Assessment

Related Policies:

Privacy
Reporting Accountabilities
Student Achievement Information -- Collection, Storage, Access and Use

Purpose:

This policy describes the principles and expectations for assessing student achievement.

Policy:

Assessment is a vital part of any teaching and learning cycle. Planning, teaching and learning,
assessing and reporting are closely linked, and the goal of these processes is promoting
student learning and achievement

Effective assessment involves:

• providing students with opportunities to demonstrate achievement
• gathering and recording evidence about student achievement
• using this evidence as the basis for making overall judgements about student
  achievement.
  

Assessment will:

• enable judgements to be made about student achievement
• promote student learning
• cater for students with special needs
• be formative, summative and diagnostic and embedded in the school's curriculum
• be based on standards related to curriculum policies and framework.

Definitions

Assessment is the process of identifying, gathering and interpreting information about students’
learning. Assessment is an essential and integral part of teaching and learning processes. The
purpose of assessment is to provide information on student achievement and progress and to
set directions for subsequent teaching and learning.

Assessment may be conceptualized in two ways:

i. Assessment for learning, and
ii. Assessment of learning.

Assessment for learning acknowledges that assessment should occur as a regular part of
teaching and learning, and that the information gained from assessment activities can be used
to shape the teaching and learning process. This assessment approach is described as
formative.

Assessment of learning is assessment for accountability purposes, to determine a student's
level of performance on a specific task or at the conclusion of a unit of teaching and learning.
The information gained from this kind of assessment is summative and is often used in
reporting.

Principles

Assessment policies, procedures and practices at the school should be based on the following
principles of assessment.

1. Assessment is an integral component of the teaching-learning process rather than being a
   separate activity.
   1.1. Assessment practice involves planning strategies that are naturally derived from wellstructured
   teaching and learning activities.
   1.2. Assessment tasks should provide all students with opportunities to truly demonstrate
   the extent of their learning.
   1.3. Teachers need to plan carefully the timing, frequency and nature of their assessment
   tasks.
2. Assessment is student centred. There is a cooperative interaction between teacher and
   students, and among the students themselves.
   2.1. Assessment is continuous and is embedded in learning activities. It informs the
   planning of future learning to meet the specific needs of students.
   2.2. Assessment includes strategies for self-assessment and peer assessment,
   emphasising the next steps needed for further learning.
   2.3. Assessment is inclusive of all learners.
3. Assessment involves teachers using a variety of assessment strategies that give students
   multiple opportunities in varying contexts to demonstrate what they know, understand and
   can do in relation to the curriculum outcomes.
   3.1. Assessment opportunities are designed to explicitly test learners’ ability to apply their
   learning in new and unfamiliar situations.
   3.2. Assessment tasks need to be constructed to allow the full range of student
   achievement.
   3.3. Assessment tools should be varied to reflect different ways of demonstrating
   understanding.
4. Assessment strategies need to be directly linked to relevant State/Territory and National
   curriculum policies and frameworks/syllabuses (for example, NSW Foundation Statements
   and ACT Markers of Progress) and/or Grade Descriptors for reporting.
   4.1. Assessment will be used to describe the standard against which student achievement
   is assessed.
   Curriculum outcomes and the assessment processes to be used should be made explicit to
   students.
5. Students understand the learning goals and the criteria that will be applied to judge their
   achievement.
   5.1. Learners negotiate assessment criteria and assessment tasks where appropriate.
6. Students receive feedback that helps them make further progress.
   6.1. Assessment tasks should have provision for appropriate feedback to students.
   6.2. Feedback to students is directed to the achievement of standards and away from
   comparisons with peers.
   6.3. Feedback is given in a way that motivates the learner and helps students to
   understand that mistakes are a part of learning and can lead to improvement.
   6.4. Feedback is clear and constructive.
   6.5. Feedback is individualised and linked to opportunities for improvement.
7. Assessment judgements are moderated through professional collaboration to enhance
   fairness, reliability and validity.
   7.1. Assessment judgements should be based on the quality of achievement demonstrated
   by the student.
   7.2. Assessment practices should promote consistency of teacher judgement in relation to
   agreed standards of achievement for students.
   7.3. Achievement on individual assessment tasks does not have to be represented on a 5-
   point scale.
   [Reference: These principles have been adapted from NSW Board of Studies documents, p4.]

Expectations

1. Schools

Schools will ensure that:

1.1. Assessment processes comply with National, State/Territory and the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn requirements.
1.2. Documentation includes procedures for implementing effective assessment processes (ie student and parent information regarding assessment and analysis of student assessment information).
1.3. External and internal assessments are carried out effectively.
1.4. Appropriate assessment processes are carried out, for various year levels, for example – Kindergarten.
1.5. Staff receive appropriate professional learning that promotes consistency of teacher judgement.

2. Teachers

Teachers will ensure that they develop assessment processes that:

2.1. Demonstrate current pedagogy that incorporates the principles of assessment for
learning and assessment of learning.
2.2. Are derived from, and are directly related to, the Archdiocesan Religious
Education Curriculum Guidelines K-12 (Treasures New and Old), the K-6
Foundation Statements (NSW) and/or the ACT Curriculum Framework ‘Every
Chance to Learn,’ and other related State/Territory documents.
2.3. Provide a range of opportunities that include a variety of models and strategies.
2.4. Ensure that all students receive fair and reliable information about progress in
their learning and provide meaningful feedback to students.
2.5. Create opportunities for collaboration and planning of assessment criteria,
moderation of student work, shared understandings of student learning and
assessment, and on-balance judgements about student achievement.
2.6. Provide opportunities for all students to demonstrate a level of achievement
commensurate with their abilities.
2.7. Monitor and record student progress.

Procedures

Individual schools draw on these guidelines in the development of their assessment policy.

References:

• Board of Studies, NSW, 2004, Advice on Programming and Assessment (for Years 7-
  10 Syllabuses)
• Board of Studies, NSW, 2005, Assessment Certification and Examination Manual
• Board of Studies, NSW, 2005, Assessment Resource Centre online resources (ARC
  website), located at www.arc.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au
• Board of Studies, NSW, 2005, NSW Primary Curriculum Foundation Statements
  booklet
• Board of Studies, NSW, 2005, NSW Primary Curriculum Foundation Statements
  community brochure and posters
• Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, 2000, Treasures New and Old
• Department of Education and Training, ACT, 2007, Every Chance to Learn
  

Forms

Nil