assessment results digitalised effects for teaching · for 25 years all pupils in grades 2-6, 8-12...

Assessment results digitalised–effects for teaching

PhD Ann-Sofie Selin, special education and reading teacherCygnaeus Elementary School, Turku/Åbo, Finland

4th Baltic Sea Conference on LiteracyTallinn 16–21 January 2020

4bscl Tallinn 18 January 2020; Assessment results digitalised –effects for teachingSpecial education and reading teacher, PhD [email protected]; [email protected]

The focus is on the pupils in first class. It is essential to catch the school beginners as they enter school, and to follow them onwards providing them with

the best available support for learning.


For 25years screening of all school beginners in Cygnaeus school

Results are gathered in

phonological awareness• segmentation

• initial letter identification

• blending/synthesis

letter knowledge and reading• capital and small letter identification

• level of reading, from cracking the code to irregular oradvanced word analyses


Within two weeks after school start we have a baseline for two purposes:

for preventive special and reading education, and for individualised class teacher support.

(Ingvar Lundberg and other researchers, Umeå-group)

Lundberg et al (2003)


For 25 years all pupils in grades 2-6, 8-12 years old, have been screened for word decoding and comprehension of various texts including combining figure and text, mathematical logic, graftsand reading at a glance. (Simple View of Reading by Hoover and Gough, 1990)


Formerly the calculations and analyses have been summarised in support of the class teachers, special education, student study teams and the day-to-day work for and with the pupil.

But the way of workingAnd the collected dataHas so much more potential


Leading by knowledge, the City of Turku/Åboeducational strategy, is looking for ways to combine research based teaching with collected data for best

practices. The project “Assessment results digitalised –effects for teaching” fits the purpose!

The project to digitalise the database is realised in collaboration with two computing experts Laura Kristola and Johannes Leppänen.


• Databank includes 25 years of screening results forming a frame of reference.

• Database is developed to react to data from current pupils in relation to peers and to the frame of reference that reveal a need of immediate teacher intervention and/or follow up screening. In grade one additional checkpoints of measure have been inserted for phonological awareness, letter knowledge and decoding, and basic mathematical concepts.


Data is fed to the database programed to alert

Example Grade #1 August: the pupil has low results in phonological awareness and/or low score in blending

> special ed 3 x 15min/week > October check point

> If development > pause >>> but the system will notify the teachers of a necessary follow-up at a later time.


Data is fed to the database programed to alert the teacher of a need of closer observations and possible intervention. Example Grades #2−6:

results in word reading and/or comprehension are outside the expected results -both below and above

compared to the norms or reference in the Databank and/or to the current cohort in the same grade level.


• The work is simultaniosly developed and piloted, assessed.

• The project provides a system from which to draw the knowledge for directing the needed resources to certain individuals. These are pupils in need of support beyond regular individualised teaching in the class room.

• It also serves administrative purposes. It can be used as a base for directing teaching resources. It provides both cross-sectional and longitudinal information on the individual pupil, classes and age groups and the whole school both horizontal and longitudinal. The aim is to make room for deeper analyses and individual planning as needed, and to better the education and professional development for all.

• The vision is to build on to the secondary school and beyonde.


Support education–ignorance is devastating

Thank you for your interest!


assessment results digitalised effects for teaching · for 25 years all pupils in grades 2-6, 8-12...

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