Using Formative (Diagnostic)
Data to Plan for Instruction:
NAPLAN Reading, Numeracy, Spelling &
Grammar and Punctuation
Presented by
Philip Holmes-Smith
School Research Evaluation and Measurement Services
Overview of Session
• Using Diagnostic Data to Plan for
Instruction
• Item Analysis – looking for guessing and misconceptions.
• Item Analysis – looking for required skills
• Zone of Proximal Development - Summarising strengths
and weaknesses.
The Item Analysis Report
Roughly equal numbers selecting each
of the wrong answers = guessing
Nearly all students who got this wrong gave the
same wrong answer = common misconception
Year 3 Reading (Q16)
Year 5 Reading (Q10)
Correct = ?
Most common incorrect = ?
Year 3 Reading (Q16)
Year 5 Reading (Q10)
A
B
C
D
Year 3
25
7
58
8
Year 5
15
2
80
3
Year 5 Reading (Q25)
Year 7 Reading (Q19)
Correct = ?
Most common incorrect = ?
Year 5 Reading (Q25)
Year 7 Reading (Q19)
A
B
C
D
Year 5
27
16
5
51
Year 7
17
13
3
67
Year 3 Numeracy (Q24)
Year 5 Numeracy (Q18)
Correct = ?
Most common incorrect = ?
Year 3 Numeracy (Q24)
Year 5 Numeracy (Q18)
Responses
A
B
C
D
Year 3
48
25
12
13
Year 5
80
13
4
3
Year 7 Numeracy (N08)
Year 9 Numeracy (N07)
Correct = ?
Most common incorrect = ?
Year 7 Numeracy (N08)
Year 9 Numeracy (N07)
Responses
A
B
C
D
Year 7
23
10
3
64
Year 9
17
5
2
75
Year 7 Numeracy (N23)
Year 9 Numeracy (N18)
Correct = ?
Most common incorrect = ?
Year 7 Numeracy (N23)
Year 9 Numeracy (N18)
Responses
A
B
C
D
Year 7
40
39
4
16
Year 9
49
33
4
14
Year 3 Numeracy (Q21)
Year 5 Numeracy (Q15)
Correct = ?
Most common incorrect = ?
Year 3 Numeracy (Q21)
Year 5 Numeracy (Q15)
Responses
A
B
C
D
Year 3
9
57
27
6
Year 5
4
73
20
3
Suggested School activities
The Student Response Report
Choose “Student
Response Report”
Choose dimension
and then either
“Item Order” or
“Difficulty order”
The Student Response Report
Increasing Level of Ability
Data sorted by Item Difficulty and Student Ability
Increasing Level of Difficulty
Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky)
Increasing Level Ability
The known:
What students can
already do independently.
The unknown:
What students are incapable
of learning before prior
concepts are taught.
Increasing Level of Difficulty
Summarising
strengths and weaknesses
see SPA
Year 3 Reading – The Known
(What students can already do independently)
Year 3 Reading – The Unknown
(What students are incapable of learning before prior concepts are taught)
Year 3 Reading – The Zone of Proximal Development
(What students are capable of learning with the assistance of explicit
instruction from the teacher [scaffolding]
Diagnostic Testing (Feedback)
• Hattie (2003)† shows that our most effective
teachers (in terms of improving the learning outcomes of
students) constantly use diagnostic information
(Feedback) to inform their teaching.
Hattie (2009)* shows that using feedback (i.e.
using diagnostic information about what each
student can and can’t do to inform teaching) has
one of the biggest impacts on improving student
learning outcomes. (Effect size =0.73)
† 2003: http://www.acer.edu.au/documents/RC2003_Hattie_TeachersMakeADifference.pdf
* 2009: Hattie, John. (2009). Visible Learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating
to achievement. NY: Routledge.
Suggested School activities
• Use the currently available diagnostic tools such as:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System,
Marie Clay Obs. Survey,
English & Maths Online (Government schools); SINE (CEO schools),
Probe 2,
Stars & Cars,
On-Demand Linear Tests.
• Develop your own diagnostic tests
– As part of your curriculum planning process, think about the knowledge
and skills you will be covering in the upcoming unit of work and put
together a pre-test to determine who knows what.
• Using diagnostic information
– Whether you are using a pre-existing test or your own pre-tests, use this
diagnostic information to inform your teaching and learning activities and
use them to inform your student groupings.