ASSESSMENT AND RECORDING OF
STUDENT PROGRESS POLICY
Onewhero Area School Policy (National Administration Guideline 1)
RATIONALE:
The primary role of teaching is to enhance the learning of students.
Assessment is integral to teaching and learning. It is the ongoing process of gathering evidence of learning. This evidence is used to give feedback to learners, to improve the effectiveness of teaching programmes, and to provide a direction for the learners, the school and the community.
Aggregated information about students' achievement is essential to the planning, management, self-review and reporting processes of the school. It will provide evidence of the extent to which our teaching programmes and management approaches make a positive difference to student achievement.
PURPOSES:
1. To determine students' capabilities and learning needs;
2. To monitor the effectiveness of programmes for individuals and groups of students;
3. To have relevant, timely information about student progress and achievement so as to better guide learning intentions.
4. To have relevant, timely information about student progress and achievement to better guide school wide planning, to support teachers and determine professional development needs.
5. To use assessment information to make informed decisions about staffing and resourcing.
GUIDELINES:
1. First priority is given to assessing student achievement in literacy and numeracy, and then to breadth and depth of learning related to the needs and interests of students, the nature of the school's curriculum defined in this plan, and the scope of the national curriculum statements. Refer NAG 1 [ii]
2. Assessment information is used to identify students and groups of students who are not achieving, who are at risk of not achieving, who have special needs, and aspects of the curriculum which require a particular attention. Refer NAG 1 [iii]
3. Assessment methods benefit student learning and teaching.
4. Assessment is ongoing, and an integral part of the teaching and learning process.
5. Assessments are made against planned objectives for student learning in each curriculum area, with a focus on major learning outcomes.
6. Assessments reveal individual student successes and weaknesses in relation to (a) curriculum expectations and [b] their own achievement capabilities.
7. Methods of assessment are manageable, efficient and use a range of informal and formal data gathering procedures.
8. Teacher professional judgment supported by evidence from a range of information is the basis for determining each student's achievements and progress.
9. Assessment practices include discussions between teachers, parents, students, families and whanau about progress, effort and priorities.
10. Written records are kept up-to-date and give a balanced account of each student's performance in each learning area, and maintained according to management requirements.
11. Assessment records are managed in ways that are consistent with schools privacy of information policy.
12. Planning for assessment will be an integral part of the teaching/learning programme and will be done collaboratively in teams.
13. Assessment practices and procedures will recognise the differences in gender, cultures, background and experiences that students bring to their learning. They will be fair to all students. Where special facilities need to be made to assist a learner (such as a reader-writer) to demonstrate their learning such facilities will be considered.
14. Assessment will consider content, skills and attitudes as outlined in the National Curriculum framework.
15. Where assessment is standards based, such as for NCEA, national standards in literacy and numeracy yrs1-8, etc, information from these assessments will be used for both formative (diagnostic) and summative purposes.
Documentation and Review
Each Board of Trustees with the principal and teaching staff is required to:
(i) develop a strategic plan which documents how they are giving effect to the National Education Guidelines through their policies, plans and programmes, including those for curriculum, assessment and staff professional development;
(ii) maintain an ongoing programme of self review in relation to the above policies, plans and programme, including evaluation of information on student achievement;
(iii) report to the students and their parents on the achievement of individual students, and to the school's community on the achievement of students as a whole and of groups (identified through 1iii above), including the achievement of Maori students against the plans and targets referred to in 1v above Onewhero Area School details the implementation of NAG 2 through the following policies and supporting documentation:
1. POLICY: REPORTING TO PARENTS, including:
• Consultation with the Maori Community
2. POLICY: SELF REVIEW
3. Charter and Strategic Plan
4. Communications Statement
5. Reporting to the Board of Trustees
6. Review Plan
Board of Trustees Chairperson: ________________________ 24/08/10
Policy reviewed 27 July 2010. Next review date 27 July 2013.
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