When I returned the marked coursework to my pupils this week, I tried an approach in feedback to increase the level of transparency in assessment. I did not have a big enough class previously to do this meaningfully, but this year, I have a sufficient sample size. Every pupil received the breakdown of their scores with reference to the rubrics and we did a rank file. Meaning that everyone will be linearly arranged in class from the highest to the lowest score, alongside their coursework, coupled with their accompanying score sheet with comments in their respective areas of strength and weakness. Doing this explicitly reveals the pupils' performance in relation to their classmates. This exercise must be dealt with very sensitively, for if the rationale is not communicated clearly, some pupils will naturally feel dejected due to their poor standing.
The rationale of doing this is really simple. The causation of differentiation must be clear, and pupils have the right to know. Knowing allows them to have a better understanding of what follow up action they need to do to improve. This is especially crucial for a subject where objectivity in assessment is a perpetual pursuit.
Pupils took some time to look through the assessed pieces of coursework and there was a natural crowd gathering in the top 3 pupils' coursework. When that happens, it shows that pupils want to learn from those who fared better than they had. What are the differences? And what are the effects of those differences to the score? Pupils scrutinised the high quality works and repeatedly tried to make a relation to the scored rubrics and comments. As a followup activity, I chose 4 pupils' coursework (the pupils were absent in class that day) to be assessed by everyone in class. Everybody subsequently got a chance to give a score to their fellow classmate's work.
The result of that follow up activity really surprised me. Of the 12 pupils who participated in the scoring, 9 of them scored within 5 marks of the actual grade assigned by me. 5 marks within a full range of 0-100. I am really, really impressed.
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Letting pupils rate their and peers' work is a rich learning experience.
They will understand the requirements in terms of skills, performance and quality.
The only contentious flipside is that pupils, once they know the criteria, would only work towards fulfilling the criteria as an end, and miss the entire learning intention totally.
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