1. Using continua for assessment andreporting – design and implementation considerations
Implementationof acontinuumbasedassessmentandreportingsystemwill take some timetobecome normalisedinteachers’minds.The level of achievementsystem,
whichdependsoncomparisonof studentswithteachers’expectationsof agrade has beenthe dominantparadigmforall currentteachersforall of theirlives.Ithasbeen
laudedbypoliticiansandmediaasthe most‘natural’systemandmostteachersandadministratorsascribe tothe argumentsusedtosupportit.Consequentlytoestablisha
newparadigmforthinkingof studentlearning,andthisisa newparadigm,educatorsandparentswill needtorecognizecertainattributesquicklyandeasilytoallowthe
newconceptsto become embedded.One mostimportantissue isthe timeframe forrecognizable improvement.Currently,parentsexpectschoolstoreportona semester
basis.For a newsystemtobecome expected,itwill have todemonstrate recognizable change orexplainable lackof change withinthattimeframe.
In myprojectat Bremer,we workedwith a 70 pointscale,ie 7 explicitlydescribed points, with10pointsinterpolatedbyteacherjudgement.Thismeantthatas longas a
studentputineffort,theydemonstratedsome improvement,andthe onlytime there wasnoimprovementwaswhenthe topicwasn’tcoveredorthe studentdisengaged,
whichhappenedveryrarely.Consequentlygrainsize (scale) isanearlyconsiderationinthe implementationof anewsystem.A secondrelatedconsiderationisthe issueof
backwardmovement. Once astudenthasdemonstratedaconceptual level,(inthe systemIusedwiththe QueenslandP-10Syllabus) theyhave demonstratedthe capacity
to workat thatlevel,backwardmovementisunlikelyunderanannual timeframe.If measuringskills,backwardmovementispossible.We foundthatitwaspossible to
engage eachstudentenoughtoallowastudent’slastdemonstratedlevel toremainstaticeveninthe worstcase scenario.The benefitwaspsychological.Studentscouldbe
more easilyreengagedwhentheythoughtthattheirlastpositionwasassumedtobe the startingpoint.Inactual fact,evenstudentswhospentsome timedisengagedand
thenre-engaged, seemtohave progressedoverthe losttime period.
Issue 1 – Granularity or grain size of the continuum Comments
A grain size amounting to 1
/10
th
to 1
/5
th
of a year (ie 50 to 100 pointsover 10 years) appears to be necessary for psychological benefits.
At this granularity:
1. Studentscanassociate effortwithreportableimprovement(each
semester’simprovementwillbe evident).
Recognisingthe linkbetweenefforttandimprovementisabsolutelycritical forstudents
especiallyatyoungerages
2. Parentscan respondtoactual vs expectedimprovement(somemovement
can be expectedoverasemester).
Too coarse a grainsize meansthat improvementisnotalwaysmeasurable overnormal
school timeframes.Parentswill wanttosee some change overa semesterora reasonable
explanationwhynot.
3. Teacherscan make meaningful decisions(abilitytodistinguish5to10
pointscale at any pointintime hasbeendemonstrated).
Teachersalreadymake 5 to 15 pointscale decisionsonaterm byterm basis.Keepinga
similarscale size willrequireonlyachange inreference pointfromgrade level to‘where
the studentwasbefore’
To describe a 50 point scale,pointsalong the continuumcan eitherbe:
1. Explicitlydescribedforeachpointonthe continuum, Thislevel of precisioninverbal descriptorsisunlikely.
2. Describedata much coarser granularityandallowteacherstointerpolate
decisions.
Teachersare usedtomakinginterpolateddecisions.Incurrentpractice theyhave a clear
sense of A and C standard andinterpolate andextrapolate fromthese todetermineevery
nuance aroundthese standards
There are at least two possible methodsfor describingthe interpolationprocessfor teachers:
1. recognizingelementsof eachof the twodescribed levelinthe student’s
work,and makingan onbalance judgementastotheirposition,or
Thishappenscurrentlyindecisionmaking,usingcriteria.
2. Similarlytoabove,butthenmakingadecisionof their‘confidencelevel’,
that the studentwill progresstothe nextlevel.
Thiswas the systeminplace at Bremerfor the actionresearchproject.Parentsand
teachersfounditacceptable andmeaningful.The difference betweenthe twomindsetsis
probablyminimal.