Assessment
The staff of GESS is committed to ensuring that our students are continually assessed, that parents are informed of their progress in all curriculum areas and that learning is a partnership between students, parents and teachers.
The key areas of assessment and reporting at GESS are as follows:
Semester One feedback and reporting
Feedback in Semester One consists of four areas:
- parent/teacher meetings in early September
- formal written report in November
- Three Way Conferences as a follow up to the report in November
- student portfolios in December
Semester Two feedback and reporting
During the Semester Two there will be another four elements to feedback:
1. Combined Student-Led and Three-Way Conferences in March
2. formal written report in June
3. student portfolios in June
Student Portfolios
Throughout the year samples of work and assessments are collected, annotated and placed in student portfolios, which are used to monitor each student’s progress. The samples of work contained in the portfolio comprise an on-going record of student achievements according to year level outcomes and developmental continua. These work samples reflect the nature of work covered across all curriculum areas and the Units of Inquiry.
Outcomes are the knowledge, skills and attitudes that students are expected to achieve at particular stages in their schooling. Teachers assess student work using outcomes as benchmarks for achievement.
Rubrics are often used to assess portfolio work samples, particularly major projects that summarise learning in a Unit of Inquiry. In a rubric, the criteria for success in a given project are established. In addition, a range of levels of achievement for each criterion are clearly described. Ideally, students and teachers develop rubrics together before projects are begun, so that students are able to plan and develop their work in accord with these expectations.
The purposes of using rubrics are to:
· clarify teaching goals and outcomes for both teachers and students
· allow students and teachers to discuss and create standards of success collaboratively
· help students take ownership for their learning
· assist in more useful assessment so that students know exactly how to improve their work
Progress folders
Teachers also collect and assess other work samples for each student throughout the academic year. These are used as evidence for both formal and informal reporting and are retained by the school for the duration of the student’s stay at GESS. These work samples are organised into the following categories: spelling, reading, writing and mathematics.
Student-Led Conferences
The student-led conference is a special meeting in which your child leads you through his or her portfolio and other activities that show evidence of learning. This occurs in the classroom between your child and you, as the classroom teacher maintains an observational role only. Student-led conferences provide a unique opportunity for your child to describe and demonstrate his or her progress directly to you.
Three Way Conferences
The three-way conference is a short meeting held among teacher, parent and student. They discuss progress made in all main curriculum areas, reflect on work completed so far and set goals for the rest of the semester.
Codes for Assessment Portfolios and End of Semester Reports
The following categories are used to indicate the level of outcome achievement for each student:
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1. Not Eviden
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not showing any evidence of the skill
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2. Emerging
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3. Developing
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4. Achieved
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5. Working Beyond
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