Preparing future primary school teachers to assess student achievement

Abstract

The new educational reform has made radical changes in the educational process of the primary school. Assessment of academic achievement of primary school students is one of its important components. Key changes have led to the revision and implementation of new approaches to assessing student learning outcomes. This, in turn, affected the need to modernize and improve the system of professional training of future primary school teachers, taking into account the requirements of the New Ukrainian School. Therefore, the issue of professional preparation for control and evaluation activities is extremely important. The article reveals the features of professional training of future primary school professionals to assess the academic achievements of junior high school students. The psychological and pedagogical literature on this problem is analyzed and the essence, features and signs of formative assessment and final assessment are revealed. The results of diagnosing students after pedagogical practice are presented and the shortcomings and difficulties of future teachers in assessing the learning outcomes of students are revealed. A set of methodological measures that are implemented in the educational process at Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State University and contribute to the formation of students' assessment competence is characterized. It is proved that the inclusion of assessment elements in practical classes on methods of primary education, active participation of students in seminars, trainings, round tables on «Assessment in NUS», the project «Invited professionals», the study of practical experience of primary school teachers helps to increase the theoretical level knowledge and practical skills of control and evaluation activities of students. An important place in the methodological training of future primary school teachers is occupied by the elective discipline «Assessment of educational achievements of primary school students». The purpose, tasks and approximate subjects of the course are presented; features of studying of separate subjects of a course are opened. The role of industrial pedagogical practice in the formation of the assessment competence of the future primary school teacher is characterized. Prospects for studying the problem of training primary school teachers to assess the academic achievements of primary school students are identified. It is concluded that the introduction of a system of methodological measures in the process of professional training of future teachers contributes to the mastery of control and evaluation activities on the basis of the competence approach.