St Therese’s Community Parish School, Wilcannia, NSW, assessment is a small remote school with two multi-age classes spanning Years 1 to 6. In Term 1, 2026, 21 students completed a Number and Algebra Common Grade Assessment. The purpose was not to report achievement, but to establish a clear starting point and support the teacher to respond to the specific concepts students were ready to learn next.
Understanding where learning breaks down
The assessment identified significant variation across the school. Year 1 students demonstrated a strong early foundation, while accumulated gaps were evident across Years 2 to 6. The most pronounced gaps were found in Years 5 and 6, where the most significant distance from the expected curriculum benchmark was evident, helping educators identify the prerequisite concepts requiring further teaching. These results gave the teacher a clearer picture of where learning had been secured and where further teaching was required.
An educator from this school explained that Essential Assessment (EA) helped her see more than whether a student had answered correctly; students could sometimes succeed when a concept was presented in a familiar way but struggle when the representation changed or when verbal reasoning was required. This insight allowed her to revisit concepts with greater precision.
“It’s already made a bit of a difference … and we’re only just at the beginning.”
Data that informs the next teaching decision
The educator identified the MTSS reporting as particularly valuable. It quickly surfaced common learning needs across the class, supporting decisions about whether a concept required whole-class teaching, small-group intervention, or individual support. In a multi-age setting, this visibility reduced the need to rely on broad assumptions and helped teaching begin from evidence.
Daily Review informed by assessment evidence
EA’s Daily Review was described as more targeted than previous approaches. The Daily Review Planner translated assessment evidence into explicit learning goals across understanding, fluency, problem-solving, and reasoning, with a built-in check for understanding. The educator used this to plan purposeful mini-whiteboard activities and short review sequences focused on the concepts students most needed to consolidate.
Students engaged in learning
Short, focused assessments and immediate feedback helped students see progress, experience success, and build confidence.
“The students are really loving the EA maths.”
What this demonstrates
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