Principles of Assessment and Reporting in NSW Public Schools

Transcription

1 NSW DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION & TRAINING Auust 2008 nt sme Lea rn portin Re Principles Assessment and Reportin in NSW Public Schools in Ass es to p a re nts Preamble Backround Underpinnin the development the followin principles assessment is the model pedaoy presented in the Quality teachin in NSW public schools: An assessment practice uide (NSW Department Education and Trainin June 2006). The model incorporates three dimensions assessment practice that are linked to improved student learnin outcomes: Intellectual Quality, Quality Learnin Environment and Sinificance. The discussion paper and further support materials are available at: This document sets out the principles that underpin the assessment student learnin in NSW overnment schools, and the reportin that learnin to parents. It incorporates the NSW Institute Teachers pressional competence standards Element 3, amon others, in the areas assessment and reportin to parents. The standards are available at: Assessment is the process collectin evidence student learnin in order to draw an inference about an individual s (or a roup s) current level attainment. Student Reportin is the process communicatin inmation to a rane stakeholders about student learnin includin a student s level attainment and the proress they have made. The fundamental purpose assessment and reportin is to improve student learnin. This is true at the system, school and classroom level. It is Department Education and Trainin policy that assessment and reportin student learnin be undertaken mally and inmally all learners, includin students with disabilities. Policy advice Curriculum plannin, prorammin, assessin and reportin to parents K-12 is available at: au/timetoteach/policy.htm Manaeable assessment and reportin may require a whole school, rather than individual teacher approach. State New South Wales throuh the NSW Department Education and Trainin,

2 Assessment Le ar n i n Reportin Assessment principles t o p a re n ts Conclusions about student achievement in an area learnin are valid only when the assessment method we use is appropriate and measures what it is supposed to measure. 1. Assessment should be relevant. Assessment needs to provide inmation about students knowlede, skills and understandins the learnin outcomes specified in the NSW syllabus documents. That is, it needs to be directly linked to the syllabus standards. Syllabus standards are defined at: curriculum/schools/curric_plan/ policystandards pdf 2. Assessment should be appropriate. Assessment needs to provide inmation about the particular kind learnin in which we are interested. This means that we need to use a variety assessment methods because not all methods are capable providin inmation about all kinds learnin. For example, some kinds learnin are best assessed by observin students; some by havin students complete projects or make products and others by havin students complete paper and pen tasks. 3. Assessment should be fair. Assessment needs to provide opportunities every student to demonstrate what they know, understand and can do. Assessment must be based on a belief that all learners are on a path development and that every learner is capable makin proress. Students brin a diversity cultural knowlede, experience, lanuae priciency and backround, and ability to the classroom. They should not be advantaed or disadvantaed by life experiences, abilities, or ender differences that are not relevant to the knowlede, skills and understandins that the assessment is intended to address. Students have the riht to know what is assessed, how it is assessed and the worth the assessment. Assessment will be fair or equitable only if it is free from bias or favouritism. 4. Assessment should be accurate. Assessment needs to provide evidence that accurately reflects an individual student s knowlede, skills and understandins. That is, assessments need to be reliable or dependable in that they consistently measure a student s knowlede, skills and understandins. (This means that we need to use a variety assessment strateies to ive students multiple opportunities to demonstrate their learnin in a rane contexts and to make sure that the inferences we draw about a student s level attainment 2 State New South Wales throuh the NSW Department Education and Trainin, 2008

3 Assessment Le ar n i n Reportin Assessment principles t o p a re n ts are not influenced by the choice a specific assessment task). Assessment also needs to be objective so that if a second person assesses a student s work, they will come to the same conclusion as the first person. Assessment will be fair to all students if it is based on reliable, accurate and defensible measures. 5. Assessment should provide useful inmation. The focus assessment is to establish where students are in their learnin. This inmation can be used both summative purposes (the assessment learnin), such as the awardin a rade, or mative purposes to feed directly into the teachin and learnin cycle (assessment learnin). Assessment inmation that is useful mative purposes needs to focus in part on the depth a student s understandin, not just on the accumulation knowlede. That is, it needs to focus on a student s conceptual understandins. Assessment tasks which focus on Intellectual Quality, includin deep knowlede and understandin and hiher order thinkin, and which provide elements Quality Learnin Environment such as explicit criteria and hih expectations, assist in inmin onoin teachin and learnin. Assessment this kind identifies strenths and weaknesses, and provides detailed dianostic inmation about how students are thinkin. The collection evidence this kind may require opportunities students to explain in their own words or pictures their understandins the material they are learnin. 6. Assessment should be interated into the teachin and learnin cycle. Assessment needs to be an onoin, interal part the teachin and learnin cycle. It must allow teachers and students themselves to monitor learnin. From the teacher perspective, it provides the evidence to uide the next steps in teachin and learnin. From the student perspective, it provides the opportunity to reflect on and review proress, and can provide the motivation and direction further learnin. 7. Assessment should draw on a wide rane evidence. Assessment needs to draw on a wide rane evidence. A complete picture student achievement in an area learnin depends on evidence that is sampled from the full rane knowlede, skills and understandins that make up the area learnin. An assessment proram that consistently addresses only some outcomes will provide incomplete feedback to the teacher and student, and can potentially distort teachin and learnin. 8. Assessment should be manaeable. Assessment needs to be efficient, manaeable and convenient. It needs to be incorporated easily into usual classroom activities and it needs to be capable providin inmation that justifies the time spent. State New South Wales throuh the NSW Department Education and Trainin,

4 nt sme in Ass es Lea rn portin Re Reportin principles to p a re nts 1. Student Reports should meet specified requirements. Reports need to meet specified Department uidelines; includin A-E reportin, learnin area reportin, reportin aainst state wide syllabus standards, written comments and requirements ESL students and students whom accommodation and or learnin adjustments have been made. Further inmation on specific policy requirements can be accessed at: ov.au/timetoteach/policy.htm 2. Student Reports should be easy to understand. Reports need to be written in plain Enlish. Teachers, like other pressionals, have a specialised lanuae communicatin amon themselves about what children are learnin and about the difficulties children are experiencin. Reports to parents need to use plain, everyday lanuae. 3. Student Reports should show what a student is now able to do. Reports need to summarise where a student is up to in his or her learnin the skills and understandins that are demonstrated now. Some schools may use marks, rades or numerical levels, but these are not sufficient. Reports need to contain objective inmation about what has been tauht and about students current levels knowlede, skills and understandins, includin areas further development. Written comments may be particularly useful this purpose. A portfolio examples a student s work discussion at a parent-teacher interview, or samples the child s work on a confidential web pae, are two strateies providin supportive evidence. 4 State New South Wales throuh the NSW Department Education and Trainin, 2008

5 Assessment Le ar n i n Reportin Reportin principles t o p a re n ts 4. Student Reports should show students proress. Reports should show proress and allow proress to be monitored over time. In any iven year level, children are at very different staes in their learnin. Reports need to ive an accurate picture where each student is up to in his or her learnin in a way that allows parents to monitor learnin. Reports need to focus on learnin and proress, rather than make judements the child. 5. Student Reports should show what is expected students. Reports need to indicate the achievements expected students at a particular year level. For example, a report a Year 3 student could indicate how the student is permin in relation to other students in the same year level. 6. Student Reports should include social as well as academic inmation. Reports need to provide inmation about how students are proressin socially as well as academically. Schools not only develop children s understandins subject matter; they also develop personal skills such as workin independently, dealin with frustration, and completin tasks with concentration. Schools teach children to respect the contributions others, to learn from others, to cooperate in joint activities, and to live and work toether, sometimes puttin the needs other children ahead their own. Reports need to provide inmation about all aspects development, not just academic development. 7. Student Reports should be constructive. Reports need to provide inmation in a constructive manner with reference to actions likely to support further learnin. Reports will not only show parents what their child is able to do and what proress they are makin over time, but will also suest practical ways in which parents miht support their child s further learnin. Ideally, reports will m the basis discussion between teachers, students and parents. 8. Student Reports should be time efficient and manaeable to prepare. Reports need to draw on the mal and inmal evidence that has been collected routinely and recorded systematically as part teachers onoin classroom assessment practice. Further support Extensive support material to facilitate school plannin in Assessment and Reportin is available at the Time to Teach website at: nsw.ov.au/timetoteach/index.htm and at Curriculum support at: curriculumsupport.education.nsw.ov.au/ Contact Further inmation can be accessed by contactin Kerry Lon, Manaer School Based Assessment and Reportin Unit, Curriculum Directorate on or Kerry at: [email protected] State New South Wales throuh the NSW Department Education and Trainin,

6 Auust 2008 NSW Department Education and Trainin Curriculum K-12 Directorate 3a Smalls Rd RYDE NSW 2112 Australia