Using Formative (Diagnostic) Data to Plan for Instruction: NAPLAN Reading, Numeracy, Spelling & Grammar and Punctuation Presented by Philip Holmes-Smith.

Using Formative (Diagnostic) Using Formative (Diagnostic) Data to Plan for Instruction:Data to Plan for Instruction:

NAPLAN Reading, Numeracy, Spelling & NAPLAN Reading, Numeracy, Spelling & Grammar and PunctuationGrammar and Punctuation

Presented byPresented by

Philip Holmes-SmithPhilip Holmes-SmithSchool Research Evaluation and Measurement ServicesSchool Research Evaluation and Measurement Services

Overview of SessionOverview of Session

• Using Diagnostic Data to Plan for Instruction• Item Analysis – looking for guessing and misconceptions.

• Item Analysis – looking for required skills

• Zone of Proximal Development - Summarising strengths and weaknesses.

The Item Analysis ReportThe Item Analysis Report

Roughly equal numbers selecting each Roughly equal numbers selecting each of the wrong answers = guessing of the wrong answers = guessing

Nearly all students who got this wrong gave the Nearly all students who got this wrong gave the same wrong answer = common misconceptionsame wrong answer = common misconception

Correct = ?

Most common incorrect = ?

Year 3 Reading (Q16)Year 3 Reading (Q16)Year 5 Reading (Q10)Year 5 Reading (Q10)


A B C D

Year 3 25 7 58 8

Year 5 15 2 80 3

Correct = ?




A B C D

Year 5 27 16 5 51

Year 7 17 13 3 67

Correct = ?


Year 3 Numeracy (Q24)Year 3 Numeracy (Q24)Year 5 Numeracy (Q18)Year 5 Numeracy (Q18)


Responses A B C D

Year 3 48 25 12 13

Year 5 80 13 4 3

Year 7 Numeracy (N08)Year 7 Numeracy (N08)Year 9 Numeracy (N07)Year 9 Numeracy (N07)

Correct = ?


Responses A B C D

Year 7 23 10 3 64

Year 9 17 5 2 75



Correct = ?



Responses A B C D

Year 7 40 39 4 16

Year 9 49 33 4 14

Correct = ?




Responses A B C D

Year 3 9 57 27 6

Year 5 4 73 20 3

Suggested School activitiesSuggested School activities

The Student Response ReportThe Student Response Report

Choose “Student Response Report”

Choose dimension and then either “Item Order” or “Difficulty order”

The Student Response ReportThe Student Response Report

Data sorted by Item Difficulty and Student AbilityData sorted by Item Difficulty and Student Ability

Increasing Level of DifficultyIncreasing Level of Difficulty

Incr

easi

ng L

evel

of A

bilit

yIn

crea

sing

Lev

el o

f Abi

lity

Mostly correct Mostly incorrect

Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky)Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky)

The known: What students can already do independently.

Increasing Level of DifficultyIncreasing Level of Difficulty

Incr

easi

ng L

evel

Abi

lity

Incr

easi

ng L

evel

Abi

lity

Zone of Proxim

al Development:

What students a

re capable of le

arning with th

e assista

nce

of explici

t instr

uction from th

e teacher (s

caffolding).

The unknown: What students are incapable of learning before prior concepts are taught.

Summarising

strengths and weaknessessee SPA

Year 3 Reading – The Known(What students can already do independently)

Year 3 Reading – The Unknown(What students are incapable of learning before prior concepts are taught)

Year 3 Reading – The Zone of Proximal Development(What students are capable of learning with the assistance of explicit instruction from the teacher [scaffolding]

Diagnostic Testing (Feedback)Diagnostic Testing (Feedback)

• Hattie (2003)† shows that our most effective teachers (in terms of improving the learning outcomes of students) constantly use diagnostic information (Feedback) to inform their teaching.

Hattie (2009)* shows that using feedback (i.e. using diagnostic information about what each student can and can’t do to inform teaching) has one of the biggest impacts on improving student learning outcomes. (Effect size =0.73)2003: http://www.acer.edu.au/documents/RC2003_Hattie_TeachersMakeADifference.pdf 2009: Hattie, John. (2009). Visible Learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. NY: Routledge.

†*

http://www.acer.edu.au/documents/RC2003_Hattie_TeachersMakeADifference.pdf

Suggested School activitiesSuggested School activities• Use the currently available diagnostic tools such as:

– Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System,Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System,– Marie Clay Obs. Survey,Marie Clay Obs. Survey,– English English & Maths Online Maths Online (Government schools); ; SINE SINE (CEO schools),,– Probe 2Probe 2,,– Stars & Cars, Stars & Cars, – On-Demand Linear TestsOn-Demand Linear Tests..

• Develop your own diagnostic tests– As part of your curriculum planning process, think about the knowledge

and skills you will be covering in the upcoming unit of work and put together a pre-test to determine who knows what.

• Using diagnostic information– Whether you are using a pre-existing test or your own pre-tests, use this

diagnostic information to inform your teaching and learning activities and use them to inform your student groupings.

Using Formative (Diagnostic) Data to Plan for Instruction: NAPLAN Reading, Numeracy, Spelling & Grammar and Punctuation Presented by Philip Holmes-Smith.

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