Artefact 6

ARTEFACT #6
Looking at assessment from the eyes of a teacher

What do you feel about assessment?
For me, assessment is very important because it informs my future teaching.
Essentially, I use assessments to gain detailed information about what each child
knows and can do and then use the data formatively to determine my planning
and teaching. Whilst I acknowledge that many teachers are somewhat reserved
about standardised assessment I believe that it is beneficial in terms of the
independent, valid and reliable data that provides. Overall, I feel very positive
about assessment as I see it as an ongoing process and use it not only to
measure the success of my students but also my effectiveness as a teacher. I am
always using my assessment results to determine my effect size and how
possible ways to improve my capacity to enhance student learning outcomes.
How do you support diversity with your assessment design?

I provide students with a different, modified test according to the literacy or
numeracy group theyre in. For example, in numeracy, students are in either
group one or two and work through comprehensive worded-problems off the
board. Group one work on questions which are related to outcomes from year
two of the Australian Curriculum, whereas students in Group two work on
questions which are related to outcomes from year three level of the Australian
curriculum. Basically, I tailor each assessment to include questions pitched at the
level of the students, hence I have test A (for group one) and test B (for group
two).
Students who require additional support are provided with a range of scaffolds
and resources to support them to complete assessments. For example, all of my
students are learning English as a second language/dialect so are provided with
access to our classroom word wall when completing a written assessment. This
means that students are enabled to use resources they have access to during
daily experiences when they are assessed. I ensure that my documentation (e.g.
ELF coversheet) identifies that students were supported and I outline how they
were supported.
Are NAPLAN results important to you? Why/why not?
Absolutely! Whilst it can be argued that NAPLAN is irrelevant to my students,

being Indigenous and ESL/D; I cannot overlook that it does allow me to gain a
fully independent view of my students learning. The only thing is, most of the
time my students are not in a position to show everything they know. For
example, the writing assessment (usually a persuasive) is something I teach and
students can do when the topic is relevant to them but as soon as they have no
idea about the context, they cannot write about the topic. For example, last year
the topic asked students to choose a rule in their community they want changed.
Firstly this is very open-ended so requires students to know a rule. Secondly, the
question is really designed based on white, middle-classed values. For
Indigenous students, the concept of rules is not something they really think
about too much given that the only rules they really have in their lives at whilst
at school.
I do think NAPLAN has its purpose though and I work hard to prepare my
students to at least have a go. Sadly though, my students would do better on the
writing assessment if they wrote Frog, frog, frog, frog and frog. They have used
capitalisation, appropriate punctuation and some examples of conventional
spelling.6
How do you provide feedback to your students?

For my kids I mostly use verbal feedback which is immediate. There is no point
trying to offer feedback tomorrow or in the next session because they very much
live in the moment. Usually, feedback I give also involves me modelling exactly
what I want and helping them to improve their work there and then. I may have
to provide them with the same feedback many times, but one day it just sticks
and they dont tend to forget. For example, it took me six weeks to get them to
rule up their page and include the date and this came from giving the same
feedback everyday- Your introduction (persuasive) is great but you still havent
ruled up and written the date.

Artefact 6

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ARTEFACT #6

Looking at assessment from the eyes of a teacher

How do you support diversity with your assessment design?

Are NAPLAN results important to you? Why/why not?

Absolutely! Whilst it can be argued that NAPLAN is irrelevant to my students,

How do you provide feedback to your students?

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