Required Assessments
There are two assessments reports you will need to submit to ensure your pre-service teacher passes their placement: the interum and final assessment report. The interim report needs to be submitted on day 10 of the placement, and the final report after the placement is complete. Both these forms can be submitted via the results web form.
It’s really important to send the interim report back mid-way through the pre-service teacher's placement, as it allows them to review and adjust their teaching. It also allows our placement team to set up a proper support plan for them, if required.
Pre-service teachers will also submit the interim and final assessment reports to their eLA. To assist with this, please be sure to give a signed copy of both these reports to your pre-service teacher. Please be sure to include the number of placement days the pre-service teacher has completed.
Standards of Assessment
The students are assessed against seven key standards. Each of these key standards has a number of different focus areas within them and are introduced at various stages throughout each placement.
- Standard 1: Know the students and how they learn
- Standard 2: Know the content and how to teach it
- Standard 3: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
- Standard 4: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
- Standard 5: Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning
- Standard 6: Engage in professional learning
- Standard 7: Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community
The standards which are being assessed are clearly outlined in the Pre-service Teachers Professional Experience Assessment Report (link).
Marking Assessments
At Swinburne Online, the grading system maps the pre-service teacher’s development over all placements throughout their degree. The marking levels aim to measure the frequency each pre-service students meets these standards. These are:
- Level 3: Consistently Operating at a Graduate Level
- Level 2: Consistent Progress.
- Level 1: Developing
- Level 0: A cause for concern. A support plan needs to be implemented
It would be unusual to see a student achieve a Level 3 in the first placement as this would mean they are already operating at a graduate level. Considering this, a good result for students in early practicums is a level 1 or 2 as it shows they are progressing according to the standards.
In contrast, a zero indicates a cause for concern and that intervention is needed. If this is raised at the halfway-point of the pre-service teacher placement, then we will put in place a support plan (link).
Please be aware that only Levels 0-3 can be indicated on a Professional Experience Assessment Report. Any other mark or result (including N/A) is invalid and will result in a student failing the placement.
Giving Constructive Feedback
Receiving constructive feedback on planning and delivery of lessons is an essential part of the pre-service teacher development. You can obviously give your feedback face-to-face throughout the placement, however there is a comments section that has also been included on the Assessment Report. We encourage you to fill this section out as it provides a really useful record for the student’s future planning/goal setting.
Australian Curriculum
Students at Swinburne Online use the Australian National Curriculum. Whilst the implementation of all key learning areas is being phased in across all states, it is expected that the students use the National Curriculum where applicable and refer to the local states syllabus for any other areas.