This letter will cast the light on some essential components of quality feedback as well as on the importance of feedback in primary school. What is more, it will also bring your attention to the process of achieving feedback and assessment process. In particular, it is necessary to define the quality feedback as it is identified by various scholars, and to discuss the importance of self-assessment and its role in advancing the academic achievements of students.
So far, grading was the major tool for evaluating students’ skills and abilities. It is aimed at assessing the rate or level of students’ understanding of the subject. However, identifying the rate means pointing out students’ drawbacks and pitfalls and a failure to express a particular thought.
Such system, therefore, deprives students of motivation to improve because they do not know what they should actually improve. According to Wilson (2009), the major drawback of grading tests is lack of responsiveness; grades highlight what should a student pay attention to, but not how he/she should approach the problem.
You should also bear in mind that exploring the difference between quality feedback and grading assessment has led to the assumption that students’ achievements can be enhanced if using rubrics instead of scoring points (Marzano, 2009, p. 87). The scope of using appropriate scores lies in evaluating students’ achievement without interrupting the actual process of learning.
Other types of assessments, like testing, do not involve a responsiveness aspect either. Smith (2009) finds it reasonable to apply for test to evaluate students’ abilities because this kind of assessment can define the way students perceive the factual knowledge. However, before introducing tests to students, teachers should be sure that a particular set of questions will involve all issues studied in class.
There should be a direct correlation between test questions and learning activities and, therefore, tests should be designed for improving learning, but not for grading and decision-making. You should pay attention to Reynolds’s ideas (2009) who believes that critical evaluation and quality feedback plays an essential role in primary school education because it encourages the creation of more authentic and objective assessments (McMillan, 2011).
Therefore, you should carefully select methods for assessing students in relation to learning targets and practical activities. Quality feedback, thus, should involve a multidimensional approach to evaluation. To be more precise, students should not only be objectively evaluated, but they also should also be able to critically evaluate others (Reynolds, 2009).
In general, it is necessary to bring your attention to significance of quality feedback that involves not only scoring and evaluating the level of students’ skills and abilities. Rather, all assessment standards, and quality feedback in particular, should be directed at improving students’ achievements (Brookhart, 2008).
Reference List
Brookhart , S. (2008). How to give effective feedback to your students. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Marzano, R. J. (2009). The Art and Science of Teaching. Educational Leadership. 67(4), pp. 86-87.
McMillan, J. H. (2011). Classroom Assessment: Principles and Practice for Effective Standard-Based Instruction. Boston: Pearson.
Reynolds, A. (2009, November). When Every Student Needs Critical Friends. Multiple Measures. 67(3), pp. 54-57.
Smith, K. (2009, November). From Test Takers to Test Makers. Multiple Measures. 67(3), pp. 26-30.
Wilson, M. (2009, November). Responsive Writing Assessment. Educational Leadership. pp. 58-62.