Janet McCarroll

Janet works as an education consultant out of our Auckland office. She works with schools in the following areas:

• assessment for learning

• teaching as inquiry

• mentoring and coaching school leaders and leadership teams

• supporting schools with e-asTTle

• learning-focused conversations

• data analysis and planning for improvement

• accredited Ministry of Education facilitator of structured literacy approaches.

Janet’s expertise and passion for developing assessment capable students, teachers, school leaders and parents stems from her Master’s research, and is supported by current academic research around a student-centred approach to assessment. This approach encourages every student to take full ownership of their learning and to use the language of learning to share it with others. Janet has an MPhil ( Science Education) from Curtin University, Perth.

Her thesis, An Investigation Into a Student Centered Approach to Assessment and Self Reporting Using e-Portfolios, explored assessment and reporting processes designed to develop student agency through student self-reporting in the online environment. Since the introduction of National Standards in 2010, Janet’s school based work and research has focussed on developing in-house methods of digital assessment and reporting using learning stories in e-Portfolios incorporating National Standards. Janet’s research and work has been recognized as far afield as the United States where Janet presented her research in Boston on a Fulbright Scholarship in June 2014. Janet has presented findings from her thesis at many conferences both nationally and internationally, including the International Conference on Thinking at ICOT in Bilbao Spain in 2015.

Janet’s experience in implementing on line reporting processes strengthens home school partnerships by actively involving students and parents in the learning and assessment process, where emphasis is drawn away from the products of learning to the process of learning.

Championing ‘critical learning conversations’ between students and teachers which allow time for students to self-report to teachers, Janet is working with schools to develop ‘assessment capabilities’ with all stake holders. Students who can discuss their learning progress and achievement against agreed standards, and together with their teacher determine and discuss their next learning steps are evidence of an ‘assessment capable’ learning environment.

Janet’s experience in developing ‘assessment capable’ students, teachers, school leaders and parents in a school community takes theory to practice at a system level.

In her spare time Janet loves to garden, read, cook, spend time with family and friends, walk, good food and wine and everything Italian.