Outcome 3.1 Assessing literacy and numeracy What counts? And what matters?

As society and governments demand more and more accountability, and want to be able to measure outcomes that relate to dollars spent the push to standardize testing for young children increases.  So far in Australia we have been able to minimize testing for very young children. 

In Australia NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) testing begins at Year 3 although children will undergo formal testing in pre-school and in the first year of school is a systemised way. 

NAPLAN
Why do students do NAPLAN tests?
NAPLAN is the measure through which governments, education authorities, schools, teachers and parents can determine whether or not young Australians have the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for other learning and for their productive and rewarding participation in the community.
The tests provide parents and schools with an understanding of how individual students are performing at the time of the tests. They also provide schools, states and territories with information about how education programs are working and which areas need to be prioritised for improvement.
NAPLAN tests are one aspect of each school’s assessment and reporting process, and do not replace the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about each student’s performance.”
http://www.nap.edu.au/information/faqs/naplan--general.html

Further to this the AEDI (Australian Early Development Index) also measures literacy and numeracy.  This table shows the  Language and cognitive skills (school-based) domain .

This domain measures children’s basic literacy, interest in literacy, numeracy and memory, advanced literacy and basic numeracy. This domain mainly reflects teachers’ scores for children’s language and cognitive skills based on those necessary for school (with English as the language of instruction) and does not necessarily reflect children’s proficiency in their home language.5



Basic literacy
Children developmentally vulnerable
Do not have most of the basic literacy skills; they have problems with identifying letters or attaching sounds to them, rhyming, may not know the writing directions and how to write their own name.
Children on track
Have all the basic literacy skills including how to handle a book, are able to identify some letters and attach sounds to some letters, show awareness of rhyming words, know the writing directions, and are able to write their own name.
Interest in literacy/numeracy and memory
May not show interest in books and reading, or maths and number games, or both, and may have difficulty remembering things.
Show interest in books and reading, maths and numbers, and have no difficulty with remembering things.
Advanced literacy
Have only up to one of the advanced literacy skills; cannot read or write simple words or sentences, and rarely write voluntarily.
Have at least half of the advanced literacy skills such as reading simple words or sentences, and writing simple words or sentences.
Basic numeracy
Have marked difficulty with numbers, cannot count, compare or recognise numbers, may not be able to name all the shapes and may have difficulty with time concepts.
Have all the basic numeracy skills and can count to 20, recognise shapes and numbers, compare numbers, sort and classify, use one-to-one correspondence, and understand simple time concepts.

DEEWR (2013) AEDI 2012 Summary Report DEEWR Canberra p 7

While these large formal standardized tests offer some information the ongoing assessment of individual and groups literacy and numeracy (and other) learning is far more powerful and appropriate.

In the process of developing a resource I became familiar with Notice Recognise Respond as a way to understand and undertake assessment of children's learning in the early childhood context. Using these filters it becomes possible to understand and make the best professional judgment about what learning is occurring and subsequently what learning could be supported further – deeper and wider.  This distance travelled to coin a frame from EYLF is the way to best assess children’s learning generally and is not always linear or developmental.  It goes backwards and forwards. Applying this to emerging literacy and numeracy in very young children is helpful. 

 [the] ways in which, in our everyday practice, we [children, families, teachers, and others] observe children’s learning [notice], strive to understand it [recognise], and then put our understanding to good use [respond].
Mary Jane Drummond (1993) 

Learning stories are used by many people to record and assess children's learning. This learning story offers a narrative of a wow moment and illustrates the deep relationship between the educator and child.  


http://www.elp.co.nz/Downloads/Learning%20Stories/Learning%20Story%20Breeze.pdf



Other resources that support my understanding of assessment

Te Whariki Curriculum New Zealand


Gowrie SA Assessment in the Early Years 

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