Classroom Assessment Practices in English and Mathematics at Years 5, 7, and 9

This research reports on the assessment practices of teachers in New Zealand classrooms including:

• the assessment tools and strategies that are being used
• why particular assessments are used
• which assessments teachers find most useful.

While teachers use a variety of assessment tools and strategies as a basis for:

• informing future teaching
• monitoring students' progress
• reporting to parents.

they show a clear preference for teacher- or school-developed strategies for assisting the teaching and learning process.

This study provides valuable baseline data which will allow changes in teachers' assessment practices to be tracked over time. The data will also be useful for identifying the kinds of support that teachers need to help improve their assessment practices.