Teaching and Learning
Mr Snow
Semester 1 Assessment Update: Understanding How We Track Student Growth
As we reach the end of our Semester 1 assessment period, we would like to share an insight into the assessments our students have completed and how this information helps us support every learner.
At Skye Primary School, assessment is not just about collecting results, it is about understanding what students know, identifying areas for growth and making informed decisions about the teaching and support each student needs.
Throughout Semester 1, students have participated in three key assessment areas: DIBELS, LLARS and PAT Testing.
These assessments provide us with different pieces of information about student learning. Together, they help us build a clearer picture of each student’s progress and identify the next steps for individuals, year levels and the whole school.
DIBELS – Understanding Early Reading Foundations (All Year Levels)
DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) helps us understand the essential early reading skills students need to become successful readers.
DIBELS provides information about areas such as:
- Phonemic awareness — hearing and working with sounds in words
- Phonics and decoding skills
- Reading accuracy
Reading fluency and automaticity
This information helps teachers identify students who may need additional practice, targeted support or extension in specific areas of reading development.
For example, if a student is finding it difficult to blend sounds together to read words, teachers can use this information to provide focused support with decoding and word reading.
LLARS – Understanding Phonics Knowledge and Application (Foundation to Grade 2 Only)
LLARS gives us a detailed understanding of how students are developing their phonics knowledge and applying this knowledge when reading.
LLARS helps teachers understand:
- Which sounds and letter patterns students know
- How students decode unfamiliar words
- Whether students can apply taught phonics knowledge when reading
Reading accuracy, fluency and comprehension when reading decodable texts
This assessment helps us identify the specific point of learning for each student. For example, a student may need support developing sound knowledge, applying spelling patterns, blending words, or building automaticity when reading.
The purpose is not simply to know whether a student is “at level”; it helps us understand what the next most important teaching step is.
PAT Testing – Understanding Reading Growth and Comprehension (Grade 2 - Grade 6)
PAT Reading provides information about how students are developing as readers across a range of skills.
PAT Reading looks at areas including:
- Decoding and reading fluency
- Retrieving information from texts
- Understanding explicitly stated information
- Making inferences and interpreting implied meaning
Reflecting on texts and thinking critically about what they have read
PAT Reading achievement bands provide descriptions of the types of reading skills students are typically demonstrating at different levels of achievement, helping teachers understand progress and identify areas for continued growth.
What Does This Mean for My Child?
Assessment results are used to help answer three important questions:
1. What is my child doing well?
Teachers identify student strengths and celebrate progress.
2. What is the next step in their learning?
Teachers use assessment information to plan lessons and provide targeted instruction.
3. What support will help them continue to grow?
Students may receive additional practice, small group instruction, intervention support or extension opportunities.
Assessment helps us make sure students receive the right support at the right time.
How We Use Assessment Information
The most important part of assessment is what happens next.
Teachers use this information at three levels:
Individual Students
- Identifying strengths and learning needs
- Planning targeted instruction
- Providing additional support or extension
Classrooms and Year Levels
- Identifying common learning needs
- Adjusting teaching sequences
- Ensuring lessons respond to student needs
Whole School
- Monitoring progress over time
- Identifying trends
- Continuing to improve teaching practices and support structures
Our Commitment
Our goal is not simply to identify students who are finding learning challenging. Our goal is to create a system where every student is known, every learning need is identified early and every student receives the teaching and support needed to continue progressing.
We thank our students for their effort and commitment throughout the Semester 1 assessment period. The information gathered will continue to guide our teaching and learning as we move into Semester 2.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mr S