students and support their learning journeys." --Douglas Fisher, Coauthor of Visible Learning for Literacy A once-in-a-generation text for assisting a new generation of students Content teachers and ESOL teachers, take special note: if you're looking for a single resource to help your English learners meet the same challenging content standards as their English-proficient peers, your search is complete. Just dip into this toolbox of strategies, examples, templates, and activities from EL authorities Diane Staehr Fenner and Sydney Snyder. The best part? Unlocking English Learners' Potential supports teachers across all levels of experience. The question is not if English learners can succeed in today's more rigorous classrooms, but how. Unlocking English Learners' Potential is all about the how: How to scaffold ELs' instruction across content and grade levels How to promote ELs' oral language development and academic language How to help ELs analyze text through close reading and text-dependent questions How to build ELs' background knowledge How to design and use formative assessment with ELs Along the way, you'll build the collaboration, advocacy, and leadership skills that we all need if we're to fully support our English learners. After all, any one of us with at least one student acquiring English is now a teacher of ELs.

Assessment for learning [AfL] is bound up with students becoming autonomous lifelong learners who are active participants in the classroom and beyond. This book explores teacher and student experiences of AfL interactions in primary science and technology classrooms. Working from a sociocultural perspective, the book’s fundamental premise is that AfL has a contribution to make to students developing identities as accomplished learners and knowers. The focus is on understanding and enhancing teacher practices that align with the spirit of AfL. The following points are illustrated: • AfL interactions are multifaceted, multimodal and take place over multiple time scales. • Student learning autonomy is promoted when teachers provide opportunities for students to exercise agency within a system of accountabilities. • Teacher pedagogical content knowledge plays a pivotal role in teachers being able to respond to students. • Productive AfL interactions are reflective of the way a particular discipline generates and warrants knowledge. The book will be of interest to teachers and educational researchers who want to examine AfL from a theoretical and a practical perspective