MIDDLE YEARS LITERACY

AND NUMERACY SUPPORT

MYLNS ASSESSMENTS 2020

A guide for Improvement Teachers,

Network Teachers and School Leaders
CONTENTS
SECTION 1: OVERVIEW................................................................................................................. 3
MYLNS.......................................................................................................................................... 3
ABOUT THE MYLNS ASSESSMENTS.........................................................................................3
TIMING OF THE ASSESSMENTS................................................................................................4
WHAT IS BEING ASSESSED.......................................................................................................4
ELIGIBLE STUDENTS..................................................................................................................6
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES................................................................................................6
PRIVACY...................................................................................................................................... 6
SECTION 2: SUPPORTING STUDENT PARTICIPATION..............................................................7
SUITABILITY OF THE ASSESSMENT FOR INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS........................................7
SUPPORTING AND PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE ASSESSMENTS................................7
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND ADDITIONAL LEARNING NEEDS..................................8
EAL LEARNERS........................................................................................................................... 8
SECTION 3: ASSESSMENT ADMINISTRATION..........................................................................10
ACCESSING THE ASSESSMENTS...........................................................................................10
PREPARING FOR THE ASSESSMENTS...................................................................................10
ASSESSMENT STRUCTURE.....................................................................................................10
ADMINISTERING THE ASSESSMENTS....................................................................................12
Assessment duration................................................................................................................ 12
Accessibility options and reasonable adjustments....................................................................12
Additional materials and resources...........................................................................................13
SECTION 4: USING THE ASSESSMENT DATA...........................................................................15
THE ASSESSMENT REPORTS.................................................................................................15
USING THE DATA TO UNDERSTAND STUDENT CAPABILITIES AND NEEDS......................16
USING THE DATA TO PROMOTE STUDENT LEARNING........................................................17
Engaging students and parents/carers in analysis of the data..................................................17
Using the data to track learning over time................................................................................18
Using the data to build the capability of other teachers............................................................18
USING THE DATA FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PURPOSES..............................................18
SECTION 5: HELP AND SUPPORT..............................................................................................21
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE........................................................................................................ 21
OTHER ASSISTANCE & QUERIES ABOUT THE ASSESSMENTS...........................................21

© State of Victoria (Department of Education and Training) 2020

The MYLNS Assessments 2020: A guide for Improvement Teachers, Network Teachers and School Leaders is
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SECTION 1: OVERVIEW
This guide is designed to support Improvement Teachers, Network Teachers and school leaders to
understand and implement the Middle Years Literacy and Numeracy (MYLNS) Assessments 2020
(the MYLNS assessments). It includes guidance on how the assessments can support the teaching
and learning of students participating in MYLNS and how to incorporate the assessments in the
implementation of MYLNS in line with a whole school assessment approach.

MYLNS
The MYLNS initiative provides funding to government secondary schools to help improve
outcomes for students who are at risk of finishing school without the literacy or numeracy skills
they need for future work, education and training.
In 2020, every secondary school will be funded to have at least one teacher released to undertake
the role of a Literacy Improvement Teacher or Numeracy Improvement Teacher, or Network
Teacher. Their role is to work directly with students and, for Improvement Teachers, to build the
capability of other teachers. This will involve using assessments, along with other information and
evidence, to understand what students know and can do, what they need to learn next, and how
they are progressing as they receive support through MYLNS.
For more information on the MYLNS initiative see: Getting Started: A guide for school leaders,
Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers

ABOUT THE MYLNS ASSESSMENTS

The MYLNS assessments have been developed by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment
Authority (VCAA) specifically for students receiving direct teaching support through MYLNS. These
assessments are aligned to the Victorian Curriculum and are freely available via the VCAA online
platform that is supporting the Digital Assessment Library (DAL).
The MYLNS assessments provide an additional validated source of data for Improvement
Teachers and Network Teachers to make judgements about where students are in their learning
against the achievement standards in the Victorian Curriculum. When triangulated with other data,
this will assist in planning their direct support through differentiated curriculum implementation, with
adapted instruction and interventions to respond to the needs of students.
While they are not mandatory, administering the MYLNS assessments during the recommended
assessment periods is highly encouraged, as it will:
 generate data that provides an indication of where students are at in the learning continuum
and, when combined with other assessments, will help inform the development of personalised
learning plans and targeted interventions
 provide sufficient time in between assessment periods to assist in reviewing and monitoring
progress in students’ learning
 enhance professional learning opportunities by highlighting areas for further inquiry to inform
the facilitation of regional MYLNS Communities of Practice and Professional Learning
Communities within schools.

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 Implementation of the MYLNS initiative will be considered by schools as part of their
continuous improvement processes, including the Framework for Improving Student Outcomes
(FISO) Improvement Cycle. Schools may draw on the MYLNS assessments as an additional
source of information to inform these processes, including implementation of the Essential
Elements and the curriculum planning and assessment high-impact improvement initiative as
identified in FISO.
Along with other relevant information, schools may refer to the MYLNS assessments when
considering their curriculum plans and aspects such as curriculum standards, learning goals,
teaching strategies and learning progress.
Assessment is an essential element of quality teaching and learning. Effective teachers embed a
range of relevant assessment strategies into their curriculum plan so they can monitor student
learning, provide feedback to students and make adjustments to their teaching strategies as
required.
Just as a single assessment instrument cannot provide a definitive summary of a student’s ability,
the MYLNS assessments are not intended as a single assessment of a student’s level, learning
needs and expected progress in literacy or numeracy. Rather, they complement the range of
formative and summative assessment tools and strategies embedded in the instructional practice
of teachers.

TIMING OF THE ASSESSMENTS

The recommended assessment periods for administering the MYLNS assessments are:
 MYLNS Assessments Term 1 2020 – administered between Week 7 and Week 9 (10
March to 27 March 2020)
 MYLNS Assessments Term 3 2020 – administered in late Term 3 (test window to be
confirmed).
The MYLNS assessments will also be available outside these assessment windows. However,
administering the assessments during the recommended assessment windows will better enable
measurement of student progress to inform teaching and learning.

WHAT IS BEING ASSESSED?

The MYLNS Assessments Term 1 2020 and the MYLNS Assessments Term 3 2020 each include
separate assessments for students receiving literacy support and for students receiving numeracy
support. Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers can choose the assessment that aligns
with the domain of direct support that they are focusing on with their students. These assessments
include:
 MYLNS Assessment for literacy support students (literacy assessments) – covers the
Reading and Viewing mode of the English Curriculum Levels 5-9, including the Language,
Literature and Literacy strands
 MYLNS Assessment for numeracy support students (numeracy assessments) – covers
all aspects of the Mathematics Curriculum Levels 5-9, including the Number and Algebra,
Measurement and Geometry and Statistics and Probability strands.
The students prioritised for support through MYLNS have a diverse range of abilities and learning
needs. Some may have had negative experiences with assessment in the past and disengaged
from learning. Some students are likely to have more complex learning needs and some are
operating several years below their expected level, or lower.

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The MYLNS assessments use multi-stage computer branched adaptive testing. This tailored
assessment design encourages students to stay engaged with the assessment and allows for
greater measurement precision of a student’s proficiency across a broad range of knowledge and
curriculum content.
The MYLNS Assessments Term 1 2020 will provide data to help determine where students sit
against the achievement standards for the English or Mathematics curricula. The MYLNS
Assessments Term 3 2020 will provide further data to indicate how students’ performance against
these achievement standards has changed over time.
This data provides an additional validated evidence source that can be triangulated with other
assessments to determine what students know and need to learn next. While the assessments are
aligned to the English and Mathematics curricula, where much of the explicit teaching of literacy
and numeracy occurs, Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers should consider these
assessments as a starting point for developing a more detailed and nuanced understanding of the
student’s literacy and numeracy development needs as they engage with a range of learning
activities across the Victorian Curriculum (see the Literacy and Numeracy Learning Progressions).

ASSESSMENT REPORTS
Upon completion of the assessments, schools will have access to:
1. Item Summary Report

This report will be available immediately following completion of each student’s assessment. It
will set out the student’s responses to each of the items they have completed and the relevant
content descriptions in the Victorian Curriculum.

2. Report of student achievement level

This report will be available to schools approximately six weeks following the completion of the
assessments. It will provide an evaluation of the student’s capabilities based on their
responses and reported against the achievement levels in the Victorian Curriculum, with a
reference to the National Minimum Standards (NMS) in NAPLAN Reading or Numeracy.
Assessment should be used to promote further learning and development. Improvement Teachers
and Network Teachers should draw on additional assessment strategies to gain further insight into
a student’s reasoning and thinking, either during the assessment process or afterwards by
engaging students and other teachers in analysing the data and setting learning goals.
Additional strategies may include:
 encouraging students to use allowable concrete materials, and paper and pencil to write or
draw, to support them to work through an answer and illustrate their thinking. Improvement
Teachers and Network Teachers or students should note the question number and retain this
information or student notes for future reflection or sharing with other teachers
 asking students to read a passage out loud to check for decoding and fluency ability in the
literacy assessment
 asking students to note down any words that they do not know the meaning of, for later
investigation (which may highlight gaps in students’ vocabulary).
Further advice on administering the assessment is at Section 3 and using the assessment data at
Section 4.

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ELIGIBLE STUDENTS
All schools participating in MYLNS are highly encouraged to administer the assessment to all
prioritised students and additional students receiving support through MYLNS. In 2020, this will
consist of Year 10 and Year 11 students receiving direct support through MYLNS, including
students learning English as an additional language (EAL), students with learning difficulties or
learning disabilities and students who have experienced previous disruptions to their education.
There will be some instances where the assessments may not be appropriate for a student or may
negatively impact their learning and engagement. This will be determined by Improvement
Teachers and Network Teachers on a case by case basis in consultation with Student
Achievement Managers (SAMs).
Further advice on supporting the participation of students is provided in Section 2.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The MYLNS assessments provide an additional resource to assist Improvement Teachers,
Network Teachers and school leaders in implementing MYLNS across the school and build on the
work that schools are already doing to deliver on their school’s vision and goals.
School leaders will play a key role in:
 promoting an understanding of the use and value of the MYLNS assessments with key staff
 supporting administration of the assessments at their school
 considering the implementation of MYLNS across the school in line with their whole school
approach to curriculum planning and assessment. This may include using information about
MYLNS (such as data generated from the MYLNS assessments along with other sources of
information) to inform the school’s FISO Improvement Cycle and annual implementation
planning.
Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers play a key role in:
 administering the assessments
 determining what other assessments might be needed to provide a complete understanding
of students’ knowledge, understanding and skills
 using the data from the assessments (along with other evidence) to support the teaching and
learning cycle, and to inform and adjust specific teaching strategies and interventions for
individual students and groups of students participating in MYLNS.

PRIVACY
The MYLNS assessments are delivered via the DAL platform operated by the VCAA. Only schools
administering the assessments will have access to identified results and assessment data for their
students.
The Department will not be provided with identified data at a student or school level but will get de-
identified data. Along with other data and information about MYLNS, the Department may use this
de-identified data to inform evaluation of the MYLNS initiative at a broader, state-wide level. This
includes:
 the effectiveness and impact of the initiative on intended outcomes
 how to collectively improve the support provided to students participating in MYLNS,
Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers, and schools.

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SECTION 2: SUPPORTING STUDENT
PARTICIPATION
SUITABILITY OF THE ASSESSMENTS FOR INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS
Schools are highly encouraged to administer the MYLNS assessments to all students participating
in MYLNS, including EAL learners, students with learning difficulties or learning disabilities and
students who have experienced previous disruptions to their education.
Before administering the MYLNS assessments for individual students, Improvement Teachers and
Network Teachers should consider:
 whether they will require further support (for example, reasonable adjustments) and ways to
support them in undertaking the assessments by working with classroom teachers of prioritised
students, health and wellbeing staff, year level coordinators and education support staff to
understand the student’s needs
 whether the assessments will enable students to demonstrate the extent of their learning or
if there may be more appropriate assessments targeted to their needs, particularly for students
with complex learning needs or previously diagnosed cognitive impairments that impact on
their ability to undertake assessments
 whether the assessment may impact on a student’s attitude to learning, particularly where
attendance and/or engagement may be a priority.
Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers should consult with their SAMs if there is a concern
that the MYLNS assessments may be inappropriate for a student due to individual circumstances.
SUPPORTING AND PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE ASSESSMENTS
Students participating in MYLNS may have had negative experiences with assessments in the
past, or may need additional support in undertaking the assessment. Prior to any assessment, it is
important that students feel prepared and are given opportunities to understand how the
assessment fits into their learning journey.
Strategies to prepare students for the assessments include:
 casual conversations/meetings with the student so they know what to expect (for example,
duration, format of assessments and results, communication of results) and how the
assessment will support their learning goals, participation in MYLNS and pathways
 discussing the MYLNS initiative with parents/carers and the ways in which the MYLNS
assessments can support the learning of students participating in the program
 arranging a suitable location for assessment administration to ensure the environment is
conducive to students demonstrating their capabilities at the time of assessment
 considering whether any adjustments or modifications are required for any specific students
 determining how best to structure the timing of the assessment in consideration of the
assessment window, the model of direct support provided to the student (individual, small
group, in-class) and assessment integrity (see Section 3 for further advice on administering the
assessment).

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If a student is having considerable difficulty engaging in or responding to the assessment items,
Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers should consider directing the student to exit the
assessment and determine whether an alternative assessment might be more appropriate. Section
4 provides more detail about other assessments and evidence that Improvement Teachers and
Network Teachers can draw on to understand where students are at in the learning continuum.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND ADDITIONAL LEARNING NEEDS

All students learn in different ways, have different strengths and abilities, and experience varying
challenges in their learning. A learning difficulty, for instance, can affect aspects of a student’s
ability to learn and demonstrate what they know and can do.
When working with students with complex learning needs, such as students with disabilities or
additional learning needs, Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers should:
 refer to the online resources on the Learning Difficulties website (including the Learning
Difficulties Information Guides for Literacy and Numeracy and the literacy and numeracy
webinars)
 work with Student Support Groups and any Individual Education Plan (IEP) as appropriate.
Where the MYLNS assessments are considered to be inappropriate for a student with a
cognitive impairment, Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers should consider using the
Abilities Based Learning and Education Support (ABLES) assessments available through the
Insight Assessment Platform. The ABLES resources:
 allow teachers to assess the learning readiness of students with disabilities 
 generate reports that help to plan for personalised learning 
 provide guidance material and strategies to help teach students based on their individual
learning needs, with links to the appropriate curriculum level and resources
 track student progress and achievements.
Consideration can also be given to other types of assessment practices that assist teachers to
understand how learning difficulties may be affecting students’ abilities to learn. This might
include moment-to-moment assessment strategies to identify misunderstandings when and
where they occur, such as targeted questioning or a dynamic assessment approach to isolate a
student’s literacy or numerical abilities and difficulties. This could involve working on a short
task with a student (for example, worded mathematical problem) and asking students to narrate
their process or respond to prompts about next steps in the process.
When working with students with disabilities and additional learning needs, teachers can also draw
on the resources and strategies covered during the MYLNS professional learning program.

EAL LEARNERS
EAL learners are a diverse group, and their learning needs vary. EAL learners can include:
students born overseas or in Australia; students beginning school with little, some or no exposure
to English; students with schooling equivalent to that received by their chronological peers in
Australia as well as those with little or no previous formal schooling in any country or with severely
interrupted education in their first language.
Students learning English as a second or additional language can face a number of challenges and
require support to develop their literacy in English and to develop new cultural understandings.

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To cater to the needs of EAL learners, including when administering the MYLNS assessments,
Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers should:
 work with students’ EAL/English teachers and have regard to the school’s EAL programs
and policies
 familiarise themselves with the expectations of the new Victorian Curriculum F-10 EAL
 draw on knowledge and resources of students’ first/home language, literacy and culture,
and other activities to understand students’ backgrounds and build rapport with EAL students.
This may be facilitated by activities such as developing a socio-linguistic profile of students
 ensure that students understand the tests and their purpose
 consider how to interpret results of the MYLNS assessments for EAL students. For
instance, teachers may find it useful to interpret the reports in relation to the expectations
outlined in the AusVELS Victorian Curriculum and the EAL Developmental Continuum P-10, or
the Victorian Curriculum F-10 EAL and the Victorian Curriculum F-10 EAL 2020 Reporting Tool
and to work with students’ EAL teachers to interpret the results and map out the next steps in a
student’s learning process.
Useful resources which may assist teachers working and undertaking assessments with EAL
students include:
 resources that support familiarisation and optional implementation of the new EAL
curriculum, such as VCAA’s Language and Learning Interview (available on VCAA’s English as
an Additional Language website), which enable teachers to develop a socio-linguistic profile of
students
 professional learning resources on the Tools to Enhance Assessment Literacy for Teachers
of English as an Additional Language (TEAL) online assessment resource centre, including the
Knowing Your Students professional learning module. These resources are available as part of
the Putting TEAL into Practice program which emphasises student involvement in all stages of
the learning and teaching cycle
 EAL resources on the Department’s FUSE website
 VicTESOL resources
 ACARA English as an Additional Language or Dialect Teacher Resource
Where the MYLNS assessments are considered to be inappropriate for an EAL student,
Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers should consider using alternative assessment
resources to inform the direct support that they provide through MYLNS. This includes:
 the Reading and Vocabulary Assessment for English as an Additional Language (RVEAL),
for EAL students. RVEAL provides teachers with:
o formative assessment information about student language proficiency in the Reading and
Viewing mode of the EAL Developmental Continuum P-10
o individual reports that provide detailed information on the skills and knowledge assessed
and an analysis of the results in terms of correct and incorrect responses, and class level
reports indicating the percentage of students at each stage of the EAL Continuum.
Resources and tasks are also available on TEAL to use for EAL students.
Teachers can also draw on the material covered during the MYLNS professional learning program,
which may provide resources and strategies to support students from EAL backgrounds.

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SECTION 3: ASSESSMENT ADMINISTRATION
ACCESSING THE ASSESSMENTS
The MYLNS assessments are available on the VCAA online platform supporting the DAL. The
platform can be accessed via standard browsers and is supported on desktop and table devices
(i.e. Windows, Apple, Chromebook, Android).
Detailed instructions and guidance on administering the MYLNS assessments on this platform is
available in the MYLNS Assessment Platform Manual that will be sent to Improvement Teachers
and Network Teachers along with their login credentials

PREPARING FOR THE ASSESSMENTS

Prior to conducting the assessments with their students, Improvement Teachers and Network
Teachers are encouraged to:
 familiarise themselves with the platform and review the MYLNS Assessment Platform Manual
to understand how to set up the assessments and conduct them with their students

 ensure that they have received login credentials and use these to access the platform to check
student details and set up the assessments for their students (according to the instructions in
the MYLNS Assessment Platform Manual).

ASSESSMENT STRUCTURE
The MYLNS assessments include three sets of questions or testlets, comprising 50-60 multiple
choice and short answer items in total.
Each of the assessments and individual testlets utilises multi-stage computer branched adaptive
testing and is structured as shown below.

MYLNS Assessment for literacy support students

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MYLNS Assessment for numeracy support students

The structure of the assessments allows the difficulty of the assessment items to adjust after a
student provides responses to a testlet. It also enables more precise measurement of a student’s
proficiency across a broader range of knowledge and curriculum content.
The tailored design allows students who might be struggling with items in the first testlet to engage
with the rest of the assessment by directing them to the most appropriate subsequent testlet. Some
students will be directed to exit the assessment after the completion of two testlets (which indicates
that the student is below the range level assessed and may therefore require additional support to
address more acute learning needs or engagement issues).
For each assessment:
 the full assessment should be completed to ensure precision of results and measure
progress
 a minimum of two of the three testlets need to be completed to generate an assessment
result
 within each testlet, students can move back and forth to review and change their responses
or flag an item, until they have completed and submitted their responses to that testlet
 students will be blocked from revisiting a testlet once it is completed and they have moved
to the next testlet
 once the assessment as a whole is submitted it cannot be administered again for that
student.

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ADMINISTERING THE ASSESSMENTS
Assessment duration
The assessments are untimed. They are intended to be accessible for students with varying needs
and their primary purpose is to assess what students know, rather than compare students.
However, it is recommended that at least 75 minutes be allocated for students to complete the
three testlets that comprise each assessment, to ensure that students have sufficient time to
complete the assessment in full.
Seventy-five minutes has been recommended in consideration of the additional learning needs of
students participating in MYLNS. Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers may provide
students with less or more time to complete the assessment depending on their individual needs.
It is recommended that each assessment (including all testlets) be undertaken in a single session,
where possible. However, Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers may decide to administer
each assessment in separate sessions over the three week assessment window to maximise
engagement and meet the needs of individual students.
When considering how to administer the assessment, Improvement Teachers and Network
Teachers should keep in mind:
 the learning needs of the student, particularly students that are receiving direct support in
both literacy and numeracy
 the time allocation to work with students
 each student’s timetable and the classes they are enrolled in
 the approach being undertaken to provide direct support to students participating in MYLNS
(individual student support, small group work, in-class support)
 the need to complete a full testlet in each session to maintain assessment integrity if the
assessments are administered across several sessions.
Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers will administer the assessment that aligns with the
domain that they are working within to provide direct teaching support to students in 2020 (for
example, teachers focusing on literacy in their direct teaching through MYLNS will administer the
assessment designed for students receiving literacy support).
However, Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers may administer both the literacy and the
numeracy assessments with individual students, if they consider this to be appropriate. For
example, if this would be beneficial to support the teaching and learning of the students concerned,
whether this would be feasible in the available time and without over-burdening students with
assessment or taking away from their other teaching and learning activities.

Accessibility options and reasonable adjustments

The MYLNS assessments include the following accessibility options to assist students with
disability to undertake the assessments:
 accessible font, zoom and colour pallet changes
 calculator (clear contrast and large font size)
 keyboard accessibility (focus and tabbing)
 compatibility with operating system accessibility features (for example, on-screen reader).

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 It may also be appropriate for Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers to make
reasonable adjustments to enable students with disability to undertake the MYLNS
assessments.
School leaders and teachers should be aware of their obligations in supporting students with
disability to ensure their compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) and the
Disability Standards for Education 2005 (the Standards). Among other things, schools are
obliged to make reasonable adjustments to ensure students with disability can access
education on the same basis as their peers.
Examples of adjustments include:
 providing paper-based booklets and pencils or pens for students to record their thinking during
the assessment session
 modifying the duration and/or number of sessions for students to complete the assessments
(for example, a student may be allowed to undertake the assessment over two or three
separate sessions, even if all other students undertaking the assessments will sit the
assessment in a single session only)
 allowing rest breaks
 allowing additional materials (for example, concrete materials such as counters, appropriate
electronic devices or assistive technology).
Further information to help education providers understand their obligations under the DDA and the
Standards is available on the Support students with additional learning needs website.
Additional materials and resources
Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers may provide additional materials, resources and
general support to students to assist them to undertake and perform at their best during the
assessments. Additional materials and resources could include:
 materials that may support students during the assessment session or allow teachers to better
understand student needs, such as pen and paper
 providing students with advice on general strategies for undertaking assessments (for example,
advice about completing multiple choice questions using a process of elimination or other
reasoning methods to come to an answer, to avoid guessing answers)
 providing some level of additional teacher support during the assessment (for example, to
address focus, anxiety or assist with following directions):
o reading parts of the assessment instructions or questions
o assisting students to login or to save or submit assessments
o clarifying general instructions for specific assessment items.
The use of a calculator is:
 not permitted during the first testlet of the numeracy assessment
 allowed in subsequent testlets of the numeracy assessment - students will have access to a
basic on-screen calculator on the assessment platform.
The use of a dictionary is:
 not permitted for the literacy assessment

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 permitted, if necessary, to assist students with completing the numeracy assessments.
Students may use a paper-based dictionary for this purpose.
When considering whether to provide additional materials and resources, Improvement Teachers
and Network Teachers should be mindful that the type and level of support does not compromise
the student’s ability to demonstrate their knowledge and skill. This will help to maintain the integrity
of the assessments and generate the most meaningful data possible to inform teaching and
learning.
Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers should also consider putting in place usual
measures to avoid the potential for students to collude or cheat, ensuring that students are
adequately supervised and do not have unauthorised access to resources such as the Internet and
not providing corrective feedback during the assessment.

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SECTION 4: USING THE ASSESSMENT DATA
THE ASSESSMENT REPORTS
Two reports are available following the assessments. These are:
 Item response summary report
The item response summary report will be available as soon as the student completes the
assessment. The report provides a summary of the student’s response to each of the items in
the assessment as well as answer keys and links to the Victorian Curriculum.
Instructions on accessing the item response summary report, and using the information that the
report provides, is included in the MYLNS Assessment Platform Manual.
The information in the item response summary report can be used similarly to the way teachers
use their own classroom assessment results.
The following things may be considered when reviewing data from the item response summary
report:
o overall score and curriculum level at which most correct or incorrect responses occur
o response patterns – are there particular skills in which students tend to do much better or
worse?
o incorrect response options – is there an apparent reason/misconception that led students to
choose that option?
o alignment with other evidence of student learning.
 Report of student achievement level
The Achievement level report will be available six weeks upon completion of the assessment
period. This report provides a measure of student ability reported against the Victorian
Curriculum achievement standards for English or Mathematics, as well as student position on
the learning continuum in respect to the NAPLAN National Minimum Standards (NMS)
(Reading and/or Mathematics).
The report on student achievement level will be communicated to schools once available
(approximately six weeks following the assessment), and will be accompanied by instructions
to assist Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers and school leaders to use the report to
plan the instruction and monitor student progress.

USING THE DATA TO UNDERSTAND STUDENT CAPABILITIES AND NEEDS

When using the data from the MYLNS assessments, it is important to keep in mind that:
 using a range of assessments and data will provide more reliable evidence from which to
make an on-balance, holistic, evidence-based and defensible judgement about where students
are at in the learning continuum, including:
o evidence obtained in the classroom – collected as part of a teacher’s regular teaching
practice (for example, questioning, observation notes, work samples, discussion or tests)

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 o data obtained through other assessments – these provide a broader context for
practitioners and leaders to analyse what they know about learners, and to provide data
that can be used to improve teacher practice and review and enhance programs
 data should be analysed to identify strengths and learning needs (for example, by reviewing
student responses in the itemised assessment report to uncover which aspects of the
curriculum they perform well or poorly in, rather than only looking at the overall percentage of
correct responses or at the student’s overall achievement level).
Further information about a student and data from other assessment sources will need to be
generated in addition to the data from the MYLNS assessments to show the depth of student
knowledge and understanding, the level of proficiency in their literacy and numeracy skills and
how disposed they are to learning.
When considering other forms of evidence or data to draw on about a student’s literacy and
numeracy skills and knowledge, Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers may consider:
 the type of assessments (formal or informal) to use, bearing in mind that over-reliance on
formal assessment types could further disengage some students
 assessments that provide a more targeted focus on specific areas of literacy and numeracy
(for example, fluency and phonics or proportional reasoning)
 assessment activities that develop student confidence and agency, such as those where
students set and measure progress against learning goals aligned with their interests and
aspirations, may help promote student engagement in the learning process.
Other relevant sources of data which may assist Improvement Teachers and Network
Teachers in assessing the progress of MYLNS students include:
 assessments for English and Mathematics available through the DAL
 the Mathematics and Numeracy assessment page of the Mathematics Teaching Toolkit, which
includes the Fractions and Decimals Online Interview (intended for students in Years 5 to 8, but
valuable for assessing at-risk students in Year 10); Scaffolding Numeracy in the Middle Years
focused on multiplicative thinking, and Assessment for Common Misunderstandings
 the Literacy and English assessment and identification and assessment of learning difficulties
pages of the Literacy Teaching Toolkit
 VCAA guidance on formative assessment.

USING THE DATA TO PROMOTE STUDENT LEARNING

Engaging students and parents/carers in analysis of the data
At the secondary school level, students should be actively involved in planning their learning and
monitoring their learning growth. Aligning teaching and assessment practice with Amplify: The
student voice practice guide and the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model, in addition to using
High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS), will assist teachers to empower students and engage
them in their learning.
Including students in the analysis of their assessment results encourages them to take ownership
of their learning, recognise their level of achievement and identify their learning needs, and
motivates them to set their learning goals.
In engaging students in the analysis of MYLNS assessment data, Improvement Teachers and
Network Teachers may consider:

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  using the automatically generated itemised assessment reports to ensure that feedback
provided to students is timely, specific, accurate and actionable to allow students to review and
reflect on areas that they handled well and areas for improvement that could be supported
through MYLNS (for more information on providing feedback, see: HITS)
 using questions to prompt students in their thinking (for example, asking students what
processes or strategies they used to answer the questions in individual assessments) can be
useful to building an understanding of their capabilities and misunderstandings
 what information is helpful for students to know, and what information might be more helpful
for Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers and school leaders to know
 using the results (alongside other assessment data and evidence) to collaborate with
students to identify appropriate goals to progress their learning, based on their strengths and
areas of improvement, and strategies that will support them to achieve their learning goals.
Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers should discuss the assessment data with
relevant classroom teachers of students participating in MYLNS, and what they may reveal
about the student’s abilities and next steps for responding to their learning needs. These
conversations can also support Improvement Teachers’ and Network Teachers’ role in building
the capability of other teachers in the school to differentiate their teaching practice.
Further support to promote student learning can be gained by including parents and carers in
discussions of the student’s results. Three-way conferences that involve the student, their
parents or guardians and the teacher can be useful for providing feedback to parents in a way
that allows for student voice, and engages parents in the support that their student is receiving
through MYLNS.
Using the data to track learning over time
To measure student growth over time, teachers need to maintain accurate records of learners’
results and responses in each assessment to enable analysis of learning gains and identify
learning needs.
The MYLNS assessments assist with this by providing a common point of reference (based on the
Victorian Curriculum) against which assessment results can be compared to measure student
learning and progress over time. For example, Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers can:
 review data from the assessments undertaken in Term 3 with reference to student
achievement data from the Term 1 assessments to assess any overall improvement in a
student’s literacy and/or numeracy skills
 identify specific areas of growth in student learning and achievement, as well as any
remaining gaps in student learning to inform future teaching and learning plans.
When analysing data from the two assessment periods alongside data from other assessments
and information about the student, it is useful to keep in mind that growth will vary between
students and can be understood in a variety of ways – standards-referenced growth (for
example, growth in relation to the continuum of learning in the Victorian Curriculum, age or
year-level expected growth, or growth in relation to targets and/or learning goals).
Using the data to build the capability of other teachers
Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers are provided with a time allocation to focus on
building other teachers’ skills in how to differentiate teaching to better meet students at their point
of learning need, particularly students who are below the expected level.

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Data from the MYLNS assessments can be used as an entry point for engaging with other
teachers to inform the type of capability building approach that aligns with the student’s
personalised learning plan and school priorities for improving literacy and numeracy outcomes for
all students. For example, the assessment data could support:
 relevant classroom teachers to better meet prioritised students’ learning needs in their
classes, outside of the direct support provided by Improvement Teachers and Network
Teachers
 teaching teams in their curriculum planning, alongside other evidence of student learning
needs
 Professional Learning Communities in sharing best practice examples and resources that
demonstrate differentiated teaching
 modelling lessons on differentiated practice, where teachers have common preparation time to
examine assessment data and evidence of learning progress and plan activities in response.

USING THE DATA FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PURPOSES

Data from the MYLNS assessments provide an additional source of valuable evidence for school
leaders to inform their continuous school improvement processes, annual implementation planning
and monitoring, and in considering how best to support students with literacy and numeracy needs.
School leaders can use the FISO Improvement Cycle and data obtained from the MYLNS
assessments (combined with other relevant information and evidence) to consider how to
implement MYLNS across their school.
Aligning the MYLNS assessments to the FISO Improvement Cycle could include, for example,
using the data from the assessments during the four stages of the cycle to:
 examine student learning data, to develop a deep understanding of student learning to
inform the development or update of personalised learning plans for each student
 identify how the MYLNS initiative and the assessments could be integrated into the schools’
Annual Implementation Plan and Key Improvement Strategy for literacy or numeracy, as part of
a whole school approach to curriculum planning and assessment
 work with Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers to determine how the MYLNS
assessments, and other assessments, form part of their role in providing direct support to
students (including in planning learning activities and interventions to enable and support
student learning) and building the capability of other teachers
 evaluate the impact of MYLNS on students within their school, and identify and diagnose
patterns and trends in achievement and remaining areas of need, to inform future school
strategies for enhancing student outcomes in literacy and numeracy.
Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers can also consider some of the key questions below
at each stage of the Improvement Cycle in using the MYLNS assessments and data generated
from them.
The Alkira Secondary College case study details the work of the Literacy Improvement Teacher at
Alkira Secondary College and provides a useful example of a school’s implementation of MYLNS.
While this case study occurred prior to the release of the MYLNS assessments, it demonstrates
how one school has used assessment data as part of the FISO Improvement Cycle to improve
literacy skills of students participating in MYLNS, and embedded MYLNS into broader
improvement processes.

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 At each stage of the Improvement Cycle, some key questions to consider include:
What data is available to identify each student’s specific learning needs? For example:
student work samples that show progress, e.g. writing
progress against existing personalised learning plan goals
Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 NAPLAN data
standardised assessments such as On Demand results, that monitor growth
Victorian curriculum teacher judgements data
Evaluate and diagnose

Tools to Enhance Assessment Literacy for Teachers of English as an Additional Language

(TEAL) including the Reading and Vocabulary Assessment for EAL students (RVEAL) results
EAL Continuum data
Abilities Based Learning and Education Support (ABLES) data
student attitudinal data
family information
FISO IMPROVEMENT CYCLE

wellbeing information
notes on executive functions and behavioural triggers.
What is the student’s current stage of knowledge, skill and understanding?
If there is no existing data on this then the above sources could be used to find out more
How does this student interact with others and content?
What is the student’s attitude towards intervention and support?

How do we identify learning pathways for students? Consider using the and or assessment
rubrics.
Prioritise

How do we identify changes in attitudes and interactions with others?

and set
goals

What learning goals (e.g. SMART goals) will we establish with students? Meet with the
student and help them to set achievable goals that are linked to the curriculum but are
differentiated for their current level.

What is the plan for each student to achieve their goals?

Consider using a personalised learning plan for each student.
and plan
Develop

How will I know students are learning?

The and the and can be used as a roadmap.

How will I communicate student progress to all of the student’s teachers?

Consider using a data wall.
and monitor
Implement

How will I monitor progress of each student? Consider both formal and informal assessment
– and using PLCs or other teacher collaboration spaces to continually moderate student data.
SAMs will also support Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers to track and report on
the progress and growth of students receiving direct support through the MYLNS initiative.

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SECTION 5: HELP AND SUPPORT
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
Frontline technical support will be available for schools to access using a free call telephone
service or by email to assist with queries relating to:
 registration
 school set up
 platform functions
 enrolling students
The service desk can be contacted on:
 Phone: 1800 641 943
 Email: servicedesk@edumail.vic.gov.au

OTHER ASSISTANCE & QUERIES ABOUT THE ASSESSMENTS

SAMs are the first point of contact for Improvement Teachers and Network Teachers.
Central office staff support the implementation of the MYLNS initiative by delivering professional
learning and answering any further questions Improvement Teachers or Network Teachers may
have about the initiative.
Central office staff can be contacted by email to MYLN.Implementation@edumail.vic.gov.au or on
03 7022 1700.

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