💻 NSW Department of Education Check-In Assessment | Years 3-6

This term, our students will take part in the annual check-In assessment for all students in Years 3 - 6 in NSW Public Schools.

• What’s involved?
  All students will complete:

  • A reading test (around 50 questions)

  • A numeracy test (around 50 questions)

  • Year 6 students will also complete a writing assessment.

• Why do we do this?
  These assessments help us identify each child’s strengths and areas for growth in reading, writing, and numeracy. The information helps teachers plan the next steps in learning and provide the right level of support or extension.

📝 Spelling

At our school, we use the Triple Word Form Theory to help students become confident, accurate spellers. This approach teaches children to think about words in three ways:

1. Phonological (sound) – Breaking words into phonemes (sounds) and syllables to hear how they are put together.
   Example: “fan-tas-tic” has three syllables.

2. Orthographic (visual) – Recognising common spelling patterns, letter combinations, and rules (e.g., “i before e except after c”).

3. Morphological (meaning) – Understanding morphemes (meaning), like prefixes (un-), suffixes (-ed), or root words (help in helpful).

By combining sound, meaning, and visual patterns, students develop a deeper understanding of words, which improves both spelling accuracy and vocabulary. Here are some of the terms we use when teaching spelling: