Dr Sue HornerHead of Standards and Assessment Policy

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority

UCET, November 2008

A new conversation about assessment

1. The Learner is at the heart of assessment

Good assessment

• helps develop successful learners

• recognises strengths and areas for development and clearly identifies ways for the learner to progress

• reflects the learner’s needs and brings about attainment and progress

• encourages learners to take a central role in their own assessment

2. Assessment needs to provide a view of the whole learner

Assessment that

• values and profiles a wide range of attitudes, dispositions and skills as well as achievements in subjects

• draws on a broad range of evidence, including beyond the school

• involves those that know the learner best- parents, peers, members of the wider community

3. Assessment is integral to teaching and learning

Embedding assessment in the curriculum

• is essential to creating personalised learning

• helps teachers to be flexible enough to recognise learning as it happens

• results in decisions and actions both through day-to-day interactions with learners and taking a periodic overview of progress

4. Assessment includes reliable judgements about how learners are doing related, where appropriate, to national standards and expectations

• Linking assessment to national standards is essential– for consistency within and across schools

– tracking progress

– evaluating impact

• Schools assessment systems should support teachers and give them opportunities to develop their assessment expertise

• High quality teacher assessment is supported by Assessing Pupils’ Progress (APP) guidelines

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

Investing in teacher assessment• Statutory assessment linked to national standards since 1992

• Highly developed view of assessment in England

- testing from age 7

- teacher assessment from age 5

• Undervaluing of and underinvestment in teacher assessment

- assessment for learning potential not fully realised

- over-reliance on assessment information from testing

Need for new context to frame assessment-

different ways of looking at what learners say and do

Assessment: ways of looking

Standing back

Public view

Close up Day-to-day

Periodic

Transitional

Assessing Pupils’ Progress (APP)

APP is designed to:

• demonstrate how assessment is integral to successful teaching and learning

• encourage a broadly based curriculum which generates a wide range of evidence of pupils’ achievement

• provide a fuller picture of pupils’ strengths and weaknesses (for teachers, pupils and parents/carers) in relation to national standards

• offer a secure basis for pupil tracking

What are APP materials?

• Assessment Guidelines – criteria for making periodic judgements grouped by ‘assessment focus’

• Standards Files – annotated collections of evidence from a pupil which represent a particular level

• Handbook with guidance

Current developments

• APP

- Expectation of use in reading, writing, mathematics, science, ICT in every school by 2010/11

- Finance and training to support implementation

- APP approach being developed in other foundation subjects for 2010

• Whole school approaches to assessment

- Consistency within and between schools

- Systems in place to support good quality assessment

practice

- Clearer communication with parents and pupils

To find out more about APP

Go to:

www.qca.org.uk/assessment/app

and follow the links to access the range of published materials

Sue Horner: horners@qca.org.uk