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5.1 Why
is formative assessment important?
The
existence throughout the European Union of a small but significant
number of long-term unemployed, together with the ever-changing
nature of industry, business and commerce requires responsive
educational and training provision. It is not enough for an employer
or the unemployed to know an individual's strengths and weaknesses
as revealed by diagnostic assessment. It is also important
to discover how a trainee or the new returnee to work is progressing
while being trained, or while responding to technological or other
changes. This again calls for the use of relevant assessment
strategies that will generate the required information.
In
formative assessment, as with diagnostic assessment, the nature
of key skills calls for a distinct approach to assessment. Unlike
the assessment of specific vocational skills in which the focus
will be the specific task, usually in a given context, we have
seen in Part 4 that key skills demand
the assessment of generic and transferable skills. The diagram
below highlights the characteristics of formative assessment in
relation to key skills.
Student/
Trainee/Employee undergoing training or in employment
Trainer or employer needs to know if progress is being made,
individual strengths and weaknesses.
For
example, assessments may be organised at the work place and include
observation, discussion, and responses to specific assignments.
Or they may be partly conducted by attendance at a local college
or training provider.
Or the approaches may be combined through the use of computers.
This information allows training, etc. to be amended or remedial
action to be taken.
5.2
A guide to formative assessment
The
five examples that follow illustrate different approaches to formative
assessment. Each has been successful and meets the needs of the
employee and the employer, but they also increase the range of
situations in which the key skills can be used. These, in turn,
improve the overall skills of the individual, especially in terms
of adaptability.
EXAMPLE
4: 'JOB ROTATION' : A PROGRAMME IN GERMANY.
A PROCESS IN WHICH PERMANENT STAFF AND UNEMPLOYED WORKERS
ARE ABLE TO 'UPSKILL' AND ACQUIRE KEY SKILLS
Target
Group
The main target group is the substitute staff. They
comprise suitable unemployed people found by the Employment
Office. In some cases they possess the necessary skills
and are qualified before they are introduced into the
company. In addition, there are the permanent, full-time
workers who are released to be 'upskilled' themselves
and, indirectly, help in that of the unemployed.
Aims
To
increase the innovative power and competitiveness of
a firm or company through 'goal-oriented qualification'
for full-time and temporary staff, a significant part
of which is the improvement of their key skills.
Strategy
Stage1 - Decide upon the appropriate 'implementation
option' which will vary according to business type and
qualification courses offered, together with the origin
and competencies of the substitute staff. This provides
a flexible structure for addressing unemployment. An
important decision to be taken concerns the working
period of the substitute staff. It will influence the
nature of the training and experience provided; this
is usually determined by the business enterprise itself.
It also means that some form of diagnostic assessment
is needed to determine the individual's competence levels.
Stage
2 - A diagnostic assessment of the firm and employees'
needs (full-time and substitute). The nature of the
firm determines the type of training being provided
for the full-time staff undergoing 'upskilling', and
that of the substitute staff. In particular, the relative
importance of the key skills will vary by firm.
Stage
3 - The delivery of the key skills informally and
as part of the job specific training and requirements
of the firm.
The
assessment
Assessment is -
Informal.
'on-going', throughout training. Success at one stage
is necessary to move to the next.
directed to the needs of the firm and the individual.
So, it uses techniques appropriate to the activity the
employee is involved in, e.g. discussion, question-and-answer,
carrying out instructions, completing work individually
and as part of a group.
In
most cases, the individual's skills in the following
can be assessed (the precise pattern depends on the
firm, but there will be a 'core' of the key skills activities
common to most companies):
communication
- communicating with colleagues, preparation of written
material and use of images within the job;
information technologies - use of technologies, as far
as needed by the job;
application of number practising the mathematical skills
needed in the job;
co-operation - activities involving working with colleagues
to achieve common goals within the company;
improving own learning - assessment of practical strengths
and weaknesses, following a schedule to meet targets
set for a particular job;
problem solving - learning of different problem solving
approaches related to a particular task in practical;
working life.
Action
Planning and Portfolio
building
In this particular example, action planning varies with
the company and can be formal or informal. This can
result in the need to keep a record of progress resulting
in a portfolio.
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EXAMPLE
5:'YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS': A PROGRAMME IN GERMANY.
Target
Group
Young people without professional training or with university
but without any chance of getting employment in the
labour market.
Aims
To give these groups of young people a qualification
which is, on the one hand, individual and can lead to
full time employment and, on the other, presents possibilities
through the training for starting and maintaining a
person's own business. The advantage of such an approach
is that people acquire business knowledge and training
in such a way that they are able to develop their own
ideas for business.
Strategy
Stage1 - Selection of trainees, including assessment
of their strengths and weaknesses.
Stage
2 - Implementation of individual training programmes
consisting of:
6 months practical work in preparation for starting
up own business;
seven months individual training programmes;
co-operation with the incubator centre in Gustrow;
evaluation of progress during the programme.
There
is co-operation between three training institutions
(Bilse, Integrata, RWTUV, through the Economic Development
Corporation Gustrow.
Stage
3 - The delivery of the key skills informally and
as part of the training in a combination of business
skills programmes, occupational skills and key skills.
The key skills are integrated within these training
strands but are central to the whole programme.
The
assessment
Assessment is -
both formal (exercises in Application of Number involving
working with number and the interpretation of results)
and informal (in Working with Others, planning and carrying
out joint activities, working out when tasks are better
completed individually and by group).
'on-going', throughout training. Success at one stage
is necessary to move to the next.
directed to the concept of 'entrepreneurship'. So, it
uses techniques appropriate to the activity involved
at that moment, e.g. discussion, question-and-answer,
carrying out instructions, completing work individually
and as part of a group.
Because
the concept of the 'Young Entrepreneurs' aims to convey
the standards and demands of the real business world,
assessment of all aspects of the programme emphasises
quality and the need to be precise and accurate. The
most important assessment is that of the decision to
set up as an entrepreneur.
Action
Planning and Portfolio
building
In this particular example, action planning, both formal
and informal is important. This results in the need
to keep a record of progress resulting in a portfolio.
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EXAMPLE
6: FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT OF RECENTLY UNEMPLOYED
-
AN
EXAMPLE FROM THE UK
Target
Group
The scheme is operated by a training provider
in conjunction with a range of small-medium
engineering firms. It targets employees, aged
40 and over, who have been unemployed for 6
months or more, and have recently been taken
on, in some cases on a probationary basis.
Aims
To assess: ·
the response of the returnees to employment
to the early and later months of the first year;
the strengths and weaknesses of the employee's
key skills achievement.
the effectiveness of key skills programmes.
In
addition, to provide information to the employer
about employee progress.
Strategy
In this example,
the trainee works in close collaboration with
the employer. The assessments are set within
both the work place and the training institution.
This increases the demand on the trainee to
transfer skills to new situations.
assessment is set within the context of both
the trainee's main work and that of key skills.
Where possible all work is cross-referenced
between the two.
where a normal task undertaken by the trainee/employer
in the work place provides insufficient evidence,
discussion takes place between the employer,
trainee and trainer so that work may be undertaken
that will provide the necessary evidence to
make formative judgements and be useful to the
trainee and employer/work place.
the overall aim is to develop the trainee as
an autonomous learner, receiving under-pinning
knowledge and developing skills.
The
assessment
Assessment is seen as operating through three
types of assignment, the demands of which are
related to the level of achievement of the trainee.
a stand-alone project which is related to the
work place and forces the trainee to draw upon
all the key skills being developed. It is usually
derived from actual experience, presents a real
problem and results in an outcome which has
general applicability. This assessment is of
particular use to the employer.
an assignment set up in the work place to provide
evidence to the trainee/employee. Again, it
is based upon a real work place need. Such assignments
usually focus upon a specific key skill, e.g.
communication.
an assignment generated by normal working practice,
e.g. application of number tasks which are an
extension of normal tasks. An example here could
be the development of a new coding or filing
system. These findings, conclusions and suggestions
are again useful to the employer. Since this
evidence is closely related to the work place
and is in daily use, the trainee/employee feels
a sense of achievement in having made the work
of her/his colleagues easier.
Evidence
Assignments and personal log books; reports.
Cross checking with the Individual Action Plan
(see Annex 4).
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EXAMPLE
7: A UK EXAMPLE OF USING THE WORK PLACE
AS AN ASSESSMENT SOURCE
Target
Group
All employees in a company that uses the development
of key skills as a means of increasing employee job
specific and general skills. Particularly important
among those employees recently returned to work, for
example after a period of raising a family, or after
a period of unemployment.
Aims
To use the work place as the source and context for
most assessments, thereby allowing employees to see
the connection between theory and practice, and the
value of acquiring key skills as a means to improve
specific skills levels.
Strategy
the assessments are 'tailored' to the actual work place,
its methods of organisation and production, and training
programmes.
the programme is based upon mutually agreed assessment
plans between employee-trainer-employer. · assessment
is based upon a 'battery' of assessment techniques.
This allows for variations in employee performance on
certain types of assessment.
assessments are treated as seriously as 'proper' work
procedures. All materials, responses, etc. are kept
in a recorded (written or computer-generated form) and
linked to the Individual Action Plan.
The
assessment
The assessment is directed to producing the 'evidence
for the records'. The assessment strategies used are
(see Annex 6):
naturalistic observation of work place activity. This
is the assessment of processes of working, for example,
with Number, through IT, in discussion or answering
question from a line manager.
observation of products. This focuses on the quality
of the end product, i.e. the discussion, the set of
calculations in relation to the task, the computer programme,
working with others.
witness statements. To use this method of assessment
effectively there should be, ideally, something written
describing exactly what has been witnessed, when this
took place, along with the status of the witness, e.g.
qualified member of staff, client, peer worker.
the trainee/employee's explanation during or after an
assessment of naturalistic observation, simulation or
observation of products. This can either be done orally
with the assessor making notes to say that this has
taken place, or it could be tackled in written form,
by the trainee/employee explaining/reviewing what has
been done.
projects, assignments, case studies. These can help
infer competence at a given key skill level. Whilst
this method is a valuable means for testing and proving
competence of underpinning knowledge and associated
qualities, they do not replace naturalistic observation,
and as such would need to be in addition to assessment
via naturalistic observation.
oral questioning. This method complements naturalistic
observation well and should ideally be used frequently.
Whilst the actual answers don't need to be included,
it is good practice to include the questions that were
asked, along with a comment from the assessor, indicating
the outcome.
Evidence
The amount of evidence generated through this example
requires careful record keeping and linkage to the Individual
Action Plan. This information provides evidence about
both the current achievement and future needs of the
employee, and the role and impact of key skills on total
employee performance.
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EXAMPLE
8: USING A TRAINING CONTEXT AS AN ASSESSMENT SOURCE:
IT GREENHOUSE, SWEDEN
Target
Group
Jobless young people with an interest in utilising the
possibilities of modern computer communication to develop
products and services. All the young people concerned
live in the Municipality of Hogsby in Sweden and some
come from and are resident in a local town.
Aims
For young people to obtain qualified computer skills
in order to be able to start their own small companies.
The aim is to teach them to understand and utilise the
future needs of the IT field and to establish connections
and build networks within the region. The new technology
enables even small places in rural areas to use the
new computer technology, and obtain new job opportunities
with its aid.
Strategy
Centred in a so-called 'IT Greenhouse. It is a training
project, the purpose of which is to make qualified computer
communication (broad band, high speed technology) possible
in the rural areas.
Young people aged, 20-25, attend a one-year training
course - 32 weeks of academic studies and 20 week of
practical work.
They train to become network technicians able to work
with applications that are as yet unknown. The training
is carried out in part as a joint instruction with five
other 'greenhouses' in Kalmar County, where they learn
working with each other as well as studies on distance
in their own 'IT green house'.
They have to accept responsibility both for their training
and also for the education of all the local group.
Each trainee has to establish connections with other
companies and industrialists and to build networks between
people.
The
assessment
There are three main aspects to the assessment of the
individual trainee:
assessment is almost completely competence-based, that
is, a trainee is only able to progress to the next stage
of the programme if s/he can show mastery of a particular
activity or task. This is based upon the use of a set
of competence statements.
trainer and peer group assessment of an individual's
ability to interact with others and ability to take
responsibility of own learning.
written and oral reports by external, informal assessment,
e.g. responses of industrialists.
The
compilation of a portfolio of evidence is clearly very
important.
Evidence
Assignments, workbook entries, witness statements. But
the most important evidence produced by the participant
on this programme is the range of competencies in the
use and application of IT across a range of new situations
and contexts, and the ability to work with others. These
are the classic products of competence-based training
programmes. They are no less reliable than more formal
test results. However, they must be supported by accurate
witness statements and, where possible, evidence of
the type and quality of work produced.
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5.3 Some
concluding issues
A number
of general points arise from this discussion of formative assessment:
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these examples of formative assessment illustrate its importance
in the process by which individuals from a range of backgrounds
and with many different aspirations can be helped to achieve
their goals. In addition, it may be suggested that training
programmes which do not include opportunities for formative
assessment are less likely to be successful and will certainly
not provide the support trainees and the unemployed require.
However, in order to be successful, these assessment strategies
require trainers who are skilled in the use of the techniques
discussed.
a number of the assessment techniques mentioned in the examples
demand certain skills from the trainer when s/he becomes
the assessor. For example, the ability to engage the young
trainee, job seeker, or older unemployed in discussion requires
skill and sensitivity, whilst the evaluation of an individual's
technical competence presupposes a measure of experience
in that area of work.
it is also clear from the examples that employers need to
be involved in the process, whether as in Example
4, within an organisation in the delivery of a specific
training programme, or more generally, as in Example
6.
to be successful, formative assessment should utilise a
battery of assessment techniques so that a 'competence profile'
may be built up of the individual. It is the interpretation
of this, often within an Individual Action Plan, that provides
the trainee with an idea of her/his progress and the employer
with information about that person's potential and suitability.
the formative process builds upon an effective diagnostic
assessment programme. This, in turn, leads into the next
type of assessment, summative assessment.
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