Two teachers making assessment for learning their own

Abstract

The Classroom Assessment Project to Improve Teaching and Learning (CAPITAL) set out to understand how teachers attempt to modify their classroom practices as they grapple with new ideas about using assessment in their own classrooms to improve learning. CAPITAL documented the classroom activities and discussions among groups of middle school science teachers over four years. Through the stories of two of the teachers in the project, this article describes some of the variations in how the teachers in the project integrated, adapted and incorporated assessment for learning into their everyday teaching practice. We see Louise draw upon her background as a scientist to use student work as data that drive her teaching decisions, and we see Anthony approach his assessment work within a curricular framework with the ultimate goal of influencing his colleagues in the school district. The variations between the two teachers are significant, emphasizing the highly contextualized and personal nature of change for teachers.

Keywords:

• classroom assessment
• teacher change
• teacher development
• science teaching

Acknowledgements

Collaborating teachers represented in this paper: Louise Cawthon, A. P. Giannini Middle School, San Francisco Unified School District, San Francisco, California; Anthony Cody, Bret Harte Middle School, Oakfield Unified School District, Oakland, California. We are indebted to the work and collaboration of Louise, Anthony and all of the teachers involved in CAPITAL. We would like to thank the contributions of members of the CAPITAL research team, including Mike Atkin, Barbara Schneider and Matthew Thibeault. We owe much to regular team discussions.

The Classroom Assessment Project to Improve Teaching and Learning (CAPITAL) was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (REC-9909370). The grant also supported the partnership between CAPITAL, based at Stanford University, and the King's – Medway – Oxfordshire Formative Assessment Project centred at King's College London.