Assessment for learning

Key to personalised learning is the changing nature of assessment. No longer simply a performance measurement, assessment is used gather information that will help to identify student learning patterns, strengths and weaknesses, in order to further customise learning.

To power personalized learning, assessments should encompass a broader range of measures beyond performance on academic tests, including information on a student’s learning style preferences, previously successful experiences, interests, and other factors in a learner’s life. ¹

During a U.S. Summer Seminar in 2012, Richard Culatta defined personalizing learning as a way if individualizing learning for each student in the room by adjusting the pace, adjusting the approach, and leveraging students’ individual interests and motivations.² His examples of personalised learning included:

• systems that adapted to learner needs
  
• supported differentiated learning
• increasing the frequency of formative assessments
• providing learners choice about what and how they learn
• customising instruction based on performance/preference
• approaches that turn learners into creators

¹ Wolf, M.A. (2010). Innovate to Educate: System [Re]Design for Personalized Learning. A Report from the 2010 Symposium. Edited by Partoyan, E., Schneiderman, & Seltz, J. ACSD. p.25. Retrieved from https://siia.net/pli/presentations/PerLearnPaper.pdf

² Culatta, R. (2012, July 10) Personalising Learning. U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from https://www.ed.gov/teaching/summerseminars