Jjx Th

D I S C U S S I O N

P A P E R

Teacher Observation in Student Assessment

Prepared for the Queensland School Curriculum Council by Graham S Maxwell School of Education, The University of Queensland

Discussion Papers on Assessment and Reporting Discussion Paper Number 1 Common and Different Features of Council and Board Approaches to Assessment and Reporting by Graham Maxwell, October2001

Discussion Paper Number 2 Teacher Observation in Student Assessment by Graham Maxwell, October 2001

ISBN 0 7345 2320 3 © The State of Queensland (The Office of the Queensland School Curriculum Council), October 2001 Queensland School Curriculum Council Level 27, 239 George Street Brisbane, Queensland, Australia PO Box 317, Brisbane Albert Street, Q 4002 Tel: (07) 3237 0794 Fax: (07) 32371285 Email: inquiries@qscc.qld.edu.au Website: http://www.qscc.qld.edu.au

ii

PREFACE
This discussion paper is part of a series being published and disseminated by the Office of the Queensland School Curriculum Council. The purpose of this series is to encourage discussion on various issues concerning assessment and reporting. Teacher observation is one of several types of assessmenttechniques recommended by the Council in its Position and Guidelines on Assessment and Reporting for Years 1 to 10 and in its syllabus documents for the key learning areas. Other assessment techniques include consultation, focused analysis, peer assessment and self-assessment. The Position and Guidelines state that: ‘Observation involves teachers in observing students as they participate in plannedactivities. Teacher observation occurs continually as a natural part of the learning and teaching process and can be used to gather a broad range of information about students’ demonstrations of learning outcomes’ (p. 16). Teacher observation has been valued as an important assessment technique in the lower primary school, but has in the past received less attention in later year levels. Secondaryschools especially have favoured formal testing and structured assessment tasks rather than in-situ observation, although there has been some movement towards in-situ observation in some subjects in recent years, even in the senior years. The Council’s Position and Guidelines and syllabus documents elevate teacher observation to a more prominent position in the range of assessment techniques thatteachers might use. Other techniques have been identified as consultation and focused analysis as well as peer and self-assessment. Focused analysis includes more formal assessment procedures such as set tests and set tasks. However, these categories of assessment techniques are not necessarily distinct. For example, as this paper explains, observation may be employed in association with focusedanalysis, especially where what is observed is student performance on a set task. This discussion paper is not an official policy statement of the Council. Rather, it represents the views of the author, Dr Graham Maxwell, of the School of Education, The University of Queensland. As such, it offers a personal perspective on the issues. Dr Maxwell has been involved in research and consultation onassessment for many years in Australia, USA and UK, ranging over all sectors and levels of education. He has taught courses and conducted workshops on assessment for pre-service and in-service teachers for 30 years. He has also been involved in recent Council deliberations on assessment and reporting. The audience for this discussion paper is professional educators, especially schoolteachers andadministrators who must deal with assessment and reporting practice in classrooms and schools. Such people already know a great deal about assessment and reporting theories and practices, and this discussion paper builds on that knowledge. The hope is that the discussion paper will serve as a basis for professional debate, development workshops and collaborative planning.

iii

The Office of the...