Assessment for School Success

Abstract

This article examines a national educational system that is founded on the premise that the individual student is the center of all learning and teaching. By drawing on her first-hand knowledge and experiences, the author presents an overview of the New Zealand student-centered curriculum. Central to this overview is: (a) a brief discussion of the beliefs New Zealand educators and the community have about children’s learning, (b) an examination of the guiding principles that underlie the assessment of children’s learning and how these translate into practice, and (c) a discussion of issues of accountability at the local and national levels of the educational system.

The Role of Feedback in Enhancing Students’ Self-regulation in Inviting Schools

“…Within the literature on Invitational Education, Maaka (1999) is one of few scholars to highlight how assessment and feedback conducted in an inviting environment can facilitate students to reach their full potential. Reflecting on her valuable experiences teaching in Hawaii and New Zealand, she emphasized that student-centered data from assessments should be reported in ways that could maximize the benefits for each student.…”