Essential Assessment is a comprehensive platform that combines the power of small data and big data to deliver both detailed, real-time insights for teachers and broader, system-wide analytics for school leaders. By focusing on both granular, student-specific learning progress and whole-school data trends, Essential Assessment supports responsive, differentiated teaching while empowering strategic decision-making at the leadership level.
Small Data: Granular, actionable insights
Essential Assessment operates in the realm of small data, focusing on the granular, real-time insights derived from continuous formative assessments like My Numeracy and My Literacy. These assessments capture detailed information about each student’s learning progress, allowing teachers to pinpoint where students excel and where they are struggling. Rather than relying on broad trends or predictions, Essential Assessment enables teachers to use small, actionable data points that inform everyday teaching practices.
Real-time personalised feedback: Teachers receive instant, individualised data on student performance, helping them identify specific learning gaps. With tools like My Numeracy and My Literacy, teachers can see exactly where each student is in their learning journey and provide targeted support to meet their needs.
Individual learning goals and progress monitoring: Each assessment generates personalised learning goals for students, based on the small data gathered from ongoing formative assessments. This gives teachers and students clear, actionable steps for improvement, focusing on immediate progress rather than waiting for larger testing cycles.
Tailored differentiation using ZPD: Essential Assessment dynamically adjusts assessment levels to align with each student’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). This fine-tuned approach allows teachers to differentiate their instruction and provide the right level of challenge and support for each learner.
Flexi-assessments offer customisation: Essential Assessment’s Flexi feature allows educators to create their own assessments by selecting specific strands, topics, or focus areas aligned with their classroom objectives. This flexibility enables teachers to tailor the quantity and focus of the assessment to suit their students’ current learning needs, offering an added layer of customisation beyond standard assessments. Whether assessments are topic-based or strand-based, this feature ensures that teachers can teach and assess in a way that fits their unique classroom context.
Teacher reflection and instructional adjustments: Small data from formative assessments allows teachers to reflect on student performance and adjust their instructional strategies accordingly. These real-time adjustments help address conceptual misunderstandings or errors, providing deep insights into individual learning processes that might be missed by larger datasets.
Authentic assessments and student self-Reflection: Essential Assessment’s tools, such as the Numeracy Sketchpad, end of assessment reflection survey and individual learning goal sheet enable students to reflect on their learning and thinking processes. This not only uncovers hidden learning patterns but also encourages a reflective, student-centred approach to personalising learning pathways.
Big Data: Curriculum-wide and whole school insights
While small data informs day-to-day classroom decisions, big data in Essential Assessment provides a broader view of educational progress across entire schools or systems.
- Curriculum-wide insights: Essential Assessment’s big data capabilities allow educators to track curriculum alignment across multiple students and classes, comparing progress to benchmarks like the National Learning Progressions. Schools can utilise this data to assess how different cohorts or classes are performing against curriculum standards, helping to inform resource allocation and targeted interventions.
- Whole school data analysis for leadership: School leaders can take advantage of Essential Assessment’s big data tools to review whole-school analytics. Data can be broken down by subject, year level, and key learning indicators, enabling leaders to make evidence-based decisions about which areas of the curriculum or student groups require additional support. This kind of data-driven insight is invaluable for school-wide strategic planning, helping leadership teams prioritise resources and tailor professional development efforts.
The power of small and big data
Essential Assessment combines the strengths of small data and big data, ensuring that both classroom teachers and school leaders have the tools they need to support student growth and school improvement. For teachers, small data provides real-time, actionable insights that allow for responsive and differentiated teaching. For school leaders, big data delivers a broader, system-wide view of performance, supporting evidence-based decision-making that drives long-term success.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Essential Assessment offers a unique balance of small data and big data. Teachers benefit from granular insights that support everyday instructional adjustments, while school leaders gain access to comprehensive analytics that inform strategic planning. This dual focus ensures that every student’s learning needs are met with precision and care while empowering schools to make data-informed decisions that improve overall educational outcomes.
Read more at:
https://cpl.nswtf.org.au/journal/semester-1-2017/next-big-thing-in-education-small-data/
