Understanding and measuring development in learning
Understanding and measuring development in learning is in many ways the Holy Grail in education.
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If we understand how learning develops, then we more readily know where students are in their learning and what they need to learn next.
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If we can measure development in learning, we can evaluate how successful our teaching has been.
The Brightpath Assessment and Reporting Software draws on extensive research undertaken through the University of Western Australia to understand how learning develops and as a result there are reports within Brightpath that allow teachers to monitor student growth over time.
Students are mapped against the Brightpath scales showing details on where they are in their learning and what they need to learn next.
Brightpath Learning Progressions
We have summarised the data we have collected from student assessments within the Brightpath software. This provides empirical information about learning development.
You can download the learning progressions for the Narrative and Persuasive writing (Pre-Primary to year 6), Recount and Oral narrative for early years, and Number and Algebra and Measurement and Geometry scales for year levels 2-6.
Interpreting the figures
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In the middle is the Brightpath scale.
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To the left of the scale is an abridged version of the Brightpath performance descriptors.
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To the right, we have plotted student achievement data per year level.
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The median score is indicated by the black arrow pointing to the scale.
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The box shows the score range that 50% of students have achieved.
Figure 1 - Brightpath Narrative Learning Progressions
Using this information in your school
The information in the Brightpath Learning Progressions is likely to:
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help you review your school scope and sequence documents
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lead to good discussion about the spread of ability at a year level and the overlap of ability across year levels
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support teachers in talking about the need to differentiate their teaching and perhaps give them ideas of how they ensure the work involved in differentiating is manageable
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understand student performance data relative to the Australian Learning Progressions.