Standard 5 – Asses, provide feedback and report on student learning
5.1 Assess student learning
Reflection and Evidence
Assess student learning is to develop, select and use informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative assessment strategies to assess student learning in the form of tests, practicals, essays, assignments and more.
A range of assessment methods ensures multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate understanding.
Informal assessments can provide instant feedback to teachers on how students are learning and the effectiveness of learning activities as well as feedback to the students on areas they understand or need to focus on.
During my time teaching STAGE 1 chemistry and biology, I had the opportunity to write and mark two summative topic tests and a summative issues investigation. All were written to the school’s curriculum content and marked according to SACE performance standards. The tests were used for all classes of that year level (2.1, 2.3).
“Christine confidently wrote appropriate summative tests for each class on their respective unit of work. Her marking of this assessment was pitched at an appropriate level. Christine was very prompt in her marking and delivered a stringent class review of test solutions to provide opportunities for students to consolidate their knowledge and ask questions to clear any misconceptions. Christine was able to adopt an appropriate and fair marking scheme and provided clear written feedback to students.” Sacred Heart College Senior Mentor Feedback, 2015
I also used a range of informal assessments with the classes such as quizzes, and a homework assignment to aid their test revision.
The homework assignment consisted of students creating a topic concept map using an app on their Chromebooks called Mindmup where they elaborated on all the aspects of the topic and found links between them (2.6). This was also an excellent task to aid their revision as it helped forge meaningful connections and locate any gaps in their knowledge.
Reflection and Evidence
Assess student learning is to develop, select and use informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative assessment strategies to assess student learning in the form of tests, practicals, essays, assignments and more.
A range of assessment methods ensures multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate understanding.
Informal assessments can provide instant feedback to teachers on how students are learning and the effectiveness of learning activities as well as feedback to the students on areas they understand or need to focus on.
During my time teaching STAGE 1 chemistry and biology, I had the opportunity to write and mark two summative topic tests and a summative issues investigation. All were written to the school’s curriculum content and marked according to SACE performance standards. The tests were used for all classes of that year level (2.1, 2.3).
“Christine confidently wrote appropriate summative tests for each class on their respective unit of work. Her marking of this assessment was pitched at an appropriate level. Christine was very prompt in her marking and delivered a stringent class review of test solutions to provide opportunities for students to consolidate their knowledge and ask questions to clear any misconceptions. Christine was able to adopt an appropriate and fair marking scheme and provided clear written feedback to students.” Sacred Heart College Senior Mentor Feedback, 2015
I also used a range of informal assessments with the classes such as quizzes, and a homework assignment to aid their test revision.
The homework assignment consisted of students creating a topic concept map using an app on their Chromebooks called Mindmup where they elaborated on all the aspects of the topic and found links between them (2.6). This was also an excellent task to aid their revision as it helped forge meaningful connections and locate any gaps in their knowledge.
![](http://www.weebly.com/weebly/images/file_icons/rtf.png)
stage_1_chemistry_metal_extraction_test_2015_cak.docx |
![](http://www.weebly.com/weebly/images/file_icons/rtf.png)
cak_year_11_ge_and_stem_cells_test_2015.docx |
ICT elaboration
Tests are a common assessment type and don’t have to be long or too formal.
They can be generated online on a free website such as Testmoz.
Testmoz is a test generator that sports 4 question types, automatic grading, a really simple interface and detailed reports. https://testmoz.com
Tests are a common assessment type and don’t have to be long or too formal.
They can be generated online on a free website such as Testmoz.
Testmoz is a test generator that sports 4 question types, automatic grading, a really simple interface and detailed reports. https://testmoz.com
5.2 Provide feedback to students and their learning
Reflection and Evidence
Teachers are required to provide timely, effective and appropriate feedback to students about their achievement relative to their learning goals
Assessments can provide instant feedback to teachers on how students are learning and the effectiveness of learning activities as well as feedback to the students on areas they understand or need to focus on. These assessments don’t need to be formal or take long, they could be set as homework or in class activities.
In a year 10 science astronomy unit, I set many short quizzes and questions sheets to test the students grasp of a few different concepts. After setting some questions for homework and discovering many students had difficulty with a mathematics concept, I spent some class time re teaching the calculations and had students practice in class.
I then set a short quiz to ensure they had grasped the theory and to give students feedback on their learning before the concept was revisited in the end of unit test.
Reflection and Evidence
Teachers are required to provide timely, effective and appropriate feedback to students about their achievement relative to their learning goals
Assessments can provide instant feedback to teachers on how students are learning and the effectiveness of learning activities as well as feedback to the students on areas they understand or need to focus on. These assessments don’t need to be formal or take long, they could be set as homework or in class activities.
In a year 10 science astronomy unit, I set many short quizzes and questions sheets to test the students grasp of a few different concepts. After setting some questions for homework and discovering many students had difficulty with a mathematics concept, I spent some class time re teaching the calculations and had students practice in class.
I then set a short quiz to ensure they had grasped the theory and to give students feedback on their learning before the concept was revisited in the end of unit test.
![](http://www.weebly.com/weebly/images/file_icons/rtf.png)
cak_stars_quiz_1.doc |
![](http://www.weebly.com/weebly/images/file_icons/rtf.png)
cak_stars_quiz_1_plus_answers.doc |
I also used an online gaming platform called Kahoot (https://kahoot.it/), where the teacher makes a multiple choice quiz on their free profile (https://getkahoot.com/) and then students log in with a specific game pin on their device and the quiz is projected on a screen and points are accumulated with correct answers and players are ranked after every question.
After every question, the game displays a bar graph of how many students chose which answer. I used this instant feedback to decide whether I would spend a minute talking through the correct answer before continuing. Several times the class was split between 2 similar answers and so I could instantly clear up any misconceptions. This gave students instant feedback about their understanding of concepts.
Kahoot Feedback Screen
After every question, the game displays a bar graph of how many students chose which answer. I used this instant feedback to decide whether I would spend a minute talking through the correct answer before continuing. Several times the class was split between 2 similar answers and so I could instantly clear up any misconceptions. This gave students instant feedback about their understanding of concepts.
Kahoot Feedback Screen
ICT elaboration
Online assessment tools include Sporcle.com and quizlet.
Sporcle contains thousands of free online trivia quizzes about a variety of subjects and could be used in a science class as a learning activity to name the bones in a human skeleton.http://www.sporcle.com/games/g/bones
The students can screenshot their results and submit as evidence of participation.
Online assessment tools include Sporcle.com and quizlet.
Sporcle contains thousands of free online trivia quizzes about a variety of subjects and could be used in a science class as a learning activity to name the bones in a human skeleton.http://www.sporcle.com/games/g/bones
The students can screenshot their results and submit as evidence of participation.
5.3 Make consistent and comparable judgments
Reflection and Evidence
Teachers must understand and participate in assessment moderation activities to support consistent and comparable judgments of student learning. Their judgments of assessments must be without bias and consistent throughout the course to provide valuable feedback to the students.
Collaborating with other teachers and colleagues can verify and support making decisions and judgments (6.2, 6.3).
Before marking a STAGE 1 chemistry Metals test, I prepared a set of solutions and marks scheme and confirmed them with my mentor. A marking strategy I used was to mark each same page of questions for all papers before moving onto the next. This ensured I could see the entire range of answers at once and make consistent judgments. It also meant I didn’t know which student I was marking and so was completely subjective about the answers and not the student.
I kept an Excel spreadsheet of the final marks and made a comparable judgment about the overall performance in the test and double checked any marks which seemed inconsistent with the student. I also double checked the very highest and lowest achieving tests.
Reflection and Evidence
Teachers must understand and participate in assessment moderation activities to support consistent and comparable judgments of student learning. Their judgments of assessments must be without bias and consistent throughout the course to provide valuable feedback to the students.
Collaborating with other teachers and colleagues can verify and support making decisions and judgments (6.2, 6.3).
Before marking a STAGE 1 chemistry Metals test, I prepared a set of solutions and marks scheme and confirmed them with my mentor. A marking strategy I used was to mark each same page of questions for all papers before moving onto the next. This ensured I could see the entire range of answers at once and make consistent judgments. It also meant I didn’t know which student I was marking and so was completely subjective about the answers and not the student.
I kept an Excel spreadsheet of the final marks and made a comparable judgment about the overall performance in the test and double checked any marks which seemed inconsistent with the student. I also double checked the very highest and lowest achieving tests.
![](http://www.weebly.com/weebly/images/file_icons/xls.png)
stage_1_chem_student_results_log.xlsx |
ICT elaboration
In stage 1 and 2, assessments are marked by teachers and checked by external moderators to ensure that grades are consistent across all schools. This information can be found on the SACE website: https://www.sace.sa.edu.au
The ACARA website http://www.acara.edu.au has links to sample portfolios at levels below average, satisfactory and above average to refer to.
In year 9 science I could compare my students work to a sample portfolio to ensure my judgment of it was consistent.
www.acara.edu.au/.../worksamples/year_9_science_portfolio_above.pdf
In stage 1 and 2, assessments are marked by teachers and checked by external moderators to ensure that grades are consistent across all schools. This information can be found on the SACE website: https://www.sace.sa.edu.au
The ACARA website http://www.acara.edu.au has links to sample portfolios at levels below average, satisfactory and above average to refer to.
In year 9 science I could compare my students work to a sample portfolio to ensure my judgment of it was consistent.
www.acara.edu.au/.../worksamples/year_9_science_portfolio_above.pdf
5.4 Interpret student data
Reflection and Evidence
Student assessment data can be used to analyse and evaluate student understanding of content and to identify gaps in understanding and to modify teaching practice and strategies accordingly (2.1, 5.2).
Keeping a log of student results can provide a quick visual snapshot of a student’s performance and can quickly indicate any unpredicted results for further investigations (5.3).
In every class I keep an Excel spreadsheet of the students and their performance. It is easy to see how a student is tracking for events like parent teacher interviews (3.7, 7.3) and report writing as averages and graphs can be quickly found using the program. The spreadsheet can also quickly highlight if a concept or content was poorly learnt as a whole class and can be revised or corrected and used to improve teaching practice.
Reflection and Evidence
Student assessment data can be used to analyse and evaluate student understanding of content and to identify gaps in understanding and to modify teaching practice and strategies accordingly (2.1, 5.2).
Keeping a log of student results can provide a quick visual snapshot of a student’s performance and can quickly indicate any unpredicted results for further investigations (5.3).
In every class I keep an Excel spreadsheet of the students and their performance. It is easy to see how a student is tracking for events like parent teacher interviews (3.7, 7.3) and report writing as averages and graphs can be quickly found using the program. The spreadsheet can also quickly highlight if a concept or content was poorly learnt as a whole class and can be revised or corrected and used to improve teaching practice.
![](http://www.weebly.com/weebly/images/file_icons/xls.png)
student_log_10_science.xlsx |
![](http://www.weebly.com/weebly/images/file_icons/xls.png)
stage_1_chem_student_results_log.xlsx |
I also used an online gaming platform called Kahoot (https://kahoot.it/), where the teacher makes a multiple choice quiz on their free profile (https://getkahoot.com/) and then students log in with a specific game pin on their device and the quiz is projected on a screen and points are accumulated with correct answers and players are ranked after every question.
Upon completion of the quiz, the teacher can download a spreadsheet of results which collates each student’s answer to every question which can be used to find gaps in learning and common misconceptions.
Upon completion of the quiz, the teacher can download a spreadsheet of results which collates each student’s answer to every question which can be used to find gaps in learning and common misconceptions.
![](http://www.weebly.com/weebly/images/file_icons/xls.png)
kahoot_metals_quiz_results_stage_1_chem.xls |
ICT elaboration
Data Tracker Pro App
Data Tracker Pro is a powerful tool for monitoring, documenting, graphing, emailing, and syncing all of your students’ data. Data Tracker Pro lets you create a goal bank, group your students, and view session results from your iPad or iPhone.
Microsoft Excel is a great tool for quickly plotting data, student marks can be entered into a spreadsheet and graphed very quickly and easily using this program. Data can be interpreted individually for a student and as a whole class. Individually, a graph of marks could be plotted for a student over the course which would quickly show any outlying points which could then be investigated. There might be a particular gap in understanding, illness or other personal reason why the student struggled which could then be addressed by the teacher. This aligns with teachers supporting the physical, social and intellectual development of students (1.1).
Data Tracker Pro App
Data Tracker Pro is a powerful tool for monitoring, documenting, graphing, emailing, and syncing all of your students’ data. Data Tracker Pro lets you create a goal bank, group your students, and view session results from your iPad or iPhone.
Microsoft Excel is a great tool for quickly plotting data, student marks can be entered into a spreadsheet and graphed very quickly and easily using this program. Data can be interpreted individually for a student and as a whole class. Individually, a graph of marks could be plotted for a student over the course which would quickly show any outlying points which could then be investigated. There might be a particular gap in understanding, illness or other personal reason why the student struggled which could then be addressed by the teacher. This aligns with teachers supporting the physical, social and intellectual development of students (1.1).
5.5 Report on student achievement
Teachers need to report clearly, accurately and respectfully to students and parents/carers about student achievement to provide feedback to students (5.2) and engage patents in the educative process (3.7).
Reporting student achievement can happen more often than just at the end of term.
Emails or texts can be sent to parents of positive student feedback. Grades can be loaded onto a learning platform such as Edmodo where parents can log in and view results.
Similarly, feedback can be reported back to students about their achievement. During year 10 science oral presentations, a student’s parent contacted my mentor teacher advising that their child was feeling anxious and uncomfortable about performing in front of the class and could we make other arrangements for them. During my negotiations with the student to find a time for me to listen to her presentation, she decided she would have a go at presenting to the class. She did an excellent presentation, easily one of the best in the class and so I sent her a quick email while I was marking it congratulating her on such a fantastic effort and reporting that she had one of the top marks in the class.
Keeping a record of student achievement on an Excel spreadsheet is a quick and easy way to access student data for report writing. A clear snapshot of performance on assessment can be seen and averages can be calculated quickly.
Teachers need to report clearly, accurately and respectfully to students and parents/carers about student achievement to provide feedback to students (5.2) and engage patents in the educative process (3.7).
Reporting student achievement can happen more often than just at the end of term.
Emails or texts can be sent to parents of positive student feedback. Grades can be loaded onto a learning platform such as Edmodo where parents can log in and view results.
Similarly, feedback can be reported back to students about their achievement. During year 10 science oral presentations, a student’s parent contacted my mentor teacher advising that their child was feeling anxious and uncomfortable about performing in front of the class and could we make other arrangements for them. During my negotiations with the student to find a time for me to listen to her presentation, she decided she would have a go at presenting to the class. She did an excellent presentation, easily one of the best in the class and so I sent her a quick email while I was marking it congratulating her on such a fantastic effort and reporting that she had one of the top marks in the class.
Keeping a record of student achievement on an Excel spreadsheet is a quick and easy way to access student data for report writing. A clear snapshot of performance on assessment can be seen and averages can be calculated quickly.
Parent teacher interviews
Parent teacher interviews are a good way to form connections with parents to assist students throughout the year and open lines of communication.
![](http://www.weebly.com/weebly/images/file_icons/xls.png)
stage_1_chem_student_results_log.xlsx |
![](http://www.weebly.com/weebly/images/file_icons/xls.png)
student_log_10_science.xlsx |
ICT elaboration
There are several teacher apps available to assist the process of reporting student achievement.
Teacher Kit - A personal organizer for the teacher. It enables the teacher to organize classes, and students. Its simple and intuitive interface enables teachers to track the attendance, grades and behavior of students
Teacher’s Wire - This is an application that allows teachers to visually document student learning and report back to parents via email.
Personally I would track student progress in my maths class with an excel spreadsheet and after an assessment task could quickly flick the parents of students who achieved a high grade or relative high grade an email acknowledging and rewarding the student’s effort.
There are several teacher apps available to assist the process of reporting student achievement.
Teacher Kit - A personal organizer for the teacher. It enables the teacher to organize classes, and students. Its simple and intuitive interface enables teachers to track the attendance, grades and behavior of students
Teacher’s Wire - This is an application that allows teachers to visually document student learning and report back to parents via email.
Personally I would track student progress in my maths class with an excel spreadsheet and after an assessment task could quickly flick the parents of students who achieved a high grade or relative high grade an email acknowledging and rewarding the student’s effort.
Subject end of term reports
Pre service teacher practicum, Term 2 2016
In term 2 of 2016, I was able to work with a pre-service teacher and team teach stage 2 chemistry. I gave him feedback regularly and wrote a report for his university course. This experience also allowed me to reflect on my own teaching practices.