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Guidelines for Parents when Conducting Home-based Assessment for their Child
(For K to 3)
Carlo Magno
Center for Learning and Assessment Development-Asia
This set of guideline is created to assist parents in determining their specific roles, limitations, and what to do with their child as a learner in a home-based education where learning is conducted online. The first part orients the parents on the different forms of assessment that the learner undertakes. Their role varies depending whether formative or summative assessment is accomplished by the learner. Guidelines are provided when the assessment for the learner requires right and wrong answers and performance-based tasks. The last part provides some practices to support the development of K to 3 learners to become independent in accomplishing assessment tasks online.
A. Forms of Assessment
The school conducts two forms of assessment: Formative and summative assessment. The formative assessments are not graded that includes exercises and practice drills. The learner is usually requested to revise the task until they get the correct answer and meet the criteria specified. The purpose of the formative assessment is to help the learner progress towards the objective of the lesson. On the other hand, the summative assessment is graded. The tasks are very similar with the formative assessment. The purpose of the summative assessment is to determine how well the learner has attained the objectives of the lesson.
1. It is important that the teacher notifies the parents and the learner if the assessment is formative or summative. This will condition the parent to shift their role with much limitation on the summative assessment.
2. The role of parents are distinguished depending on the form of assessment provided.
3. During the formative assessment, the following can be done with the K to 3 learners:
3.1 Operate the keyboard especially if the learner is still a non reader
3.2 Rephrase the questions and instructions to help the learner understand the task
3.3 Provide examples on how to do the task
3.4 Provide additional set of exercises to make the learner practice
3.5 Let the child observe the examples and explain how the answer was derived
3.6 Parents may provide the answer to one item, but let the learner answer with the rest of the items
3.7 Allow the learner to make mistakes and explain how to get the correct answer
3.8 Record the scores of the learner from the first exercise to the succeeding ones to monitor their progress. Alert the learner when they are not progressing.
3.9 Allow the learner to answer again the sets of formative assessment to prepare them for the summative assessment
4. During summative assessment, the following can be done with the learner:
4.1 Operate the keyboard especially if the learner is still a non reader.
4.2 Rephrase the instructions but not the questions anymore.
4.3 There is no need to show examples. The learner was provided with practice sets during the formative assessment and this should be the preparation.
4.4 No need to provide additional exercises. This is done prior to the conduct of the summative assessment.
4.5 No need to provide example on how to accomplish and answer the task.
4.6 Just let the learner provide the answer on their own. Be accepting if the learner could not obtain the correct answer.
4.7 Explanations on how to arrive at the correct answer can be done after the summative assessment is submitted.
4.8 No need to record the scores because the teacher will obtain the scores.
4.9 Practice can be provided prior to the schedule of the summative assessment.
4.10 Avoid any forms of conversations and gestures with the child while answering the summative assessment.
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B. How to guide the child when answering assessments with right and wrong answers
Some formats of formative and summative assessment are those that require a right and wrong answer. This includes identification, true or false, check or cross-out, matching type, fill-in the blanks, and multiple choice.
1. The actions on 3.1 to 3.9 are applicable when the formative assessment requires a right and wrong answers.
2. The actions on 4.1 to 4.10 are applicable for summative assessments requiring right or wrong answers.
C. How to guide the child when accomplishing performance-based task
Some formats of formative and summative assessment are those with no single correct answer. It usually requires the learner to generate their own knowledge, answer based on their own experience, demonstrate a process, and produce a product. This format of assessment is called “performance-based assessment” where the learner accomplishes a “performance-based task.”
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1. Parents may reiterate and explain the instruction to the K to 3 learners if they cannot understand or read the instructions on their own.
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2. Reiterate on the procedure that they will do especially if require several steps, complex and lengthy task.
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3. Remind the learner on the criteria provided by the teacher. Explain what each criteria means and show an ideal response to the learner that meets the criteria. Parents may request from the teacher a model when the required performance task needs to arrive at a product. Allow the learner to create their own product.
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4. Let the child accomplish the task on their own. There might be some criteria not met and the parents can “suggest” to the learner how the task can be accomplished.
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5. Provide feedback on the work of the learner while they are doing the task and after they have competed the task. The feedback needs to be:
5.1 Specific
5.2 Tells the learner what to do
5.3 Describes accurately the work based on the criteria
5.4 Use the criteria as the guide on the content of the feedback
5.5 Avoid broad and general verbal feedback such as “very good,” “good,” “excellent,” “good job” because these are not specific on the task and does not inform the learner what to do and which part of the work is commendable.
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6. Use the criteria provided by the teacher to check on the work of the learner. Tell the learner which criteria is met and not met.
7. Allow the learner to redo and revise the work if the criteria are not met before submitting during formative assessment. However, during the summative assessment, the teacher will decide if the learner will redo the work.
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D. Developing the child to study independent online
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It is important for the parents to support the independence of the learner when accomplishing assessment tasks online. This is done by providing gradual independent work until the learner can accomplish tasks on their own. The development in terms of their independent study and work will vary for each learner. The limitation in this set of guideline is the similarity on the readiness and capability of a group of learners within the specific period of time in the school year. In the succeeding guidelines, the gradual provision of independence is divided into the four quarters of the school year. If the school year is spent for 10 months, each quarter is within 3 months and one week. Some learners may not be ready to become fully independent within the time required due to the inability to identify letters, recognize words, read sentences and comprehend the text including instructions written. The parents may request from the teacher some practices that can be done at home to develop such reading skills.
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The learner develops their independence to accomplish their online lessons within the school year. Part of the role of parents is to go through this stage of development.
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For the first quarter of the school year (first three months), the parents are allowed to be present and operate the keyboard during online lessons.
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2.1 Practice the K to 2 learners to become familiar with the alphabets and identify the letters in the keyboard.
2.2 Practice the K to 2 learners spell words by typing the words using the keyboard.
2.3 Practice identifying and reading words then sentences on the screen.
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3. For the second quarter, there will be some assessment tasks (50%) that the parents are not required anymore to type the answer for the learner. The teacher will notify the parents which tasks require independent work. The learner will be able to accomplish some tasks on their own if they are provided with independent work.
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4. For the third quarter, majority of the assessment tasks (70%) will not requires the parents to type the answer for the learner.
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5. For the fourth quarter, the number of assessment tasks done independently by the learner is increased (90%).
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Table 1. Development of Kinder Learners Independence within the school year
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