How to use this resource to support targeting student data
Using growth point data and this resource
Growth point data can be used at a whole-school, classroom and individual level to guide mathematics planning and should be considered in conjunction with other datasets such as Progressive Achievement Tests – Mathematics (PAT-M), NAPLAN and school-based assessments to make on-balance judgments.
At a whole-school level, data can be used to:
• identify trends within the school in relation to student achievement
• provide focus for content in professional learning team meetings
• track individual student progress and growth over time
• identify students who may be at risk; i.e. high or low attaining
• guide school participation in professional learning programs
• measure the effectiveness of the classroom teaching programs
At a classroom level, data can be used to:
• construct informed and balanced classroom programs and sequences of learning to meet the
needs of students
• provide teachers with specific information to target the learning needs of students by
identifying where students are in their learning and what they need to learn next
• identify and cater for students who may be deemed as at risk; i.e. high or low attaining
• update data through ongoing monitoring and assessment
• provide feedback to students on their learning and assist with goal setting
• inform parents, teachers and school leadership of student progress.
(Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools, 2021a)
The activities in this book are designed to provide classroom teachers with learning experiences and instruction that assist students in moving towards the next growth points in their whole number learning.
In this resource you will find a range of activities and templates for each of the growth points that can be used for whole-class teaching. The growth point activities are aligned to research-informed progressions of learning, and they increase in challenge as students improve their mathematics conceptual understanding.
The diagram below offers an example of how the activities can be structured so that students work mathematically and progress their understanding through demonstrating higher order thinking and skills.
Adapted from Mulligan & Mitchelmore (2016).
To support students in moving towards the next growth point, teachers should be clear on the mathematics focus of the task and use appropriate pedagogies to support the development of mathematics proficiency for all students.
For example, when looking at the spread of data for a particular group of students, identify which growth point (GP) the majority of students are at (i.e. GP 2) and then design the whole-class learning around activities identified at GP 3. Whole-class instruction can then be differentiated using extending and enabling prompts, together with the above-mentioned pedagogies to support students sitting outside this range.