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.

For more information visit the Assessment for learning website on TKI.

National Standards

From 2010, English-medium schools with Year 1-8 students will be using the National Standards to assess and report on each child’s progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.

Your child’s progress and achievement in relation to National Standards will not be based on a single test. They will be assessed in a number of ways including what the teacher sees in the classroom and how they rate their own progress, as well as results from formal assessments.

Consultation to gather information to further develop Ngā Whanaketanga Rūmaki Māori, the Māori-medium standards, will begin in term one 2010.