Abstract
Drawing on the largest Australian collection and analysis of empirical data on multiple facets of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education in state schools to date, this article critically analyses the systemic push for standardized testing and improved scores, and argues for a greater balance of assessment types by providing alternative, inclusive, participatory approaches to student assessment. The evidence for this article derives from a major evaluation of the Stronger Smarter Learning Communities. The first large-scale picture of what is occurring in classroom assessment and pedagogy for Indigenous students is reported in this evaluation yet the focus in this article remains on the issue of fairness in student assessment. The argument presented calls for “a good balance between formative and summative assessment” (OECD, Synergies for Better Learning An International Perspective on Evaluation and Assessment, Pointers for Policy Development, 2013) at a time of unrelenting high-stakes, standardized testing in Australia with a dominance of secondary as opposed to primary uses of NAPLAN data by systems, schools and principals. A case for more “intelligent accountability in education” (O’Neill, Oxford Review of Education 39(1):4–16, 2013) together with a framework for analyzing efforts toward social justice in education (Cazden, International Journal of Educational Psychology 1(3):178–198, 2012) and fairer assessment make the case for more alternative assessment practices in recognition of the need for teachers’ pedagogic practice to cater for increased diversity.
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Notes
Personalised Learning Plans should not be confused with terms such as ‘Individualised Education Program’ as used in the United States or the Canadian term ‘Individual Education Plan’ which refer to support programs or plans for ‘exceptional pupils’ or students with special needs.
Throughout this paper I will use a capital for the word Indigenous as a mark of respect and as is protocol in academic writing.
Created from research into children's writing vocabularies done at Salisbury Teacher's College in the 1970s. The list is sectioned into the first 50 words which account for 49 % of all words written by Adelaide students in years 3–7; the second 50 accounts for 10 % of all words written; and the next 200 words make up 4 % of all words written. Although it is a writing vocabulary, it does reflect the high frequency words in books and is commonly used as a reading sight vocabulary. (http://www.raisingreaders.com.au/resources/Assessment/salis_vocab.htm).
Goal 3.1 of the NSW Aboriginal Education and Training Strategy 2006–2008 (2006: 6) is to: “Develop Personalised Learning Plans for all Aboriginal school students in partnership with teachers, parents, caregivers and students”.
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Acknowledgments
This article is based on research and evaluation, which was funded by Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and conducted by a team of colleagues. The views represented in this article are those of the author and do not represent the views of DEEWR, the Stronger Smarter Institute and the Stronger Smarter Learning Communities Project nor the authors of the Formative and Summative Evaluations of the Stronger Smarter Learning Communities Project.
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Klenowski, V. Towards fairer assessment. Aust. Educ. Res. 41, 445–470 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-013-0132-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-013-0132-x