by Jacinta Browning, Senior Adviser Curriculum, Assessment & Pedagogy, Essential Assessment
Essential Assessment supports the development of Resilient, Resourceful and Reflective learners by embedding assessment routines that sit alongside learning, not on top of it. The platform is designed to normalise productive struggle, encourage strategic thinking, and promote thoughtful reflection on progress.
Resilient Disposition
Embracing challenge, learning from mistakes, and persisting with confidence
How Essential Assessment helps:
- Low-stakes, formative assessment (e.g. My Numeracy, Daily Review, Check for Understanding) allows students to engage with mathematics without the pressure of “one-off” tests.
- The use of “I don’t know yet” options and non-penalising question flows normalises uncertainty and encourages students to keep going rather than disengage.
- Assessment across multiple curriculum levels helps students experience success while still being challenged within their Zone of Proximal Development.
- Growth is tracked over time, helping students see that improvement comes from persistence rather than speed or perfection.
Disposition link:
Students learn that mistakes are part of learning and that effort leads to growth.
Resourceful Disposition
Using strategies, tools, and connections to solve problems
How Essential Assessment helps:
- EA Questions are curriculum-aligned and diagnostic, prompting students to draw on prior knowledge and apply strategies rather than guess.
- Teachers can use strand, topic and misconception data to explicitly teach multiple strategies, supporting flexible problem-solving.
- Classroom use often includes whole-class discussion, modelling and comparison of strategies informed by assessment evidence.
- The platform supports collaborative teaching decisions, enabling teachers to group students strategically and provide targeted support.
Disposition link:
Students develop confidence in choosing and applying strategies, not just recalling procedures.
Reflective Disposition
Thinking about thinking, monitoring progress, and responding to feedback
How Essential Assessment helps:
- Students can see clear learning goals and understand what they know and what comes next.
- Ongoing formative data supports reflection conversations between students and teachers: What worked? What didn’t? What will I try next time?
- Teachers use growth and progression views to help students reflect on progress over time, not just current performance.
- Reflection is built into assessment routines through review cycles rather than end-point judgements.
Disposition link:
Students become more aware of their learning processes and take increasing ownership of improvement.
We’d love to help South Australian schools in fostering growth in primary Maths and English. Start your free trial today or get in touch to discuss your needs.
