REFERENCES

Asikainen, H, Parpala, A, Virtanen, V & Lindblom-Ylanne, S 2013, ‘The relationship between student learning process, study success and the nature of assessment: A qualitative study’, Studies in Educational Evaluation, vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 211-217. 

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, 2015, Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, retrieved 23^rd of March 2015,  http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers/standards/list

Australian Council for Education, 2014, 'Australian teens persist at thinking it through: PISA', Australian Council for Education, retrieved 5th of March 2015, <http://www.acer.edu.au/media/article/australian-teens-persist-at-thinking-it-through-pisa

Australian Currciulum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2013,NAP - National Assessment Program,Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, retrieved 5th of March 2015, http://www.nap.edu.au/

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2013,Welcome,Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, retrieved 5th of March 2015, http://www.acara.edu.au/default.asp

Cook, T 2015, 21^st Century Learning: Curriculum and Assessment Policy in Victoria, Office for Education Policy & Innovation, retrieved 14^th of March 2015,  https://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/publ/research/publ/21C_Learning-Curriculum_and_Assessment_Policy_in_Victoria-Presentation.pdf

Creagh, S 2014, 'NAPLaN test data, ESL Bandscales and the validity of EAL/D teacher judgment of student performance',TESOL in Context, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 30-50.

Decent, T 2015, 'NAPLAN controversy forces change to writing test', The Sydney Herald, retrieved 5th of March 2015, <http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/naplan-controversy-forces-change-to-writing-test-20150211-13bl6x.html>

Department of Education and Training, 2015, Assessment Advice, Department of Education and Training, retrieved 14^th of March 2015, http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/support/Pages/advice.aspx

DeLuca, C & Hughes, S 2014, ‘Assessment in Early Years Primary Education: An Empirical Study of Five School Contexts’, Journal of Research in Childhood Education, vol. 28, no.1, pp. 441-460.

European Agency, 2015, Mainstream Assessment Systems – Finland, European Agency: for Special Needs and Inclusive Education, retrieved 13^th of March 2015,  https://www.european-agency.org/agency-projects/assessment-in-inclusive-settings/assessment-database-of-key-topics/finland/mainstream-assessment-systems

Finnish National Board of Education, 2015, ‘Education system’, Finnish Board of Education, retrieved 13^th of March 2015, http://www.oph.fi/english/education_system

Fountas, I & Pinnell, G 2015, Fountas and Pinnell Literacy, Heinemann, retrieved 23th of March 2015, http://www.heinemann.com/fountasandpinnell/default.aspx

Harlen, W 2010, ‘Chapter 2: What is quality teacher assessment?’, in Gardener, W Harlen, L Hayward, G Stobart & M Montgomery (eds), Developing Teacher Assessment, Open University Press and McGraw-Hill Education, Maidenhead, Berkshire.

Main, Squirrel 2013, 'NAPLAN doesn't stand up to international tests', The Conversation, retrieved 5th of March 2015, <http://theconversation.com/naplan-doesnt-stand-up-to-international-tests-14765>

Nightingale, J 2014, Focus on Finnish Assessment, Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors, retrieved 13^th of March 2015, http://ciea.org.uk/focus-finnish-assessment/

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2015, 'OECD: BETTER POLICIES FOR BETTER LIVES', Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, retrieved 5th of March 2015, <http://www.oecd.org/>

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2015, 'Program for International Assessment', Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, retrieved 5th of March, <http://www.oecd.org/pisa/aboutpisa/>

Pine, C 2013, 'PISA results show more work to be done', The Department of Education and Training Media Centre, retrieved 5th of March 2015, <http://ministers.education.gov.au/pyne/pisa-results-show-more-work-be-done

Teacher Superstore, Reading Box Yellow: Years 1 & 2, Teacher Superstore: making education easier, retrieved 23^rd of March 2015, http://www.teachersuperstore.com.au/product/comprehension/reading-box-yellow/

Walker, K 2015, Walker Learning, Early Life Foundations, retrieved 23^rd of March 2015, http://earlylife.com.au/info/section/walker-learning

REFLECTIVE STATEMENT

Through Research, Christopher DeLuca and Scott Hughes, 2014, were able to conclude that teachers express the importance of creating assessments based on the individual developmental needs of students in relation to social, personal and academic dimensions of learning (p.456). Assessment should be based on the individual needs of the student, having effective assessment strategies in place is essential for improving learning. Standard 1.5 of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers created by The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership states, that teachers need to be able to ‘differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities’ (p.1). Without assessment teachers would not be able to determine the different abilities of students therefore would not be able to extend their learning. Understanding prior knowledge is the key for planning; using summative assessment techniques allows the teacher to discover if the learning goal or intention has been reached.

High stakes testing, in particular, NAPLAN has the potential to create a negative impact on students. According to Wynne Harlen (2010) with the increase of pressure associated with high stakes testing, teachers are forced to complete numerous practice tests. Increasing practice tests, decreases learning time and therefore can have a negative impact on student learning. Not only may it affect the whole class but those students who need development more than others will constantly be reminded of this through practice tests, it can become demoralising and make students become disengaged.  

The relationship between teaching, learning and assessment is the essence of teaching. The teacher is there to guide the students and offer support, students are there to construct their own inquiry based learning and assessment should improve learning by putting strategies in place for the individual for any areas which need development. Henna Asikainen, Anna Parpala, Viivi Virtanen and Sari Lindblom-Ylanne (2013) argue that the engagement of the student is influenced by the different assessment methods they experience (p.211).

Throughout my research, I found interesting, the fact that Finland do not have high stakes testing and they are up there in the top education results in the world. As stated in the comparison of Victoria and Finland assessment systems, The Finnish National Board of Education (2015) state that there are no national high stakes tests that take place continuously throughout the years. In Finland, it is the teachers' responsibility to assess their students learning and development. This fact makes me wonder, what would be the impact on Australia's national results if they abolished high stakes testing? 

MY FINAL STATEMENT -

http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=11192287&height=267&width=200

CASE STUDY: SCHOOL ASSESSMENT CULTURE

As stated previously, NAPLAN testing is conducted within schools across Victoria. This artefact is field notes of a conversation I conducted with my mentor teacher, from lower level primary and another teacher within the school who is based in upper level primary. The conversation included different views on assessment including NAPLAN and personal preferences in relation to formative assessment and summative assessment.

The conversation brings to mind the different variables of NAPLAN that the results do not take into consideration.

The Kathy Walker Learning Approach is a whole school approach within the placement school where I attended for my 10 day profession practicum. The Walker Learning approach is based on self-directed learning based play within the early years and Education Research Projects in years 3-6. The idea of this particular approach is for the students to use their personal interests to engage and personalise their learning (Kathy Walker, 2015). More information for The Walker Learner approach can be found at http://earlylife.com.au/info/section/walker-learning.

This artefact is taken from the Walker Learning approach for years 3-6 in relation to the students’ Education Research Project. The assessment incorporates teacher assessment, self -assessment and peer assessment. The students are assessed on things such as; did you achieve your goal, time management skills and preparation for the next ERP they will construct. A positive thing about The Walker Approach is that it allows students to direct their own learning and use their personal interests to engage them within their education.

 - Collected 03/02/2015 – Within Grade 3 classroom, taken from the Walker Learning Approach.

This school has a whole school approach in relation to assessment by each grade using the Fountas and Pinnell benchmark assessment system (Irene C. Fountas & Gay Su Pinnell, 2015). This system assesses word recognition along with reading comprehension. As Tim cook stated in the previous post ‘Assessment Policy: education systems’ assessment should be based on the individual learner. The Fountas and Pinnell system is based on each student being levelled according to their reading ability; they have different books and resources available for students on different levels. Students of all abilities need to be able to extend their learning; this resource offers students that chance.

The artefact is a website based on the different resources available - 

http://www.heinemann.com/fountasandpinnell/reading-assessment.aspx

The information that this system is used in relation to assessment was supplied by my mentor teacher. Information retrieved 03/02/2015 – shown resources within the classroom relating to Fountas and Pinnell.

This artefact is based on the statement of intent for weeks 1 and 2 within my classroom. It shows all key areas of learning intentions and goals for the students in each domain. In this plan using ‘Yellow Box Reading Assessment’ is placed under reading learning intentions. The yellow box reading assessment is used for grades 1 & 2. The box contains 150 illustrated cards in relation to comprehension and decoding skills, covering all text types. This can be used as a planning tool as well as an assessment tool within the classroom. As long as it used in the correct way by modelling the desired learning outcome, I think it would be highly beneficial within the classroom.

Information about the Yellow Box Reading Assessment can be found at http://www.teachersuperstore.com.au/product/comprehension/reading-box-yellow/

 - Retrieved 30^th of January 2015.

ASSESSMENT POLICY: EDUCATION SYSTEMS

VICTORIA - 

According Tony Cook from the Office for Education, Policy and Innovation, assessment within Victoria involves a loop which incorporates ‘establishing where students are in their learning; clarify where students need to go and help students to achieve their goal’ (Office for education policy & innovation, 2015, p.17). All assessment and school culture should be based on the individual learner; the Victorian Government assessment policy identifies what challenges lie ahead in relation to curriculum, teacher capability, equity and assessment (p.22).

The Department of Education and Training (2015) argue that assessment should improve student learning by integrating a range of assessment practices. There are 10 principals for assessment outlined which include characteristics of good practice for assessing student learning (Department of Education and Training, 2015). The 10 principals for effective assessment include; the primary purpose is to improve learning, understanding how students learn, integrated within the course structure, provides critical information for parents, has a clear outlined statement of purpose, contains a variety of measures, should be; valid, reliable and consistent, requires attention to outcomes, ongoing and involves feedback and reflection (Department of Education and Training, 2015).

FINLAND –

Helena Kasurinen (2005) who is on the board of the Finnish National Board of Education, states that there are a number of principals which incorporate assessment from a teacher perspective and self-assessment from a student perspective in Finland. Victoria has NAPLAN which is a national assessment in certain year levels, Finland have the ‘National Evaluation System’ which is completed by students at the end of their high school years to determine whether they have assimilated the required knowledge and reached an adequate level of maturity (European Agency: for special needs and inclusive education, 2015).

According to the Finnish National Board of Education (2015) the focus for the Finnish education system is specifically on learning, not on testing. In Finland, teachers are responsible for assessing their students’ learning and development as there are no national tests for these assessments (Finnish National Board of Education, 2015). Julie Nightingale (2014) from the Chartered Institute of Educational discusses that in Finland the goal of assessment is simply, to improve learning. An interesting fact of the Finnish system is that they are one of the top performers in international tests such as PISA, but at a national level high stakes tests are absent from the education system. 

SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE SYSTEMS:

https://prezi.com/lbgxveqtilm2/present/?follow=k6r4pvyp7hpf&auth_key=06tcql6#4_95982358

EXTERNAL HIGH STAKES TESTING: INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL CONTEXTS - PISA

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2015) aims to promote economic and social well-being for all people around the world. OECD is funded by different Governments around the world. OECD has created The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) which is comprised of a 2 hour test that assesses the skills and knowledge of 15-year old students, from 65 different economies (2013). OECD argue that PISA is different to other assessments as it not only tests on curriculum material but prepare the students for full participation within society.

Based on the results from 2012, OECD (2015) concluded that in most economies, too many students are not engaged within the classroom and therefore do not make the most out of learning opportunities.

The Australian Council for Education published a report in 2014 called 'Australian teens persist at thinking it through: PISA' (ACE, 2014). The report states that Australian students were less likely to 'give up' on problem-solving questions, having a higher level of persistence. In 2013, a media release from Christopher Pine stated that the results from PISA show that Australian academic results are slipping.

According to Dries Debeer, Janine Buchholz, Johannes Hartig and Rianne Janssen (2009), educational policy makers attach great importance to the results from international assessments such as PISA (p.502). Debeer et al. (2009) identify limitations involved with PISA, they argue that because there is no individual consequence for the test taker, the individual taking the test may expend low effort therefore impacting on results.

I believe that is beneficial for the education of Australia to have these tests in place, it does not say within any of the references for PISA how each 'test group' is selected. It would be interesting to see how these groups were chosen and just how diverse they are.

EXTERNAL HIGH STAKES TESTING: INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL CONTEXTS - NAPLAN

In Australia, schools participate in a national assessment plan which has been created by ACARA (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority) called NAPLAN. ACARA are an independent authority responsible for creating a cohesive national curriculum and collecting, and publishing information based on the performance of schools who participate in NAPLAN (ACARA, 2013). ACARA is directed and funded by the Australian Government.

According to the ACARA (2013) NAPLAN assesses students in years 3,5,7 and 9 and covers a broad range of subjects which include; reading, writing, grammar and punctuation, spelling and numeracy through an annual test.

Results are published on the My School website which was developed by ACARA (ACARA, 2013). The My School website is accessible to all members of the public and publishes information about NAPLAN results along with other information about schools.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported 'NAPLAN controversy forces change to writing test' (2015). Tom Decent (2015) discusses the controversy surrounding a question that was posed to all year levels; "Which law or rule would you make better in your view?" This forced ACARA to make the decision to split the question for the different years. In comparison to a global scale, Squirrel Main (2013) argues that the NAPLAN should reflect a higher standard. The results show that there was a significant difference in the amount of Australian students meeting the minimum requirements of NAPLAN versus PRILS. Main (2013) states NAPLAN needs to increase standards to align with global expectations.

Sue Creagh (2014) claims that the use of NAPLAN does not take into account teacher-based judgment about student progress (p.30). According to Creagh (2014) the test does not reflect issues based on students who have English as their second language, which in turn, could have a negative impact on the school.

Based on my findings, I feel NAPLAN has good intentions but certainly has some limitations. There are factors which NAPLAN does not take into account when publishing results, these include; students who have English as a second language, different teaching styles and strategies and on the day student feelings. There is a copious amount of pressure placed on NAPLAN results for on not only students, but teaching staff also.  

INTRODUCTION

This BLOG has been made in relation to ETP401 at Deakin University by Aimee Jones (212077581). Investigation into assessment was the main criteria which needed to be met in this assignment. The main topic covered first is - External High Stakes Testing - this looks at two different types of tests, a National one, NAPLAN and an International one, PISA.
The second topic covered is Assessment Policy: Education Systems. The research for this topic was conducted with a focus on two different education systems; assessment policy within Victoria and assessment policy within Finland.
Case Study: School Assessment Culture incorporates artefacts collected from school where I completed my first placement round for this year and information. These artefacts are based on the assessment within the school.
My final post is a reflective statement which is a synopsis of my stance on assessment, it is focused on my professional learning.