Our College embraces assessment for, assessment as and assessment of  learning to enable teachers to gather evidence and make judgements about student achievement.

Through assessment for learning and assessment as learning strategies, teachers at MCC are able to integrate:

• self-assessment and peer assessment strategies for students to actively monitor and evaluate their own learning feedback
• evidence to help teachers and students decide whether students are ready for the next phase of learning or whether they need further learning experiences to consolidate their knowledge, understanding and skills.

Assessment for learning and assessment as learning approaches help teachers and students to know if current understanding is a suitable basis for future learning. Teachers use their professional judgement, in a standards-referenced framework, to extend the process of assessment for learning into the assessment of learning. 

Assessment for learning involves teachers using evidence about students’ knowledge, understanding and skills to inform their teaching. Sometimes referred to as ‘formative assessment’, it usually occurs throughout the teaching and learning process to clarify student learning and understanding.

Assessment as learning occurs when students are their own assessors. Students monitor their own learning, ask questions and use a range of strategies to decide what they know and can do, and how to use assessment for new learning.

Assessment of learning assists teachers in using evidence of student learning to assess achievement against outcomes and standards. Sometimes referred to as ‘summative assessment’, it usually occurs at defined key points during a unit of work or at the end of a unit, term or semester, and may be used to rank or grade students.

The effectiveness of assessment of learning for grading or ranking depends on the validity and reliability of activities. Its effectiveness as an opportunity for learning depends on the nature and quality of the feedback.