In partnership with:
Half-day Learning Experience — Shanghai
Unlocking Every Learner's Potential
Whole Child Assessment and Data-Informed Practice
Britannica International School Shanghai
Saturday, October 24, 2026 | 12:45PM - 6:30PM
Other Location: Shenzhen (Nov 7)
Attend with a colleague!
Date
Saturday
October 24, 2026
Time
12:45PM - 6:30PM
including an optional 90-minute social hour
Venue
Britannica International School
Shanghai
Cost
FREE
Thanks to our sponsor, Renaissance
This event is possible thanks to our host school, Britannica International School Shanghai, and the generous sponsorships of Renaissance. Their support makes it possible for us to bring together educators and school administrators for an afternoon of shared learning and collaboration, at a reduced cost to you.
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How can educators understand what students truly know and can do when language development may influence how learning is demonstrated?
Every learner brings a unique combination of linguistic, cultural, academic and personal strengths. Understanding their progress requires educators to look beyond a single score and consider multiple forms of evidence together.
This event will explore how language proficiency, cognitive development, academic attainment, learner confidence and social-emotional wellbeing can contribute to a fuller understanding of each learner.
Participants will consider how to use this understanding to make more accurate, equitable and responsive decisions about instruction, intervention and whole-school practice.
Schools are encouraged to attend in pairs.
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This event is designed for educators and school leaders responsible for understanding learner progress and improving classroom or whole-school practice.
It is particularly relevant for:
English teachers
Classroom practitioners
Heads of school and senior leaders
Academic and learning leaders
Curriculum and teaching and learning leaders
Coordinators
Assessment and data leads
Bilingual programme leaders
Inclusion and student support leaders
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Schools are encouraged to register two colleagues, ideally representing different roles or perspectives.
Attending together will help colleagues develop shared language, compare what the learning means for their school and support implementation after the event.
For example, a school might send:
An English teacher and an assessment coordinator
A classroom practitioner and an inclusion leader
A curriculum leader and a head of school
A data lead and a bilingual programme leader
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In bilingual and international schools, learners bring different linguistic, cultural, and academic strengths. This workshop will help educators look beyond surface-level metrics and use holistic assessment and responsive, data-informed practices to better understand and support each learner.
Discover how education solutions can support whole-child assessment and help schools create more personalised learning experiences for students in multilingual environments.
Understand a holistic assessment framework that integrates linguistic, cognitive, and social-emotional dimensions.
Identify root causes, including whether language barriers may be contributing to apparent learning needs.
Build a consistent school-wide approach to using data, from baseline assessment to intervention.
Implement responsive, differentiated practices in mixed-ability multilingual classrooms.
Connect with peers to exchange educational insights.
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Chantel van der Merwe
MYP Admin Leader & Whole-School Librarian at Wahaha International School in China
Dr. Chantel van der Merwe is a highly experienced international educational leader with over 23 years of experience and an Applied Doctorate in Education. She currently serves as the MYP Admin Leader and Whole-School Librarian at Wahaha International School in China, where she spearheads curriculum, information-literacy, and IB evaluation initiatives. Passionate about inclusive learning, she leverages her extensive background in curriculum design, technology, and evidence-informed practice to empower both teachers and students to reach their full potential.
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Dr. Chantel van der Merwe is an experienced international educator and educational leader with over 23 years of experience across early childhood, primary, and international education in South Africa and China. She holds an Applied Doctorate in Education and a Master’s degree in Pre & Primary Education, complemented by extensive professional development in IB education, educational leadership, curriculum development, social-emotional learning, educational psychology, and AI in education.
Current Role & Contributions Currently based at Wahaha International School in Hangzhou, China, Dr. van der Merwe serves as MYP Admin Leader and Whole-School Librarian, while also supporting English and whole-school programmes. She leads curriculum and information-literacy initiatives, supports IB PYP and MYP evaluation preparation, and works collaboratively with teachers to strengthen inquiry, research, and learning outcomes.
Leadership & Educational Philosophy Her leadership experience includes departmental headship, curriculum leadership, staff recruitment, teacher mentoring, professional development, assessment development, and programme management. Passionate about creating inclusive, engaging learning environments, she is particularly interested in how effective leadership, evidence-informed practice, technology, and strong curriculum design can empower both teachers and students to reach their potential.
Host
Jana van Zyl
Director of Safeguarding and Inclusion for YCYW Schools (China Mainland)
Jana van Zyl 万茹兰 is the Director of Safeguarding and Inclusion for YCYW Schools (China Mainland). She has extensive experience in, and a passion for training, and working with adults to support children in the areas of child protection, safeguarding, mental health, social/emotional development, character development, positive discipline, and special education needs.
Breakout Session Moderators
Meera Ragu
Lead Learning Specialist at Keystone Academy
Strand: Whole-School Practice
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Meera Raghu is a passionate inclusion advocate with over 18 years of experience in international schools across Asia. She currently serves as Lead Learning Specialist at Keystone Academy in Beijing, where she designs inclusive systems, mentors educators, and champions student voice and self-advocacy.
Trained in dyslexia therapy and learning support, Meera believes inclusion is not a checklist but a living culture—one built on relationships, belonging, and a refusal to give up on any child. Her work spans both founding and established schools, giving her a unique perspective on building inclusive practices from the ground up and refining them within complex environments.
A strong proponent of strength-based language, Meera advocates for shifting the narrative from "support" and "intervention" toward empowerment and unlocking potential. Her current work focuses on building a coherent, school-wide continuum of provision within an MTSS framework—ensuring that students who need greater depth, complexity, pace, and independence are identified and supported with the same intentionality as those who need intervention. She is particularly interested in how shared language, equitable identification, and responsive learning plans can move schools beyond a deficit-only model of support.
An active member of SENIA and other professional networks, Meera regularly facilitates workshops and presents at conferences across the region.
More moderators to be announced!
Agenda
Agenda subject to change.
12:45PM - 1:00PM
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Arrival and check-in. Participants will also have an opportunity to view product highlights from Renaissance and GL Education.
1:00PM - 1:15PM
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The host will introduce the purpose of the event, establish PeerSphere’s peer-sharing ethos and set the stage for open professional discussion.
1:15PM - 2:00PM
How can educators understand what students truly know and can do when language development may influence how learning is demonstrated?
This keynote introduces a holistic assessment ecosystem that brings together reading ability, reasoning capacity and learner confidence. It explores how integrated baseline data can help teachers make more accurate, equitable and responsive instructional decisions.
The session includes a 40-minute presentation and a five-minute transition.
2:00PM - 3:00PM
Strand 1: Baseline Foundations
Primary & Secondary focused Case-Studies & Groupings
Explore how to establish effective literacy baselines that provide meaningful information about learner comprehension and skills.
The session will include a school-based case study illustrating how baseline information can be interpreted and applied.
Strand Moderator
To be announced
Britannica International School
Strand 2: Cognitive and Wellbeing Insights
Primary & Secondary focused Case-Studies & Groupings
Explore how reasoning assessments and attitudes-to-learning data can help educators identify academic potential and factors that may be affecting learner progress.
The session will include a case study from a school in China serving multilingual learners.
3:00PM - 3:30PM
Keynote Presentation (45 min)
Breakout Session 1: Assessment (60 min)
A short introduction will frame the assessment approach before participants choose one of two parallel strands.
Refreshment Break (30 min)
3:30PM - 4:30PM
Breakout Session 2: Best Practice in Schools
A short introduction will frame data-informed classroom practice before participants choose one of two parallel strands.
Strand 1: Differentiated Literacy Instruction
Primary Focus
Explore how baseline insights can be translated into responsive and personalised literacy strategies that meet learners where they are within multilingual and mixed-ability classrooms.
Strand Moderator
Dr. Chantel van der Merwe
Head Librarian, Wahaha Education Group
Samuel Evans
YK Pao School
Strand Moderator
To be announced
Britannica International School
Strand 2: Whole-School Practice
Primary & Secondary focused Case-Studies & Groupings
Explore practice tools and intervention strategies that support a coherent school-wide approach.
Participants will consider how academic leaders can build a data cycle connecting baseline assessment, progress monitoring, intervention planning and strategic decision-making.
Strand Modertator
Meera Raghu
Whole School Lead Learning Specialist at Keystone Academy
4:30PM - 5:00PM
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Renaissance representatives, event contributors and participants will reflect on key insights from the afternoon and consider practical next steps.
5:00PM - 6:30PM
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Continue the conversation over drinks and light bites.
This optional 90-minute social hour provides an opportunity to exchange ideas and build deeper professional relationships with educators and school leaders.
About Renaissance
Since 1986, Renaissance’s mission has remained the same: To accelerate learning for all children and adults of all ability levels and ethnic and social backgrounds, worldwide. Today, more than 40 percent of US schools rely on Renaissance solutions for data and insights to equitably move learning forward. As technology continues to change, and as teachers and students connect in new ways, their commitment to accelerating learning is unwavering—both inside and outside the classroom.
Learn with Peers at
Britannica International School Shanghai
1988 Gubei Road nr. Wuzhong Road, Shanghai 201103 古北路 1988 靠近吴中路
Paul Farrell
Principal
Join us in Shanghai
Saturday, October 24, 2026 | 12:45PM - 6:30PM
Britannica International School Shanghai
Good assessment does more than measure attainment. It can help educators uncover strengths, understand possible barriers and make more responsive decisions about teaching and support.
Consider bringing a colleague from your school!