Student learning data

Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) are used across Tasmania Government schools to monitor student progress in reading and mathematics from Prep to Year 10.

The Department for Education Children and Young People has determined year-level appropriate standards that are reasonable to expect the majority of students to achieve, with above minimal standards in order to inform appropriate monitoring over time.

Cautions when interpreting:

• System rates may not be representative of all students because participation rates, while high, do vary by school and year level.
• Proportions across year levels or tests are not directly comparable, as standards differ slightly due to the nature of tests at each year level.

Percentage of students achieving year-level appropriate standards for PAT Mathematics (2023, end-of-year)

Percentage of students achieving year-level appropriate standards for PAT Reading (2023, end-of-year)

• Proportion of students achieving Year-level appropriate standards for PAT (Literacy and Numeracy) (Excel, 25KB)

Kindergarten students are assessed by teachers against the Kindergarten Development Check (KDC), involving 21 developmental markers in the areas of Gross Motor Skills; Fine Motor Skills; Personal and Social Behaviour; Listening, Speaking and Understanding; and Cognitive Development.

In 2021, changes were made to how the gross motor marker was assessed. To provide some context for the methodology change, the table below shows KDC results for the proportion of students achieving 20 as well as 21 markers.

Kindergarten Development Check Results (2023)

• I1301 – Kindergarten Development Check (Excel, 24KB)

In 2021, the Gross Motor marker was changed to improve targeted supports for schools, families and children for 13 specific Gross Motor Skills ‘sub-markers’. The change meant assessment of Gross Motor skills moved from an ‘on balance’ assessment using the 13 ‘sub-markers’, to an assessment that requires all 13 to be met for a student to be assessed as meeting the ‘overall’ Gross Motor marker.

Students are assessed twice in their kindergarten year. The ‘percentage meeting markers’ shown above are based on second assessments towards the end of the school year.

The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check is part of the Department’s screening and assessment suite that supports improved student learning outcomes for all students.

The Check is a 5-to-7-minute screen administered by classroom teachers that indicates how their students are progressing in phonics. The screen includes 40 words, consisting of 20 real words and 20 pseudo words. The words are set each year to provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their ability to use their phonic knowledge to decode a word. The inclusion of pseudo words ensures that students will need to use their knowledge of letter/sound correspondences to blend through the sounds in the word to decode it correctly.

Students were considered to have met the expected achievement level if they correctly answered 28 or more items.