Assessment and Reporting to Parents/whānau

At Hingaia Peninsula School we use a wide range of assessment tools and observations, to monitor student progress and achievement. Assessment information also helps school leaders and teachers in gathering, analysing, interpreting, and using information about students' progress and achievement. The emphasis at HPS is on the formative use of assessment to improve students’ learning and teachers’ teaching as both respond to the information it provides.

We use a range of tools to assess student learning. Different types of assessment and a range of assessment tools are used at differing stages of the learning process;

• Diagnostic - used at the beginning to gauge pre-knowledge

• Formative - used throughout the learning to determine how students are progressing

• Summative - used at the end to measure progress made

We believe in recognising and celebrating success in many forms, as all children have different strengths - academic, sporting, social, artistic, digital, creative or the ability to think outside the box; in totally innovative ways!  By having a school curriculum which provides a wide range of learning experiences, all children should have the opportunity to experience success and discover their strengths and passions.

Assessment Tools

Assessment Tools are used by teachers to inform next learning steps for students.  Results from assessments are used to group students of similar abilities/needs for teaching purposes, to identify gaps in knowledge or areas where gains have been made so we can celebrate!  Teachers work increasingly collaboratively to analyse assessment data and moderate student work samples, to ensure our assessment practices are consistent across teams and across the school. 

Starting school Assessments - Ready for Learning Tree

When a child starts school as a New Entrant, they have a Transition to School Assessment in their first 5-6 weeks.  This assessment is to find out what literacy and maths knowledge children already have in place and how their key competency skills are developing.  We use the Ready 4 Learning concepts.  Parents will receive a written report based on these concepts and are invited to attend a parent-teacher conference, approximately 5-6 weeks after your child starts school. At this meeting you will discuss whether your child is ready to move into the main studio, or whether a little more time in the Transition space would be best for them.

At HPS reporting to whānau is not a twice-yearly event. It is an ongoing conversation between learners, teachers and whānau. Sharing progress regularly is vital for each child’s ongoing learning and success. Sharing quality learning information between all stakeholders helps everyone to understand and support the learner. At Hingaia Peninsula School, we report to whānau on progress (individualised learning pathway goals known as progressions), achievement (a curriculum level based on our school’s expectations) and wellbeing (through both learning posts and learner dispositions and student reflections).

Throughout the school year we offer a number of formal and informal ways to be involved in your child's learning. Utilising our communication Platform - HERO, you will see goals and samples of their learning in the core curriculum of Reading, Writing and Maths each term, along with posts and curriculum achievement in Science, Technology, the Arts, Te Ao Māori and Health and P.E being provided throughout the year. You are always welcome to discuss your child’s progress, achievement and wellbeing at any stage throughout the year. Please email your child’s whānau teacher to arrange a convenient time.

Term 1 | Meet the Teachers/Community Picnic Afternoon

Building the Learning Partnership

This is the first opportunity to connect with your child's teachers and find out about the studio programme and expectations. Each studio will present their information twice in the afternoon. This provides parents and whānau with the time to mingle and meet other parents and get to know the wider community! Bring a picnic and a blanket and enjoy the afternoon beoming familiar with the school, teaching team and your child's friends and their whanau. 

Sharing Your Aspirations for your Child

The parent/whānau conference has a focus on sharing and discussing your child’s passions and strengths and provides you with the opportunity to share with us what your goals are for your child to focus on from the start of the year. It is a great opportunity to tell us a bit more about your child, how have they settled in from your perspective. Teachers will also share their observations of your child's strengths and self management skills.

Either before or after your 10-minute conference there will be an opportunity for...

• parents and children to look around the learning spaces, familiarising themselves if they are new to the Studio.

• students and parents to take home any newsletters and information relevant to their studio.

Term 2 | Progress Updates

Goal progress posts are shared with whānau via HERO. This information will identify the goals that your child is currently working on in the core curriculum areas and in their progress in our Learner Dispositions and School Values. These statements include a student reflection on their learning so far this year. Your child's achievement is also updated at the end of Term 2. 

Term 3 | Core Curriculum Conferences

These conferences provide a mid-year opportunity for parents and whānau to meet with their child's whānau teacher to discuss core curriculum progress and achievement. These conferences are booked online through HERO. 

Whānau and teachers have the opportunity to discuss the student's progress and celebrate their achievements in Literacy and Maths. During this time everyone has the opportunity to share what you and the teacher might do to support your child as they continue to progress and achieve their learning goals. This is also an opportunity to discuss the wider curriculum, the key competencies, our school values, and to reflect on the aspirations and focus areas discussed at the initial  whānau/teacher conference in Term 1.

Term 4

Goal progress posts are shared with whānau via HERO. This information will identify the goals that your child is currently working on in the core curriculum areas and in their progress in our Learner Dispositions and our School Values. These statements along with a student reflection, where your child will evaluate their progress toward their learning goals and how the year has progressed for them will end the year's reporting. 

Ongoing | Curriculum Progressions and Learning Goals

Your child’s progress across the curriculum areas of Reading, Writing, and Number and Algebra is shared via curriculum levels. These relate directly to the levels of the NZ Curriculum. Curriculum levels generally span two years of a child’s schooling. To better understand these levels please refer to the Ministry of Education’s NZ Curriculum Year and Levels Graphic below.

Progressions, or learning goals, relate directly to the Curriculum levels. Each curriculum level is broken down into learning goals (next steps) for students. You can see what goals have recently been achieved and the current goals set by teachers when you log into your child’s HERO account. This information can be viewed at any time by clicking on the ‘2024’ report icon.

Goals are reviewed and updated throughout the year by teachers as students provide evidence that they have achieved their learning goals. Students may revisit goals that have already been completed, to deepen their understanding, and to apply these skills in different contexts.

Ongoing | Progress Statements

Teachers will share learning posts (wider curriculum) on your child’s learning page each year. The purpose of these statements is to illustrate your child’s learning across the wider curriculum. These statements are accompanied by examples of your child’s learning that give relevant context to the curriculum area.

Teachers will also post a Leaner Disposition Statement twice per year highlighting your child’s strengths as a learner, their learning disposition focus area, and their understanding and ability to display our school values of:

 Manaakitanga

 Kaitiakitanga 

Whanaungatanga.

NZ Curriculum Achievement Objective Levels

The chart above shows how curriculum levels typically relate to years at a school. You can see that a curriculum level usually takes at least 2 years of learning. Learning is a complex process of mastering and applying skills and knowledge and is personal to each child. Consolidation and breadth of experiences are essential across all curriculum levels.

Curriculum Expectations

Because a curriculum level covers around two years of learning, we think of it as divided into three sections:

Beginning (the first third of the level 0-33%) eg: Level 2 Beginning = 2B

Proficient (the middle third of the level 33%-66%) eg: Level 2 Proficient = 2P

Additional opportunities...

During the year, each studio will have an open morning or afternoon - an opportunity for students to share their learning with their extended whānau. Invitations will be sent out via your child and/or through Hero, so that you can come in and see what your child has been learning and has achieved.

Studio updates about learning activities and trips, etc. are shared via Hero.

Studios will also have opportunities to present an assembly to showcase their learning. This will be starting in Term 1.

Parents are welcome to email the studio teachers to arrange a time to meet with the teachers if they have specific areas they would like to discuss about their child's learning journey. 

Studios are open from 8:15am each morning, so parents can pop in during this time to arrange a time with the whānau teacher. This is a great time for students to share their learning with their family/whānau.