"The best teachers constantly monitor what is happening to students as they set about learning and investigate when things do not proceed as planned or expected. They also enquire their own practice so they might get better at ensuring that their students learn successfully."
Demos
Demos
Analysing
In order to make educated and consistent judgements which will improve future student education, an unending process of gathering, analysing and reflecting on evidence must take place. This process is what we refer to as "assessment" and it is a crucial part of every classroom. The NSW Government (2012) states that "the central purpose of assessment is to provide information on student achievement and progress and set the direction for ongoing teaching and learning." The process of assessing students progress is only a small part of being able to successfully demonstrate your analysing skills. Teachers also need to be able to continually provide formal and informal feedback to their students in the form of oral feedback and report cards. The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership outlines a number of attributes in Standard 5 in the National Professional Standards for Teachers (2011).
How can this skill help you be a better teacher?The process of assessing students gives teachers a chance to provide them with feedback, report back to their parents and collect evidence of the students progress. As teachers there are also fundamentals that must be accounted for and one of those includes government mandated assessment and reporting like the NAPLAN test. However, many teachers forget that there are a number of benefits to assessment including monitoring student progress and addressing short comings, continually assessing the quality of teaching strategies and lessons, establishing appropriate goals and providing students with general feedback of their own learning.
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Standard 5 – Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning.
Source: AITSL (2011).
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Reflecting on Your Analysing SkillsHow is being able to analyse data a professional skill and why is it so important for teachers to have this skill?
Reflect on your experiences. What analysing or data gathering tools and strategies have you used in the classroom? How did this help you provide differentiated learning for all of your students? |
Types of Assessment
The department of Education, Training and Employment (DETA, 2014) outlines the 3 main types of assessment that is used in Australian schools to provide teachers with feedback on student learning. Those assessment types are:
Formative assessment: used to map/monitor learning progress during a unit of work. Formative assessment provides ongoing feedback to teachers and students. The assessment provides information on progress, and identifies and addresses areas that require further development e.g. writing folios, work conferencing, teacher questioning, learning journals, portfolios, digital portfolios, reading logs, observations, interviews, and continua such as the Year 2 Net. Summative assessment: generally completed at the end of a unit of work to document the level of achievement. Summative assessment may include: written tests, oral presentations, concept maps, problem solving activities, project work, essays, formal assignments and exams. This assessment can provide feedback to the teacher about the effectiveness of the unit of work. Diagnostic assessment: designed to identify areas of weakness and strength. Diagnostic assessment may include: checklists, running records, continua and formal assessment tools. Brady & Kennedy (2012) suggest that authentic assessment should capture the quality of a student's work while focusing on their daily performance. It is important that teachers use each of these assessment types at the correct time and place during a unit or term to ensure they are collecting informative and reliable evidence of student learning. Jennifer Henderson (2008) state's in an article she wrote for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, that "creativity, ingenuity and innovation are the keys to success in the evolving global community. To prepare young people for work and life in the 21st century, educators must cultivate students creativity." Therefor assessment tasks must address both the academic and creative sides of learning to ensure students are gaining the most from their learning and set themselves up for life. |
Examples of Assessment AnalysisAs a pre-service teacher it is important to use the data collected from assessment tasks and activities to guide future learning experiences. Assessment tasks are the teachers chance to check their learners progress and modify specific teaching strategies to suit all students learning styles. Below is an example of a completed assessment and reporting package which will help give you a great starting point for your own planning and give you ideas of what information you can find about students progress from assessment tasks.
Effective and informative assessment and reporting:
> Has clear, direct links with learning outcomes > Is integral to teaching and learning > Is balanced, comprehensive and varied > Is Valid > Is Fair > Engages the Learners > Values teacher judgement > Is time efficient and manageable > Recognises individual achievement and progress > Involves a whole school approach > Actively involves parents > Conveys meaningful and useful information |
References
AITSL. (2011). National professional standards for teachers. Retrieved from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/aitsl_national_professional_standards_for_teachers
Brady, L., & Kennedy, K. (2012). Assessment & Reporting: Celebrating student achievement. (4th Edition). French Forests: Pearson Education.
Demos. (2004). About Learning. Report of the Learning Working Group. Demos. London, England. www.demos.co.uk
DETA. (2014). Assessment. Retrieved from: http://education.qld.gov.au/staff/learning/diversity/teaching/assessment.html
Henderson, J. (2008). Developing students creative skills for 21st century success. Retrieved from http://ascd.org/publications/newsletters/education-update/dec08/vol50/num12/developingstudentscreativeskillsfor21stcenturysuccess.aspx
NSW Government; Education & Communities. (2012). Principals for assessment and reporting in NSW government schools. Retreived from http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/learning/k-6assessments/principals.php
AITSL. (2011). National professional standards for teachers. Retrieved from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/aitsl_national_professional_standards_for_teachers
Brady, L., & Kennedy, K. (2012). Assessment & Reporting: Celebrating student achievement. (4th Edition). French Forests: Pearson Education.
Demos. (2004). About Learning. Report of the Learning Working Group. Demos. London, England. www.demos.co.uk
DETA. (2014). Assessment. Retrieved from: http://education.qld.gov.au/staff/learning/diversity/teaching/assessment.html
Henderson, J. (2008). Developing students creative skills for 21st century success. Retrieved from http://ascd.org/publications/newsletters/education-update/dec08/vol50/num12/developingstudentscreativeskillsfor21stcenturysuccess.aspx
NSW Government; Education & Communities. (2012). Principals for assessment and reporting in NSW government schools. Retreived from http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/learning/k-6assessments/principals.php