Basic HTML Version
n lis
Support Materials
for
Students with
Special
Education Needs
ASSESSMENT
achievement, as they plan and program the work students will do, using a range of
appropriate assessment strategies. As part of this process, teachers need to assess students’
prior knowledge, skills and understanding to identify what students already know and can do.
Assessment of learning takes place at key points in the learning cycle, such as at the end of
a unit of work, or the end of a year or stage.
Diagnostic assessment informs the teacher of the knowledge, skills and strategies which
require additional targeted teaching. It enables teachers to plan, program and implement
teaching and learning strategies that will remediate identified difficulties. It is important
to note that preventing longterm difficulties is reliant on early diagnostic assessment
(Rose 2006) and targeted teaching and learning.
What evidence of
learning
is
required?
The evidence of learning that is collected informs judgements about what individual students
know, can do and understand in relation to the selected syllabus outcomes.
In planning assessment opportunities, teachers need to consider:
•
the criteria for assessing learning that will be used to make judgements about what
individual students know, can do and understand
•
the suitability of selected assessment strategies for the phase of learning and for the
knowledge, skills and understanding to be assessed
•
the ways in which individual students communicate
•
the time required for individual students to communicate
•
the support and/or adjustments required to enable individual students to demonstrate their
knowledge, skills and understanding in relation to the selected outcomes and/or indicators.
Adjustments
to enable access
to assessment opportunities
Teachers determine adjustments as appropriate to particular assessment opportunities to
enable individual students to demonstrate achievement in relation to selected syllabus
outcomes. The nature of the adjustments for individual students may be informed by the
process.
Adjustments may include:
•
adjustments to the assessment process, for example:
–
more time to complete a task or aspect of a task
–
flexible timing, eg a student completes an activity or task over a number of sessions
–
use of assistive technology
–
use of a reader or writer
–
changing the conditions under which the skill is to be performed, eg a student listens
to a tape of a story instead of, or before, reading it orally
–
providing additional support or prompts, eg a student is provided with pictorial
prompts to support reading during a reading comprehension task
•
adjustments to what students are asked to produce, eg students:
–
respond to alternative criteria for assessing learning, eg a student may be working
towards indicators that are broken down into smaller incremental steps
–
attempt and complete fewer activities/tasks
5
Teaching and learning cycle
E g h K–6