Ko te pae tawhiti whaia kia tataKo te pae tata whakamua kia tina

Seek out the distant horizonsAnd cherish those you attain

Making an OTJ At Your School

What is an OTJ ?“An OTJ draws on and applies the evidence gathered up to

a particular point in time in order to make a judgment about a student’s progress and achievement. Using a range of approaches allows the student to participate throughout the assessment process, building their assessment capability … No single source of information can accurately summarise a student’s achievement or progress. A range of approaches is necessary in order to compile a comprehensive picture of the areas of progress, areas acquiring attention, and what a student’s progress looks like.” (MOE, 2010)

Which of these could be valid reliable evidence for making an OTJ ?

What is evidence?

DiscussionWhat forms of evidence is your school currently

using to inform OTJs?Think about :• Formal• Informal• Recording of above

What is the purpose of each type of assessment?

Observation of ProcessEvidence gained from informal assessment opportunities:

Learning ConversationsEvidence arising from Learning Conversations:

Test OutcomesEvidence gained from assessment tools, including standardised tools:

•Focussed Classroom Observation•Student books and tasks•Running Records•Student peer assessment

•Conferencing•Interviewing•Questioning•Explaining•Discussing

•6 year Observation Survey•PAT•Star•E-asTTle/AsTTle V4•GLoSS and IKAN

Overall Teacher

Judgement

Sources of evidence to support OTJ:

Making an OTJ in Mathematics:Overall teacher judgements of progress and

achievement involve combining information from a variety of sources, using a range of approaches. Evidence may be gathered through the following three ways:

• Conversing with the student to find out what they know, understand and can do.

• Observing the process a student uses.• Gathering the results from formal assessments,

including standardised tools.This 'triangulation' of information increases the

dependability of the overall teacher judgement. Adapted from Fact sheet 7: Overall Teacher Judgement, MOE, 2010.

The Healthy Pyramid PracticeClassroom Assessment Information Source

Use Little

Use Some

Use Lots

For STRENGTH of information, use multiple samplings from multiple sources. NZEI Te Riu Roa and Lester Flockton, 2009.

Aligned to learning goals

The Healthy Pyramid PracticeClassroom Assessment Information Source

Use Little

Use Some

Use Lots

For STRENGTH of information, use multiple samplings from multiple sources. NZEI Te Riu Roa and Lester Flockton, 2009.

Aligned to learning goals

So what do you do with this collection of evidence?We use the following documents to make a

judgment using this collection of evidence.

• New Zealand Curriculum• The Number Framework book• National Standards

Also consider using illustrations and exemplars on nzmaths.

1 2 3 4 5

After 1 year

After 2

years

After 3

years

End of Y4

End of Y5

End of Y6

End of Y7

End of Y8

2 3

4 5 6 7 8

Curriculum levels

Mathematics Standards

Numeracy Strategy

Stages

Okay, so your teachers havemade their OTJs.

What’s the next part of the process?

What is moderation of OTJs?The process where teachers compare judgments to either confirm or adjust them.

What process do you use in your school?Consider :•How do you, as a leader, ensure consistency of OTJs across classes/levels/whole school? •How are you sustaining the moderation process ?•What are some of the challenges?

Requirements for effective moderation• Understanding the curriculum• Understanding numeracy framework (Book 1)• Understanding of standards• Provision of exemplars/illustrations• Deep content knowledge• Strong pedagogical and assessment knowledge/skills• School culture of ongoing professional learning• Reflective, secure professionals; open minded• Well developed interpersonal skills

Moderation also requires:• Consistency and collegial support around

difficult decisions around boundary areas. In national standards - ‘early’ and ‘at’.

• Have you discussed with your teachers how they have made decisions with these boundary areas? Are there clear processes in place in your school?

Moderation principles to consider• Equity (e.g. choice of topics; explicit criteria)• Fairness (e.g. visual impairment)• Comparability (equivalence of performance

characteristics) • Reference point (same, credible, dependable)• Dependability (representativeness; typical)• Sufficiency (data saturation; confidence in

repeatable performance)

What are the OTJ and moderation implications for your school?• What are you currently doing well?

• What aspects of evidence gathering may you need to develop further?

• How would you start or refine the OTJ process in your school?

• What further support do you need in this area?