Recognising Misconceptions: The Key to Unlocking Progress
“Moments of contingency are moments of potential in a classroom,” notes Dylan Wiliam. He’s reminding us that those small, spontaneous moments where students reveal their thinking are exactly where real learning happens. But that potential is only realised if we respond with precision and purpose. Carl Hendrick drives this home: “Assessment is not about what […]
MTSS and Curriculum-Aligned Assessment: A Connected View of Student Learning
In Australian classrooms, ensuring every student receives the right level of support at the right time isn’t just a goal—it’s a necessity. With the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement – Full and Fair Funding (2025–2034) positioning Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) as a key national reform, schools are moving toward a systematic, evidence-informed approach to […]
Building Assessment-Capable Learners through Intentional Assessment Routines
A case study: St Mary’s and St Laurence’s, Catholic Primary Schools, Dubbo At the commencement of 2026, St Mary’s School, Dubbo and St Laurence’s, Dubbo, both located within the Diocese of Bathurst, identified the development of assessment-capable students as a shared strategic priority. Both schools are long-standing subscribers to Essential Assessment (EA), with established assessment […]
A Mathematics Achievement & Growth Case Study
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School in Kincumber partnered with Essential Assessment to support clear, consistent assessment practices and performance. Holy Cross Catholic Primary School is a warm, community-centred K–6 school of approximately 296 students within Catholic Schools Broken Bay (CSBB). Over the past three years, the school has worked deliberately to build consistent, curriculum-aligned assessment […]
A Whole-School Commitment to Progress at Tambrey Primary
Tambrey’s integrated growth narrative, with a future focus Tambrey Primary School, located near Karratha in Western Australia, is named after one of the district’s earliest cattle stations. The school serves the suburbs of Tambrey, Jingari, Nickol, and Nickol West, and caters to approximately 700 students from diverse social and cultural backgrounds. With an Index of […]
Growing and Thriving Through Assessment: Marymount’s Data Journey
Marymount Catholic Primary School, Burleigh Waters, part of the Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) network, has been an Essential Assessment (EA) subscriber since September 2023, embedding assessment for learning as a cornerstone of its data-informed teaching practice. Serving 980 students across 38 classes, Marymount school has demonstrated a deliberate and strategic approach to using assessment data to strengthen […]
English Assessment in Practice: Clarity, Consistency, and Curriculum Alignment Webinar (Subscriber-only)
English VIC 2.0 Assessment in Practice: Clarity, Consistency, and Curriculum Alignment (F-10) Webinar (Subscriber-only)
How can NAPLAN and Essential Assessment be used together?
by Jacinta Browning, Assessment & Analytics Consultant How can NAPLAN and Essential Assessment (EA) be used together to build a clearer, more accurate picture of student learning? This blog unpacks what NAPLAN reliably shows, what EA adds to the picture, and how the two can work in conjunction to strengthen mathematics teaching and learning. What […]