28 Jul 2020
Tables at home piled high with others' exercise books. Late nights and weekend work. Marking student assessment activities has typically been a major time investment for teachers on top of a full day in the classroom. Timely and insightful feedback plays a critical role in student learning. It is an essential component of every teacher’s professional practice.
How can assessment and feedback be transformed to support teachers? How can their investment in these tasks be delivered more efficiently, freeing up their time for other activities while also achieving even better outcomes through more effective management of the learning environment? Digital classroom technology has the potential to transform the assessment and feedback process. It can not only empower teachers by streamlining their workload, but it can also improve learning outcomes through greater student engagement.
A wealth of assessment and feedback technologies are now available to NSW public schools. Self-marking quizzes can save teachers time. Rubric-based feedback can promote quality feedback with significant time efficiency while student submission monitoring can provide greater support. Creative assessment activities such as digital drawing, photo and video capture and edit not only teach valuable skills but can foster group work and collaboration. Gamified assessment can take student engagement to the next level through dedicated designed “for education” versions of popular game platforms. Digital equity is important when students have limited or no access to the internet outside school hours, and there are also assessment solutions that can work in low bandwidth environments.
Assessment and feedback technology and resources
Are you looking for the right assessment and feedback technology for your classroom? Do you want tips on better utilising the potential of technology you already have? Here are some recommendations from major platform providers who work with NSW public schools:
Microsoft assessment and feedback hacks
Read about self-marking quizzes in Forms, rubric-based feedback in Teams Assignments, the Book and Quill assessment tool in Minecraft: Education Edition. Explore Microsoft online resources and PD links
Feedback formative assessment with Apple iPad
Get started with a great collection of Apple iPad resources including Apple Classroom, Apple Teachers, Apple Pencil, iPad Journal and ideas for using Clips. Spark ideas with workshops or chat with an Apple expert.
Google for Education tools for assessment and feedback
Find out about new G Suite originality reports and rubrics in Google Classroom. Explore using Google Forms in creative ways, and get resource and PL links to become a Google expert.
Assessment and feedback hacks with Adobe
Get information on Adobe Acrobat Pro interactive PDF as a low bandwidth assessment solution, and useful links including rubrics, portfolios, forms and feedback plus the Adobe EdEx online teacher community for innovative ideas, time-saving lesson plans and PL opportunities.
NSW Department of Education assessment and feedback resources
If you are looking for official assessment advice, strategies and resources, don’t forget you can access the latest assessment tools for all stages of learning and Key Learning Areas (KLAs) on the NSW Department of Education assessment webpage.
Read more about evidence-based assessment practice in the What works best: 2020 update.
There are a range of literacy and numeracy assessment tools to assist teachers in identifying what students can do and determine priorities for next steps in learning.
Find ready-to-use primary school assessment tasks and information about assessment activities that work in both face-to-face and online classroom settings.