• Effective teachers of history understand the central role of student participation and constructive and co-ordinated assessment and reporting practices in advancing student learning.
• They understand the importance of developing key historical skills, including organising information chronologically, explaining historical issues, presenting material using historical conventions, locating sources, analysing oral, written and visual material, using concepts, synthesising and evaluating evidence, and developing arguments and interpretations based on evidence. To this end they develop regular assessment and reporting programs to provide students, care-givers and school authorities with timely and accurate feedback on student achievement and progress in the development of historical literacy.
• They aim to ensure that feedback to students recognises achievement, whilst clearly recommending directions for improvement.
• Effective teachers of history make judicious use of a wide range of formal and informal assessments.
• They seek to ensure that assessment tasks relate, in an authentic fashion, to student learning styles. As well, they draw on cultural and classroom experiences in a way that facilitates successful learning and allows students to make meaning out of history.
• Teachers of history attempt to meet the requirements of mandated testing programs without compromising their teaching goals or the learning needs of their students. They constantly use assessment information to monitor and re-evaluate their own short and long-term teaching and learning goals.

Key Points for Practice

How do my assessment and reporting strategies contribute to developing key historical skills and knowledge?

How do I evaluate the success of my own teaching? What steps are taken to ensure my teaching continues to develop successfully?

How do I meet my responsibilities for assessment and reporting to the various audiences within the school and in the wider community?