AUSTRALIA PILOT

Learning Evidence in a Reggio Emilia–Inspired School

SchoolWorks is developing a pilot with St. James Parish Primary School in Melbourne, Australia. The pilot will explore how Pathfinder can organize the rich evidence teachers already gather—including observations, student work, conversations, photographs and other classroom documentation.

The central question is whether this evidence can be connected over time to learning goals without disrupting the school’s inquiry-based approach or replacing teacher judgment.

Current stage: Pilot design and preparation. Initial classroom work is planned for 2027.

Rich Learning Evidence

Our Australian partnership provides an especially important research setting because teaching and learning at St. James already emphasize observation, inquiry, student thinking, documentation, and multiple forms of evidence.

Teachers routinely encounter evidence that conventional assessments may not fully capture: conversations, student questions, creative work, collaboration, problem-solving, photographs, projects, reflections, and changes in thinking.

What We Are Investigating:

Can these rich forms of classroom evidence be organized longitudinally without disrupting teaching?

Can patterns of developing understanding become more visible?

Can teacher observations and student work be considered alongside more conventional assessment information?

Can technology support documentation without diminishing the human relationships at the center of learning?

Research Focus: Learning Patterns • Teacher Professional Judgment • Student Portfolios • Teacher Workload

Updates & Findings

The SchoolWorks Lab will share pilot updates, emerging observations, research reports, and findings as this work develops.