Inside the black box: raising standards through classroom assessment

Inside the Black Box is written by the leading experts in Assessment for Learning - Paul Black, Dylan Wiliam, Christine Harrison, Clare Lee and Bethan Marshall. Much recent research indicates that effective formative assessment is a key factor in raising pupils' standards of achievement. Recognised by the QCA, Assessment for Learning is a key idea underpinning the Key Stage 3 Strategy work on assessment. Inside the Black Box: * Is concise and easy to follow * Provides research findings and examples * Helps you to raise levels of achievement in your school * Enables you to ensure pupils are sufficiently involved in their own assessment and have a good understanding of what they are trying to achieve * Allows you to ensure sufficient ongoing assessment of pupils' capability in key subject areas Table of contents: * The black box * The argument * Is there evidence that improving formative assessment raises standards? * Is there evidence that there is room for improvement? (A poverty of practice. Problems with assessment - effective teaching, negative impact on learning, the managerial role of assessments. The empty commitment.) * Is there evidence about how to improve formative assessment? (The self-esteem of pupils. Self-assessment by pupils. The evolution of effective teaching - key points to help make assessment effective) * Policy & practice (Changing the policy perspective. Four steps to implementation. Step 1: Learning from development. Step 2: Dissemination. Step 3: Reducing obstacles. Step 4: Research.) * Are we serious about raising standards?