Assessment and Reporting at Clevedon School

Introduction

The purpose of assessment at Clevedon School is to improve student learning, to provide information on student learning and to contribute to the efficacy of learning programmes. Assessment is the ongoing process of gathering evidence for and of learning. This evidence will be used to give recognition and timely feedback to the learners and all other stakeholders. Assessment will reflect best practice that supports the learner and the teacher in the promotion of student achievement.

At Clevedon School we believe assessment is integral to all teaching and learning. Our approach to assessment recognises the importance of assessing the processof learning as well as the productsof learning.

The main aim of assessment at our school is to provide feedback on the learning process and the development of the various elements of learning such as the development of knowledge, skills, concepts, key competencies and values to inform further learning. Students and teachers are actively engaged in assessing the students’ progress as part of the development of their wider critical thinking and self-assessment skills.

The assessment component in the school’s curriculum can be subdivided into three closely related areas

1. Assessing – how we discover what the students know and have learned
   
2. Recording – how we collect and analyse data
   
3. Reporting – how we communicate information about assessment
   

1. ASSESSING: how we discover what the students know and have learned

The assessment of the students’ development and learning is an essential component of the curriculum, and helps to inform continued development, learning and teaching.

Students are observed in a variety of situations and a wide range of assessment strategies are implemented.

The classroom teachers employ a range of formative and summative assessments that demonstrate student achievements.

Summative assessment: aims to give teachers and students a clear insight into students’ understanding. Summative assessment is the culmination of the teaching and learning process, and gives the students opportunities to demonstrate what has been learned. It can assess several elements simultaneously and informs and leads to improvement in student learning and the teaching process.

Formative assessment: provides information that is used in order to plan the next stage in learning. It is interwoven with learning, and helps teachers and students to find out what the students already know and can do. Formative assessment and teaching are directly linked and function purposefully together. Formative assessment aims to promote learning by giving regular and frequent feedback throughout the learning process. This process helps learners to improve knowledge and understanding, to foster self-motivation and enthusiasm for learning, to engage in thoughtful reflection, to develop the capacity for self-assessment, and to recognise the criteria for success. There is evidence that increased use of formative assessment particularly helps those students who are low achievers to make significant improvements in their understanding.

Assessment in the classroom includes:

• Collecting evidence of students’ understanding and thinking

  
• Documenting learning processes of groups and individuals

  
• Engaging students in reflecting on their learning

  
• Students assessing work produced by themselves and by others
  
• Developing clear rubrics
  
• Identifying exemplary student work and using exemplars as benchmarks  
  
• Keeping records of test/task results
  

STANDARDISED ASSESSMENTS

Standardised assessments are used as a part of the whole school assessment policy in an effort to gain as much information as possible about the student as a learner and about the programmes of learning.

The types of assessment used in the school are many and varied and goes towards making up the whole picture of learning.

Standardised assessments are specifically used for the following reasons:

• To inform teaching

  
• To provide information that shows growth over time

  
• To provide longitudinal data for whole school data analysis
  
• To inform decisions about programmes

  
• To allow teachers to determine those students whose basic skills fall outside the normal range expected for students of that particular age. This information is used alongside other assessment information to determine those students who will access support programmes, or who may need Individual Learning Plans.
  
• To form part of the process of reporting to parents
  

2. RECORDING: how we collect and analyse the data

Clevedon School uses a range of strategies and approaches to gather information about student learning. Teachers record this information using a variety of tools.

Teachers use a range of methods to document the evidence of student learning and understanding. This includes written comments, using checklists against the learning criteria, explanations, as well as annotated pieces of students’ work that form part of a student portfolio.

3. REPORTING: how we communicate information about assessment

Reporting on assessment at Clevedon School includes communicating what students know, understand and can do. Reporting involves parents, students and teachers as partners and is honest, comprehensive and understandable to all parties and in line with the Ministry of Education’s guidelines.

Reporting to parents occurs through:

Parent Information Evening

Parents gain information about the school from teachers regarding the curriculum and classroom routines via this important evening that is held at the beginning of term 1.

Interim Report

In term one an interim report is sent out to parents within the first 8 weeks of school. The teacher and child each fill in this report based on how well the child has settled into the class and the key competencies that they display, such as managing themselves, relating to others and contributing and participating. This report is not academic in nature.

‘Goal Setting’ Three Way Conference (student-parent-teacher)

Parents hold a wealth of knowledge about their child and this scheduled meeting time occurs early in term 1 so that parents can share this information with the teacher. It is often too early in the year for the teacher to give detailed information about how well the student is working and to what extent they are reaching the goals set by the programme. They will however alert parents to how their child has settled into the class and if there are any areas that they have become aware of that may require further discussion at a later date.

This is a formal meeting between the teacher, parent and the child to help set goals together for the child to work on.

Three-Way Conference (student-parent-teacher)

Three-Way Conferences are formal reporting sessions with both parents and students and are led by the teacher and the student. Samples of work are shared and achievements and areas for future focus are discussed.

These follow the mid year written reports. For our children who have completed 3 full years at school, this is the middle of the school year (i.e. June/July). For our children who have not had 3 full years at school, this takes place after each child’s 20, 60 or 100 week anniversaries at school. Parents will be notified when these meetings are coming up and will be able to make an appointment through our School Links system.

What will happen at the conference?

The Three-Way Conferences will last for 15 minutes. During this time the child and teacher will walk you through the child’s learning in areas such as reading, writing, mathematics and the units of inquiry, using their portfolio as a guide. They will also share the learning in other subject areas such as te reo Maori, the arts and P.E. and share how they use ICT to support their learning in a variety of areas. During this time parents take time to give their child feedback and work with them to set goals for the future.

Why is this an important event that all parents should attend?

Firstly the majority of the conference is led by the child/ren. During the conference they will use their portfolios and other resources within the class to give parents an insight into their learning at school. This process of reflection and reporting is an important part of our curriculum, and at Clevedon we place emphasis on students being actively involved in and responsible for their own learning.

Secondly the conference includes learning from various curriculum areas. Parents will see not only how much their child knows but also their understanding of important concepts, their skills in different areas and the key competencies they are developing.

Thirdly and perhaps most importantly, the conferences are a wonderful opportunity for parents to spend time with their child and enjoy who they are as learners. Having parents attend the conference is both reassuring and motivating for students.

The Portfolio

The Portfolio is an important part of the school’s reporting programme. It provides a record of student effort and achievement in all areas of school curriculum and life as well as a dynamic means of three-way communication between parents, students and teachers.
Each student has their own portfolio, which is taken home two times a year and shared with their parents at the Three-Way Conferences. Some of students save their work in electronic format, which means parents have access to this work on an ongoing basis.

Written Reports

The written reports provide a snapshot of your child’s learning in relation to various areas of learning, including the National Standard in reading, writing and mathematics. These reports are provided to parents twice per year.

The mid year report shows how the child is progressing toward meeting the National Standard for their year level. The end year reports show how the child has achieved against the National Standard for their year level.

The achievement levels they will be marked against for reading, writing and mathematics in the mid year reports are:

• Achievement is of concern
  
• Working below the standard
  
• On track to meet the standard
  
• Already met the standard

The achievement levels they will be marked against for reading, writing and mathematics in the end year reports are:

• Well below the National Standard
  
• Below the National Standard
  
• At the National Standard
  
• Above the National Standard

For more information on the National Standards click here.

Reporting period for year 0-3 students

Because five year old children start school at different times during the year, their number of weeks at school in a given year varies. Therefore in line with Ministry of Education’s guidelines, a written report is completed for each child based on the following number of weeks that they have been at school:

• 20 weeks (mid year - half way through their first year of schooling)
  
• 40 weeks (one full year of schooling)
  
• 60 weeks (mid year - half way through their second year of schooling)
  
• 80 weeks (two full years of schooling)
  
• 100 weeks (mid year - half way through their third year of schooling)
  
• 120 weeks (three full years of schooling)
  

Once children reach their 120 week anniversaries, the reporting period switches to the academic year’s mid year and end year.

Reporting period for year 4-8 students

Year 4-8 students receive these reports at the end of term 2 (mid year) and at the end of term 4 (end year).

Team Website Pages

The purpose of the year level web pages is to communicate with parents general information related to the teaching and learning of that year level. This space also includes links to class pages, wikis or blogs.

Formal and Informal Meetings (teacher or parent initiated) 


Parents are welcome to arrange a mutually suitable time with the teacher to discuss progress or raise any areas of concern anytime throughout the year.

Parent Workshops 


A variety of parent workshops will be provided throughout the year, which will provide an opportunity for parents to learn more about the different aspects of the programme. 


Year Level Share Times 


These occur at various times throughout the year for each year level. Parents are invited to come to school to view student learning.