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

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.  The School Entry Assessment is nationally normed, which means that a child's results are compared to the average levels of children across New Zealand.  Parents will receive a written report based on this Transition to school Assessment and are invited to attend a parent-teacher conference, approximately 6 weeks after the child starts school.  

Ongoing Assessments - formative and summative

As children move through their schooling they will have regular assessments in the core subject areas of Reading, Writing and Maths, so that we can continue to monitor their progress.

Assessments in Reading include:  PM/PROBE Reading assessments, e-asTTle Reading (from Year 4)and independent Reading tasks - ARB.

Other Literacy based assessments include:  Oral Language skills, Spelling and Phonics assessments.

Assessments in Maths include: JAM (Junior Assessment in Mathematics Year 1-3), e-asTTle Maths (from Year 4 -8), Number Knowledge Assessments - focusing on: basic facts, place value, fractions, number sequence can be used from Year 3 -8. 

Assessments in Writing include: e-asTTle Writing and SAST spelling (from Year 2)

Effective reporting of student/ākonga progress and achievement across the curriculum requires more than one-way transmission of information from teacher or student to parent. It requires meaningful, ongoing information sharing processes where the roles and expectations of students/ākonga, teachers, parents, whānau, and the wider community are clear.

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 begin to see some of the features of what your child's learning goals are for Reading Writing and Maths over the course of the year.

Formal

Term 1

Meet the teachers - Family Picnic afternoon

Parent/Teacher Conferences - an opportunity to tell us a bit more about your child, how have they settled in from your perspective and what your goals for your child are for this year. Teachers will also share their observations of your child's strengths and self management skills as well as current assessment information and areas to focus on with you.

Term 2

Progress updates are shared with whānau. This information will identify the areas your child is currently working on, progress made in the core curriculum areas and in their progress in our Learner Dispositions. These statements include a general statement from the studio teachers and a student reflection on their learning so far this year.

 Term 3

3 Way Conferences - these conferences are booked online. Whānau and teachers have the opportunity to discuss the student's progress report and students will take a lead role in sharing the highlights (what they are most proud of) in a range of areas in their school life so far and identify their next steps for learning- what they want to achieve in the second half of the year.

Term 4

Progress and Achievement statements are shared, this will have a student reflection section, where your child will evaluate their progress toward the goals they had set in Term 2. Any follow up meetings with parents are held after these reports have been shared - where necessary.

Informal

Each term, 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 2.

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.