The event brought together experts in teaching and assessment, school directors, and teachers who discussed the issue of assessment in Polish schools through lectures, discussions, and conversations.
The methods and scientific seminar “Assessment for development – assumptions, challenges, support instruments” in Poznań took place on March 31st at the Congress and Didactic Center of the Karol Marcinkowski Medical University. The event was organised by the Educational Research Institute – National Research Institute in cooperation with the Superintendent of Education in Poznań and was aimed at school directors and staff of the education system in the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship.
The aim of the meeting was to provide information on the principles and practice of assessment that supports learning and student development, to address the topic of assessment from the perspective of educational psychology, as well as to discuss the key challenges for schools in this area.
In a special recording addressed to the participants, Secretary of State at the Ministry of National Education Joanna Mucha emphasised the key role of proper assessment as a tool supporting students’ development and the need to use modern teaching methods in education.
The opening of the event was also attended by Izabela Liebert-Jędroszkowiak, the Vice-Superintendent of Education for the Wielkopolska region, and Dr. Tomasz Gajderowicz, Deputy Director of the Educational Research Institute.
How does assessment relate to motivation? Research results and the graduate profile
In his speech “How to assess in order to teach effectively and motivate?” Dr. Gajderowicz referred to the results of the PISA 2022 survey, which show that Polish youth are not motivated to learn. Looking for an answer to the question of how assessment relates to motivation, the deputy director of IBE PIB pointed out that currently assessment causes fear, a lack of a sense of belonging, and a feeling of constant comparison in Polish pupils.
The education reform being developed by IBE PIB aims, among other things, to change the approach to assessment so that students are aware that they are not learning for assessment purposes, but rather to gain new knowledge and skills. The starting point for the proposed changes is the graduate profile being developed by IBE PIB experts, which emphasises the development of three main elements in the student: fundamental competences, cross-sectional competences, and agency.
Assessment for development – lectures and panel discussion
The expert presentation “Assessment from the perspective of educational psychology” was given by Dr. Tomasz Knopik, project manager of Supporting the accessibility of education for children and youth
Dr. Aneta Wojciechowska, key expert on diagnostic packages in the project Supporting the Accessibility of Education for Children and Youth, gave a lecture entitled “Assessment for Development: From Assumptions to Practice.”
The products developed in the IBE PIB projects were discussed during the presentations on “Supporting Teachers in Assessment for Development” by:
- Dr. Beata Papuda-Dolińska, Project Leader of Accessible School for All (Szkoła dostępna dla wszystkich),
- Karolina Malinowska, Project Leader and Tomasz Kasprzak, Deputy Project Leader of A Career without Barriers (Kariera bez barier),
- Katarzyna Mykowska, Project Leader of Supporting the Accessibility of Education for Children and Youth (Wspieranie dostępności edukacji dla dzieci i młodzieży)
- Ewa Nosowicz, Chief Training Expert in the project Supporting the Accessibility of Education for Children and Youth.
In the last part of the event, experts and education practitioners took part in a panel discussion entitled “How to assess in order to motivate students to develop?”
Moderator: Aleksandra Rodzewicz, Educational Research Institute – National Research Institute
Participants:
- Assoc. Prof. Sylwia Jaskulska, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Educational Studies, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
- Agata Dawidowska – Student Rights Spokesperson in Poznań
- Sylwia Żmijewska-Kwiręg – Programme Director at the Center for Citizenship Education
- Łukasz Koss – School Director of the School Complex in Jezierzyce
- Paweł Biedny – Teacher and Pedagogical Consultant at the Teacher Training Centre in Poznań
The seminar was held as part of a project implemented by the Educational Research Institute – National Research Institute entitled: “Supporting the accessibility of education for children and youth”, co-financed by the European Union under the programme European Funds for Social Development 2021–2027 (FERS).