Having said that, as we sit as a staff and talk about the nature of assessment and how we use it to enhance learning it is clear that we still struggle with effectively unleashing all of its power to support our students and their learning. The challenge is that we are trying to balance the three critically important roles of assessment: assessment FOR learning; assessment AS learning; and, assessment OF learning. Any form of assessment can fall into any or all of the categories. It is not a matter of type or category of assessment technique, but rather the purpose behind it.
Theoretically, the differences are quite clear:
In assessment for learning, assessment is used to see where the student is at present when determining a course of action for instruction. It could take the form of a pre-test or some other form of diagnostic assessment or maybe a formative task part-way through the process to make sure that we are on track. There are lots of vehicles for this; student portfolios, teacher observation; mini-quizzes; interviews; notebook checks; etc. Feedback to the student at this point is usually anecdotal highlighting current successes and challenges and suggesting next steps along the learning path. For the student and the teacher it suggests (in the case of pre-tests) an initial strategy or in later assessments it might provide information indicating a "mid-course correction" in the learning journey.
For us, assessment as learning, is just as important. Our students need an understanding of the concrete goals that they are trying to achieve and what criteria will be used to measure their performance. Students take ownership of their learning, set their own goals, and reflect on their results. The on-going result is that the student gains power over the learning experience and takes responsibility for moving her or his own learning forward.
Finally, assessment of learning is that process with which we are all familiar. It is the one that is most often used to provide a grade on a report card; or shared with parents in an interview; or used to determine completion of a course or grade. Most of the education system is focused on assessment of learning. Whether is through FSAs or Provincial exams and other high stakes tests, assessment of learning is a snapshot of student performance that often carries far more weight than it deserves. It is so powerful and intimidating that it can often run roughshod over the other two forms of assessment. In the worst case, assessment for learning can be hi-jacked and used to restrict admission to a programme or school for a student based on a prediction of how they will do on a final assessment of learning ("the exam"). Or, as we often see, the power of assessments as learning are taken away from students and those tools are used as "prep" for the final, high stakes performance.
As educators, the more that we can use our assessments to inform the learning process rather than use them to sit in judgement on students, the more likely we are to not only improve student achievement, but also to more fully engage the learner in her or his own growth.
In the final analysis, we would rather that our assessments left a positive and productive mark on our students, than an arbitrary one on a report card or transcript.