To commence the school year, over 100 teachers in Nauru undertook planning, inclusive education and professional development to foster an equitable and effective education system that empowers all students to reach their full potential.
The Nauru Department of Education and Training (DOET) and the Nauru Education Program (NEP) have worked closely together to ensure every child’s educational needs are front and centre at the recent teachers’ orientation week.
The NEP Advisors Annie Dares (Inclusion), Mandy Patrick (Early Years) and Lima Nakula (Literacy and Numeracy) co-facilitated inclusive education principles, strategies and planning sessions over three days.
Over the last 12 months DOET and NEP concluded the importance of having baseline literacy and numeracy data for years 1–3, recognising these years are an investment in the future of each student and the education system.
“Diagnostic assessments are an essential tool for educational success,” said Ms Patrick.
“They provide valuable insights into students’ strengths and areas of learning needs, enabling evidence-based interventions that promote equitable and effective education.”
During orientation week Lima Nakula provided training for educators on the purpose of diagnostic assessment and how to implement the diagnostic tools effectively.
In the first week of school, 800 students in Years 1–3 commenced the Waddington Diagnostic Assessment and Writing Prompt Assessment to collect baseline data on each student’s reading, writing, and mathematic levels.
The assessment results were analysed, and the findings were presented back to the teachers and department the following week.
It is planned to repeat this assessment at the end of the year to measure the impact of targeted literacy and numeracy strategies and resources, informed by these baseline results.
The NEP team also developed and distributed the Nauru Inclusive Education Teachers Guide as a useful resource for teachers.
Learn more about the Tetra Tech education programs here.
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