Deputy Principal

PETER CUMMINS

Deputy Principal

Examinations and Assessments . . . . Building Resilience!

As this term quickly unfolds the focus for teachers and students alike, is the upcoming assessment period.

Students in Years 9, 10 and 11 will be sitting their Semester Written Examinations commencing Monday 20 November. This is a key educational experience that is of enormous benefit to students as they progress through their upper secondary years to VCE.

The Middle School Assessment Week begins on Monday 27 November. Here students sit summative assessment tasks (for each of their core subjects) that they have been preparing for during the course of the term. This year in Years 6 and 8, we have introduced Language & Literature and Mathematics Semester Tests, that give students the experience of preparing and sitting major assessments in these two key subject areas.

Assessment in its many forms is integral to all teaching and learning at Oakleigh Grammar. It is central to our goal of guiding students through the key elements of the learning process. It enables teachers to direct and drive student learning. It requires teachers to identify, gather and interpret information about student achievement, to provide feedback on the learning process.

Students across the school are assessed using a variety of strategies and tools, both formative (assessment for learning) and summative (assessment of learning). It is good teaching practice to gauge what it is that students have grasped, and what else they should know or be able to do. Formative assessment tasks allow teachers to provide students with feedback, targeted assistance, and coaching to improve student learning.

The exams and assessments should be seen as a learning experience designed to enable students to test their knowledge and understanding, to work under time constraints, and to become used to the pressure associated with formal examinations.

As with most situations in life, it is through practice, failure and success that people grow more comfortable with the challenge of difficult situations, and consequently build resilience.