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SIMS Assessment Assessment and the
new curriculum Overview
Assessing without levels in SIMS
March 2015
Applicable to 7.162 onwards
SIMS Assessment and the new curriculum
Assessing without levels in SIMS
© Capita Children’s Services Page 2 of 33
Contents
Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 3
About this document ..................................................................................................................................... 3
About SIMS Assessment................................................................................................................................. 4
Getting started with SIMS Assessment for the New Curriculum (assessing without levels). ...................... 5
Introduction – Assessing without Levels ........................................................................................................ 5
Background information ................................................................................................................................ 6
Benefits ........................................................................................................................................................ 10
Pre-requisites ............................................................................................................................................... 12
Understanding the features available on screen ......................................................................................... 15
Access the entire National Curriculum ...................................................................................................... 15
Naming convention used in column headings ........................................................................................... 16
Changing between subjects ....................................................................................................................... 17
Maintains historical achievement .............................................................................................................. 18
Changing between assessment periods (result sets) ................................................................................. 18
Progress towards expectations .................................................................................................................. 19
Progress toward ‘school specific’ expectations ......................................................................................... 19
Lock Targets (school expectations) ............................................................................................................ 19
Select additional student columns ............................................................................................................. 20
Analyse progress and attainment for different groups of children ........................................................... 20
Compare pupil outcomes overtime ........................................................................................................... 21
Formative AND Summative assessments .................................................................................................. 21
Pupils Strengths and next steps ................................................................................................................. 22
Individual report ........................................................................................................................................ 22
Export into Excel. ....................................................................................................................................... 23
What pupils know, and don’t yet know. .................................................................................................... 23
Features available in the SIMS Programme of Study Screen................................................................... 24
Spring 2015 – key functionality:................................................................................................................. 24
Glossary ........................................................................................................................................................ 25
Practical guides .................................................................................................................................... 26
Getting Started with the new Programmes of Study Screen ....................................................................... 26
How to set the screen to review only pupils in your class ........................................................................... 28
How to run the Individual analysis report. .................................................................................................. 30
Further information/contact ................................................................................................................ 32
Contacting the Service Desk ........................................................................................................................ 32
SIMS Assessment and the new curriculum
Assessing without levels in SIMS
© Capita Children’s Services Page 3 of 33
Introduction
About this document This document is intended to provide a useful reference for schools and support teams to help get started
with SIMS Assessment and to understand the changes that have been made recently to support schools in
tracking pupil progress across key stages.
It is expected that this document will be revised as further functionality is introduced.
If you have any suggestions or feedback we would welcome your inputs, please contact the SIMS Assessment
product manager Rachael Marshman: [email protected]
Note: when reading this document on screen it is beneficial to turn on the ‘navigation pane’ to allow for
quick access to the various sections within the support pack.
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About SIMS Assessment
SIMS Assessment – ‘Supports One of the Central Processes of any School’
SIMS Assessment & Reporting Suite provides a comprehensive tracking solution that works directly with
pupil information held within SIMS so up-to-the-minute data becomes readily available and reflects changes
as records are altered during the course of a normal school day.
SIMS provides a link to school data for all key stakeholders and can be managed in multiple ways to suit
individual requirements. Designed specifically for Head Teachers, Senior Leadership teams, Data Managers
and Teachers means there is no need for schools to export pupil details, set up key contextual fields or
migrate any historical records, as it’s at your fingertips whenever you need it.
SIMS Assessment allows for complete customisation of a schools assessment tracking system to meet
individual and specific requirements for target setting, tracking individual progress, reviewing group
performance and reporting back to parents, senior managers, governors and local authorities.
Schools can also use SIMS Assessment to identify vital links between a pupil’s attainment, provisions,
attendance and behaviour, analyse trends, and focus on the progress of every child.
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Getting started with SIMS Assessment for the New Curriculum (assessing without levels).
Introduction – Assessing without Levels Assessing without Levels, SIMS has it covered.
The spring upgrade brings with it exciting changes to the Assessment area, in addition to the
already flexible functionality available within the SIMS Performance Suite, schools will now have access to a
brand new Programme of Study area where teachers can review and assess against the entire National
Curriculum Programmes of Study for every subject across KS1 and KS2. The main difference with this new
functionality is the ability for teachers to easily record both their regular formative assessment and the more
traditional termly (or half termly) summative judgements against specific statements of the National
Curriculum all on one place. Schools will be able to clearly identify what their pupils know, and don’t yet
know, in relation to the National Curriculum Programmes of Study. The format in SIMS has been arranged so
that any school can understand the outcomes, regardless of their assessment model.
When teachers record achievement onscreen analysis clearly indicates a pupils progress towards National
Curriculum end of year or Key Stage expectations instantly. In addition, schools can also indicate which
knowledge or skill statements are the focus for teaching this term to receive instant progress towards these
school specific expectations, providing school analysis based on the knowledge, skills and understanding
actually being taught. Quick access to this information means teachers can understand the dynamics of their
classroom every lesson and timely interventions can be introduced supporting teaching, learning and pupil
progress
Individual pupil reports can be generated to highlight achievement and progress to parents and pupils
compare pupil attainment and progress towards end of year expectations and those set by the school for
this term. Details of exactly which skills have been worked on can also be displayed and are directly linked to
the National Curriculum Programmes of Study
SIMS Assessment is part of the schools MIS therefore access to key contextual information is instantly
available as are links to achievement, behaviour and attendance, so schools can take advantage of the up-to-
the-minute information that comes from using their MIS effectively. These close links help support schools in
monitoring improvements or spotting potential issues as soon as they arise
As schools develop their own curriculum to respond to the particular needs of their pupils to ensure a broad
and balanced education, SIMS Assessment will help support the freedoms of schools to assess however they
choose by providing a comprehensive attainment and progress tracking solution linked directly to the
National Curriculum Programmes of Study (one that can be set to highlight the exact areas of the curriculum
a school has chosen to focus on). Schools preferring to work towards their own formative tracking system
can utilise the flexible features of SIMS Assessment to customise or bespoke solutions to perfectly match
their requirements.
SIMS Assessment and the new curriculum
Assessing without levels in SIMS
© Capita Children’s Services Page 6 of 33
Background information Assessment and the New Curriculum.
In June 2013, as part of the DfE reforms to the National Curriculum, the government announced that the
main system of ‘levels’ used to report children’s attainment and progress were to be removed and not
replaced and would no longer be used to report the results of National Curriculum summative tests. Instead,
from 2016 Key stage results will be informed by key performance descriptors and scaled scores and as of
September 2014, schools have been granted the freedoms to teach the curriculum however they choose and
develop their own assessment arrangements between these statutory milestones.
Whilst this dramatic move has imposed significant change for maintained schools, these new found
freedoms also presents an opportunity, the profession has been handed a real chance to cultivate a
meaningful curriculum and develop assessment practice to suit schools own specific requirements.
Since the announcement of the removal of levels, several reports have been published recommending
methods of good practice to inform schools own internal formative assessment tracking systems.
What does ‘good’ look like:
NAHT Assessment Commission Report
DfE Assessment Principles1
DfE Innovation fund winners
ASCL Case Studies
NCTL ‘Beyond Levels- alternative approach developed by teaching schools’
Ofsted Guide to Schools / Guide for Inspectors
The bottom line is that an effective assessment framework should enhance teaching and learning and help
evaluate outcomes to drive school effectiveness and accountability. The golden thread to these guidance
materials being that:
Assessment should be driven from the curriculum
Use data to identify strengths and weakness to drive whole school improvement
Closely linked to improving the quality of teaching
Support pupils to reach their full potential
Meaningful tracking should inform decisions
Differentiate between pupils of different abilities
In a new world where schools have complete autonomy in devising and implementing an assessment
framework, whatever the approach, it’s absolutely crucial that assessment is meaningful and demonstrates
exactly what skills a pupil has developed and what needs to be done to progress.
The National Curriculum plays a vital role in pupils education as it contains the Programmes of Study and
attainment targets for all subjects, at all key stages and sets out clear guidance for expectations.
“By the end of each key stage, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters,
skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study” Primary National Curriculum
1 Assessment principles: school curriculum, DfE, April 2014: www.gov.uk/government/publications/assessment-principles-school-curriculum.
SIMS Assessment and the new curriculum
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So although statutory for maintained schools only, it provides useful guidance for comparison of attainment
against age related expectations across all schools; including independent, free schools or multi academy
trusts. When developing a formative assessment framework schools should be looking at the Programmes of
Study
Sir Michael Wilshaw in a speech on Ofsted inspections highlighted that inspectors will want to see how well
schools are responding to changes to the national curriculum, and that head teachers should be asking
themselves a series of questions including
“How is the school’s assessment model linked to the programmes of study and schemes of work in
the new curriculum?” 15 January 2014, Nottingham
Schools need the right tools to record, manage and analyse their data and extract the relevant information
to help them highlight and tackle weaknesses and consolidate their strengths. The Schools MIS plays a vital
role in managing this process.
Capita SIMS has worked with many schools and Local Authorities over the past year to help develop a new
assessment tracking tool driven by the National Curriculum Programmes of Study that sits inside the schools
MIS. Accessible to all SIMS schools, the new Programme of Study screen gives teachers access to all subjects
of the National Curriculum and includes both the statutory and non-statutory guidance. Here teachers can
record formative assessments against specific statements of the National Curriculum or summative
judgements for pupils to indicate which phase of the curriculum they are working within.
In the notes for Inspectors use of assessment information published by Ofsted in July 2014 schools are
expected to:
evaluate how well pupils are doing against age-related expectations, as set out by the school and the
National Curriculum (where this applies)
consider how the school uses assessment information to identify pupils who are falling behind in
their learning or who need additional support to reach their full potential, including the most able
Statutory guidance is clearly displayed in green
non-statutory guidance is shown in blue
Summative judgements can
be recorded here
SIMS has incorporated the entire National Curriculum Programmes of Study into its
assessment module for all SIMS schools to access, this includes every subject and strand
Formative judgements are
recorded here
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When teachers record achievement within the new PoS Screen in SIMS, onscreen analysis clearly indicates a
pupils progress towards National Curriculum end of year or Key Stage expectations instantly as attainment is
recorded. In addition, schools can also indicate which knowledge or skill statements teachers are focused on
teaching this term to receive instant progress towards these school specific expectations providing school
analysis based on the knowledge, skills and understanding actually being taught. Quick access to this
information means teachers can understand the dynamics of their classroom every lesson and timely
interventions can be introduced supporting teaching, learning and pupil progress.
Individual pupil reports can be generated to
highlight achievement and progress to parents
and pupils; compare pupil attainment and
progress towards end of year expectations and
those set by the school for this term. Details of
exactly which skills have been worked on can
also be displayed and are directly linked to the
National Curriculum Programmes of Study.
Data and accountability, move data out of the office and into the classroom to help inform teaching and
learning.
To demonstrate effective teaching to Ofsted, the teachers themselves will also need to demonstrate they
understand their data – they know and understand the status of all the children in their class, which sub-
group they are in and what progress they are making – and tailor their teaching accordingly.
SIMS Assessment is part of the schools MIS therefore access to key contextual information is instantly
available as are links to achievement, behaviour and attendance, so schools can take advantage of the up-to-
Age related expectations (attainment targets) are clearly
highlighted in green and summarised as ‘PoS expectations’.
whilst additional non-statutory guidance is shown in blue
Schools can clearly see progress towards age related
expectations AND their own termly expectations
instantly as data is recorded
Schools can set their own expectations for the term (or half
term) across all subjects and strands of the National Curriculum
SIMS Assessment and the new curriculum
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© Capita Children’s Services Page 9 of 33
the-minute information that comes from using their MIS effectively. These close links help support schools in
monitoring improvements or spotting potential issues as soon as they arise
The National Curriculum and assessment information for schools published in September 2014 states:
“The programmes of study within the new National Curriculum (NC) set out expectations at the end of each key stage, and all maintained schools will be free to develop a curriculum relevant to their pupils that teaches this content. The curriculum must include an assessment system which enables schools to check what pupils have learned and whether they are on track to meet expectations at the end of the key stage, and to report regularly to parents.”
As schools develop their own curriculum to respond to the particular needs of their pupils to ensure a broad
and balanced education, SIMS Assessment will help support the freedoms of schools to assess however they
choose by providing a comprehensive attainment and progress tracking solution linked directly to the
National Curriculum Programmes of Study (one that can be set to highlight the exact areas of the curriculum
a school has chosen to focus on). Schools preferring to work towards their own formative tracking system
can utilise the flexible features of SIMS Assessment to customise or bespoke solutions to perfectly match
their requirements.
The key thing to note is in a world beyond levels, there will be no national standard, love it or hate it the old
system of levels brought with it an understanding of achievement and practices between schools, with the
new found autonomy this presents a very different situation and there are real implications for the transition
phase between primary and secondary schools and the mobility of pupils in general.
SIMS Assessment can help schools highlight what their pupils know, and don’t yet know, in relation to the
National Curriculum Programmes of Study. The format in SIMS has been arranged so that any school can
understand the outcomes, regardless of their assessment model.
As part of the 2013 Primary Assessment and Accountability consultation, the DfE published a set of core
principles to underpin effective assessment systems within schools.
SIMS Assessment satisfies each of these core principles and will continue to support emerging requirements
as more evidence of good practice emerges.
SIMS Assessment and the new curriculum
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Benefits Freedom to teach the curriculum however a school chooses and SIMS can assess against it
With the new SIMS solution, schools retain the freedom to teach the curriculum exactly how they want to
and SIMS will help to track pupil performance against the knowledge, skills and understanding teachers are
focussing on from the National Curriculum Programme of Study.
Access the entire National Curriculum
Teachers can access the National Curriculum Programmes of Study for ALL core and foundation subjects
within SIMS. Teachers can easily toggle between subjects and assessment periods to record achievements
for pupils at a formative and summative level, all from one easy to access screen.
Maintains historical achievement
No need to jump between marksheets to review prior attainment as any achievement recorded for pupils
historically will automatically be presented on screen and identified by a ‘slice’ of colour. If the historical
assessment is still relevant there is no need to re-enter data, the assessment will still count towards analysis.
Achievements recorded within the current assessment period are clearly shown by a bold block of colour.
Progress towards expectations
All on-screen analysis is based on the most recently recorded achievement whether from this term or a
previous term meaning that teachers have instant and ongoing feedback for every child whilst highlighting
current attainment and progress towards expectations.
Progress toward school specific expectations
Onscreen analysis clearly indicates a pupils progress towards National Curriculum end of year or Key Stage
expectations instantly as attainment is recorded. In addition, schools can also indicate which knowledge or
skill statements teachers are focused on teaching this term to receive instant progress towards these school
specific expectations providing school analysis based on the knowledge, skills and understanding actually
being taught.
Analyse progress and attainment for different groups of children
Identify your key pupil groups and review attainment and progress towards expectations for these groups
helping to highlight gaps or identify where interventions may be needed.
Compare pupil outcomes overtime
From the data entry screen, teachers can very quickly change the assessment period to review attainment
and progress analysis relevant to the selected assessment period.
Formative AND Summative assessments
Teachers can record their ongoing formative assessments against the National Curriculum Programmes of
Study and provide summative judgements at termly or half termly intervals to indicate which stage of the
curriculum a pupil is working within. Pupils are shown as either emerging, developing, secure or whether
they have mastered an area of learning in a simple traffic light display.
Working below age related expectations.
To accommodate the needs of pupils working below age related expectations, teachers have the ability to
review curriculum statements for the year below so that any knowledge, skills or understanding not yet
achieved from the previous years curriculum can be incorporated into this year’s lesson plans for the
appropriate pupils.
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Pupils Strengths and next steps
Help pupils to understand what they are good at and key areas for development by sharing specific pupil
strengths and next steps comments recorded during the term, a report can be generated based on outcomes
already entered in SIMS
What pupils know, and don’t yet know.
SIMS Assessment can help schools highlight what their pupils know, and don’t yet know, in relation to the
National Curriculum Programmes of Study. The format in SIMS has been arranged so that any school can
understand the outcomes, regardless of their assessment model.
SIMS Assessment and the new curriculum
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© Capita Children’s Services Page 12 of 33
Pre-requisites Before accessing the new Programmes of Study Screen you will need to make sure that your AMPARK
resources have been imported successfully after upgrade.
The following screenshots help you
1. Click on the Programme of Study Tracking Entry icon on the main menu
2. The first time a user accesses an assessment menu route after upgrade a prompt will appear
3. Following an upgrade to the Spring release 7.162 schools will see an on screen message when they
go into SIMS Assessment informing them that new templates are available. They need to select ‘Yes’
to download them into their Focus | Assessment | Template area. If they select ‘remind me later’
the option will be re-presented next time they log into SIMS and open up an assessment menu
route. For the Spring release the ‘no’ option has been disabled to avoid schools inadvertently
bypassing this opportunity to update their assessment resources.
4. The Tracking Programme of Study Resources option MUST be ticked to bring in new resources.
5. If school un-ticks the Programme of Study Resources they will need to manually import ‘PoS Tracking
Templates Primary 2015.xml’ file via Routines | Data In | Assessment | Import The files can usually
be found at C:\Program Files\SIMS\SIMS .net\Ampa.
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6. Once you have clicked Yes it will take a few minutes to import the new resources, you will then be
presented with an activity log. Check that all resources were successfully imported.
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7. Once resources have been imported the Programme of Study screen can be accessed from a new
icon on the main SIMS menu bar to the right of the Discover icon or via Focus | Assessment |
Programme of Study Tracking Entry
8. Teachers will now be able to access the National Curriculum Programmes of Study.
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Understanding the features available on screen
Access the entire National Curriculum
The Programme of Study screen within SIMS provides teachers with access to the entire KS1 and KS2
National Curriculum Programmes of Study for all core AND foundation subjects.
Subject Strand
Core Subjects English: Reading Word Reading
Comprehension
English: Writing Spelling
Handwriting & Presentation
Composition
Vocab, punctuation & Grammar
English: Spoken Language Spoken Language
Mathematics Place Value
Addition & Subtraction
Multiplication & Division
Addition, subtraction, multiplication & Division
Fractions
Ratio
Algebra
Measurement
Geometry Shapes
Geometry Position & Direction
Statistics
Science Living Things
Plants
Animals & humans
Evolution
Rocks
States of Matter
Light
Forces & Magnets
Sound
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Electricity
Materials
Earth & Space
Seasonal Changes
Science Working Scientifically
Foundation Subjects Art & Design Art & Design
Computing Computing
Design & Technology Design & Technology
Foreign Language Foreign Language
Geography Geography
History History
Music Music
PE PE
The end of year or Key stage statutory expectations are clearly highlighted in green and indicated as a ‘Y’ in
the PoS Expectations column. The additional supplementary non-statutory guidance is clearly highlighted in
blue and indicated by an ‘N’ in the PoS Expectations column.
Naming convention used in column headings
The use of specific naming conventions have been employed throughout the Programme of Study area to help customers easily identify the aspects that have been used within this screen. Customers who wish to develop or enhance their own assessment materials, such as marksheets, tracking grids, performance analysis or Discover, can do so using these aspects.
Naming convention adopted:
Age related
expectations
(attainment targets)
are clearly
highlighted in green
and indicated as a ‘Y’
in PoS expectations.
Additional non-
statutory guidance
is shown in blue
and indicated as an
‘N’ in PoS
expectations
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© Capita Children’s Services Page 17 of 33
Subject Strand Statutory or non Year applicable Bullet statement
Ma Fractions S 2. 01
Maths Fractions Statutory Year 2 01
Ma Fractions N 2. 02
Maths Fractions Non Statutory Year 2 02
En Word Read S 34. 02
English Word Reading Statutory Lower KS2 (years 3&4) 02
The ‘bullet statement’ reference is assigned according to the order in which the statement appears within
the Programme of Study for that particular Subject and Strand for the year applicable e.g.
Mathematics – key stages 1 and 2 – Year 2 Programme of Study
Changing between subjects
Teachers can easily toggle between subjects to record achievements for pupils at a formative and summative level, all from one easy to access screen. A quick-click feature has been added so that the ‘selection parameters’ can be instantly expanded or contracted to create more space on screen
Click on the ‘selection parameters’ area anywhere across the screen to reveal or hide the subject and year
group selection panel. This feature is to allow for the quick expansion or contraction of the selection panel to
create more space on screen.
01
02
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Once in this selection parameters area, use the drop-down menu items to change your assessment focus. Then to refresh the details on screen click ‘populate’.
Maintains historical achievement
No need to jump between marksheets to review prior attainment as any achievement recorded for pupils
historically will automatically be presented on screen and identified by a ‘slice’ of colour. If the historical
assessment is still relevant there is no need to re-enter data as the assessment will still count towards overall
analysis. Achievements recorded within the current assessment period are clearly shown by a bold block of
colour.
Changing between assessment periods (result sets)
Teachers can easily toggle between assessment periods to enter, record or analyse achievements for their pupils, all from one easy to access screen. Changing assessment periods (result sets) will instantly refresh the data on screen relevant to the selection. Any on screen analysis will automatically update according to the group of pupils already in focus.
Slice of colour indicating
historical results.
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© Capita Children’s Services Page 19 of 33
Progress towards expectations
Onscreen analysis clearly indicates a pupils progress towards National Curriculum end of year or Key Stage
expectations instantly as attainment is recorded. All analysis is based on the most recently recorded
achievement whether from this term or a previous term meaning that teachers have instant and ongoing
feedback for every child whilst highlighting current attainment and progress towards expectations (as
defined within the Programme of Study).
Progress toward ‘school specific’ expectations
In addition to the End of Year requirements , schools can also indicate which knowledge or skill statements
teachers are focused on teaching this term to receive instant progress towards these school specific
expectations. This extremely useful feature provides schools with the ability to specifically identify within
SIMS the statements of knowledge or skills that are being focussed on in any given term and SIMS will then
perform analysis based on the knowledge, skills and understanding actually being taught.
Lock Targets (school expectations)
Once the ‘school expectations’ have been defined for the term they can be locked so that they do not
change during the chosen assessment period. Only an ‘assessment operator’ or ‘assessment coordinator’ has
the permissions to Lock Targets to preserve the ‘school expectations’.
Once selected you will be presented with the following prompt, click Yes. To unlock simply repeat the
process.
Set School Expectations by
selecting a ‘y’ in the yellow
row against the column that
represents the statements for
focus is being taught
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Select additional student columns
Teachers can filter on additional student columns to review analysis for their chosen groups. To bring up the columns to display you will need to right-click on the ‘Students’ heading and click on ‘Select Additional Student Columns’
Here you will be presented with options for
additional available columns. Add a tick within
the box(es) you wish to add and click OK
Analyse progress and attainment for different groups of children
Using the additional pupil columns selected previously, Identify your key pupil groups and review attainment
and progress towards expectations for these groups helping to highlight gaps or identify where interventions
may be needed.
SIMS Assessment and the new curriculum
Assessing without levels in SIMS
© Capita Children’s Services Page 21 of 33
Compare pupil outcomes overtime
From the data entry screen, teachers can very quickly change the assessment period to review attainment
and progress analysis relevant to the selected assessment period.
Formative AND Summative assessments
Teachers can record their more regular ongoing formative assessments against the National Curriculum
Programmes of Study and provide summative judgements at termly or half termly intervals to indicate which
stage of the curriculum a pupil is working within. Pupils are shown as either emerging, developing, secure or
whether they have mastered an area of learning in a simple traffic light display.
Formative assessment gradeset (CAS APP Bullets)
M Mastered (value = 4) using and applying knowledge, skills or understanding across the curriculum
S Secure (value = 3) secure in their understanding within the context of teaching (achieved)
D Developing (value = 2) increasing understanding
E Emerging (value = 1) Just starting to learn knowledge or skill
Summative Assessment gradeset (CAS Overall)
Ability to record termly or half termly summative assessments to indicate which stage of the curriculum a pupil is working within (e.g. Curriculum year 1 developing, Curriculum year 1 secure etc.)
... [ extends upwards into KS3 Curriculum Year 9 Mastered (value = 58)]
...
2M Curriculum Year 2 Mastered (value = 30)
2S Curriculum Year 2 Secure (value = 29)
2D Curriculum Year 2 Developing (value = 28)
2E Curriculum Year 2 Emerging (value = 27)
1M Curriculum Year 1 Mastered (value = 26)
1S Curriculum Year 1 Secure (value = 25)
1D Curriculum Year 1 Developing (value = 24)
1E Curriculum Year 1 Emerging (value = 23)
WT Working Towards NC (value = 22)
... [ values extend onwards from EYFS gradeset ‘EY TT Ages and Stages’ into KS1 Curriculum Year 1]
...
2s Expected secure (value = 22)
2 Expected (value = 21)
40-60s 40-60months secure (value = 20)
Etc...
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Pupils Strengths and next steps
Help pupils to understand what they are good at and key areas for development by sharing specific pupil
strengths and next steps comments recorded during the term, a report can be generated based on outcomes
already entered in SIMS.
Ofsted are really clear that pupils need to understand what they are good at and receive feedback on their
next steps for progression. To make the process of recording this level of detail easier for teachers, columns
have been included on the Programme of Study screen to make provision for the recording of strengths and
next steps. These comments will then feed in to the individual pupil report.
Individual report
Generate pupil reports to highlight achievement and progress to parents and pupils
Report / Assessment / Programme of Study / subject strand individual report
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Compare pupil attainment and
progress towards end of year
expectations and those set by the
school for this term.
Clearly linked to the National
Curriculum Programmes of Study
Export into Excel.
Output any of the Programme of Study screens, including on screen analysis into excel for further analysis.
What pupils know, and don’t yet know.
SIMS Assessment can help schools highlight what their pupils know, and don’t yet know, in relation to the
National Curriculum Programmes of Study. The format in SIMS has been arranged so that any school can
understand the outcomes, regardless of their assessment model.
SIMS Assessment and the new curriculum
Assessing without levels in SIMS
© Capita Children’s Services Page 24 of 33
Features available in the SIMS Programme of Study Screen For the Spring SIMS release, the following features and functionality will be available within the Programme
of Study Screen:
Spring 2015 – key functionality:
Access to the entire National Curriculum Programmes of Study in England for KS1 and KS2
The ability for teachers to log in and assess against the National Curriculum statements of knowledge, skills and understanding for all core and foundation subjects
Ability to record more regular formative assessments (using the grades emerging, developing, secure and mastered)
Ability to record termly or half termly summative assessments to indicate which stage of the curriculum a pupil is working within (e.g. Curriculum year 1 developing, Curriculum year 1 secure etc.)
The ability to access key ‘selection parameters’ from the data entry screen to effortlessly switch between subjects
Quick -Click expansion or contraction of ‘selection parameters’ to create more space on screen.
The ability to switch assessment periods (result sets) on screen to change assessment focus
Grade validation on entry
Show/hide - The ability to show or hide statements for previous year
Show/hide - The ability to show or hide statements for next year
The ability to select additional student columns
The ability to filter on additional student columns to review analysis for the chosen pupil group
The ability to sort pupil names by ascending or descending order (click on ‘students’)
Summary – The ability to show or hide summary columns
Summary – The ability to show or hide summary Rows
Show grade distribution – click on any column and reveal number and percentage of pupils achieving each grade for any statement within the programme of study
Flood fill - Select grade for column / undo results for column
Lock Targets – the ability to define ‘school expectations’ for the term and apply a lock so they cannot be changed within the assessment period
The ability to export data on screen into excel, including summary analysis columns and rows.
Review Programme of Study Expectations as defined by the National Curriculum Programmes of Study (indicated by a ‘Y’ or ‘N’ in the blue PoS Expectations row)
The ability to define ‘School Expectations’ to indicate teaching goals and guidance for achievement within a term or half term (indicated by a ‘Y’ or ‘N’ in the yellow school expectations row)
The ability to review historical achievement and clearly distinguish between current and past results
The ability for onscreen analysis to count both current and historical results towards attainment summary analysis to avoid the need to teachers to update teacher assessments if the pupil has not progressed (saving time)
Summary columns - The ability to review on screen analysis for pupil progress towards end of year or end of key stage expectations (as defined by the NC PoS)
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Summary columns - The ability to review on screen analysis for pupil progress towards school expectations (as defined by the school for that term or half term)
The ability to review on screen analysis of pupil attainment and be presented with the number and percentage of pupils (in the chosen group of focus) who have achieved, not achieved or ‘mastered’ a particular statement of knowledge or area of learning
Ability to review the total number of pupils being counted in a particular column for analysis and review
Ability to review the total number of results entered against pupils within a particular column
The ability to re-use the assessment aspects driving the Programme of Study screen in other areas of SIMS (such as marksheets, tracking grids, performance analysis or Discover) – The use of specific pre-defined naming conventions have been employed to help customers easily identify these aspects.
show grade distribution
The ability to run an individual pupil report to review attainment and progress for any given subject or strand within KS1 or KS2.
The ability for the report to show progress towards End of Year or Key Stage expectations
The ability for the report to show progress towards school expectations
The ability for the report to show attainment and progress over time
The ability for the report to show details of the knowledge, skills and understanding achieved over the reporting period and review grades of achievement against each.
The ability for the report to highlight a pupils strengths and next steps for progression as displayed by a narrative style comment recorded within the context of teaching.
Glossary PoS Programme of Study
PoS Expectations Expectations for teaching and learning as defined within the statutory
requirements of the English National Curriculum Programmes of Study
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Practical guides Getting Started with the new Programmes of Study Screen
1. Select a subject to focus on by using the drop-down selector and highlighting your subject
2. Select a strand within the subject (if applicable)
3. Then define the term you wish to record the assessments against (result set).
4. Pick the year group you wish to focus on
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5. You will then be presented with New Programme of Study Screen
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How to set the screen to review only pupils in your class
1. As a teacher right-click on the students column, and select additional student columns
2. Add a tick to the registration group and click OK
3. Roll over the filter icon at the top of the Reg Group Column
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4. Select the class relevant to view and click okay
5. The screen will now be displayed for the specific class teacher
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How to run the Individual analysis report. Report / Assessment / Programme of Study / subject strand individual report
1. Select the ‘statement for year’ group option from the drop-down menu. This choice will determine which
statements are displayed on the report. if you have pupils working below age related expectations you
may need to run the report for the year below.
2. Next select the term to run the report which is determined by the assessment period or ‘resultset’
3. Select which subjects you would like displayed on the report, whether this is for one subject or all
subjects and then choose the relevant strands to be displayed within the report.
4. By ticking the ‘school expectations’ option the report will display the school expectations as defined
within the chosen assess ment period and achievement can be compared to these expectations.
1.
3.
2.
4. 5.
6.
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5. By ticking ‘show progress’ all attainment will be displayed within the report for each term from the
beginning of the year you have selected up to and including the term selected to display how attainment
has changed over time.
6. Tick the include statement legend if you wish to display the statements of knowledge, skills and
understanding achieved by the pupil on the report
7. Next use the student selector to select a pupil (or group of pupils you wish to generate reports for
Check the effective group date and
amend if necessary.
Pick the year group or class to choose the
pupils from
Select a pupil, or group of pupils names
to run the report
Click Apply,
Then click Print
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Further information/contact If you experience an issue using any of the features in SIMS assessment, please contact the SIMS helpdesk
who would be happy to provide support to schools.
Any feedback or suggestions are always welcome an in this case please contact the SIMS Assessment
product manager: Rachael Marshman [email protected]
Contacting the Service Desk You can contact the SIMS Service Desk by telephone or by email:
By telephone on 0844 892 2407
By email to [email protected]
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Disclaimer
Whilst every effort is made to ensure the technical accuracy of the information contained within this training information Capita
Children’s Services is not responsible for, and does not accept any liability in respect of, any claims, losses or damages (howsoever
they arise) made or incurred by any persons or bodies as a result of using the information contained within this document.
2014 Capita plc.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium including by
electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally) without the written permission of Capita Children’s Services except
in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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