The Role of Assessment as an Education Discussed at NIS

The third round table within the framework of the project "Education in a new reality" of Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools was held by the Center for Pedagogical Measurements and brought together about a thousand teachers from all over the country.

The meeting began with an up-to-date survey of teachers about the assessment process. The first results reflected the belief of the absolute majority (four out of five) of teachers that the assessment demonstrates the real quality of education. Kulyash Shamshidinova, Chairman of the Board of AEO Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools, emphasized that it is a high-quality and real assessment that affects the development of a student, understanding of strengths and weaknesses, as well as the choice of profession and determination of the future in general:

- Assessment influences the formation of "I - concept", that is, the student's idea of ​​himself. The teacher's assessment, the reactions of classmates and parents affect the development of self-esteem. Satisfaction of one's own "I" in the assessment generates in the child a sense of personal significance, strength, adequacy, usefulness and necessity in this world, - noted Kulyash Nogataevna.

Kulyash Nogatayevna's conclusions were supported by the results of a study by the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) within the framework of the global project "Education - 2030", the national coordinator of which is NIS. Traditional assessment models are changing, and in the new realities, students take a more active part in improving their own learning process.

Director of the Center for Pedagogical Measurements Aidana Shilibekova focused the attention of the round table participants on the fact that it is important for teachers to monitor the consistency of the results of internal and external assessment, this ensures the quality of education:

- A strong external assessment system can generate public confidence.

In Kazakhstan today, a comprehensive project "Modernization of secondary education" is being implemented with the support of the World Bank in the direction of "Bringing student assessment systems in accordance with the updated content of education." Cooperation between Cambridge Assessment and NIS within the framework of this project is a combination of international experience and Kazakhstani achievements in the development of the secondary education system. Anna Green, one of the key project experts, shared information about international assessment standards and insights on how to comply with them.

- Good grades are central to good education. When designing exams, the starting point is what we want to develop in students: deep knowledge of the subject, conceptual understanding, and higher-order thinking skills. Our assessment allows you to effectively differentiate students by academic performance. We conduct it in such a way that it is fair, valid, reliable and practically feasible, - said Anna Green, expert of Cambridge Assessment.

The overwhelming majority of the participants who completed the survey at the beginning of the roundtable agreed that the issue of compliance with standards should be considered, among other things, at the level of assessing schools. This contributes to their development. The focus of the speech by Olga Mozhaeva, Deputy Chairman of the Board of AEO Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools, was aimed at accreditation as one of the approaches to assessing the activities of schools at the international level. The speaker called the internal self-assessment of schools a particularly important stage in the process of international accreditation. Using the example of NIS, Olga Ivanovna analyzed the importance of self-assessment for secondary education organizations:

- Secondary schools can use the experience of the Intellectual Schools in introspection and self-assessment to understand their strengths and weaknesses in accordance with existing standards, to plan specific development measures. NIS is ready to provide consulting, methodological and methodological support to each interested school, - Olga Mozhaeva summed up.

One of the main tasks facing teachers is to make sure that assessment does not interfere with the educational process, but, on the contrary, improves it. Professor of Nazarbayev University Matthew Courtney is convinced of this. Deputy Director of the Center for Pedagogical Measurements Saule Vildanova, continuing the thought of the foreign expert, dwelled on the methodology for assessing the practice of teachers. Saule Aifovna expressed the popular opinion of students that the assessment depends not only on them, but also on the teacher - everyone would like to learn from such a teacher whose lessons are interesting and understandable, and the assessments are fair, because this will undoubtedly lead to high results.

The use of centuries-old customs, traditions and pedagogical heritage of the people in teaching and upbringing of the younger generation was noted by the Kazakh poet and teacher Magzhan Zhumabaev. In his writings, he repeatedly expressed ideas about the correct understanding of assessment, which today are consonant with the implemented criteria approach. The educational aspect is reflected through the teacher's activities in the classroom. NIS mathematics teacher Semeya Anar Baimurzaeva shared her experience in developing interesting tasks that integrate literary works and mathematics, and an example of how assessment contributes to a deeper assimilation of educational material through self-assessment and feedback was presented by the teacher of the Kazakh language and literature of the capital school-lyceum No. 48 Gulshat Kapshaeva.

The adults' reasoning was interrupted by children, whose voices conveyed honest opinions about grading in school. It should be noted that the point of view of the students was very different - someone is sure that grades help to understand what to work on and in which direction to move, and someone believes that the main thing is how the material is learned, and grades are given for it is not necessary at all.

Summing up the meeting, Kulyash Shamshidinova emphasized that any assessment system should motivate a person to learn, and a truly high-quality assessment system demonstrates the daily high-quality work of a teacher. Quality is one of the main goals of assessment.

The materials presented during the round table will be posted on the system-methodological complex of the Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools AEO.

“The Role of Assessment in Ensuring the Quality of Education” is the third round table held at NIS within the framework of the anniversary project “Education in a New Reality” dedicated to the 180th anniversary of the birth of Ibrai Altynsarin.