Using the assessment data to improve learning
For test security reasons, you will not have a copy of the actual assessment that the student undertook. If possible, have students reflect on the assessment immediately after completion. (This could even be set as a writing or speaking task!)
Here are some questions you could ask:
- Which question(s) did you find easy? Why were they easy? As students don’t have a copy of the test, they may not be able to refer to specific questions but may only give their general impression of the test.
- Which question(s) did you find hard? Why were they hard?
- When you couldn’t understand something, what did you do? Did you use ‘sounding out’ to work out what the word was? Did you continue reading to get more information about the topic?
Make sure to set aside time to analyse the student reports because information from student reports is very useful in planning for future teaching and learning programs. For example, the descriptors in the report should give you a good idea of the assessment items.
Discuss with the student their results against the expectations you negotiated prior to the assessment. Identify areas of achievement, including if relevant the successful negotiation of a computer-based test, but also clearly indicate how you and the student/class will work together to achieve the indicators not yet achieved. This achievement does not have to be demonstrated by another RVEAL assessment, but could be done in other formal and informal assessments.