Tools, Measures and Approaches

TAI 2020 WFRC #3: Building an accurate profile of students' learning - tools, measures and approaches...

Describe the tools/measures/approaches you plan to use to get a more detailed and accurate profile of students’ learning in relation to that challenge. Justify why you chose these approaches and tools.

Kahui Ako Achievement Challenge 5: Increase the achievement of Years 7-10, in reading, writing and maths, as measured against National Standards and agreed targets.


My inquiry problem/ challenge: Students who are 3-4 years behind in math. Combining a variety of best practice approaches to find best mix towards accelerating students who are 3-4 years behind in math.

My challenge with this is that we've just finished 2 years of DMIC (Developing Mathematical Inquiring Communities). Some kids really grasped and grew from this approach and some kids were put off with math altogether. This did not help those students who were already behind in math.

To measure how much 'new knowledge' students are learning or picking up, I plan to use the following tools and approaches:

PAT/Ikan/Gloss/e-asTTle:

• I plan to analyse the PAT closely and group the types of questions students struggled on. Ikan and Gloss tests would be great indicators to how well they are retaining and picking up strategies and number knowledge. These combined, will give me a clear picture of exactly where students are in their learning and identify the gaps.
• Use of e-asttle mini test will also be beneficial for strand in getting pre and post test data.

Student Voice:

• This has been very useful and informative in my past inquiries as sometimes the way you think the lesson went doesn't always match up with how students feel. Gaining student voice before, during and after an intervention in a great way to gauge whether something is working, and students are interested in what they are learning.

Plan/Reflect Weekly: 

• This is very important to carry out as well as monitor. Plan on how I will go about the intervention, then reflect each week on whether it needs changing or if it on the right track. Completing reflections straight after a math lesson can sometimes be difficult so jotting down notes to self on the modelling sheets or on the board with student initials as students are learning will be great in helping to gather evidence as reflection time.