The Narrative Assessment Project in Auckland, which ran from November 2008 to April 2010, was designed to explore the application of narrative assessment in special education. The project continues to be supported by a Narrative Assessment Guide and Curriculum Exemplars for Students with Special Needs, developed by teachers working with UC Education Plus and funded by the Ministry of Education. This project was developed for all verified students who work within level 1 for their whole educational career. These students are supported by ORRs funding from the Ministry of Education.

One of the purposes of narrative assessment is to provide all of those who directly support the learning of the student (teacher, teacher-aide, special education iterant teacher (SEIT), parents) with a powerful tool to notice, respond to, extend, reflect upon and communicate about,  important learning that the student engages in that can easily be otherwise overlooked by more conventional modes of assessment.

In the Auckland project, the SEITs were seen as the ‘conduits’ for efficiently introducing narrative  assessment for mainstreamed ORRs students, exploring and shaping its application as they worked with their ORRs funded students in their mainstream schools.  However, the full benefits of narrative assessment only became apparent when other members of the child’s support team also came to understand what this form of assessment is about and how it could help all of them to support the student more effectively. Consequently, the more members of the team that can work together on narrative assessment, the better.  SEITs have suggested that there would be substantial benefits, where possible, for the child’s teacher, the Group Special Education (GSE) therapist, the special education needs coordinator (SENCO) and the teacher-aides who work closely with the ORRs student and develop a long term involvement with them, all attending. 

Although the Auckland project has now concluded, ongoing support will be offered to all schools through seminars at the Auckland Teacher Resource Centres. Details will be put up on this site as soon as they are available.