About SAIL

The SAIL project is a Comenius project aiming to improve students’ learning through better assessment practice in everyday classrooms throughout Europe. Research based on what happens in classrooms shows that feedback can have a powerful influence on learning. ( Hattie )

The project is based on research done by Black and Wiliam defining assessment for learning as

” all those activities undertaken by teachers and/or by their students, which provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged”

Assessment for learning (AfL) focuses on the gap between where a learner is in his/her learning and where they need to be – the desired goal. The gap can be narrowed by sharing criteria with learners, effective questioning and feedback.

Research has shown that learners learn best when:

They understand clearly what they are trying to learn, and what is expected of them
They are given feedback about the quality of their work and what they can do to make it better
They are given advice on how to go about making improvements
They are fully involved in deciding what needs to be done next, and who can give them help if they need it.

The target groups in SAIL are teachers, school leaders, educational advisors and policy makers. To meet the target group demands, a state-of- the art report as well as case studies on AFL are being conducted.

Two 5 day courses, an international conference and a course handbook addressed directly to those demands are planned and will be conducted during 2011 and 2012.

Other core products in SAIL are a DVD presentation on best practice in AFL innovation, our own and others’ research findings and teaching materials.

The SAIL project is meant to raise educational standards and effectiveness of students’ lifelong learning.
During the project’s lifetime, it will impact directly on the teaching and learning of approximately 3000 students and 200 teachers and their co-workers in the AFL networks established by each partner.
It will also impact upon the70 participants of the two courses and approximately 300 participants at the conference.