Leading Assessment

This subject is not offered in 2013.

120 hours

Attendance at all classes (tutorial/seminars/practical classes/lectures/labs/online classes) is obligatory. Failure to attend 80% of classes will normally result in failure in the subject.

A recognised teaching qualification.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Objectives, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and the Disability Liaison Unit: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject is designed around the key assumption that assessment leadership is a critical pre-cursor for successful school leadership and instructional decision making. Participants will explore assessment and reporting frameworks that focus on improved pedagogy. Important developments in assessment and reporting (Wilson et al., 2012; Hattie, 2011 and Griffin, McGaw and Care, 2012) will form a basis of the subject. Participants will be engaged in practical exercises that address student assessment, teacher use of assessment data to make instructional decisions and how educational leaders use the data to inform curriculum, staffing and organisational policy related matters at school level and higher levels. School leaders will examine ways of dealing with data and new forms of assessment. Students will explore the importance of developing data driven and evidence based decision and policy formulations. The subject aligns with the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership National Professional Standard for Principals and considers theory and practice that guide self reflection, self improvement and self development.

• Identify and analyse modern modes of assessment.
• Distinguish been formative ad summative assessment data and purposes
• Link assessment to instructional decision making at student, class, cohort and school level
• Link resource needs to assessment data and instructional intervention
• Use data driven analysis to identify teacher professional development needs pedagogy and discipline knowledge and skills
• Review reporting systems for a range of stakeholders.

There are two assessment tasks:

• A 2,500-word analysis of school data and its implications for instruction, teacher development and policy at a school level, due mid-semester (50%)
• A 2,500-word reflective analysis of current assessment and reporting practices of own and a comparative school, due end of semester (50%)

Wilson, Mark.,Bejar, I. Scalise,K. Templin, J. , Wiliam, D. and Torres Irribarra, D. Outline the Methodological and psychometric issues. (2012) in Griffin, P., McGaw, B., & Care, E., Eds. (2012). Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills. Dordrecht, Springer.

Hattie, J. (2009) Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses related to achievement, Routledge, London

Griffin, P. (2009). Teachers' Use of Assessment Data. Educational assessment in the 21st century. C. M. Wyatt-Smith and J. J. Cumming, Springer: 187 - 212.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Based on the Sergiovanni model underpinning the leadership developmental framework

• Technical skills involving analysis and synthesis will be fostered through the use of data and their interpretation in terms of the implications for instruction
• Problem solving skills and critical thinking skills will be fostered through the on-line forums, the analysis of educational research articles focussing on assessment and teacher use of data. These exercises will be undertaken during in class exercises and discussion and by applying theories to your own school as a case study
• Human resource skills will be fostered through the identification of staff professional development needs based n analysis of student learning outcome data.
• Skills in establishing symbolic leadership role will be developed via direct involvement in the use of assessment data for both instructional and professional development decision making
• Cultural leadership skills will be enhanced through the development of a culture of challenge, evidence based decision rather than inference based , collaborative decision making among teachers
• Educational leadership skills will be enhanced through the exploration of differences between developmental and deficit models of teaching and learning and their links to data driven decision making