ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the experiences of teachers as the text-action-text sequences entered into their work. Of the many stories that could have been provided, the chapter focuses on those that explicate how chains of texts that flow from global to national and state governments ultimately work to coordinate teachers’ work. The focus on assessment and data served to foreclose on what teachers saw as the heart of their work – planning and delivering engaging lessons for their students. The use of data as a basis for professional discussions about teachers’ work was also evident in the accounts of teachers from both schools. Although teachers lamented the intrusion of data collection into their teaching time, National Assessment Programme: Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) data also served to reorganize the doings of teachers as they undertook face-to-face work with students. The extent to which curriculum, pedagogy and assessment across all domains was oriented towards the generic structure of NAPLAN was striking.
