Alternative Approaches to Book Checks to Promote the Spirit of Assessment for Learning in Teachers

By Achary Gopalan Shiyamala

Whether as school leaders, key personnel, or simply as teachers, we all play a key role in setting and building the assessment culture in our schools. In my previous role as an Assessment Champion (AC), I was overseeing a Professional Learning Team (PLT) of a small group of primary school Vice-Principals, focusing on assessment culture in schools. During our PLT sessions, we shared how we implement, monitor, and evaluate our schools’ assessment policies, structures, and practices, as well as how through these, we exercise our leadership in shaping the assessment culture in our schools. One area that often came up in our conversations was on teachers’ mindset and competency in the effective use of assessment practices in student learning. 

In schools, one of the ways we monitor teachers’ assessment practices is through annual book checks. Book checks are a common practice in schools, though there are schools that do not carry this out. The usual practice is for teachers to submit their students’ books and/or files to their Head of Department, Subject Head or Reporting Officers for checking. Practices may vary across schools, for example in the number of books and files that teachers need to submit for checks. Some schools require all books and files to be submitted, while some others may require only a sample. Practices also vary in terms of what the books and files are checked for, and the feedback given to the teachers. How we implement Assessment for Learning (AfL) in schools depends on whether we practice assessment according to the letter or the spirit of AfL. 

DeLuca et al. (2019) propose a learning continuum for teachers’ implementation of Assessment for Learning with five themes identified: (i) learning the letter; (ii) practicing the letter; (ii) responding to the letter; (iv) adopting the spirit; and (v) leading the spirit. As teachers transition from the first stage towards the last, the quality of their assessment practices increases. DeLuca et al. (2019) suggest that the learning continuum can be used for further research for teachers to reflect on their AfL practices as well as a tool for observation and analysis of teachers’ AfL practices. I find the learning continuum useful for teachers to understand where they are in their AfL practices and how they can improve them. 

The learning continuum for AfL can also be further understood in the Singapore context in terms of how it is similar or different to MOE’s SkillsFuture for Educators (SFEd). The SFEd is a professional development roadmap for teachers to develop their competencies in six areas of practice, one of which is assessment literacy. The SFEd provides four levels of practice that describes the practice of teachers for each area of practice, the levels being: (i) emergent, (ii) proficient, (iii) accomplished, and (iv) leading. In this thought-piece, I share two alternative approaches to book checks to better promote the spirit of AfL in teachers. First, a revised book check document, which can be easily taken up in schools, and second, a total replacement of book checks, which moves schools across the threshold to the “adopting the spirit” and “leading the spirit” stages in DeLuca et al. (2019).