Assignment: CASE STUDYWord count3000 words (+/- 10%)DescriptionThis assessment is designed to link theory and practice. You are required to draw on your own...

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT        4
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT
Table of contents
1. Introduction    4
2. Critical Review of Current Assessment Practices    4
2.1 Understanding and Policies    4
2.2 Pedagogy and Practices    5
2.3 Use of Data    6
2.4 Equity and Consequences    7
3. Alignment with Contemporary Literature    8
3.1 Comparison with Theoretical Frameworks    8
3.2 Critical Analysis    9
4. Recommendations for Improvement    10
4.1 Focus Area 1: Diversifying Assessment Methods    10
4.2 Focus Area 2: Enhancing Data Literacy    11
4.3 Focus Area 3: Promoting Equity in Assessment    11
4.4 Focus Area 4: Increasing Student Agency    12
4.5 Focus Area 5: Supporting Mental Health and Well-being    13
5. Conclusion    14
References    16
1. Introduction
Aim High Senior High School is an Independent Public School situated in suburban Perth; it has a vision that focuses on academic achievement, and care for the students as well as development of their potential. As a co-educational institution, Aim High has students comprising of both genders and the institution aims at preparing the students for the best irrespective of the gender. In light of the above, the following report analyses the school’s assessment practices in relation to its educational setting as well as in regard to contemporary literature on educational assessment. The goal is to signify several recommendations for improvements concerning the school’s presently current assessment practices as well as for development with reference to the Sandford’s inclusive and equity goals.
2. Critical Review of Current Assessment Practices
2.1 Understanding and Policies
At Aim High Senior High School the school operates an elaborate assessment policy that outlines the manner in which students will be evaluated and the use of the evaluated results. Some of the expectations that are well articulated on the policy include the use of formative and summative assessments besides the goals, strategies and plan for the two. The formative assessments are not given with intent of giving scores but rather to offer formative feedbacks to the students as well as to inform instructional changes. A summative assessment applies to situations whereby one has to assess the students’ knowledge and skills at the end of a learning period, including final exams and tests, and standardized tests.
The policy is evident as a way of upholding the quality of academic output as well as ensuring proper moderation of the assessments across the school. Nevertheless, there are significant difficulties in the organization of this policy. On the one hand the policy encourages formative assessment together with summative, in effect there is relative overemphasis on summative in the form of standard tests and exams (Long, French & Brooks, 2020). This preoccupation with standard measures may obscure the formative processes of assessment often cutting down chances for students to develop self regulated forms of learning and to be provided with information that will facilitate their learning progress in the course of the learning year.
Besides, it can be done across different subjects and grade levels and offer different ways of how assessments should be developed and conducted. Some of the teachers may actually stick to the American way of handling things as it is being recommended, while there are others who may teach in a rather relaxed manner, and this makes the situations to be easily characterized by likelihood of variation in terms of experiences that students are subjected to as well as their performances.
2.2 Pedagogy and Practices
In general, the intended approach at Aim High is to combine both conventional and up-to-date forms of assessment techniques. In the classroom formative assessment can be in the form of quizzes, class discussions, peer assessments and oral presentations with an intent of the teacher to check on understanding and give instant feedback to students. Such assessments are meant to be non-penalty and meant to compel the students to afford maximum participation in the content being learned (Montero-Odasso et al., 2021). Nevertheless, the many and varied formative assessments used show again a strong inclination toward the use of summative assessments in deciding the final grade. Academic accomplishments as reflected by normal and terminal assessments are regarded as the only key success factors hence placing lots of pressure on students. Focusing on these high stakes exams can eventually promote a negative attitude to learning; this is because students will only be preparing to pass exams via memorization and not by developing their critical thinking, or problem solving skills.
In addition, assessing for learning at Aim High is not too stratified to allow for differentiation, and most of the time, has a standardized practice. For illustration, learners with learning disabilities; ESL or learners with gifted non-academic skills may be disadvantaged in a system that relies heavily on testing. Such absence of distinct forms can lead to differences in academics among the students and may be counterproductive to the school’s policies of equal learning for all.
2.3 Use of Data
Interim assessment data is used for instructional purposes and to facilitate teaching at Aim High Senior High School. Data management is done in the school in order to monitor the progress of students learning, learning difficulties, as well as the need to effect changes on the required student learning areas. As a result, it is assumed that assessment information will be used by teachers to modify their teaching and learning practice for individual students, and to support this practice where required.
Nevertheless, the utility of this data-driven approach relies on teachers’ data literacy level that is not equal within the school. There are teachers that are very good at analyzing and interpreting assessment data while there are teachers who have a lot of difficulty in mechanical aspects of data analysis. As a result, there can be differential uses of assessment data in support of the learning processes of the students. Teachers with low self- efficacy to conduct data analysis may heavily incline on standard form of assessment and this hinders them to deliver differentiated instructions as well as meeting the needs of their students.
In addition, reliance on the numerical evidence of student successes brings with it the problem of overemphasizing numerical scores and performance indicators of students and overlooking other characteristics of the student that are not precisely amenable to a numerical analysis. For instance, creativity, interpersonal skills, and perseverance are not amenable to quantification through summative assessments, but they are some of the skills that students need to learn in order to succeed...