Assessment that matters: The transformative potential of narrative assessment for students with special education needs

This paper suggests The New Zealand Curriculum Exemplars for Learners with Special Education Needs and the accompanying booklet, Narrative Assessment: A Guide for Teachers, can potentially transform the ways we think about teaching, learning, curriculum, pedagogy and assessment for the group of students considered most likely to be learning within level 1 of The New Zealand Curriculum for most of their time at school. The complex relationship of beliefs and practices around disability, curriculum, pedagogy and assessment are described. These beliefs and practices are the context for the development of the exemplars. The paper concludes with cautions and possibilities for the exemplars.