Learning and Teaching
Data and Assessment
Recently, our Year 2–6 learners completed PAT assessments in Reading and Mathematics. Our Leaders of Pedagogy have undertaken a deep analysis of the data, identifying trends and celebrating areas of growth. We’re pleased to report that all year levels have demonstrated positive growth. We will share this data with staff next week and look forward to sharing it with you early next term.
ICAS
ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools) assessments by UNSW Global evaluate learners' skills in subjects like English and Mathematics from Year 2 to Year 12. These online tests assess reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary (English) and number skills, algebra, geometry (Mathematics). At St Mary's Primary School Echuca, learners are selected based on PAT Assessment data from Terms 1 and 2. The top 10 learners from each year group (Years 2-6) are invited to participate. ICAS assessments provide insights into learner academic strengths and areas for improvement, aiming to foster continuous learning and development in key subjects.
The Leadership Team of Pedagogy will analyse data from the PAT assessments and Essential Assessments to select the learners from each year group (Years 2-6) based on their scale scores. This rigorous selection process aims to celebrate academic excellence by identifying learners who demonstrate exceptional proficiency in English and Mathematics. Participating in ICAS assessments provides these learners with an opportunity to further challenge themselves, showcase their skills, and receive recognition for their achievements.
Data Champion
The Data Champion Award, at St Mary's Echuca, is to recognise learners who have shown exceptional academic growth over two terms. One learner from each year group will be presented with an award for most growth in Reading and in Mathematics.
The Data Champion Award encourages continuous learning and excellence, celebrating learners' significant strides in their academic journey. Our Data Champion awards for Years 2- 6 will be presented at the TERRIFIC Kid Assembly end of Term 2.
The concept of the Most Growth Award has been inspired by the insights from Data Champions Professional Development by Dr. Selena Fisk. This initiative emphasises data informed approaches to recognising and fostering the greatest personal growth.
The growth of learners has been taken from PAT R and M – End of 2024 to Term 2
Foundation and Year 1 - Will be awarded in Term 4 using data sets from the end of Term 2 to the end of Term 4.
Foundation
During this term in Religious Education, learners have been focusing on identifying celebrations within the Church, community, and at home. They explored and compared how their own families celebrate with the traditions of others. As part of this unit, learners and their families came together to participate in our first Foundation Liturgy of the year. Learners demonstrated respect and courage as they reverently carried out their roles and actively participated in the Liturgy.
This term, Foundation learners have been exploring shapes and their features. They engaged in hands-on activities such as shape hunts and creating shapes using playdough, pipe cleaners, and string. Learners identified shapes in their environment and described and classified them based on their features.
Year 3
Year 3 learners have been actively engaged in exploring various ways to represent data. They are developing a clear understanding of the difference between categorical and numerical data. Learners are now able to distinguish between the two and can identify whether the data collected represents categorical or numerical information, based on the nature of the responses.
As part of this learning, the Year 3 learners have been analysing real-world data from the Bureau of Meteorology to identify examples of discrete numerical data, such as daily rainfall amounts. This has supported their ability to interpret and apply data in meaningful contexts.