Focusing the lens on assessment practices
He āta titiro ki ngā mahi aromatawai
Exemplars are examples of assessments that make visible learning that is valued so that the learning community (children, families, whānau, teachers, and beyond) can foster ongoing and diverse learning pathways.13
Book 1 of Kei Tua o te Pae defines documented and undocumented assessment as noticing, recognising, and responding. The first nine books of Kei Tua o te Pae provide some guidelines about what assessment to look for. They are assessments that:
- include clear goals (Book 1, page 9);
- are in everyday contexts (Book 1, page 12);
- protect and enhance the motivation to learn (Book 1, page 13);
- acknowledge uncertainty (Book 1, page 14);
- include the documentation of collective and individual enterprises (Book 1, page 16);
- keep a view of learning as complex (Book 1, page 18);
- follow the four principles of Te Whāriki (Book 2);
- are on the pathway towards bicultural assessment (Book 3);
- provide opportunities for the children to contribute to their own assessment (Book 4);
- provide opportunities for family and whānau to participate in the assessment process (Book 5);
- make a difference to: community, competence, and continuity (Books 5, 6, and 7);
- include infants and toddlers (Book 8);
- reflect and strengthen inclusion (Book 9).