Course Title: New Ways with Assessment and Reporting

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: New Ways with Assessment and Reporting

Credit Points: 12

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
TCHE2162	Bundoora Campus	Undergraduate	360H Education	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2006, Sem 1 2007, Sem 1 2009, Sem 1 2010

Course Coordinator: Assoc. Prof. Heather Fehring

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 7840

Course Coordinator Email:heather.fehring@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 220.3.04

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Students must have passed the following two courses:
a) TCHE2114 Understanding Literacies (2004 Code) - WG 811: Literacy and Numeracy 1 (2001 Code) and
b) TCHE1168 Code in 2004 (WG 812 Literacy and Numeracy 2, 2001 Code),

Course Description

Choosing effective and efficient assessment and reporting practices is a challenge to all educators. TCHE2162 will focus on current teaching and learning practices related to English/ literacy assessment and reporting in the Middle Years of Schooling – Years 5 – 9 (in Victoria).

This course forms part of the Middle Years Suite of offerings in English/literacy. Students will explore current and historic conceptualisations of adolescent English/literacy curriculum to extend their philosophical understandings of teaching and learning in this area. Students will also problematise the role of assessment and reporting in terms of these learners, their families, school policy, political agendas and their own philosophical beliefs.

In this course students will analyze the theoretical perspectives and assumptions underpinning a range of assessment techniques. Students will be involved in critically examining a range of evaluation approaches including norm-referenced assessment, criterion referenced assessment, self-assessment, observational techniques, and outcome based educational procedures. The purpose of such investigation is for students to understand and be able to select appropriate assessment techniques and therefore to improve effective communication of student progress.


As pre-service teachers students will familiarise themselves with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) Victoria documents, policies and programs and become designers of practical innovative and productive applications of these assessment practices. Documents such as the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VCAA, 2006). In additon, the 2010 NAPLAN (National Assessment Plan Literacy and Numeracy) and the forth coming of the Australian Curriculum http://www.acara.edu.au/acara will examined.

The course will also involve students in understanding the practical applications of the interrelated policy - curriculum practice - assessment strategies cycle of curriculum design and development. Students will be expected to integrate knowledge from all their first and second year classes as well as their previous knowledge from TCHE 2114 Understanding Literacies and TCHE 1168 Literacy and Numeracy 2.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

You will develop a range of cababilities for applying assessment strategies in the Primary school classroom.

Objectives
A student will be expected to be able to demonstrate:
1. Knowledge and critical understandings about the nature of English/literacy teaching and student learning and its relationship to assessment and reporting practices specifically related to the Middle Years of Schooling;
2. Understanding of theories underpinning contemporary approaches to literacy assessment and reporting;
3. A knowledge and understandings about assessment and reporting practices in relation to contemporary issues in English/literacy;
4. An understanding of a range of assessment techniques;
5. Evidence that s/he is developing skills and critical understandings
about the issues of accountability in relation to English/literacy
assessment;
6. Knowledge of some suitable teaching strategies, curriculum
materials and assessment practices for a range of teaching and learning
contexts;
7. Skills in designing new and robust assessment and reporting practices.

Overview of Learning Activities

Planned Learning Experiences

The course will be multi-modal and multi-dimensional in its delivery. Students will be actively involved in site visits, small group and large group discussions of readings, guest lecturers, analysis of tasks, hands on English/literacy activities and library and study skills workshops. In each session students will be participating in activities that will be needed for the assessment tasks. Therefore, attendance of students at all the planned sessions is essential.

Overview of Learning Resources

Learning Resources: Set Text

Approximately $78.80 (already includes discount) if purchased as a set from the RMIT Bundoora Cooperative Bookshop.

Forster, M., & Masters, G. (1996a). Assessment resources kit: Performances. Camberwell, Victoria, Australia: Australian Council for Educational Research.
Forster, M., & Masters, G. (1996b). Assessment resource kit: Portfolios. Camberwell, Victoria, Australia: Australian Council for Educational Research.
Forster, M., & Masters, G. (1996c). Assessment resource kit: Projects. Camberwell, Victoria, Australia: Australian Council for Educational Research.
Forster, M., & Masters, G. (1999). Assessment resource kit: Paper & pen. Camberwell, Victoria: The Australian Council for Educational Research.

PLUS
TORCH Workshop Teaching Pack
PROBE Reading Teaching Pack

Overview of Assessment

Assessment will include carrying out diverse testing tools in Middle Years of Schooling setting/s and reflecting on the practices of assessment for learning.