Assessment for Learning
Beachlands School uses Assessment for Learning effectively across all curriculum areas. This involves students being actively involved in their own learning and assessment. As part of this process all students set personalised learning goals with teacher support. Regular reflection on their progress means that all students are aware of their own level of learning and are able to identify the next step in their learning. Personal Reviews are an integral part of our reporting processes and are written by students to inform parents of progress made towards their goals.
This information from the Ministry of Education provides more details about our assessment practices. Further information can be gained from the Ministry of Education website: http://www.minedu.govt.nz/
How your child’s progress and achievement is assessed
In recent years, the overall approach to assessing progress and achievement has changed considerably. There's been a shift away from giving a simple mark or a grade, to an approach called assessment for learning. This involves teachers setting learning goals with students, students evaluating their own progress then teachers giving them feedback on how they are doing and what they need to do next.
Most schools in New Zealand now use this type of assessment because it is effective in raising students’ achievement whatever their level of ability.
Assessment for learning
Assessment for learning uses the following process:
Planning
Based on what your child already knows and can do, the teacher plans and sets learning goals (what they are expected to learn).
Sharing learning goals and setting criteria for success
The teacher shares the learning goals with the student and asks them to help set criteria so that they’ll know when they have achieved those goals. This means students know how the teacher will assess their performance and helps students to focus on what they have to do.
Self-evaluation
Teachers and students discuss their progress towards those goals. Students are asked to review how well they've done, giving them time to think about what they've learnt. Research shows that if self-evaluation is linked with the learning goals, improvements in the student's progress, persistence and self-esteem will follow. In short, students become actively involved in their own learning.
Feedback
Rather than only marking a student's work with a score, the teacher also provides feedback from the assessments which relates directly to the learning goal. The feedback could cover whether the goal has been achieved and what steps students need to take to continue their learning. Feedback is about responding to each student's needs and strengths. Classmates may also be involved in the feedback process.