All those who produce tests claim that their tests are valid and reliable. Unfortunately, such claims are meaningless, because tests cannot be valid, and they cannot be reliable. A failure to understand why such claims are incorrect means that the substantial power of assessment to support learning is often lost. In this week’s webinar, Dylan […]
Please discuss your answers in the comments below. Flexibility, time constraints, small steps, support, choice … there’s so much to consider. Before you engage in professional learning, what are some concepts you should address? Why is it vital to do so?
Here’s the first question for our book study. Please discuss your answers in the comments below. Why should formative assessment be a priority for every teacher?
We’re so glad you will be participating in the Embedding Formative Assessment book study. Please check back frequently to discuss the book, answer questions, and collaborate with fellow MAG members. We look forward to talking with you!
By Dylan Wiliam In 2010, a Guardian reporter quoted me as saying that “no skilled reader uses phonics.” Obviously, this was rubbish. What I actually told the journalist was that no skilled reader relies entirely on phonics. What is rather irritating was that I had a feeling that the journalist hadn’t understood what I was […]
By Dylan Wiliam There is a long-standing schism amongst people who write dictionaries. Some think dictionaries ought to provide the correct usage of words, while others think dictionaries should reflect how words are used. For example, the word meld, which used to mean show (as in the card game Bezique) is now used as if […]
By Dylan Wiliam The Panorama program “Can I sack teacher?”(broadcast on BBC on July 5, 2010) made a big play out of the fact that only a handful of teachers have been struck off for incompetence. Doctors and lawyers are generally struck off for negligence, not lack of competence, because proving that someone did something […]
By Dylan Wiliam Cherryholmes, Berlak, and others suggest that assessments are, inevitably, value-laden. Berlak says, “But as Cherryholmes argues, it is not only that subjective judgments are involved; it is also that constructs themselves are products of power and their use is an exercise of power.” I myself have written that there is no such […]
By Dylan Wiliam If you missed last month’s post, click here to see the first few questions I addressed. This month, I’ll answer a few more questions that readers have sent me recently. Question 4 As a school administrator for more than 20 years now, I find it is easier to support and help the weaker […]
By Dylan Wiliam Question 1 I know you’re from the UK and have spent a lot of time in various countries overseas. Can you share a little bit about your experiences and key accomplishments in the United States? Answer 1 In 2003, I started working as Senior Research Director at ETS in Princeton, NJ. My […]
