Putting the learner at the heart of assessment

1. Putting the learner at the heart of assessment Sue Horner, Director of Curriculum Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency 12 November 2009 Scottish Qualifications Authority

2. The archaeological dig – Year 1

3. The changing picture in England reduction in external testing development of teacher assessment systems need to integrate curriculum and assessment professionalising assessment in schools

4. Government objectives • Every child knows how they are doing, and understand what they need to do to improve • Every teacher is equipped to make effective judgements about learners’ attainment and how to plan to improve it • Every school has systems for making regular, useful and accurate assessments • Every parent knows how their child is doing, what they need to do to improve, and how they can support the child and their teachers

5. “The research indicates that improving learning through assessment depends on five, deceptively simple, key factors: • the provision of effective feedback to pupils • the active involvement of pupils in their own learning • adjusting teaching to take account of the results of assessment • a recognition of the profound influence assessment has on the motivation and self-esteem of pupils, both of which are crucial influences on learning; • the need for pupils to be able to assess themselves and understand how to improve.” Assessment for learning: beyond the black box, Assessment Reform Group (University of Cambridge School of Education), 1999

6. Working towards good assessment BETT, Thursday 15 January 2009 6

7. QCDA’s Principles for assessment • the learner is at the heart of assessment • assessment needs to provide a view of the whole learner • assessment is integral to teaching and learning • assessment includes reliable judgements about how learners are doing, related, where appropriate, to national standards 7

8. Current priorities • Increasing the focus on pupil progress rather than achievement linked to age-related expectations • Raising the status of teacher assessment • Expanding the assessment repertoire • a wider range of assessment evidence • learners’ involvement in their assessment • Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) • more accessible and relevant information for parents 8

9. Developing a framework for teacher assessment To help schools and teachers make decisions about what, when and how to assess recognise and make use of a range of evidence use the information effectively for maximum impact use assessment techniques efficiently - reducing specific/separate assessment activities

10. Making a difference Evaluation of impact: - progress of pupils - enhancement of curriculum - improvements in pedagogy Ownership by teachers Involvement of parents and learners Continuing development and responsiveness to changing local and national priorities 10

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12. Assessment overview

13. Assessing Pupils’ Progress (APP) • Tools to support periodic assessment judgements 13

14. Assessing Pupils’ Progress a a a a a a a

15. Features of APP assessments • Independence and choice – pupils demonstrating what they know and can do • Wide range of evidence – could be drawn from work across the curriculum and beyond school • Use of assessment guidelines which unpack National Curriculum level descriptions • Standards files - annotated evidence of pupils’ learning 15

16. APP further support 16

17. Changing assessment systems BETT, Thursday 15 January 2009 17

18. Challenges Five challenges from QCDA’s Articulating assessment pilot establishing coherence gaining involvement building consistency securing manageability achieving impact 18

19. Establishing coherence Hazelwick School, West Sussex Connecting curriculum, teaching and assessment • assessment moved them towards a more active and participatory approach to science in year 7 • focused on developing an individual learner's science skills rather than the coverage of subject content • this led to fairly significant changes in work schemes and teachers’ planning 19

20. Gaining involvement St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Warwickshire Leading whole-school change • assessment development to improve the standard of children’s writing • involving children in their writing targets • parents to support their child at home in achieving these targets. • the success of the project so far is rooted in the effectiveness of a working party that represents all stakeholders, supported by the school leadership team. • a vision statement provided a shared understanding of what the school set out to achieve 20

21. Ensuring consistency Swinton Fitzwilliam Primary School, Rotherham Improving the consistency of assessment • assessment for learning as a basis to improve standards • planning for, developing and assessing learners’ personal learning and thinking skills (PLTS) • enhance assessment practice within the classroom using video and audio technology • ensure that evidence-gathering was manageable and useful, happened at the point of learning and involved the learners themselves • all school staff contributed through discussion, trialling methods and feedback 21

22. Securing manageability Durrington High School, West Sussex Capturing assessment evidence • ‘learning conversations’ are an integral part ofweekly catch-up meetings • learners are encouraged to take responsibility for the collection of evidence • started to use digital video cameras, still cameras and audio recordings as well as paper-based notes to record progress 22

23. Achieving impact Easebourne Primary School, West Sussex Broadening the assessment dialogue • opportunities for pupils to self-, peer- and group-assess • the staff came to the view that assessment based on skills that could be transferred across all subjects would be both far more manageable and have a greater impact on the children’s learning. • based their approach on the four Rs: resilience, reflection, relationships and resourcefulness • used a version of Apgar to capture the progress individual children made in developing the four Rs on a residential trip 'It quickly became clear that the use of Apgar and its creation of a new dialogue between everyone at Easebourne (children, teachers, parents, carers and governors) was going to revolutionise the way we think about learning.' 23

24. Working towards a new assessment landscape BETT, Thursday 15 January 2009 24

25. My teacher gives me feedback which helps me progress day by day I understand national standards in detail I recognise learning and achievement inthe classroom I do different tasksto show what I can do I know my pupils’ strengths and areasfor development I know how I am progressing and what to focus on next… I build my knowledge of my pupils into my planning and teaching My pupils make faster progress than they used to … and my family knows it so they help me too I am supportedby my school systems and by assessment experts I know that my colleaguesshare the same expectations When I move class my new teacher understands where I am and what I need to do next Assessment for pupils and teachers

26. Making the most of current opportunities • Ensuring consistency of standards • Keeping assessment relevant, up-to-date and responsive to developments in curriculum and pedagogy • Expanding the repertoire of types of assessment Putting the learner at the heart of assessment 26