On The Same Page How do we align curriculum intent, pedagogy, assessment and reporting? Module Overview • elements of an inclusive curriculum • strategies used by effective teachers • developing pedagogy to support students with diverse learning needs • principles of effective and authentic assessment. Inclusion How do I maximise learning for every student? • Share a statewide commitment to maximising learning for all students • Understand that planning, pedagogy, assessment and reporting are vital components What is curriculum alignment? What is curriculum? Curriculum is all the planned learning that is offered and enacted by a school. Curriculum is much more than a syllabus which outlines what is to be taught. What is curriculum? Curriculum can be thought of as a sequence of elements: the intended, enacted, experienced, assessed, and achieved curriculum, each one responsive to the others. A good curriculum has each of the elements aligned: When is curriculum inclusive? When all students are provided with multiple opportunities to achieve and consolidate the intended curriculum. How has inclusion evolved? Ignoring Segregating Integrating Inclusion Medical Responsibility Institutions Support to fit into Mainstream Schools Part of broader school community 1860 (Qld) Education Non-educable Development of Special Schools (late 1900s) Act Categorisation Remediation 1981 International Year of Disabled Persons Categorisation linking support to individual students Segregated educational settings 1992 DDA 2005 Education Standards Focus on abilities rather than disabilities Accommodations to environment (barriers to participation) Professional learning 26 May 2008, Margaret Lynch, Govt of SA, Dept of Education and Student Services How do I recognise quality teaching programs? • All students have multiple opportunities to learn • Learning experiences are equitable and inclusive • Teaching, learning and assessment is aligned • Learning experiences promote depth of understanding; are connected, purposeful and challenging • All students have the opportunity to reach their potential How do I plan and assess at the class level? By using the P – 12 Curriculum Framework and its Guidelines, the teacher plans within and across their year level, consistent with: • the required curriculum  Early Years Curriculum Guidelines for Prep  QCAR Essential Learnings and Standards for Year 1 to 9  Queensland Studies Authority Senior Syllabuses, nationally endorsed Training Packages and nationally accredited vocational education. • the School Curriculum Policy/Plan • the School Planning expectations How do I plan and assess at the class level? by taking into account: – knowledge about learners – – – – individual needs of learners learners’ achievement data learners’ input school improvement priorities and targets – A-E reporting policy What are the capabilities? Cross-disciplinary knowledge that is embedded in the essential learnings requiring students to: • know how to work with knowledge • develop identity and managing self • act in the social and political world How do I plan the Intended Curriculum for all? • Select and unpack the required curriculum to be studied (e.g. Essential Learnings) • Design the Assessment Task • Provide a Context for Learning How do I plan the Intended Curriculum for all? • Articulate Criteria for Success / Plan the assessment strategies • Plan learning experiences • Plan adjustments for diverse learners How do inclusive teachers provide relevant learning experiences for all students? These teachers: • tend to view all of their students as having individual needs - not just those with a disability • capitalise on the strengths and interests of each student • adopt a wide range of strategies that involve wholeschool, paired-class, within-class and individual student strategies • routinely involve colleagues, parents and other students in assisting them to deliver excellent learning experiences. How do inclusive teachers provide relevant learning experiences for all students? These teachers: • prefer to assist students to participate in the work of the class rather than to work on individually tailored programs or modified curriculum. • ‘experiment’, test hunches about what might work and take a reflective and problemsolving approach to their teaching. How do inclusive teachers provide relevant learning experiences for all students? These teachers: • plan thoroughly and extensively and use time for essential consultation and collaboration with others • have positive attitudes, high levels of adaptation and fewer barriers to including students with disabilities What are the pedagogical issues? It is useful and prudent for teachers to be knowledgeable of issues associated with particular disabilities: • How the child experiences disability • The effects and side effects of medications • How the disability may more generally affect the student in the classroom. How do we improve the learning outcomes of students with disabilities? • Effective instruction e.g. targeted concepts – to ensure active engagement. • Instruction geared to students’ success. • Systematic introduction of new concepts. • Linking new information to previously learned skills. How do we improve the learning outcomes of students with disabilities? • Providing immediate feedback • Heterogeneous/ flexible grouping arrangements. • Cooperative learning • Peer tutoring How do we improve the learning outcomes of students with disabilities? • Naturalistic teaching strategies where existing routines and contexts were used to teach specific skills • Flexible classroom groupings, including small group, whole class and 1:1 instruction • Providing practice opportunities Why do we apply adjustments? To assist a student with a disability to • What is the purpose of applying adjustments? participate in learning experiences and assessment tasks on the same basis as other students. When is an adjustment reasonable? When it achieves this purpose while taking into account the student’s learning needs and balancing the interests of all, including those of the student with the disability, the teacher and other students. Assessment and Reporting In a time of greater student diversity, increased emphasis on standards and accountability challenges teachers to help all students achieve. What do we need to know about assessment? • Assessment tasks should assess what they claim to assess • Assessment criteria should be explicit so that the basis for judgments is clear and public • The literacy and numeracy demands of assessment tasks should be explicitly taught What do we need to know about assessment? • Judgments should be based on a range of evidence (formal and informal) • It should provide students with opportunities to demonstrate the extent of learning • Assessment should inform planning, teaching and reporting What are the principles of authentic assessment? • valid • explicit • comprehensive • inform planning and teaching • inform reporting What makes an assessment traditional? • Short answers • Paper • Workbook • Pen and pencil • Easy to administer • Quick, easy grading • Specific time limits • Reflects recall ability What makes an assessment authentic? • Application to real life situations • Hands-on activities • Multiple skills in a task • Demonstrations of ability to apply information • Ongoing for days, weeks, or throughout a unit of study • Reflects growth in a skill or ability What is quality assessment? • It is an ongoing process of gathering evidence • It determines what each student knows, understands, and can do • It ensures learning required of students as indicated in the intended curriculum • It enables students from diverse backgrounds to demonstrate their learning When is assessment inclusive? When we enable all students to demonstrate the extent and depth of their learning through various modes and technologies. How do I make assessments inclusive? • Understand the term ‘assessment adjustment’ • Know why, how and when adjustments are made • Know when an adjustment should not be applied • Determine appropriate strategies What is the purpose of applying adjustments? The purpose of applying reasonable adjustments to assessment tasks: • to assist a student with a disability to participate in assessment tasks on the same basis as other students. • proactive way of ensuring equitable assessment for all students • remove barriers that prevent students from demonstrating their current knowledge and skills Who is responsible for making decisions about adjustments? Responsibility for decisions on what is considered to be a reasonable adjustment to a school-based assessment lies with the school. 37