Free courses for teachers - improving learning outcomes and setting quality assessments

Course 1: Leading the use of student data to improve learning outcomes

The course provides an opportunity for teachers to engage with different types of data, learn how to make the calculations and then to derive meaning from the data so that classroom practice can be positively impacted.

The course also aims to improve the ability of teachers determine the current needs of students based on data, how to use data to determine impact and also how to progress learning by providing targeted feedback based upon informed judgements.

• Tuesday 28 July - Leading a data dig: using Naplan, PAT and RAP analysis to understand students and guide teaching practice (part 1)
• Tuesday 4 August - Leading a data dig: using Naplan, PAT and RAP analysis to understand students and guide teaching practice (part 2)
• Tuesday 11 August - Means and standard deviations; what are they, how to calculate them in excel and what can they tell us
• Tuesday 18 August - Z scores: what are they, how to calculate them in excel and what can they tell us
• Tuesday 25 August - Effect Size: how to measure effect size and what does it mean?
• Tuesday 1 September - Qualitative surveys: how to do them and how to make meaning from them

About the sessions

• The course will be held across six lunchtimes from 12.50-1.30pm and will be available live via Zoom.
• A video link will also be made available after the course each day.
• To complete the course, which will provide four endorsed hours, participants will need to complete all six sessions and conduct an independent analysis of student data.
• You may choose to attend one session only and use this as teacher-identified PD.

NESA Registered PD

Completing this day will contribute four hours of NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Registered PD addressing 1.3.2 and 1.5.2 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient Teacher Accreditation in NSW.

>> Register

Course 2: Setting quality assessment: best practice in setting and marking

This course for academic staff focuses on the design of assessment, particularly examinations. The course will draw on experienced practitioners who will give insight into best practice assessment design based on HSC standards. The course will be interactive and teachers will engage in not just learning about best practice in writing assessments, but they will also write assessments to use with their classes or cohorts. Topics covered in the course include the starting point of assessment, mapping grids, band ranges, establishing criteria, piloting, moderation and feedback. Additionally, there will be a discussion about how best to backward map this through Departments.

• Thursday 30 July - HSC exams – what actually happens in the production and marking of exams?
• Thursday 6 August- Setting quality papers – mapping grids, band ranges, criteria.
• Thursday 13 August - Best practice in marking. Key principles from start to end.
• Thursday 20 August - Returning assessment and providing feedback.

About the sessions

• The course will be held across four lunchtimes from 12.50-1.30pm and will be available live via Zoom.
• A video link will also be made available after the course each day.
• To complete the course, which will provide three endorsed hours, participants will need to complete all four sessions and write sample questions to be reviewed by an expert panel.
• You may choose to attend one session only and use this as teacher-identified PD.
  

NESA Registered PD

Completing this day will contribute three hours of NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Registered PD addressing 1.3.2 and 1.5.2 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient Teacher Accreditation in NSW.

>> Register

How to register and more information

To register for the sessions, please visit this form. If you have any questions, please contact Sherry Bieman.