G.M. IMANKENOVA
East Kazakhstan State university S. Amanzholov, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan
CRITERIA-BASED ASSESSMENT IS A TOOL OF MEASURING
STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMNETS IN THE LESSONS OF ENGLISH TO IMPROVE
WRITING SKILL (FROM TEACHING EXPERIENCE IN
NAZARBAYEV INTELLECTUAL SCHOOL (NIS)
The article includes a new educational program criteria-based assessment system in the
Republic of Kazakhstan, Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools and Nazarbayev Intellectual School
of Oskemen experience of English lessons in the development of writing skills criteria will be
applied to the structure and its assessment.
Keywords: new educational program, Nazarbayev Intellectual School, criteria-based
assessment system.
АҒЫЛШЫН ТІЛІ САБАҒЫНДАҒЫ ОҚУШЫЛАРДЫҢ ЖЕТІСТІКТЕРІНІҢ
КӨРСЕТКІШІ РЕТІНДЕ ЖАЗУ ДАҒДЫСЫН КРИТЕРИАЛДЫ
БАҒАЛАУ (НАЗАРБАЕВ ЗИЯТКЕРЛІК МЕКТЕБІ ТӘЖІРИБЕСІНЕН)
Мақалада Қазақстан Республикасында жаңа білім беру бағдарламасына енгізілген
критериалды бағалау жүйесі туралы, Назарбаев Зияткерлік мектептерінің тәжірибесі
және Өскемен қаласының Назарбаев Зияткерлік мектебінде ағылшын тілі сабағында
жазу дағдысын дамытуда критериалды бағалаудың қолданылуы, құрылымы және оның
жүргізілуі қарастырылған.
Түйін сөздер: жаңа білім беру бағдарламасы, Назарбаев Зияткерлік мектебі,
критериалды бағалау жүйесі, бағалау, жетті, талпынады.
КРИТЕРИАЛЬНОЕ ОЦЕНИВАНИЕ НАВЫКА ПИСЬМА КАК
ДОСТИЖЕНИЕ УЧАЩИХСЯ НА УРОКЕ АНГЛИЙСКОГО ЯЗЫКА
(ИЗ ОПЫТА НАЗАРБАЕВ ИНТЕЛЛЕКТУАЛЬНОЙ ШКОЛЫ)
В статье рассматривается новая образовательная программа в которой внедряется
критериальное оценивание в Назарбаев Интеллектуальных школах и Назарбаев
Интеллектуальной школе города Усть-Каменогорск, а также структура, организация и
применение системы оценивания для развития навыка письма английского языка.
Ключевые слова: новая образовательная программа, Назарбаев Интеллектуальные
школы, критериальное оценивание, формативные и суммативные работы, оценки,
достиг, стремится.
Criteria-based assessment is a process based on a comparison of students’
achievements with clearly defined collectively elaborated, known in advance to all
participants (students, school administrators, parents and other legal representatives)
criteria, consistent with the objectives and content of education, contributing to the
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formation of students’ learning and cognitive competence (Department of Education
Quality Assessment, Astana, 2012).
The system of criteria-based assessment was implemented experimentally in
Ust-Kamenogorsk Nazarbayev Intellectual school of Chemical and Biological direc-
tion in 2012-2013 academic years in 7, 8, 9 and 11 grades. Having started from 2013-
2014 and subsequent years the system of assessing based on criteria will be function-
ing in all grades.
The core aim of implementing the criteria-based assessment is to assess objec-
tively students’ achievements in the educational process of Nazarbayev Intellectual
schools and identify individual learning path of each student (Department of Educa-
tion Quality Assessment, Astana, 2012). In order to assess objectively the criteria-
based assessment system includes formative and summative (internal and external)
assessments.
Table 1. Term 3 – Learning objectives mapped to assessment criteria. Grade 8
Writing
To produce different written texts with
the attention to detail and development
relevant to the grade and subject as
described in the Subject Programme.
8.W4 use with some support style and register
appropriate to a limited variety of written genres on
general and curricular topics and some curricular
topics
8.W5 develop with support coherent arguments
supported when necessary by examples and
reasons for a growing range of written genres in
familiar general and curricular topics
8.W6 link, independently, sentences into coherent
paragraphs using a variety of basic connectors on
a range of familiar general topics
8.W7 use with minimal support appropriate layout
at text level for a growing range of written genres
on familiar general and curricular topics
8.W8 spell most high-frequency vocabulary
accurately for a growing range of familiar general
and curricular topics
As the formative assessments carry corrective function and help both learners
and teachers to improve learning process they are completed at each English class.
The formative assessments can be of any form, for instance, oral and written tasks,
monitoring, individual and whole class questioning and so on. The formatives are
conducted at each lesson to eliminate potential problems and shortcomings before the
summative work. This is a clear and transparent system which allows every student
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to keep track of their own learning progress. They can either achieve (A) or work
towards (WT) fixed learning objectives which we are given at the beginning of each
term. The students are well-aware of the assessment and are given learning objectives
at the beginning of each term to get introduced and to know what exactly they should
achieve. There are four skills which are listening, reading, writing and speaking. To
mark perceptive skills we use fixed rubrics and the rubrics for productive skills can
vary due to the task type. The following is a table of learning objectives for productive
(writing) skills for term 3.
Next table shows a number of unit topics and subtopics for term 3 which is ex-
tracted from a long term plan.
Table 2. Long term plan
– Subject: English Grade 8
Term 3
8.3A The Natural World (Content with language)
Learning about geographical features of Kazakhstan (this relates to geography)
Learning about world heritage sites around the world (this relates to geography and
biology)
Learning about a world heritage site in Kazakhstan
Reading a newsletter on Our Endangered Planet
Learning how to write a campaign letter
Learning about the environment through learning about the saiga (this relates to
geography and biology)
Reviewing weather vocabulary
8.3B Travel and Transport (Language with content)
Looking at modes of transport
Learning about signs and the language of signs
Creating a survey about commuting to school, either for the class or the whole
school (this relates to geography and computer science)
Discussion on travelling in and around Kazakhstan
Writing an account of a journey in or across Kazakhstan
Reading about mysterious places around the world
8.3C Independent Project
In the following 3 table we divide the whole term into weeks. The 3
rd
term con-
sists of 11 weeks but here are only three weeks. In the Learning Outcomes column
there are week topics taken from the long term plan as guidance to the short term
plan. Below is an assessment opportunities where the learning objectives are put. In a
yellow column there are lesson topics and the learning objectives to be assessed in a
formative assessment.
We put the learning objectives equally under each learning outcomes.
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Table 3. 2013-2014 Annual Overview Term Three
Dates
9-10 January
(2 days)
13-17 January
20-24 January
Week Number
1
2
3
Unit Topics
Natural World
Natural World
Natural World
Strand Focus
Content w Lang
Geographical and
heritage sites
Content w Lang
Our endangered planet
Content w Lang
The Saiga
IELTS/ Subject /
Thinking Skills
Reading
Writing
Speaking
Listening
Reading
Writing
Speaking
Listening
Reading
Writing
Speaking
Listening
Broad Learning
Objectives/
Outcomes
SWBAT:
*Use habitat vocabu-
lary to describe areas
of Kazakhstan. (2
hours)
*Listen to info about
world heritage sites
and summarise main
points. (2 hours)
SWBAT:
*Read about our en-
dangered planet and
answer questions at
different levels of the
taxonomy. (4 hours)
SWBAT:
*Recognise attitude
and opinion in written
text about the saiga. (2
hours)
*Write a campaign
letter to help save the
saiga. (2 hours)
Assessment
Opportunities
8.S8, 8.L6, 8.L8
8.R2, 8.R7
8.R2, 8.R7, 8.W4,
8.W5, 8.W6, 8.W7,
8.W8
Below is a formative assessment created on the Learning Outcomes in yellow
column (See Table 3) to assess writing learning objectives.
According to the marking schedule students are given “A” – achieved and “WT”
– working towards marks which are inserted into an electronic journal. The formative
assessment is set at every lesson taking 15-20 minutes time.
The advantages of the criteria-based assessment are that we assess objectively
every student not their personality but their completed work according to the precise
criteria which are well-known by every student in advance.
Although the system has more positive sides it might carry drawbacks as well.
A lack of experience of teachers in both theoretical and practical aspects of the system
and difficulties they face with in development of materials can be case in point.
The summative assessments are held once a term and given specifications to be
distributed to students a week before the exam. The summative marks are also inserted
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into an electronic journal.
Table 4. Formative Assessment
SP
reference
Learning objective
Assessment Guidance
8.W4
8.W5
8.W6
8.W7
8.W
- use with some support style and reg-
ister appropriate to a written genres on
curricular topics
-develop with support coherent argu-
ments supported when necessary by
examples and reasons
- link, independently, sentences into
coherent paragraphs using a variety of
basic connectors
- use with minimal support appropri-
ate layout at text level
- spell most high-frequency vocabu-
lary accurately for a growing range of
familiar general and curricular topics
Skills
Success criteria
Writing
Learners have met this learning objec-
tive if they
*develop and apply concise plans for
writing.
* Write using correct grammar.
* Use a standard layout for presenting
their message.
* Write relevantly in accordance with a
set question.
* Write evaluatively connecting several
ideas to create new ones.
* Write with correct punctuation.
Having pre-determined standards of performance are the most defensible ap-
proach to assessment. Without a clear understanding of the subject goals students have
a greater chance of becoming confused and wasting time trying to discover what it is
we want them to learn. As you plan your teaching you will make choices on what you
think is the best way to learn a particular skill, knowledge or attribute. If you go a small
step further and make these goals clear to your students, then the written objectives
used in curriculum design will serve a useful purpose in assisting your students’ learn-
ing. The most direct way students experience what is needed to achieve the subject’s
learning objectives is through the assessment criteria.
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Campaign Letter Marking Schedule
Descriptors of requirements of LOs
What is needed to pass.
W4
A polite tone throughout.
Fully done.
W5
The letter is written in this order:
*Problem is stated at the beginning /*with an ap-
peal for action.
*The animal /*its habitat are described.
*The reasons for endangerment.
*The actions you want taken.
(The reasons may come before the description or
be mixed with it, as long as it flows sensibly).
5 or 6 of these parts properly
sequenced
W6
Basic connectors used: the main reason; sec-
ondly; another ..
The writing is in the correct para.
*80% of the body must flow so
the parts seem connected and
logical.
*3 of the 4 paras must contain
only correct info.
W7
1.All writing is blocked against the left margin.
2.The order of the layout blocks is correct:
•
Dear ….
•
Body
•
Closing line and signature.
3. Body is paragraphed.
2 of these 3 requirements are
correct.
W8
No more than 7 spelling errors.
Once the goals of assessment have been determined it is necessary to describe
the criteria that will be used to judge whether the desired level of performance has
been achieved. Learning objectives consist of three parts:
the student action;
the content;
the standard required to meet the objective.
Assessment criteria relates to the third part of the objective, the standard of per-
formance. Criteria are developed by analysing the learning outcomes and identifying
the specific characteristics that contribute to the overall assignment. These are the
standards by which learning is judged. Capturing the multiple dimensions of student
performance is at the heart of criterion development. A range of diverse performance
measures can be formulated for any given performance. The main question is, how
many criterion are needed that contain neither irrelevant or miss important areas? The
criteria then need to be linked with marks in some form of combined composite score.
Constructively aligned assessment criteria begin with a noun that complements
the verb in the assessment tasks objective. For example, if the objective is for stu-
dents to “explain how concepts in the subject interrelate” one of the criteria might be
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“Clarity of explanation”. That is, the criterion describes the quality in the assessment
task that will be judged during marking. Other commonly used quality words used in
criteria include:
Accuracy
Currency
Depth
Impact
Legibility
Originality
Succinctness
Relevance
What is a rubric?
A rubric is a coherent set of criteria for students’ work that includes descrip-
tions of levels of performance quality on the criteria. Sounds simple enough, right?
Unfortunately, this definition of rubric is rarely demonstrated in practice. The Internet,
for example, offers many rubrics that do not, in fact, describe performance. I think I
know why that might be and will explain that in Chapter 2, but for now let’s start with
the positive. It should be clear from the definition that rubrics have two major aspects:
coherent sets of criteria and descriptions of levels of performance for these criteria.
The genius of rubrics is that they are descriptive and not evaluative. Of course,
rubrics can be used to evaluate, but the operating principle is you match the perfor-
mance to the description rather than “judge” it. Thus rubrics are as good or bad as the
criteria selected and the descriptions of the levels of performance under each. Effective
rubrics have appropriate criteria and well-written descriptions of performance.
What is the purpose of rubrics?
Like any other evaluation tool, rubrics are useful for certain purposes and not
for others. The main purpose of rubrics is to assess performances. For some perfor-
mances, you observe the student in the process of doing something, like using an elec-
tric drill or discussing an issue. For other performances, you observe the product that
is the result of the student’s work, like a finished bookshelf or a written report. Figure
1.1 lists some common kinds of school performances that can be assessed with rubrics.
This list by no means covers every possible school performance. It is just meant to help
you think of the types of performances you might assess with rubrics.
Grades alone have been found to be a poor source of formative feedback. The
reasoning behind why students received particular grades is often too unclear for them
to use the information to improve their learning. Grades may even be counterproduc-
tive to learning as they divert attention away from looking for aspects of the student’s
work that they can be improved.
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The greatest improvement to student learning is achieved by providing students
with constructive feedback on their work (Black & William, 1998). For your com-
ments to have an impact on learning students have to have an opportunity to revise
their work. There is considerable advice available to assist you in undertaking this
process efficiently. This short guide summarises some suggestions on how to write
comments, which will help students to improve their written assignment.
Writing constructive comments
Producing an assignment involves a series of stages. Students begin by explor-
ing the ideas, develop a critical position to the material, organise that material into a
coherent argument and ensure the final work meets the required style and formatting.
Some of the commonly used criteria for written work are the quality of the ideas and
evidence used; the critical interpretation; development and organisation of the argu-
ment; and the style and corrections of the final paper. When providing comments you
should give priority to content, context and organisation before you concentrate your
comments on style and correctness.
Good feedback involves a conversation between the lecturer and the student. As
well as an opportunity to respond to your comments, constructive feedback consists of
at least three different kinds of statements. It should provide positive encouragement
by identifying the good or successful features of the student’s work. It needs to give
information about how the assignment can be improved and it should makes sugges-
tions on the steps needed to meet the assignments criteria. An example of a helpful
comment might be:
A great way to start to your assignment (positive encouragement).
Simple, direct, interesting (Give information) .
Is there ever just a right or wrong answer? (Ask a question).
Don’t draw too heavily on your source material (Give information).
Try to think critically and evaluate both sides of the argument then come up
with your own original thesis (Provide a suggestion).
Whether you are praising the student’s work, asking for or giving information,
make a suggestion or correcting mechanics like style and grammar, ensure you phrase
your comments in language that the student can understand. Keep the tone of your
comments positive and encouraging. Students prefer negative comments to be phrased
as a question rather than a statement. Keep the language literal and avoid misunder-
standings that can arise from sarcasm, humour, abstract, technical language or abbre-
viations.
Helping students to use feedback
The closer the feedback is to the actual task the more useful it is to the student.
Considering the amount of time you spend on commenting on students’ work you
should also make sure that it has maximum impact by making certain that the feedback
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does not come too late to be acted upon. Here are some suggestions for encouraging
students to use feedback they receive on their assignment:
Set in-class exercises that are only for feedback
Submit assessable work in stages
Submit a plan for a project
Allow resubmission of pieces of work
Have students pair up and discuss how to improve their work
Have students write down the one thing they will do as a result of their feed-
back.
To conclude, the formative assessment guides students to fulfill summative as-
signments successfully.
REFERENCES
1. Integrated Programme of Development English Grade 8 Course Plan, University of
Cambridge, Faculty of education p. 76, 2013, 2
nd
issue (in Eng).
2. Концепция внедрения системы критериального оценивания учебных достижений
учащихся Автономной организации образования «Назарбаев Интеллектуальные школы.
Department of Education Quality Assessment стр. 3 , 10, 2012 (in Russ).
3. Orrell, J., Feedback on learning achievement: Rhetoric and reality. Paper presented
at the Evaluations and Assessment Conference 2002, Brisbane 14-15 November (in Eng).
4. Sadler, D.R., Formative assessment and the design of instructional systems. Instruc-
tional Science, 1989, 18, 119, 114 (in Eng).
5. Stough, L.M.,&Emmer, E.T., Teacher’s emotions and test feedback. Qualitative Stud-
ies in Education, 1998, 11, 2, 34, 361 (in Eng).
6. Straub, R., The student, the text, and the classroom context. A case study of teacher
response. Assessing Writing, 7, 2000, 23,55 (in Eng).
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