Abstract
In many countries, systems have employed externally imposed large-scale standardised assessments in seeking to obtain reliable and comparable assessments. To attain the same objectives while placing value on professional judgement, appropriate methods of assessment for classroom teachers need to be developed and tested. Accordingly, this paper examines the level of reliability of assessments made by classroom teachers of narrative writing using a two-stage classroom assessment method. The students involved in the study are primary students. The results show high levels of inter-rater reliability among teachers. The findings reproduce and expand on previous evidence indicating the two-stage method is a viable method of classroom teacher assessment of written performances. Implications of the results for assessment practices in education are discussed in light of background literature, with a focus on the widely expressed desire to value professional expertise.
Highlights
Assessment is an integral component of effective teaching and a teacher’s professional judgement influences all routine aspects of their work (Du Four, 2007; Hattie and Timperley, 2007; Black and Wiliam, 2010; for example., Allal, 2013)
The method of pairwise comparisons is referred to as comparative judgement; the former term emphasizes the comparison of pairs of performances
A total of 23 primary classroom teachers compared a total of 160 performances
Summary
Assessment is an integral component of effective teaching and a teacher’s professional judgement influences all routine aspects of their work (Du Four, 2007; Hattie and Timperley, 2007; Black and Wiliam, 2010; for example., Allal, 2013). In the last 20 years, there has been considerable work internationally to support teachers in their use of assessments to improve student learning. It is common practice for policy documents and educational resources to define and refer to the varied aspects of assessments and to provide support and resources for teachers. In many countries across the world, reliability in assessments has largely been sought through the use of standardized assessments that are developed externally to schools and generally imposed on teachers. In a chapter in which they explore the concept of reliability, Black and Wiliam argue that reliability is best thought of an aspect of validity.
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