Pub Date : 2021-08-22DOI: 10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_18
T. Kamei
The inclusion of students with additional learning needs in schooling is part of policy and practice in Australia. However, it has been well documented that teachers lack the resources and training to meaningfully include students with additional learning needs in the full range of learning in their classrooms. The SWANs program of work aimed to fill this gap through the development of assessments based on learning progressions that provide teachers with targeted information to support the teaching and learning of all students including students with additional learning needs. The development and implementation of the SWANs/ABLES suite of resources illustrates how a practical assessment tool can support teachers to target the learning of students with additional learning needs regardless of their point of readiness to learn.
{"title":"The SWANs/ABLES Project: A resource developed by and for teachers to support the teaching and learning of students with additional learning needs","authors":"T. Kamei","doi":"10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_18","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_18","url":null,"abstract":"The inclusion of students with additional learning needs in schooling is part of policy and practice in Australia. However, it has been well documented that teachers lack the resources and training to meaningfully include students with additional learning needs in the full range of learning in their classrooms. The SWANs program of work aimed to fill this gap through the development of assessments based on learning progressions that provide teachers with targeted information to support the teaching and learning of all students including students with additional learning needs. The development and implementation of the SWANs/ABLES suite of resources illustrates how a practical assessment tool can support teachers to target the learning of students with additional learning needs regardless of their point of readiness to learn.","PeriodicalId":413895,"journal":{"name":"Research Conference 2021: Excellent progress for every student: Proceedings and Program","volume":"3 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129163940","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-19DOI: 10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_19
L. Zarmati
Learning progression is a continuum that measures advances in learning by tracking development from early learning to more sophisticated levels of mastery. Mathematics relies on an understanding of empirical knowledge and concepts in a hierarchical sequence; students need to understand (or master) one mathematical concept before they can proceed to the next. In comparison, progress of understanding in history is not necessarily hierarchical because it is based on mastery of concepts and skills rather than historical knowledge, which is geographically and temporally variable. With history, it is not necessary to progress sequentially from one concept in order to comprehend another; learning is measured by mastery of levels of complexity within each skill or understanding and mastery can be concurrent and interrelated. The essential characteristic of progression in history is that students can demonstrate an increase in their cognitive ability to think analytically and critically.
{"title":"How might we identify and measure learning progression in history?","authors":"L. Zarmati","doi":"10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_19","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_19","url":null,"abstract":"Learning progression is a continuum that measures advances in learning by tracking development from early learning to more sophisticated levels of mastery. Mathematics relies on an understanding of empirical knowledge and concepts in a hierarchical sequence; students need to understand (or master) one mathematical concept before they can proceed to the next. In comparison, progress of understanding in history is not necessarily hierarchical because it is based on mastery of concepts and skills rather than historical knowledge, which is geographically and temporally variable. With history, it is not necessary to progress sequentially from one concept in order to comprehend another; learning is measured by mastery of levels of complexity within each skill or understanding and mastery can be concurrent and interrelated. The essential characteristic of progression in history is that students can demonstrate an increase in their cognitive ability to think analytically and critically.","PeriodicalId":413895,"journal":{"name":"Research Conference 2021: Excellent progress for every student: Proceedings and Program","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123746135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-01DOI: 10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_8
M. Shay, Jodie Miller, Suraiya Abdul Hammed
In the national and international landscape, there is very limited exploration of cultural constructs of excellence, in particular, in Indigenous contexts. This pilot study aimed to centre the voices of Indigenous people in conceptualising excellence in Indigenous education, as well as to share understandings between Indigenous and non-Indigenous practitioners. Qualitative data collection methods were used including collaborative yarning, storying, and semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using cross-case analysis to examine the views of educators across three school sites. Indigenous participants highlighted the importance of nurturing culture and identity; building up young people; and, building a culture of inclusivity and belonging. Supportive leadership was also identified as an enabler for enacting excellence in schools. A direct outcome of this project was a whole-school policy that builds on a strengths perspective and forefronts the embedding of Indigenous knowledges and perspectives, supporting the wellbeing of Indigenous students, affirming the identities of Indigenous students and having specific strategies to engage with local Indigenous communities.
{"title":"Exploring excellence in Indigenous education in Queensland secondary schools","authors":"M. Shay, Jodie Miller, Suraiya Abdul Hammed","doi":"10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_8","url":null,"abstract":"In the national and international landscape, there is very limited exploration of cultural constructs of excellence, in particular, in Indigenous contexts. This pilot study aimed to centre the voices of Indigenous people in conceptualising excellence in Indigenous education, as well as to share understandings between Indigenous and non-Indigenous practitioners. Qualitative data collection methods were used including collaborative yarning, storying, and semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using cross-case analysis to examine the views of educators across three school sites. Indigenous participants highlighted the importance of nurturing culture and identity; building up young people; and, building a culture of inclusivity and belonging. Supportive leadership was also identified as an enabler for enacting excellence in schools. A direct outcome of this project was a whole-school policy that builds on a strengths perspective and forefronts the embedding of Indigenous knowledges and perspectives, supporting the wellbeing of Indigenous students, affirming the identities of Indigenous students and having specific strategies to engage with local Indigenous communities.","PeriodicalId":413895,"journal":{"name":"Research Conference 2021: Excellent progress for every student: Proceedings and Program","volume":"44 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128240496","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-01DOI: 10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_7
S. Richardson, Sladana Krstic
There is growing recognition of the importance of learners gaining transversal or 21st-century attributes in order to thrive in the contemporary world. This poses a number of challenges for educators. First, to what extent are transversal attributes innate, or do they include a combination of traits and skills? Second, what can teachers do to help nurture these attributes in learners? Third, how can the existence or strengthening of attributes be recognised? In this paper, we draw on work that we are doing for the International Baccalaureate Organisation to define conceptual frameworks for creativity and curiosity. Our goal is to enable learners to evidence achievement in each of these attributes, and for teachers to be able to recognise it. The frameworks draw on extensive scholarly literature to define the core components of both curiosity and creativity and the skills that are inherent in each one. This is the first step towards the development of a ‘transversal résumé’ that will allow learner achievement to be recorded. This includes a focus on the extent to which schools and teachers can provide learners with opportunities to gain, practice or enhance the skills that contribute to transversal attributes and a scaffold that enables learners to reflect on the extent to which they have evidenced creativity or curiosity in sustained pieces of work. The paper raises some key questions that have arisen as we have grappled with both conceptual and practical issues in this project. These provide valuable insights into the nurturing of transversal attributes, and the implications for educational professionals.
{"title":"Evidencing creativity and curiosity in IB schools","authors":"S. Richardson, Sladana Krstic","doi":"10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_7","url":null,"abstract":"There is growing recognition of the importance of learners gaining transversal or 21st-century attributes in order to thrive in the contemporary world. This poses a number of challenges for educators. First, to what extent are transversal attributes innate, or do they include a combination of traits and skills? Second, what can teachers do to help nurture these attributes in learners? Third, how can the existence or strengthening of attributes be recognised? In this paper, we draw on work that we are doing for the International Baccalaureate Organisation to define conceptual frameworks for creativity and curiosity. Our goal is to enable learners to evidence achievement in each of these attributes, and for teachers to be able to recognise it. The frameworks draw on extensive scholarly literature to define the core components of both curiosity and creativity and the skills that are inherent in each one. This is the first step towards the development of a ‘transversal résumé’ that will allow learner achievement to be recorded. This includes a focus on the extent to which schools and teachers can provide learners with opportunities to gain, practice or enhance the skills that contribute to transversal attributes and a scaffold that enables learners to reflect on the extent to which they have evidenced creativity or curiosity in sustained pieces of work. The paper raises some key questions that have arisen as we have grappled with both conceptual and practical issues in this project. These provide valuable insights into the nurturing of transversal attributes, and the implications for educational professionals.","PeriodicalId":413895,"journal":{"name":"Research Conference 2021: Excellent progress for every student: Proceedings and Program","volume":"16 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132450522","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-01DOI: 10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_11
G. Whitby, M. Manning, Gavin Hays
Internationally, the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted the education sector. While NSW has avoided the longer periods of remote learning that our colleagues in Victoria and other countries have experienced, we have nonetheless been provoked to reflect on the nature of schooling and the systemic support we provide to transform the learning of each student and enrich the professional lives of staff within our Catholic learning community. At Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP), a key pillar of our approach is to create conditions that enable everyone to be a leader. Following the initial lockdown period in 2020 when students learned remotely, we undertook an informal teacher voice piece with the purpose of engaging teachers and leaders from across our 80 schools in Greater Western Sydney to reflect on and capture key learnings. This project revealed teachers and leaders reported very high feelings of self-efficacy, motivation and confidence in their capacity to learn and lead in the volatile pandemic landscape. These findings raised the question: how do we enable this self-efficacy, motivation and confidence in an ongoing way? This paper documents the systematic reflection process undertaken by CEDP to understand the enabling conditions a system can provide to activate everyone to be a leader in the post-pandemic future and the key learnings emerging from this process.
{"title":"Leading system transformation: A work in progress","authors":"G. Whitby, M. Manning, Gavin Hays","doi":"10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_11","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_11","url":null,"abstract":"Internationally, the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted the education sector. While NSW has avoided the longer periods of remote learning that our colleagues in Victoria and other countries have experienced, we have nonetheless been provoked to reflect on the nature of schooling and the systemic support we provide to transform the learning of each student and enrich the professional lives of staff within our Catholic learning community. At Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta (CEDP), a key pillar of our approach is to create conditions that enable everyone to be a leader. Following the initial lockdown period in 2020 when students learned remotely, we undertook an informal teacher voice piece with the purpose of engaging teachers and leaders from across our 80 schools in Greater Western Sydney to reflect on and capture key learnings. This project revealed teachers and leaders reported very high feelings of self-efficacy, motivation and confidence in their capacity to learn and lead in the volatile pandemic landscape. These findings raised the question: how do we enable this self-efficacy, motivation and confidence in an ongoing way? This paper documents the systematic reflection process undertaken by CEDP to understand the enabling conditions a system can provide to activate everyone to be a leader in the post-pandemic future and the key learnings emerging from this process.","PeriodicalId":413895,"journal":{"name":"Research Conference 2021: Excellent progress for every student: Proceedings and Program","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129035243","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-01DOI: 10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_3
K. Maras
Learning in Visual Arts has traditionally been framed as an experiential process in which feeling and intuition complement the development of aesthetic knowledge. However, while art can be about feelings and processes that develop students’ expressive capacities, the complexity of art understanding and thinking extends beyond this narrow common-sense assumption. I argue that this assumption, which is represented in the Australian Curriculum: The Arts (ACARA, 2015), and even more firmly resonates in recent proposals for the revision of this curriculum (ACARA, 2021), obfuscates the conceptual and theoretical bases on which students make progress in art understanding. This paper examines the proposition that art understanding emerges progressively and can be described in conceptual terms, the basis of which can be identified in empirical research on the emergence of children’s intuitive theories of art. This paper examines how selected studies articulate the cognitive grounds on which students’ ontologies of art and epistemological beliefs are represented in their reasoning about art over time. It is argued that an empirically supported conception of learning anchored in students’ cognitive development in art that recognises the theoretical commitments underscoring their conceptual and practical reasoning in visual arts practices K–12 provides a logical basis for articulating progression in the subject.
{"title":"This time without ‘feeling’: Children’s intuitive theories of art as a logical basis for learning progression in visual arts","authors":"K. Maras","doi":"10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_3","url":null,"abstract":"Learning in Visual Arts has traditionally been framed as an experiential process in which feeling and intuition complement the development of aesthetic knowledge. However, while art can be about feelings and processes that develop students’ expressive capacities, the complexity of art understanding and thinking extends beyond this narrow common-sense assumption. I argue that this assumption, which is represented in the Australian Curriculum: The Arts (ACARA, 2015), and even more firmly resonates in recent proposals for the revision of this curriculum (ACARA, 2021), obfuscates the conceptual and theoretical bases on which students make progress in art understanding. This paper examines the proposition that art understanding emerges progressively and can be described in conceptual terms, the basis of which can be identified in empirical research on the emergence of children’s intuitive theories of art. This paper examines how selected studies articulate the cognitive grounds on which students’ ontologies of art and epistemological beliefs are represented in their reasoning about art over time. It is argued that an empirically supported conception of learning anchored in students’ cognitive development in art that recognises the theoretical commitments underscoring their conceptual and practical reasoning in visual arts practices K–12 provides a logical basis for articulating progression in the subject.","PeriodicalId":413895,"journal":{"name":"Research Conference 2021: Excellent progress for every student: Proceedings and Program","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123123177","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-01DOI: 10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_12
Dara Ramalingam, Prue Anderson, Sandra Knowles, Danielle Anzai, G. Rollo
The ability to read and understand text is fundamental to full participation in modern adult life (Olson, 1977; Elwert, 2001). It is essential to educational progress across domains, but increased literacy levels are also linked to positive outcomes in terms of employment and health. Given its critical role both in the facilitation of learning in all domains, and in many aspects of life beyond school, it is imperative that we give students the best possible chance to develop their reading skills. This paper uses early reading as a case study for examining how the identification and explication of essential skills and concepts might assist all students to make excellent progress.
{"title":"Making excellent progress in early reading: How can the identification of essential skills and concepts help?","authors":"Dara Ramalingam, Prue Anderson, Sandra Knowles, Danielle Anzai, G. Rollo","doi":"10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_12","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_12","url":null,"abstract":"The ability to read and understand text is fundamental to full participation in modern adult life (Olson, 1977; Elwert, 2001). It is essential to educational progress across domains, but increased literacy levels are also linked to positive outcomes in terms of employment and health. Given its critical role both in the facilitation of learning in all domains, and in many aspects of life beyond school, it is imperative that we give students the best possible chance to develop their reading skills. This paper uses early reading as a case study for examining how the identification and explication of essential skills and concepts might assist all students to make excellent progress.","PeriodicalId":413895,"journal":{"name":"Research Conference 2021: Excellent progress for every student: Proceedings and Program","volume":"50 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121368021","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-01DOI: 10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_13
Mark R. Wilson
The underlying model for most formal educational measurement (e.g. standardised tests) is based on a very simple model: the student takes a test (possibly alongside other students). The complications of there being an instructional plan, actual instruction, interpretation of the outcome, and formulation of next steps, are all bypassed in considering how to model the process of measurement. There are some standard exceptions, of course: a pre-test/post-test context will involve two measurements, and attention to gain score, or similar. However, if we wish to design measurement to hold to Lehrer’s (2021) definition of ‘accountable assessment’ – as ‘actionable information for improving classroom instruction’ – then this narrow conceptualisation must be extended. In this presentation, I will posit a simple model that reflects the simple one-test context described above, and then elaborate on it by adding in a) a framework for design of the assessments that is keyed to educational interpretation, b) further rounds of data collection that can indicate changes in a student’s underlying ability, and c) provision for varied assessment modes that will allow for i) classroom-independent tasks that operate at the summative and meso levels, and ii) classroom-dependent tasks that operate at the micro level. The former are designed to provide a basis for triangulating student responses across different contexts, and the latter are designed to closely track the variation of student performance over time in a classroom instructional context. This framing will be exemplified in a in a K–5 elementary school that is seeking to improve the quality of instruction and students’ understandings of measure and arithmetic. The different levels of data collection will be instantiated by two different pieces of software, which operate at the micro level and the meso/summative levels respectively.
{"title":"Keynote: Rethinking measurement for accountable assessment","authors":"Mark R. Wilson","doi":"10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_13","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_13","url":null,"abstract":"The underlying model for most formal educational measurement (e.g. standardised tests) is based on a very simple model: the student takes a test (possibly alongside other students). The complications of there being an instructional plan, actual instruction, interpretation of the outcome, and formulation of next steps, are all bypassed in considering how to model the process of measurement. There are some standard exceptions, of course: a pre-test/post-test context will involve two measurements, and attention to gain score, or similar. However, if we wish to design measurement to hold to Lehrer’s (2021) definition of ‘accountable assessment’ – as ‘actionable information for improving classroom instruction’ – then this narrow conceptualisation must be extended. In this presentation, I will posit a simple model that reflects the simple one-test context described above, and then elaborate on it by adding in a) a framework for design of the assessments that is keyed to educational interpretation, b) further rounds of data collection that can indicate changes in a student’s underlying ability, and c) provision for varied assessment modes that will allow for i) classroom-independent tasks that operate at the summative and meso levels, and ii) classroom-dependent tasks that operate at the micro level. The former are designed to provide a basis for triangulating student responses across different contexts, and the latter are designed to closely track the variation of student performance over time in a classroom instructional context. This framing will be exemplified in a in a K–5 elementary school that is seeking to improve the quality of instruction and students’ understandings of measure and arithmetic. The different levels of data collection will be instantiated by two different pieces of software, which operate at the micro level and the meso/summative levels respectively.","PeriodicalId":413895,"journal":{"name":"Research Conference 2021: Excellent progress for every student: Proceedings and Program","volume":"96 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133832995","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-01DOI: 10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_10
Sarah Richardson, Sladana Krstic
Evidence-based decision-making is regarded as an important indicator of quality in schools around the world. Using data gathered from assessments, in conjunction with other insights, can help school leaders and teachers better meet the needs of learners. In schools that cater to disadvantaged learners, using data to design targeted interventions plays an important role in improving equity. In this paper we report on a study with five schools in Scotland. All schools had learner cohorts characterised by multiple layers of disadvantage. Informed by the theoretical underpinnings of sensemaking theory, we investigated how teachers and school leaders used data from the Scottish National Standardised Assessments (SNSA). Our findings suggest that teachers and leaders are adept at combining assessment data with other insights – including their own observations. All schools were active in using data to inform decision-making, both at the whole-school level and at the classroom level. They reported multiple uses of data, from validating their own instincts to targeting support to particular cohorts of learners. We suggest that the way in which SNSA is designed – explicitly providing data to teachers to help inform their professional judgement – is a factor in the positive approach to data usage among these schools.
{"title":"Using assessment data to improve equity: How teachers use insights from the Scottish National Standardised Assessments","authors":"Sarah Richardson, Sladana Krstic","doi":"10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_10","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_10","url":null,"abstract":"Evidence-based decision-making is regarded as an important indicator of quality in schools around the world. Using data gathered from assessments, in conjunction with other insights, can help school leaders and teachers better meet the needs of learners. In schools that cater to disadvantaged learners, using data to design targeted interventions plays an important role in improving equity. In this paper we report on a study with five schools in Scotland. All schools had learner cohorts characterised by multiple layers of disadvantage. Informed by the theoretical underpinnings of sensemaking theory, we investigated how teachers and school leaders used data from the Scottish National Standardised Assessments (SNSA). Our findings suggest that teachers and leaders are adept at combining assessment data with other insights – including their own observations. All schools were active in using data to inform decision-making, both at the whole-school level and at the classroom level. They reported multiple uses of data, from validating their own instincts to targeting support to particular cohorts of learners. We suggest that the way in which SNSA is designed – explicitly providing data to teachers to help inform their professional judgement – is a factor in the positive approach to data usage among these schools.","PeriodicalId":413895,"journal":{"name":"Research Conference 2021: Excellent progress for every student: Proceedings and Program","volume":"82 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114782444","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-08-01DOI: 10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_5
Alicia C. Alonzo
Like all models, learning progressions (LPs) provide simplified representations of complex phenomena. One key simplification is the characterisation of student thinking in terms of levels. This characterisation is both essential for large-scale applications, such as informing standards, but potentially problematic for smaller-scale applications. In this paper, I describe a program of research designed to explore the smaller-scale use of LPs as supports for teacher classroom assessment practices in light of this simplification. Based on this research, I conclude that LP levels may serve as a generative heuristic, particularly when teachers are engaged with evidence of the limitations of LP levels and supported to use LPs in ways that do not rely on their levels.
{"title":"Learning progressions as models and tools for supporting classroom assessment","authors":"Alicia C. Alonzo","doi":"10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.37517/978-1-74286-638-3_5","url":null,"abstract":"Like all models, learning progressions (LPs) provide simplified representations of complex phenomena. One key simplification is the characterisation of student thinking in terms of levels. This characterisation is both essential for large-scale applications, such as informing standards, but potentially problematic for smaller-scale applications. In this paper, I describe a program of research designed to explore the smaller-scale use of LPs as supports for teacher classroom assessment practices in light of this simplification. Based on this research, I conclude that LP levels may serve as a generative heuristic, particularly when teachers are engaged with evidence of the limitations of LP levels and supported to use LPs in ways that do not rely on their levels.","PeriodicalId":413895,"journal":{"name":"Research Conference 2021: Excellent progress for every student: Proceedings and Program","volume":"33 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117041024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}