Trying to be helpful to pupils while assessing their understanding could actually be counter-productive.
Read MoreUsing badges
The attractive thing about badges is that a school can invent their own categories and achievement levels.
Read MoreThe problems with rubrics
Rubrics look like an easy way to tackle assessment. But they can be deceptive in that respect, and can cause the unwary to slip up.
Read MoreHow to create a grade-prediction system in Excel, and save yourself loads of time (Updated)
Spotting the unexpected results of mock exams of scores or even hundreds of students need no longer be a nightmare.
Read MoreOn this day #1: Assessment
Why bother with theories of assessment? Surely all that matters is whether or not it works?
Read MoreThe trouble with rubrics UPDATED
Rubrics look like an easy way to tackle assessment. But they can be deceptive in that respect, and can cause the unwary to slip up. This article was published on this day 3 years ago. I’ve had to clean up a few links and delete some out-of-date references, but otherwise the article still makes some useful points about assessing Computing and related subjects using rubrics.
Read MoreAssessing Computing and ICT in a post-Levels world
Several years on from the removal of levels, assessment — especially in Computing and ICT — is still a hot topic.
Read MoreAssessment and the black swan problem: a new free resource
A new, free, resource.
I've been thinking about, and running courses on, assessment for a long time. In a mini essay called Assessment and the black swan problem, I discuss an issue that I think receives scant attention. In this short article I tell you how you can get hold of the essay.
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12 things I've learnt about assessing Computing and ICT
I've been thinking about, doing, and running courses in the art and science of assessing what kids know, understand and can do when it comes to Computing and ICT for a long time. Here are 12 things I've learnt.
Read More4 things I've learnt about assessing Computing and ICT
Assessing pupils' ability in Computing or ICT is not easy. Here are four things I've learnt about it.
Read MorePerverse incentives in assessment
Trying to be helpful to pupils while assessing their understanding could actually be counter-productive.
Read MoreHow to create a grade-prediction system in Excel, and save yourself loads of time
Spotting the unexpected results of mock exams of scores or even hundreds of students need no longer be a nightmare.
Read MoreLevels in Computing? I thought they'd gone!
Updated! When it comes to assessing ICT and Computing, it's worth pointing out that "solutions" which look both comprehensive and easy to implement are not necessary either, when you start to get down to considering them in depth.
Read MoreAn interview concerning the scrapping of ICT
Kay Sawbridge, Faculty Leader of Computing and ICT in a secondary school, has been very active in campaigning against the Government's decision to scrap ICT qualifications. It's a bad decision that could leave thousands of students "disenfranchised" in terms of what they choose to study, and will almost certainly adversely affect a disproportionate number of girls.
In this article, taken from the next issue of the Digital Education newsletter, I interview Kay.
Read MoreWe need to talk about ed tech
When it comes to ed tech systems, nothing beats a good conversation.
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If the decision to scrap ICT qualifications has left you feeling frazzled, read on.
Approved ICT and Computing qualifications
UPDATED yet again! The decision to "scrap" the GCSE and 'A' level qualifications in Information and Communication Technology have dismayed a lot of people. In a spirit of pragmatism rather than defeatism, I've compiled a list of eligible alternative qualifications, which you can download from here.
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Open badges in a nutshell. (c) @bryanMMathers. Used with permission through a CC-BY-ND licence.
Personalising Computing assessment with badges
The attractive thing about badges is that a school can invent their own categories and achievement levels.
Read MoreAssessing Information Technology in 1995
Just in case you thought the difficulties of assessing pupils’ attainment in Information Technology are a new thing, and how terrible Levels were (are?), I thought you might like to read a report dating from 1995.Assessing Computing: the need for a manual override option
When I was crazy about film-making as a teenager (see I was a teenage geek) I never liked using fully automated cameras. Yes, they were convenient, and they saved you the bother of having to think too much, and the results were passable. But they left no room for exercising one’s professional judgement. Using a camera with a manual override button enabled you to find out what the camera “thought” the aperture and other settings should be, and then use them as a basis for your own decision.Why can’t assessment be like feedback in eBay?
Can eBay teach us anything about assessment? At the Naace 2009 conference, John Davitt made an interesting point. As I recall, he said that when he started selling stuff on eBay he received more feedback on his performance than he’d ever seen in a school.