Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment

Author: Black, P., Wiliam, D.
Publisher: Phi Delta Kappa
Publication Date: 1998
Journal: Phi Delta Kappan
Journal Volume: 80(2)
Pages: 139-149
Available for purchase online at: http://www.pdkmembers.org/members_online/members/orders.asp?action=results&t=A&desc=Inside+the+Black+Box&text=&lname_1=&fname_1=&lname_2=&fname_2=&kw_

Abstract (written by WestEd)

According to the authors, "Teachers need to know about their pupils' progress and difficulties with learning so that they can adapt their own work to meet pupils' needs —— needs that are often unpredictable and that vary from one pupil to another. Teachers can find out what they need to know in a variety of ways, including observation and discussion in the classroom and the reading of pupils' written work."

Formative assessment is done during teaching and learning to adapt teaching to meet student needs. Research studies have shown substantial learning gains in classrooms where teachers use formative assessments as feedback. It helps low achievers more than other students and so decreases the ultimate range in achievement while moving the mean higher. But students must be actively involved by using feedback themselves for effective learning to occur. High-stakes external tests give teachers poor models for formative assessment because they provide limited summaries of achievement, rather than helpful diagnoses of specific learning strengths and needs.

For teaching with formative assessment to be highly effective: assessments must go far beyond rote and superficial learning to deep understanding of complex ideas; educators as a team must critically review their teaching in light of assessment results; and quality of work must be emphasized over quantity. Self-assessment can empower students to determine for themselves what they must do to improve. Students must have the opportunity to try again. A test at the end of a unit or teaching module is pointless in terms of formative feedback.

Public policy has focused on external assessment for accountability. But policy should not neglect the extent to which research has proven the powerful impact of ongoing assessment inside the black box, and policy should support professional development and instructional practices in this area as a high leverage point for improving student achievement. Teachers need living examples of implementation, high standards of teaching performance, and a variety of support mechanisms to learn better pedagogy. Videos can be helpful when live classrooms visits are impossible. If we are truly serious about raising standards, formative assessment of student work and teachers' pedagogy must be part of the process.