write up
Foreword
It was not a particularly memorable day as days go, but the impact of our decision that afternoon had far-reaching and hugely positive consequences. It was the day in 1997 that my colleagues and I in the Assessment Reform Group (ARG) made the decision to commission Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam to review existing research on formative assessment. We had been trying for almost 10 years to stem the growing tendency across the UK to use external tests for creating school league tables, target setting and appraising teachers, all of which more or less ignored the huge potential of classroom assessment to support learning. However, the ‘accountability’ juggernaut was not for turning, even though the Blair dynasty’s clarion call of “Education! Education! Education!” had not yet begun to ring hollow. It was the day we decided to up the ante and make it our target to resurrect assessment by teachers, not to abandon testing, but to refocus assessment activities where they should be, on pupil learning.
The King’s College pair had been long-term advocates of formative assessment and among the best researchers in the international assessment field. We knew the Nuffield-funded commission would be in good hands, but the 10 years since have demonstrated that their work was to spark a sea-change in thinking about assessment. Two publications did it: the scholarly review itself – all 70+ pages of it – and a little pamphlet: Inside the Black Box. With these Paul and Dylan lit the blue touch paper and we followed suit by stoking the fire. We set out the key features of using assessment to support learning and promoted the concept and processes of Assessment for Learning (AfL), as it became widely known. The power of AfL to improve pupil learning and raise standards was plain for all to see, and soon everyone was sitting up and taking notice.
And why? The reasons are probably legion, but at the heart of them is the fact that teachers instinctively knew
It was not a particularly memorable day as days go, but the impact of our decision that afternoon had far-reaching and hugely positive consequences. It was the day in 1997 that my colleagues and I in the Assessment Reform Group (ARG) made the decision to commission Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam to review existing research on formative assessment. We had been trying for almost 10 years to stem the growing tendency across the UK to use external tests for creating school league tables, target setting and appraising teachers, all of which more or less ignored the huge potential of classroom assessment to support learning. However, the ‘accountability’ juggernaut was not for turning, even though the Blair dynasty’s clarion call of “Education! Education! Education!” had not yet begun to ring hollow. It was the day we decided to up the ante and make it our target to resurrect assessment by teachers, not to abandon testing, but to refocus assessment activities where they should be, on pupil learning.
The King’s College pair had been long-term advocates of formative assessment and among the best researchers in the international assessment field. We knew the Nuffield-funded commission would be in good hands, but the 10 years since have demonstrated that their work was to spark a sea-change in thinking about assessment. Two publications did it: the scholarly review itself – all 70+ pages of it – and a little pamphlet: Inside the Black Box. With these Paul and Dylan lit the blue touch paper and we followed suit by stoking the fire. We set out the key features of using assessment to support learning and promoted the concept and processes of Assessment for Learning (AfL), as it became widely known. The power of AfL to improve pupil learning and raise standards was plain for all to see, and soon everyone was sitting up and taking notice.
And why? The reasons are probably legion, but at the heart of them is the fact that teachers instinctively knew