139This chapter discusses the findings from the trial of the rubric in the Bachelor of
Education (Primary)/Bachelor of Arts double degree in 2015, with 438 third- and
fourth-year preservice teachers across 172 schools in South Australia. The findings
suggest that the use of the rubric resulted in a qualitative difference in preservice
teachers’ conversations with their supervising teachers, school coordinators and
teacher educators. When using the rubric, conversations about teaching were com-
prehensive and complex and clarified the various roles in the formative assessment
processes. Furthermore, the focus of conversations shifted from what has previously
seemed to be intuitive judgements towards evidence-informed practice that was
appropriate to the context. Whilst there was a mindfulness of the need for a formal
summative assessment of learning as a judgement of preservice teacher capability,
the conversations now epitomised the language of assessment for learning. The
rubric was actively used from the outset of the placement conversations to review,
shape, plan and enact preservice teachers’ learning goals. Our findings uncovered
that the rubric encouraged better learning and engagement, strengthened the rela-
tionship between the School of Education and the host schools and encouraged
preservice teachers to become active agents of their own learning.
The Developmental Assessment Rubric
The backward mapped rubric describes preservice teachers’ emerging capabilities
in three levels as they develop their professional practice to graduate level across the
37 focus areas of the APST. The rubric also includes the proficient level as a fourth
element to accommodate those students who are already achieving this level.
‘Backward mapping’ is defined as the process that educators use to design learning
experiences and instructional techniques to achieve specific goals. ‘One starts with
the end – the desired results (goals or standards) – and then derives the curriculum
from the evidence of learning (performances) called for by the standard and the
teaching needed to equip students to perform’ (Wiggins & McTighe, 2000 , p. 8).
The novice level outlines an expectation that for most APST focus areas, preser-
vice teachers will already have an awareness and appreciation of the significance of
specific aspects of classroom teaching. At the novice level, it is understood that
preservice teachers may possess limited domain-specific knowledge and basic skills
to complete focused tasks. It is also considered reasonable that at this level, preser-
vice teachers will require considerable guidance in implementing teaching plans. At
the emerging level, there are increased expectations of preservice teachers to
research, plan and implement more complex teaching activities with increasing
independence and to undertake informed critique of their teaching practices and
students’ learning performances.
The graduate level, as outlined by the APST, expects preservice teachers to have
developed a sophisticated capacity to plan and carry out complex teaching respon-
sibilities and attend to the diverse needs of students. It is expected that through their
engagement in the classroom and the school, preservice teachers will generate valid
9 Using a Developmental Assessment Rubric to Revitalise Stakeholder Conversations...