Mary Richardson
Professor of Educational Assessment
University College London, Institute of Education, United Kingdom
Mary Richardson is Professor of Educational Assessment at the IOE – Faculty of Education and Society, UCL where she contributes to teaching an MA in Assessment and supervises doctoral candidates with an interest in educational assessment theory and practice. Mary leads research projects both nationally and internationally including the TIMSS and PISA studies for England (reporting on attainment and key issues in schools). Her research interests include philosophy of education to explore the ethics of testing, and recently she has begun exploring psychological theory in relation to assessment practice and student identity. She is a passionate advocate of improving educational opportunities for students and making access to education a lifelong interest and right for all. This aspect of her work is showcased in her presentation with a focus on Assessment Literacy as a vital concern in education. Mary is a Special Interest Convenor for the British Educational Research Association and acts as an assessment research advisor for Qualifications Wales, Inspera, AQA and NCFE in the UK.
Keynote
Assessment is at the heart of education practice. When we talk about assessment, it is often misinterpreted as testing of students at all phases in their education from the nursery to the university, but assessment is more than that. This presentation will consider the role of Assessment Literacy (AL) and argue for its place in all curriculums for all students no matter how young (or old) they are. Assessment Literacy matters because it is a way to reorientate how we characterise the aims and value of education. Improving our understanding of what assessment in education means and why it matters will, through engagement with both teachers, students, parents and society could make substantive changes to public views about educational purpose and what success looks like in learning. The presentation will propose some ways that teachers and students can engage with AL and will also suggest how schools might be a conduit for sharing good assessment practice with those ‘above’ them – in policy making contexts- and those ‘by their side’ – families and their communities. Enactment of AL can serve to enhance wider goals for supporting critical, adaptive and collaborative means of being outside of educational contexts and thus, have value for all.
Assessment – A Key Literacy for the 21st Century
Expert Workshop
Aims of the Expert Workshop: To provide an overview of relevant theory on AL; to enhance participants’ understanding of what AL is and how it could apply to their settings; to facilitate participants' time and opportunity to create some resources to use in their practice after the session.
​
Practice: This session will comprise a short introduction explaining the key theory relating to Assessment Literacy (AL) and promoting it as relevant to broader emerging 21st-century skills. The students will be introduced to a range of views on AL and how it can/is interpreted in educational settings. The class will then participate in a series of interactive activities so that they can explore the affordances and challenges of AL within their own specific settings. Using interactive technologies, e.g., Mentimeter (or a similar polling/feedback app), students will create an evidence base to discuss and evaluate in the Masterclass. Finally, we will seek to create some materials – to be shared between participants that can be used in their various settings when they return to their schools/colleges.
The Expert Workshop will be followed by the creation of an online space for participants to access and share further resources.