Standard 5 - Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning
Standard 5 - Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning
5.1 - Assess student learning
5.1 - Assess student learning
Assessment is an integral part of teaching. I have worked on developing my assessment and feedback skills over the course of my teaching career so far. I assess my students learning through a plethora of methods including anecdotal notes, formal assessments and summative assessments. As differentiation is an integral element of teaching, I believe it is also an integral element is assessment as well. This means that I provide my students with multiple opportunities to show their skills, knowledge and understandings on different topics.
I use checklists a lot in my teaching for recording formative assessment data. I use the checklist below when working with a small group during reading rotations. Depending on what skills we have been working on, there may be a focus for the lesson or sometimes I will just record any skills that are exhibited whilst reading.
I use checklists a lot in my teaching for recording formative assessment data. I use the checklist below when working with a small group during reading rotations. Depending on what skills we have been working on, there may be a focus for the lesson or sometimes I will just record any skills that are exhibited whilst reading.
A checklist I created to informally record the comprehension skills used by my students during reading groups.
When students are given a project, I provide them with a range of methods for which to complete it. Students are often able to choose from creating a poster, a booklet, a PowerPoint, a movie or even an interactive poster to present their findings. When assessing something like a project, my students are always provided with a rubric at the beginning of the project to ensure they know exactly how they will be assessed. Below are a number of rubrics I have created for different Year 4/5/6 topics.
Your browser does not support viewing this document. Click here to download the document.
Your browser does not support viewing this document. Click here to download the document.
Above are two rubrics I created to formally assessment students. The top rubric was for a Geography project on bushfires and the bottom one was for a debate presented to the class for English.
Spread sheets are a vital part of my assessment program. Using Excel spread sheets, I am able to track students across different learning areas. Colour coding my spread sheets helps me to analyse my data, see patterns, and quickly identify strengths and weaknesses of students. I use a number of spread sheets to track comments and grades. Below are a couple of spread sheets showing colour coding and how assessment tasks are broken down into different categories to help with evaluation of data and assessment tasks.
This spread sheet above shows the results from an informal mathematics assessment completed by my class. I modified the assessment task (below) and created the spread sheet for this (above). Colour coding each individual skills allows me to quickly and clearly view the data to see strengths as weaknesses of both individual students and my class as a whole.
Your browser does not support viewing this document. Click here to download the document.
I find that breaking my spread sheets down into individual skills and even individual questions (as done above) allows me to see exactly which areas are strengths and weaknesses.
This spread sheet shows the results from a formal in school mathematics assessment completed by my class. The green show correct answers and the red show incorrect answers.
Standard 5 - Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning
5.2 - Provide feedback to students on their learning
5.2 - Provide feedback to students on their learning
I found there is a lot of research to support targeted, accurate and timely feedback for students so I have always strived to provide my students with this.
Standard 5 - Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning
5.3 - Make consistent and comparable judgements
5.3 - Make consistent and comparable judgements
Assessment moderation is an imperative part of the teaching, learning and assessment cycle. I feel that moderation allows teachers an opportunity to work together to form stronger data, make more informed decisions and in turn become more effective teachers.
Moderation is a very important process within my school and within my school's network. We moderate and review work samples twice a term during team meetings (Years 3-6). The samples of work moderated varies across all learning areas with a strong focus on literacy and numeracy.
As part of our Whole School Assessment Plan, we use an online moderation tool called Brightpath.
Currently we are using Brightpath, twice a year to moderate writing samples across the school from Years 1 - 6. The data we are gathering will allow us to track our students reading progress every single year across a number of different genres. This information is vital to us as teachers when looking at where our students have come from and where they are heading.
When using Brightpath, a prompt is decided on and then administered to students. The process for writing is similar to that of NAPLAN except it allows for some discovery talk at the beginning when building ideas. Once students have finished writing samples are collected in and I begin to moderate them. I use what is called a ruler where sample texts of different levels are spaced out. There are different criteria at different points along the ruler showing what students must be able to do and what they are working towards. Once I have chosen a grade or mark for each piece of work I meet with the other teachers in my team. We will each look at approximately 5 of each others samples and the score that the other teacher has given them. From there, we will discuss if we agree with that score and explain why or why not that is. After this, we go away and have another look at the scores we have given our samples and adjust any that we think need adjusting.
Following this process helps to ensure that all teachers understand and participate in assessment moderation activities to support consistent and comparable judgements of student learning. I believe that moderation helps me to increase the dependability of the assessment information I gather. This improves the decisions that I have to make about my student's learning.
As a graduate teacher, participating in moderation has helped to solidify my understanding of relevant assessment and reporting. As a new teacher, I found grading writing quite daunting. The moderation process allowed me to overcome my fears in a safe environment with fellow staff members whom I trusted. Each time we moderate I feel I learn some new and get a new perspective of things from working closely with other staff and administration.
Moderation is a very important process within my school and within my school's network. We moderate and review work samples twice a term during team meetings (Years 3-6). The samples of work moderated varies across all learning areas with a strong focus on literacy and numeracy.
As part of our Whole School Assessment Plan, we use an online moderation tool called Brightpath.
Currently we are using Brightpath, twice a year to moderate writing samples across the school from Years 1 - 6. The data we are gathering will allow us to track our students reading progress every single year across a number of different genres. This information is vital to us as teachers when looking at where our students have come from and where they are heading.
When using Brightpath, a prompt is decided on and then administered to students. The process for writing is similar to that of NAPLAN except it allows for some discovery talk at the beginning when building ideas. Once students have finished writing samples are collected in and I begin to moderate them. I use what is called a ruler where sample texts of different levels are spaced out. There are different criteria at different points along the ruler showing what students must be able to do and what they are working towards. Once I have chosen a grade or mark for each piece of work I meet with the other teachers in my team. We will each look at approximately 5 of each others samples and the score that the other teacher has given them. From there, we will discuss if we agree with that score and explain why or why not that is. After this, we go away and have another look at the scores we have given our samples and adjust any that we think need adjusting.
Following this process helps to ensure that all teachers understand and participate in assessment moderation activities to support consistent and comparable judgements of student learning. I believe that moderation helps me to increase the dependability of the assessment information I gather. This improves the decisions that I have to make about my student's learning.
As a graduate teacher, participating in moderation has helped to solidify my understanding of relevant assessment and reporting. As a new teacher, I found grading writing quite daunting. The moderation process allowed me to overcome my fears in a safe environment with fellow staff members whom I trusted. Each time we moderate I feel I learn some new and get a new perspective of things from working closely with other staff and administration.
This video explains how Brightpath is used to assess and moderate writing samples at Yokine Primary.
Standard 5 - Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning
5.4 - Interpret student data
5.4 - Interpret student data
Assessment is designed to discover what children know and understand, based on what they make, write, draw, say and do. Interpreting this assessment data is a skill I am honing constantly.
At the beginning of my second year of teaching (2015), I was lucky enough to be asked to join our school's Curriculum Leadership Team (CLT). The role of the CLT is to analyse and interpret all student data and to use these interpretations to track students throughout their time at our school and to help create and analyse goals and targets. Our CLT team meets at least a year for a number of days at a time. The data that is analysed includes NAPLAN, whole school assessments and on entry assessments.
Inclusion in the CLT has provided me with vast opportunities to interpret and evaluate student learning data at not only a class level but a whole school level. Seeing the 'bigger picture' has ensured that I am always aware of academically, where students have come from and where they are going. Working closely with fellow staff and admin staff has placed me at the highly accomplished level of the teaching continuum for standard 5.4. Working to analyse data from both internal and external student assessments, noting progress that has been made, or not made, for both cohorts of students and individual students has given me significant insight in to assessment practices. After analysing the data, we discuss different plans for whole school teaching and learning, as well as interventions or modifications that may need to be made to teaching practice.
Exposure to data analysis and evaluation at a whole school level has definitely helped me as a classroom teacher. It has given me a detailed account of how to view and extract important information from documents which may appear overwhelming (NAPLAN) and how to find strengths and weaknesses within data collections of different sizes. From here, I have been able to modify my teaching practices to ensure that all areas that are found to be weaknesses are focused on.
At the beginning of my second year of teaching (2015), I was lucky enough to be asked to join our school's Curriculum Leadership Team (CLT). The role of the CLT is to analyse and interpret all student data and to use these interpretations to track students throughout their time at our school and to help create and analyse goals and targets. Our CLT team meets at least a year for a number of days at a time. The data that is analysed includes NAPLAN, whole school assessments and on entry assessments.
Inclusion in the CLT has provided me with vast opportunities to interpret and evaluate student learning data at not only a class level but a whole school level. Seeing the 'bigger picture' has ensured that I am always aware of academically, where students have come from and where they are going. Working closely with fellow staff and admin staff has placed me at the highly accomplished level of the teaching continuum for standard 5.4. Working to analyse data from both internal and external student assessments, noting progress that has been made, or not made, for both cohorts of students and individual students has given me significant insight in to assessment practices. After analysing the data, we discuss different plans for whole school teaching and learning, as well as interventions or modifications that may need to be made to teaching practice.
Exposure to data analysis and evaluation at a whole school level has definitely helped me as a classroom teacher. It has given me a detailed account of how to view and extract important information from documents which may appear overwhelming (NAPLAN) and how to find strengths and weaknesses within data collections of different sizes. From here, I have been able to modify my teaching practices to ensure that all areas that are found to be weaknesses are focused on.
Above: Business plan targets created by the CLT in 2015 for 2016
Below: Review documents created by the CLT in 2015
Below: Review documents created by the CLT in 2015
Standard 5 - Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning
5.5 - Report on student achievement
5.5 - Report on student achievement
Assessment should support students to improve their achievements, provide insight into student progress for both the teacher and the student and should always be embedded into learning not separate. Teaching, learning and assessment is a cycle that needs to be followed to ensure that teaching is always targeted to students needs and to ensure that learning of the teaching is occurring.
Formal reporting is part of the teaching, learning and assessment process. Once formative and summative assessment of data has occurred, the data must be analysed. This data is then used to formally report on student achievement. I believe I am at the highly accomplished level for standard 5.5 as I often work closely with colleagues in the construction of my report comments. I often meet with other teachers in my team and discuss progress, achievement and general results of our students. We moderate and compare work samples and tests. When reporting, we meet to analyse the grades that we are allocating and student abilities in different areas.
When writing report comments, all collated data is used to generate the grade and comment given. Once these have been created, I will meet with either the principal of the deputy to go through these formal reports to ensure all information is correct and accurate. This is done twice a year, every year meaning I have now followed this process 6 times over my career so far. I feel that I am able to effectively work with colleagues to construct accurate, information and timely reports to students and parents/carers about student learning and achievement - demonstrating my achievement of this standard at a highly accomplished level.
Below are a copy of my grading documents and some comments I have generated for reporting based on students in class achievement.
Your browser does not support viewing this document. Click here to download the document.
The spread sheet above shows the grades given for 2 years across literacy and numeracy. All year levels and student names have been removed from this data.