Standard 5.1 – Assess student learning: Demonstrate understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning.
Standard 5.3 – Make consistent and comparable judgements: Demonstrate understanding of assessment moderation and its application to support consistent and comparable judgements of student learning.
Throughout this experience I was in a prep classroom at a local Toowoomba Catholic School. There was 26 students aged 4-6 years. Through this experience we focused on English, creating a portfolio of work using English Unit Plan and various English assessments using reading/writing skills and techniques. I had to look at student’s reading levels and running records for each student and compare data. Through looking at their data I was assessing student learning (5.1) whilst making comparable judgements (5.3) for students in the classroom. Example 5, a standardised testing report is used by the school showing where each student needed to be sitting at for their PM reading assessments. This was created by the school and my mentor, and I collaborated about where each student was sitting in relation to this report and allowed me to address their reading assessments and where to go next to further support each student.
Many students were passing and sitting at average growth (example 5) and some sitting above average growth at high growth. Artefact 9 shows a student who was sitting at a level 11 PM, which in relation to the standardised testing report is a high average for a prep student. It was important to complete testing on this student to assess the students learning (5.1) and show where the student is currently. My mentor and I believed we should challenge the student to see if the student was able to complete a level 12 PM and it was important to collaborate with my mentor as we were making comparable judgements (5.3) to support student learning. My mentor completed a running record assessment (5.1) alongside me (artefact 10) so we could compare the assessments. Shown throughout artefact 10, the student used a variety of strategies taught through guided reading lessons. They passed level 12 with a 97% accuracy. It is noted the student understood the literal questions, however challenged by inferential questions. Together with my mentor we made a comparable judgement (5.3) to keep the student on level 12. The student is an independent reader, however, needs support with inferential questions. Due to the student already being well above the prep average we believed it was best practice to stay on level 12 PM reader to be able to support the student. (Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office, 2023)
By having conversations with my mentor we were able to understand and unpack PM reader levels and assess where each student was sitting at in relation to the standardised testing report. As a beginning teacher myself it was good to see a student well above average to understand and see what to assess and how to make consistent judgements to support all students.
