Students and teachers use assessment for learning in the classroom
Using assessment information to inform teaching and learning
Assessment tools and resources in support of teacher judgments
This guide focuses on informal assessment for learning in the classroom to inform teaching and learning, including selecting appropriate assessment tools for equitable and positive outcomes for all students. It will support you to review your assessment policies and procedures and can be used for ongoing review.
You can use this guide to lead conversations with your staff – to review your local assessment practices and decide which ones are working well and which can be improved.
It contains guidance, review questions, activities, examples, and resources to enable deep discussions within your school about assessment for learning. The start of the year is a good time to begin conversations with your staff that can continue throughout the year.
The guide series is part of a package, including workshops and tools that will support schools to develop and review local curriculum.
Contact your local Ministry of Education office for support and information.
Download the guide (PDF)
Leading Local Curriculum Guide – Assessment for learning (PDF, 1 MB)
Mā te whiritahi, ka whakatutuki ai ngā pūmanawa ā tāngata
Together weaving the realisation of potential
Teachers support learners to notice how they are going with their learning – where they are at, where to next, and whether they know how to get there (knowing who and what can help). Learners can use this personalised feedback to help them set goals and explore any misunderstandings. Teachers can also notice whether there are patterns in the class such as common next steps or misunderstandings and can adjust their teaching accordingly.
Much of this noticing is through the observation of learning processes and in conversations between teachers and learners. Every now and then it is appropriate for teachers to use a high impact assessment tool – one that is well researched and reliable – to guide the next teaching and learning.
These practices are even more important now that our approaches to teaching and learning have become so varied. Inquiry learning, project-based learning, cross-curricular learning, play-based learning – these all require excellent curriculum and assessment knowledge and constant attention to student actions so that teachers are able to "notice, recognise and respond" to the needs of all the students in their care.
Example of using assessment for learning practices improving NCEA outcomes for students
Assessment for learning in practice in a year 11 classroom – a teacher's story
Story about a year 11 teacher from Excellere College illustrating how the use of assessment for learning classroom practices helped improve NCEA outcomes for his students.
Remember who you are assessing for! The primary owners of assessment information are your students.
However, teacher judgments about progress and achievement across the curriculum may be shared with everyone with a stake in using the information. This includes:
Good formal teacher judgments are valid (based on what students have learned) and reliable (other teachers would make the same judgment with the same evidence). Teacher judgments should also provide information on what students have learned and the focus of the next learning.
Adapted from ‘Figure 2: Schooling System – a Learning System’, Ministry of Education Position Paper [Schooling Sector] 2011.
Give yourself permission to stop those practices that are not contributing to this.
| Assessment as compliance | Assessment that informs teaching and learning |
| Progress and achievement are assessed only through the use of assessment tools. | Sound teacher judgments supported by a reliable assessment tool and ongoing classroom observations and conversations provide information on progress and achievement. |
| Progressions of learning are not well documented or commonly shared across the teaching staff. | Progressions of learning are well documented, with exemplars from student work, teacher observations, and assessment tool information. Teachers and students have a shared understanding of progress across levels. |
| Teacher judgments are not moderated. There are no common understandings of "what good looks like". | Effective moderation practices establish "what good looks like" at a range of levels. Student exemplars are kept to illustrate different levels of achievement. |
| Several tools are used to assess progress and achievement within a year level and learning area. | There is a school-wide plan that reflects the purposeful use of a small number of tools to supplement teacher observations and learning conversations. |
| There are no standardised procedures across the school for assessment tools. | Every teacher knows how to administer assessment tools according to the instructions from the tool developer. Teachers have time to discuss procedures. |
| Assessment is something that is "done" to the students, without their involvement. Students see it as a "test" and something to be worried about. | Students are involved in assessment processes and they see it as a learning opportunity. They’re motivated to do their best and they look forward to finding out how they’re progressing with their learning. Students discuss with peers, whānau, and teachers where they’re at, what they want to improve on, and how others can help them. |
| Assessments are carried out at times only to provide information for school leaders or outside providers. | All assessments are carefully chosen so that they provide valuable information for all stakeholders, particularly students and teachers, that can be acted on. |
| Analysis of assessment information is done by a select few in the school, and results are presented to teachers. | Teachers are assessment and analysis capable and take an interest in working with class/cohort data to establish student pathways for learning. |
Results from assessment tools are used in conjunction with teacher observations and learning conversations with students, to support teacher judgments.
As a school leader, you should expect to see a reasonably high correlation between teacher judgments and assessment results. There will be differences because of the nature of the assessment processes – these should be investigated to make sure that the judgments are reliable.
It’s important to note that there are not formal assessment tools for all learning areas and the key competencies. Teacher judgments in these areas will be supported by classroom observations, school-developed exemplars, and cross-level and cross-school understandings of progress.
Although schools are free to use whatever tools and resources they choose, there are high impact, well-researched, reliable assessment tools and resources that schools can use to measure progress and achievement. They provide authentic tasks linked to The New Zealand Curriculum that provide rich opportunities for next step learning.
There are guidelines to help you choose the most appropriate assessment tool here:
Each of these tools has a specific purpose which helps with the decisions about why and when you would use the tool. Each tool also provides guidance about how it should be used.
For more information, see Assessment Online – Assessment tools and resources.
It is not expected that all these tools are used for all students all of the time.
| <<< Frequency of use >>> | ||
|---|---|---|
| More frequent Purpose: noticing and diagnostic | Less frequent (likely once per year) Purpose: tracking and monitoring | |
| Running Records
| Numeracy Assessment Tools
| PATs (Progressive Achievement Tests)
|
| Assessment Resource Banks
| e-asTTle (Electronic Assessment Tools for Teaching and Learning)
| |
| An Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement (known as the six-year net)
| Science Assessment Tools from NZCER
| |
The Learning Progression Frameworks (LPFs) and the Progress and Consistency Tool (PaCT) are curriculum progress tools.
Together, the tools provide valuable information to support teaching and learning conversations and guidance on next steps.
Example of how Prospect School reviewed their assessment processes
Prospect School – Designing our own approach
The removal of National Standards gave Prospect School in West Auckland the chance to review their assessment processes. They kept what was working for them, discarded what was not, and are in the process of further developing their progressions of learning across the curriculum.
Published on: 27 Nov 2019
