Pedagogy and Practice

Continuous-Formative Assessment
The Pathway to Learning Success

Task-based, continuous assessment is at the core of how we determine a student’s learning needs. This is why “everything matters” and is why formative assessment is critical in our teaching and learning structures at St Andrews. By adopting an effective continuous-formative assessment structure we are ensuring we know where our students are in their learning and how to help move them forward.

The ongoing, effective utilisation of feedback by both students and teachers ensures learning gains are optimised. Teachers use feedback from students to make well informed decisions about the learning needs of each student. By continually applying formative assessment processes during the instructional period (ie. the teaching and learning phase) teachers attain essential information to make decisions about how to best assist each of our students.

“Everything Matters”. This is a foundational element in our College Learning Framework. It means that all of the learning experiences, all of the learning tasks, all of the home learning, all of the quizzes and tests and assignments, contribute to the overall total evidence of learning. Each learning moment is another opportunity to create progress up the Steps In Learning, to move continuously forward towards levels of understanding that not only meet expectations, but exceed those expectations. 

Facilitating this continuous learning model is the application of formative assessment techniques and processes. Formative assessment focuses attention on assessment as and for learning, opening up greater opportunities for students to receive critical feedback from their teachers about where they currently are in their learning and, importantly, how they can move forward. This type of guidance is termed “feedforward”, where advice is provided as to how learning improvements can be made, base on current levels of understanding.

As our Principal, Mr Kennaugh has stated, for our students to make the most of their learning opportunities at St Andrews, they should aim to be:

• Engaged in their learning.
• Determined to do their best.
• Seeking to improve at all times.
• Resilient when confronted with challenges.
• Supportive of the needs of other learners.
• Supported by a school culture that values their success

Paul Haras
Leader of Pedagogy and Practice