Professional Practice
Standard 5: Assess, provide feedback & report on student learning

The planning web for a Maths unit on the topic of ‘Time’, implemented in a kindergarten classroom during my final placement, demonstrating different types of assessments and their use in informing the teaching and learning cycle.  

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Assessment is an integral part of the teaching and learning cycle, not only assessing students’ achievement of outcomes but also providing data for objective analysis of teachers’ pedagogical decisions, as suggested by Hanna & Dettmer (2004, cited in Faculty Development and instructional Design Centre, NESA 2019).

However, in order to assess data accurately, a variety of assessment techniques was used for multidimensional evaluation of data covering a variety of skills that students demonstrate. To explain further, variety in assessment types essentially moderated my analysis for content selection and instructional strategies for the desired outcomes.

Hence, I incorporated a range of assessments of content and competence, as suggested by SWAP, including diagnostic, formative, summative, and informal assessment strategies but I carefully aligned them with the overall objective of my unit and the enhancement of learning.

The diagnostic assessment, a ‘see, think and wonder framework’ discussion about clocks, gauged students’ prior knowledge to align future content and pedagogy with its context, essentially providing a level playing field where students could effectively assimilate new knowledge and achieve a new state of equilibrium.  

Formative assessment, i.e. assessment for learning, took up most of the unit, demonstrated in the evidence, which was evaluated objectively with a pre-designed rubric to assess the content knowledge and competence of students. It not only facilitated students continuously assessing their progress towards the overall objective, but also informed my decisions about necessary adjustments to maximise learning opportunities. Formative assessment was also informed by an informal assessment of students’ knowledge and competence during common discussions and activities.

Lastly, for summative assessment, i.e. assessment of learning, a portfolio assessment was designed with problems requiring varied abilities to solve and allowing flexibility in the expression of thinking, from drawing to writing or just orally explaining. This assessment, along with the rubric informed by formative assessment activities, was used for reporting purposes to inform parents about students’ progress and achievements.