DONT MISS: assessment protocols and guidance document below
monitoring and evaluating learning
recording evidence of learning
Downloadable resources
These are just a few of the support documents on offer. Please contact Tom if you have any other needs in terms of learning and assessment.
skills assessment sheets (from assessment network meetings April 2008)
Thanks to all the hard work carried out by the staff at The Avenue School, Warminster for these support sheets.
County Assessment Key message
assessment opportunities in the classroom
Introduction to assessment of ICT
Key areas of development for the county
key message cards for colleagues January 2005
KEY MESSAGE
- Use tests to back up your teacher assessment judgments. Try and move away from using tests as your only form of summative assessment judgements.
- Know what you want the pupils to learn and have a system in place which allows you to track pupils progress formatively, using tests to moderate your judgements.
Assessing Pupils’ Progress:
Research has pointed out for sometime now that it is formative assessment strategies that enhance the progress pupils make in their learning rather than giving the pupils summative tests at the end of a topic. There is of course a place for these tests, one reason being to back up the judgements we make about pupils’ progress over a period of time.
Over the past few weeks we have started a debate on getting the balance; summative testing and formative assessment (and using of summative testing formatively) We would like to get your thoughts on a KS 2 moderation strategy we would like to set up, similar to that supporting KS 1 colleagues. Tom is talking to colleagues across the county and raising debate on the importance of formative assessment and its rigorous moderation within the school and between schools. The outline of the strategy is attached. Tom would very much like you comments; everything is open and no decision will be made without a professional dialogue on how we can ensure effective assessment that is consistent, accurate and rigorous.
This outlines a strategy which has the aim of:
- helping teachers make informed summative assessment judgments of pupils progress (in terms of achievement and attainment) based on focused and rigorous formative assessment
- improving the skills teachers employ to help them decide the next step in the pupil’s learning
- ensure more consistency within a school and across schools in terms of the judgements being made about levels of attainment
- to generate a debate on the effectiveness of formative assessment compared to summative testing as a tool for raising the quality of learning and ultimately standards of attainment
- to develop a climate within Wiltshire LA whereby teachers feel confident to make assessment judgements about pupils progress firmly based on formative assessment strategies, using the summative tests as a tool for supporting the assessments that are being carried out on a day to day basis
Assessment tool kit
Over the past few weeks we have put together a series of documents on one CD to support assessment leaders to find out what they need to do to help colleagues track their pupils’ progress more effectively. Copies of these will be given out at the network meetings and course and conferences on assessment. If you are focusing on assessment as a school development, contact Tom and he will get a copy of the disc to you.
Twilight levelling workshops
These workshops were successful last year and are being repeated this year. They will be run by our moderators and are open to year 2 and 3 teachers. The purpose of these sessions will be to support consistency in teacher assessment judgements across the LA and teachers can bring a range of work they would like to discuss. The workshops will be held in schools around the County from 4:15 to 6:00 pm. Details of the workshops are available on line.
Cluster sessions
Primary Strategy consultants will also be running cluster sessions and the agenda will be created to meet local needs; this might include supporting consistency in TA, moderating samples of work, reading, subject leadership.
Message from Key Stage 1 moderators
§ Moderation is about making on-going judgements and about gathering evidence throughout the year
§ Moderators are practising teachers and are there for a professional dialogue
§ Enjoy sharing your good practice and work and be confident about your judgements
§ Remember that evidence can be shown from a range of cross curricluar work not just literacy (particularly non fiction)
§ In previous years teachers have found the range of training courses on offer very useful.
All schools will be receiving the KS1 moderation newsletter soon with many more details outlined. Please keep a look out for it!
Assessment Protocol and guidance:
Notes from Tom: The following aims reflect the national and local priorities in helping our schools use assessment more as a tool for helping pupils learn and less as a ritualistic mechanism that points out what our learners are not good at.
In many of our schools, assessment negates effective learning, as many pupils have pointed out to them frequently what they do not know, understand or can do. We need a dramatic change in direction if we are to enable pupils to see that leaning is a journey that they will undertake for the rest of their lives; if we continually put insurmountable barriers in front of our learners and allow them to fall at the first barrier then we must take responsibility for putting the pupils off learning for the rest of their lives.
It is up to the teachers to model good assessment practices. It is up to the Schools Branch to model good assessment practices. It is up to parents to model good assessment practices. Our pupils will only see assessment as a positive strategy for enhancing learning if we work together to demonstrate what we want; effective learning; fun in learning; adventure in learning; learning with a purposeful and meaningful outcome, learning about learning, assessment to celebrate learning; assessment to direct us on our journey of learning. I hope you find the examples and guidance below helpful when you are thinking about how you want learning and assessment to interact so the process of learning is improved.
To ensure all teachers are aware of how to plan for effective learning:
Ø Long term: whole staff agree what is to be assessed in depth by
Ø Medium term: we identify progression, what we want the pupils to learn and how we know when the pupils have learned by …….
Ø Short term: we take account of what the pupils already K/U/can do and allow the learning intention to be shared with the pupils by ….
We Focus on a few pupils at a time and assess the learning intention by …….
To raise teachers ability to use assessment in the classroom as a tool for making learning more likely:
Ø We find out our pupils strengths and needs by ….
Ø We make sure the pupils know what they have to learn and what the learning will look like as well that what they have to do by …..
Ø We let the pupils know when they are making progress by …
Ø We discuss with the pupils about what they are going to learn next. E.g ……
Ø We make sure the pupils know their individual learning targets by ….
Ø We teach the pupils how to self-assess by ….
Ø We let the pupils assess their own work using agreed criteria ….
To develop strategies in the classroom for monitoring and evaluating the progress pupils make in their learning
Ø We teach the pupils how to monitor their own work by ….
Ø We teach the pupils how to evaluate the effectiveness of their learning strategies by ….
Ø We are aware of the what we are assessing because we …..
Ø We are aware of the level of the learning intention and where it fits into the ‘bigger picture’ of the pupils learning because we …..
Ø We are aware of who we are assessing (individual, groups) because we ….
Ø We keep simple relevant records that indicate progress in the form of ….
Ø We let pupils know how much progress they have made and celebrate their achievement and attainment by …
Ø Allow the pupils time to evaluate their learning and decide how to make their learning more effective in the future
To develop strategies in the school to ensure consistency in assessment judgments:
Ø As a staff we meet regularly to talk about what our pupils do and say in the classroom
Ø We decide which subject will be discussed
Ø We have the assessment criteria (Ma, En & Sc teams have produced summary sheets) in front of us as we talk about the pupils
Ø We decide what level the pupil is working based on what is being said about the pupil; examples can be found ….
Ø We Log our decisions in ……
Ø We look at pupils written work and use criteria to level writing. Example can be found ….
Ø Use exemplars from QCA to level work (www.ncaction....)
Ø We use the pupils work books as evidence of pupils progress and attainment over time
To ensure teachers use marking and feedback to pupils to help pupils learn more effective and raise standards:
Ø We share the learning intentions with the pupils by ..
Ø We assess and mark to the learning intention by …
Ø We assess and mark against the pupils own learning target by …
Ø We always comment positively on what the pupil has achieved examples can be found …
Ø We indicate what the pupil needs to do next by …
Ø We understand that oral feedback is more effective than written feedback. We put this into action by ….
Ø We do not mark all the books every week; we target the pupils and the work. Example …..
Ø We encourage the pupils to assess and mark their own and each others work using agreed criteria. We achieve this by ….
Ø We stick to the whole school marking policy. Examples can be found ….
To allow all schools to see that the management, monitoring and evaluation of assessment is at the heart of improvement
Ø We have agreed procedures for monitoring and evaluation. These are ….
Ø We monitor the effectiveness of assessment in our school by …
Ø We evaluate the effectiveness of assessment in our school by ….
Ø We Log our monitoring activities with a description of your findings. These take the form of …
Ø The staff about what has happened in terms of assessment and how effective the strategies have been and what needs to be done next (evaluate); Our discussions are logged with an outline of future outcomes and a date indicating the next evauation
Ø We know exactly what our responsibilities are in line with the agreed policy for assessment, reporting & recording; these are …
Ø We identify what we are good at in terms of assessment and those areas we need to develop further; example
Ø The assessment coordination is ….
Ø We are aware of what CPD is required by the staff and build in appropriate training; see attached.
To help schools develop manageable and meaningful ways of recording pupils’ progress:
Ø We record only what we need to let us know the rate of progress in learning of each pupil by …
Ø Evidence of progress in the form of pupils work (current books and topic folders) and …
Ø We keep a diary of the significant achievements of each pupil or ….
Ø We talk about the strengths of development points of the pupils in meeting (moderation meetings). These meetings are held …..
Ø We summarise the attainment of each child at the end of the year of when the pupil moves class. Example ….
Ø Written comments are purposeful and help the next teacher help the pupil make more progress. Example ….
To ensure schools are ready to have assessment celebrated during an inspection:
Ø We collect evidence to prove we have made progress since the last inspection. This takes the form of …
Ø We log the developments we have made and the impact this has had on learning
Ø We are aware of our strengths and development points and have an action plan to indicate how we intend to progress. Example ….
Ø We have a ‘health check’ every now and again from the assessment team so progress can be monitored and evaluated externally and strength and development points shared across the school
To give all schools support in understanding what is required of the at the end of the Key Stage
Ø We know the current statutory requirements; read the relevant DfES/QCA/NAA guidance; this is vital!
Ø We know when we are to be audited on the 4 year cycle and have everything prepared ready for the visit
Ø We attend KS1 or 2 assessment guidance course (December each year for KS 1 & 2)
Ø We are aware of where we can get help (Jill Whewell, County Hall; 01225 713000, Tom Robson: 01225 713862)