SCHOOL ASSESSMENT CULTURE
The artefacts showcased in this part of the compendium highlight how different perspectives of the school community view the school's assessment culture. These primary and secondary artefacts were collected earlier this year whilst on placement at a state school, north-east of Melbourne.
Artefact 1 - Discussions with mentor teacher.
(collected 4/2/15; by pre-service teacher from discussions with mentor teacher) This artefact provides insights about my mentor teacher's perspectives on assessment. I found it interesting that there is such an emphasis on self-reflection in learning, introduced to students as young as those in Prep. |
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Artefact 2 - Discussions with a student and parent about their perspectives on assessment
(collected 9/2/15; by pre-service teacher from discussions with parents and students) It is interesting to note that in both the student and parent interview, concerns were raised about the effects that assessment can have on student confidence and overall well-being. Additionally, it is interesting to note from the parent interview that high-stakes testing such as NAPLAN is used to simply 'rank schools' against one another. It was encouraging to see from the student interview that although students experience pressures when it comes to testing, they become more comfortable when the purpose of the test is made explicit to them by the teacher. |
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Artefact 3 - English Online interview - 'Clever Max' Writing activity.
(collected 12/2/15; from student) This task requires Foundation students to demonstrate their ability to write their name and write about a picture that they have drawn after listening to Clever Max. The task forms part of Module 1 in the 'English Online Interview' prep entry assessment. |
Artefact 5 - Numeracy and Literacy Assessment and Monitoring Schedule
(collected 19/2/15: from mentor teacher) This assessment and monitoring schedule ensures consistency in expectations and practice. It is used to determine whole school strengths and weaknesses and inform future planning in the teaching teams. During my placement experience I have seen first-hand how data is used to determine what students need to know. |
Artefact 6 - SPA resource tool used to report, interpret and monitor student assessment.
Teachers at my placement school use this resource tool to report, store, analyse and track their students' standardised assessment data. My placement school just recently had a professional development day by SPA founder Phillip Holmes-Smith himself about the new 'SPA platform' program which offers schools and teachers improved ways of measuring and assessing their students. For example, one of SPA's modules, 'SPA testing', allows teachers to construct their own assessment piece for students to be administered online. |
For more information on the new 'SPA platform', click on the SPA icon above.
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