In their recent provocative article "Reviving the Flames of Excellence: Igniting a System that Learns" the authors (M Absolum, A Carlisle, M Chamberlain) have identified the key elements of an education system that delivers on our collective equity and excellence aspirations. They explore the critical use of progressions, agency and formative assessment so that teachers develop deep understanding of the curriculum and are able to "teach and respond to learners in a knowledgeable and adaptive way to progress their learning". They support learners and their whanau to develop insight into what is known and what are their next steps in ways that "do not destroy the motivation of the student, that leave the student just as motivated to return to school the next day, and the next."

Imagine a digital app that contains progressions for all subjects in the curriculum and provides teachers, learners and whanau with visibility of these so that everyone understands their learning pathway. Imagine a digital app that supports teachers to practice continuous formative assessment to understand each learner's progress and design learning that meets their needs and enhances their strengths. Imagine a digital app that encourages learners to self assess and compare with their teacher's assessment, creating opportunities for rich conversations about what progress looks like. Imagine a digital app that gives school leaders an aggregated perspective on learning progress across a school so that resources can be applied to where they are most needed.  Imagine a digital app that supports a system that learns.

If your school is yearning for a system that learns, we invite you to explore what SchoolTalk has to offer - www.schooltalk.co.nz