FEEDBACK AS A BASIS FOR IMPROVING LEARNING EXPERIENCES OF HE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

1. Introduction
Several initiatives have taken place in the Republic of Macedonia, during the past ten years, aimed to introduce new approaches in assessment in order to raise the achievements of students in primary education. Two approaches are being used, the first one is: setting up national standards of achievement and periodical measuring of their achievement, and the second one is: improving the methods of assessment used by school teachers in order to contribute to better quality learning. These approaches have been very often insufficiently coordinated, and sometimes they have had unfavorable influence upon each other and have created difficulties to teachers in their assessment. In this paper, we focus our attention on the feedback information, its use and effects, most of all, concerning the second approach, taking into consideration, all the time, its relationship with the first one.

2. Previous state of affairs

Generally speaking, only a few empirical researches have been done, so far, in Macedonia on School-Based Assessment and particularly concerning feedback information. Reviewing their findings and the non-systematic considerations, the following issues could be summarized: - The initial training of teachers, during their graduate studies at most of the higher education teacher-training institutions, is either lacking or is insufficient concerning the issue of monitoring and assessing students achievement. (Poposki at al,2007). Also, there is a lack of explicitly promoted educational doctrine; teacher training is mainly theoretical and does not acquaint teachers with the contemporary educational standards. (Delceva-Dizdarevic et al, 2006). Consequently, teachers are not trained to give feedback information that would improve learning. Until recently, there have been few organized opportunities for in-service training of teachers, although the majority of teachers consider that it is necessary for them. Half of the teachers report that they would like to be included in the in-service training, and in addition to it, one third of teachers say that they would like to do it provided that their colleagues are included in it as well. (Poposki at al, 2007). - Teachers are not trained to give adeqate feedback. For, example, according to the findings from a comparative research, during pre-service training of future teachers in England and at the work post, the assessment for learning is in the focus, the Macedonian teachers, faced with an absence of explicitly promoted contemporary educational standards and values, appear to have remained faithful to the traditional feedback methods: summative, behavioral, unspecific, sugested additional work and teacher control of the pupils work. Macedonian teachers more often than English teachers reported that: they are using teacher-directed (externally based) feedback; emphasize the pupils effort and are ready to increase a pupils mark simply on the basis of the effort invested, even if the pupil lags in the performance; and they rarely provide explicit feedback focused on the strategy or on the specific aspects of the performance that needed to be improved. (Mickovska, 2007). - The over stated focus on the administrative importance of grades for continuing the education and, at the same time, the ruining of the social values have brought to high results shown through grades, and to low real quality of achievements. The only feedback that both the students and parents are interested in is the level of the grade.

3. Current activities on assessment related to its feedback 3.1. Setting up national standards of achievements and external measuring of their accomplishment
The State is moving in the direction of establishing standards-based education. One of the difficulties that teachers have faced so far in assessment has been the lack of standards of achievements and marking criteria. Therefore, the educational policy has set up a primary task to develop such standards. The standards are enacted and they proscribe what the students are expected to achieve, they also provide criteria for each of the grades1 and it is expected that the teachers would use them in assessments. In cases, where their marking is not in line with the established standards (focus is placed on respecting the assessment criteria), sanctions (ranging from salary reduce up to dismissal from work) or rewards for teachers would follow. In such a way a top down pressure is put on teachers expecting fast effects. This approach of external assessment would be implemented starting from the school year of 2008/09. One might just assume its effects on students assessment and on the feedback provided to students. The mere, existence of content standards and marking criteria refers to the behaviouristic feedback of the type: what and how much. It is not sufficient to provide better learning of students and of their maximum development. What they need is the feedback of the type: how. There is another Project dealing with the issue of effective feedback, described in details below.

3.2. The Formative Assessment Based on School-based Assessment Standards

Extensive activities for in-service training of teachers in assessment for learning (concerning their length, coverage of teachers, extent of training and support) have been carried out since 2007 within the Primary Education Project2. They are described below from the aspect of the set-up of the feedback in: (1) The Schoolbased Assessment Standards; (2) The profesional development of teachers and (3) The outcomes of the new assessment aproaches. Feedback in the School-based Assessment Standards The basis for all of the activities related to improving assessment are the Schoolbased Assessment Standards, which, in fact, are standards for good practice in assessment and they are designed for the teachers to use them in the assessment planning, in providing quality assessment that would contribute to improvement in teaching and learning and in making self-estimates of the quality of assessment.3 These standards, as a kind of an Instruction for Assessment, approved by the Minister of Education, have been submitted to all schools and the training activities are related to the development of the teachers competences for quality assessment. Enacted at the end of 2008 and (at present) they are result of the experts estimates only, and could be retrieved at http://www.bro.gov.mk/podracje/standardi.html
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Primary Education Project is a 5 year (2007-2011) initiative financed by USAID, and the component: Improving School-Based Assessment is implemented by the Academy for Educational Development (AED) from USA and the Macedonian Civic Education Centre (MCEC) a Macedonian NGO 3 Guide for Students Assessment in Primary Schools. The underlining was made by the author of this Paper.

It could be seen from their purpose, that here the focus is laid on formative assessment /assessment for learning. Certain statements about the Standards that refer to the feedback information are given below. In the part related to Assessment Principles, it is stated that: 1. Assessment, above all, is aimed to improve learning and achievements of students. - Assessment serves to stimulate the student to learn and to give him/her ssessment serves to stimulate the student to learn and to give him/her directions how to learn and to increase the achivements in and out of school, and not just to state only how much the student has been successful in learning. 2. Assessment provides complete information about student achievement. - Assessment provides information about students strengths and weaknesses, that are later used to provide progress in students achievements. 3. Assessment is a complementary part of the teaching process (of learning and of teaching). - Teaching, learning and assessment are processes that are merged and provide coherence in teaching. - What is to be assessed depends on curricula aims and content. How the instruction should be carried out and to what goals it should be directed to, depends on the assessment outcomes. - Student has an active role in the assessment. 4. Assessment is a continuous process. - Assessment involves activities of monitoring and making evaluation of students performance and achievements during the entire school year. - Assessment is used to control the progress of students achievements, on the basis of which students are directed to the set-up teaching goals. 5. Assessment is transparent. - Students are familiar with the instruction goals, with the standards that they are required to meet and how the achievements will be assessed (what they are expected to learn, how and when they are going to be assessed). - Students and parents have insight into assessment (concerning the methods that are used and the outcomes of their use). In the part related to Planning of Assessment, it is stated that: In planning the formative assessment, the teacher should take into consideration the previous knowledge of students, their different abilities and the special needs of particular students.

Teachers should plan the use of methods and the choice/development of instruments for monitoring, control and assessment of learning and of the achievements. Teachers should plan when and how to inform students, parents and other relevant officials about the learning and the achievements of students. The teacher should currently adapt assessment planning taking into cosideration the findings from the previous assessment.

In the part related to Selection of methods and instruments, it is stated that: Teachers should select also methods that provide involving students in the assessment. In the part related to Conducting the assessment process, it is stated that:

Students should be informed in advance what they are expected to learn (based on curricula aims) and what is to be assessed. In checking students knowledge, abilities, skills and attitudes, as an introduction to the new curricula contents, students results are not assessed, but they are used in planning the teaching and learning (diagnostic assessment). When the purpose of assessment is to see students learning and progress, his/her strengths, and what should be improved, his/her results are used to provide him/her with a comment, explanation and direction for further work (formative assessment). The main focus in teaching should be placed on monitoring students learning and on the formative assessment. Learning goals should be set up for every student and the process of their attainment should be monitored. Findings about students learning are used to give him/her specific directions and to create conditions in the teaching for his/her future development. The teacher should involve students in setting up their own learning goals and train them to monitor and self control their achievements. The school should provide a climate and conditions for assessment which would induce learning, respect to students and would not cause repulsiveness and unpleasant feelings. In cases, when the assessment is intended for improving of learning, the ambience should enable the student to express without fear his/her own weaknesses and difficulties in learning. Students with special needs should be provided with specially prepared instructions, adapted to their abilities. Students should always be informed, in advance, about the way in which their answers/written works are to be assessed. The teacher should provide an explanation (oral or written) to the student about every estimate of his/her answer/written work based on arguments, which is clear and helpful to the student to improve his/her own achievement. The teacher should enable the students to participate in checking the results of the scoring/assessment.

In the part related to Providing information about the findings from the assessment, it is stated that:

Information about the current assessment intended for students and parents should be related to the previous information given to them about the goals that the students are expected to attain. Information intended for improving of learning should comprise both the good and weak points of students learning and achievement and should provide directions how to make use of the potentials for further learning. Teachers, for their own personal use, should make summarized outlines of the findings from the current assessment. Information intended for parents and students should be provided in a language and style that is understandable for them.

The content of the information intended for parents should represent a good basis for the teacher-parents meetings and talks and for the discussions about their support to students progress.

In-service training to provide effective feedback The schools educational staff (all subject teachers, professional workers and school principles) is involved in a 4 day in-service training on formative assessment. A large part of the training, organized as briefing lectures, workshops, discussions, relates to the feed back information. Part of the training is on-line or is delivered by the learning facilitators as a direct support to teachers in their schools. The groundwork for this type of training are the theoretical and the research findings that the effective feedback should enable the student to get answers to the following questions4:

Where am I going to? (the goals) Feed up How am I going? Feed back Where to go next? Feed forward

Feed up. Concerning the first question, a discussion with the teachers is held about the need and the ways of sharing learning goals with the students, sharing the expectations of high quality and on pre-assessing to students their present learning status. In practice, up to now, the teachers have been providing information to students about the learning goals very formally without setting up specific goals for different students. At present, they are being trained to conduct a dialogue and conversation about the learning goals and the assessment task. At the workshops and later at schools, teachers have attempted carefully to plan each lesson to make sure that the students understood what skills they were expected to learn on that day, how they would be assessed, and what activities they would do to practice the learning. Feed back. The greatest attention at the in-service training sessions is devoted to enabling teachers how to provide, together with their students, overall and exact information about students progress towards the set up goals. Teachers are trained to gather information on present learning status of the students through what they say, do, produce, and answer on tests in terms of the learning standard. The focus is on gathering information through discussions with students, the questioning, the analysis of students answers and in particular those of the essay type of structured and open ended questions, monitoring the project works, assessing students portfolios, analyses of reflexive records and other products of self-assessment and peer assessment of students. Teachers are engaged in practicing how to provide oral and written feedbacks. They are guided that the feedback should be: 1. positive (to evaluate the progress) and to help the students t clarify what good performance is (goals, criteria, standards) and to induce them to make a detailed review of their own work; 2. specific to relate to the particular task or activity; 3. developmental to provide information to students whether they are on the right track and to inspire them to think about their future learning that helps learners self-correction (stimulating correction of errors or improving a particular segment of their work.)
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Taken from Hattie, J. and Timperley, H. (2007). The Power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, Vol. 77,

No. 1, 81-112 (2007)

Special accent is placed on how to enable students for peer assessment and for selfassessment, as the best way of self-feedback which is a basis for enabling the students to control and manage their own learning. Particular attention is devoted to creating an environment in which the students would analyze their own performance, would feel welcomed to talk about their problems without threats to their selfconfidence and would give them enough time to look at the task in a different way and to try to improve their own work. Feed forward. The majority of authors do not distinguish this part from the feedback component, but as we consider that it is crucial in supporting the students learning, we make provisional distinction of it and pay special attention to it at the training sessions, due to the fact that it has been neglected so far in the current practice. It is not sufficient that the student gets information to the question where he is now, but he should also know what to do next. This part refers to providing opportunities to students to make improvements and to set up new learning goals. It promotes an ethos that everyone could succeed. Fd forward questions and actions can have some of the most powerful impacts on continuing learning. It might include: providing opportunities to act on feedback (to close any gap between current and desired performance). providing directions related to the next steps of the student (such as enhanced challenges, self regulation of learning process, strategies to work on learning task). The three questions related to feedback, are in fact mutually closely related, as stated by Hattie, J. and Timperley, H. (2007, pp 90) Feedback relating to How am I going? has the power to lead to undertaking further tasks or Where to next? relative to a goal Where am I going? As Sadler (1989) convincingly argued, it is closing the gap between where students are and where they are aiming to be that leads to the power of feedback In an internal evaluation of the in-service training and its effects5, done 3 months after the training sessions and after the implementation of the new approach in formative assessment, teachers were asked how useful to them was the contents of the training. Their answers that refer to the topics closely related to feedback are presented in the table below.
Table 1. Estimates about the usefulness of particular topics related to feedback

Topic Discussion in the classroom Verbal feedback Written feedback Self - assessment Peer assessment

almost useless

a little useful

quite useful

very useful

0% 0% 3% 5% 5%

6% 4% 17% 18% 20%

65% 43% 51% 47% 40%

29% 53% 29% 30% 35%

It is interesting to mention that the topic on verbal feedback was assessed by the teachers as the most useful one, which is probably due to the fact that the feedback they had been giving before was rather different (summative, directed to the content only, nonspecific, negative) from the one that they we practicing at the training sessions.

The evaluation was of a small extent and with formative aims. More information could be found in: Mickovska and all. (2009)

Part of the training, as a requirement to get a certificate, was to develop a case study on topic selected by the teacher. In developing such a study, support was provided to teachers by school professional workers (pedagogues and psychologists) and by the learning facilitators. In this way we would like to encourage teachers to investigate and to improve their practice of assessment. The largest part (75%) of the case- studies that have been developed so far are related to providing feedback (most often as written feedback, selfassessment and peer assessment). The Feedback provided by the teachers The Project, every year, makes an evaluation of the attainment of outputs and of outcomes indicators. The findings from the evaluation concerning feedback are given below and they refer to the first Project year when 10 pilot schools were involved in it. (Report n he Primary Education Project Evaluation (2008) pp. 46-47, pp. 49) Indicator: Teachers use formative assessment with a purpose to improve students' learning

Data collected through class observation

During above 70% of the observed classes, teachers implement most of the formative assessment methods.
Teachers implement assessment standards in class
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% Teacher informs the students about the goals and expected outcomes When something is not clear for the students, the teacher gives adequate directions The teacher listens to the students answers and opinions The teacher motivates the students to selfevaluation The feedback from the teacher accurately directs the students towards the future activities During class, the teacher usually works with most of the students Till the end of class, teacher makes assessment of most students achievements

Questionnaires for students

Students reporting supports the finding from the observed classes about 45% of the students reported that most often they find out about their own progress in school from the teachers feedback. Similar percentage of students reports that they assess their own achievements. However, the peer-assessment is reported only by about 5% of the surveyed students as a way to learn about their own achievements in school.
H w oy uk o h w u hh v y ue r ? o d o n w o mc a e o l an
0 % Fo t ega e r mh r d t a t a h rg e h t e c e iv s yu o Fo wa r m ht t a h rt lsy u ece e o l we y u n wr hn o as e s m qet n o e u sio s Fo wa y u r m ht or c s mt st l la s ae e l yu o 1% 0 2% 0 3% 0 4% 0 5% 0

Yu s e sy u o as s or on w a h v mn c ie e e t s
Ms ot n o t fe

Teachers interviews
Teachers reported to have used formative assessment methods before the PEP professional development (PD) sessions, but they emphasized that after the PD sessions they stressed much more the learning goals, further developed what they were already doing, thus becoming more confident in its rightness and started changing the way of thinking and clearly understanding their role. Here is what they say about the benefit from the assessment workshop: The biggest novelty is the written feedback given to the students. Before taking part in PEPs assessment workshops teachers mostly gave oral feedback to the students and rarely a written one. Teachers opinion about the written feedback is highly positive, considering it as the proper way of informing the students about how much they have achieved to that moment and what they should change or work on in the future. They explained that the feedback should focus on the positive aspects of the students performance in school, be motivating for the students learning and must not be offensive for the students. The only difficulties regarding the written feedback for each student, reported by the teachers, were the extra time, materials and effort needed. Teachers mentioned they also used oral feedback in every class, which is also efficient and represents an opportunity to discuss with the student, and no materials are needed. Other new methods that teachers reported to have started using after the workshops are self-evaluation and peer assessment. Teachers reported that they use these two methods when students do projects, but also in other classes. Students like this change. Previously, when I used to ask them about their opinion, they always asked for the highest mark. Now, they say what they did not know, discuss among themselves. In this way my job is much easier.

Students interviews
Students from most of the schools said that the peer and self evaluation is the biggest novelty in their school during the last semester (after their teachers have participated in the assessment workshop). They apply them both when working on projects and on other classes. Asked how they know if they make progress in their learning they said that teacher gives them feedback, individually and to the whole class. The feedback is most often oral and tells the students about the mistakes they make and what else they have to learn. Sometimes teachers give written feedback. Also, they know about their achievements from what the other students say and also from their own judgment. Indicator: Changes had positive impact on students learning6 For measuring impact on students achievement school grades couldnt be used at this period due to the influence of the external assessment on height of the grades. Also, setting clear goals, using different assessment instruments (rubrics, check lists)
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Folowed data are taken from Mickovska and al. (2009)

and self-assessment, made assessment more objective, that implies grades to be lower. There will be no external exams that can be used for measuring impact of formative assessment and giving feedback as a key characteristic since Macedonia have changed the system of external assessment and is not planed to take part in next cycle of the international assessments (PISA, TIMSS) that use to be administrated. So we have to relay on teachers and studens' reports. In the mentioned evaluation for phase 2 schools (Mickovska and al, 2009) teachers were asked: What was reactions of the students on the changes in assessment? Similar questions were asked to the students. The answers are follows:
Table 2. Impact of changes on assessment

Impact More interest for learning More clear goals Assessment is less stressful

Teachers yes no 53% 91% 61% 47% 9% 39%

Fully agree
39% 64% 35%

Students Partly Dont agree agree

42% 10% 35% 19% 26% 30%

Both students and teachers reported positive changes on students learning. Teachers and students agreed that as a result of changes in assessment learning became more interesting and assessment become less stressful. Teachers more often had impression that goals were clearer to students. Conclusions The need and the potential of the changes in assessment, concerning to raising the quality of learning and of the achievements, have been recognized by both the educational policy makers and the professional education experts in Macedonia. But the activities that are being forced by them have not always been coordinated and they force a different type of feedback. The Government is interested more in the external assessments, which are linked to the behavioral feedback. On the other hand, the professional education experts have been striving to place the focus on the formative assessment and on the constructivistic feedback and on the feedback based upon collaborative learning. Teachers are interested in improving formative assessment and the novelties that they implement in assessment have been received well by their students and have positive impact on their learning. Abstract The Paper describes the recent initiatives for changes in assessment in Macedonia from the aspect of the types of feedback that they promote. It provides more extensive information about the activities related to introducing formative assessment based on standards for school-based assessment, that have been carried out as a 5year Project financed by USAID. Key words: formative assessment, feedback, school-based assessment, schoolbased assessment standards

References 1. Black P., D. William (2004) Inside the Black Box - Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment, Kings College London School of Education, Downloaded from http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/keystage3ictstrategy/Assessment/blackbox. pdf 2. Black P, C. Harrison, C. Lee, B. Marshall, D. William (2004), Working Inside the Black Box: Assessment for Learning in the Classroom, Downloaded from http://aim.psch.uic.edu/documents/BlackWrkBlBox.pdf 3. Black, P., William, D. (1998) Inside the Black Box, London, Kings College Press 4. Delceva Dizdravevic J., Adamcevska S., Damovska l., (2006), National Report Macedonia in P. Zgaga (ed), The Prospects of Teachers Education I South-East Europe, Pedagoska fakulteta Univerze v Ljubljani, Ljubljana 5. Hattie J and Timperley H, (2007), The Power of Feedback Review of Educational Research, Vol. 77, No. 1, 81-112 Downloaded from http://rer.aera.net 6. Isaaks G. (2001), Assessment for learning, University of Queensland, 7. Komljanc N. (2004), Vrednost povratne informacije v procesu ocenjevanja, Doktorska disertacija, Filozofska fakulteta, Ljubljana 8. Mickovska A (2007), Teachers implicit theories about pupils ability and motivation:Comperison between Macedonian and English Teachers, Masters thesis, Cambridge University, Cambridge 9. Spiller D,(2009), Assessment: Feedback to promote student learning, Teaching Development, Downloaded from: www.waikato.ac.nz/tdu/pdf/6_AssessmentFeedback.pdf 10. The assessment for Learning Strategy, (2008) Downloaded from http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/DCSF-003412008.pdf 11. The Seven Principles, Good feedback practice, Downloaded from http://www.sussex.ac.uk/tldu/documents/seven_principles_of_feedback.pdf 12. Tuttle H, (2009 ), Formative Assessment: Responding to Your Students, Eye On Education, Inc., Larchmont, NY 13. Wiggins, G. (1998). Educative Assessment, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Downloaded from http://www.utexas.edu/academic/cte/getfeedback/ 14. Fy08 - Report n he Primary Education Project Evaluation (2008) (prepared by M. Cvetanovska), USAID, AED 15. . ., . , . (2009) , , 16. , . , . , (2007), (Improving Assessment of students baseline survey), USAID, AED, 17. , . , (2007), , , (Improving School-Based Assessment, Developing Assessment Standards, Code of Ethics in Assessment), USAID, AED,

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Author: Gorica Mickovska Assessment expert Leader of Improving School-Based Assessment in Primary Education Project Macedonian Center for Civic Education Skopje Republic of Macedonia Contact: gmickovska@pep.org.mk

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