Welcome

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o

Life after levels

Making sure assessment serves its purpose

Aims of Session

To reflect on the barriers and opportunities presented by the removal of National Curriculum levels

To consider implications for judgements of Learning, Teaching and Assessment

To identify next steps within our own schools

To share best practice

“ We accepted the Expert Panel's recommendation to remove level descriptors from the national curriculum and not replace them. This is because we agreed that levels have become too abstract, do not give parents meaningful information about how their child is performing, nor give pupils information about how to improve. Levels have detracted from real feedback and schools have found it difficult to apply them consistently – the criteria are ambiguous and require teachers to decide how to weight a huge array of factors. Beyond the tests at key stage 2 and GCSEs at key stage 4, it will be for schools to decide how they assess pupils’ progress.”DFE 14th October 2013

In pairs discuss the potential barriers and opportunities that the decision to remove levels has created. Consider the following:- Your own school- The local context- The national context

Record one idea per post it

Stick post its on the venn diagram

Barriers Opportunities

How can we overcome the barriers?

Venture’s approach to life after levels

Begin with values and ethos of your school. Be clear on your vision.

Establish a clear time frame for change, building in plenty of CPD time

Launch model. Share with all stakeholders Review accuracy of model and make changes Build consistency through moderation Obtain external verification Review accuracy of model and make tweaks to reflect

growing understanding of new curriculum and specifications for reformed GCSEs in 2017, 2018 and 2019

Learning, Teaching and Assessment

Ofsted implications

Note for inspectors – use of assessment information in inspections 2014-15

As now, inspectors will use a range of evidence to make judgements, including by looking at test results, pupils’ work and pupils’ own perceptions of their learning. Inspectors will not expect to see a particular assessment system in place and will recognise that schools are still working towards full implementation of their preferred approach.

School Inspection Handbook September 2015

Ofsted will take a range of evidence into account when making judgements, including published performance data, the school’s in-year performance information and work in pupils’ books and folders, including that held in electronic form. However, unnecessary or extensive collections of marked pupils’ work are not required for inspection.

School Inspection Handbook September 2015

In evaluating the accuracy and impact of assessment, inspectors will consider how well: Teachers use any assessment for establishing pupils’

starting points, teacher assessment and testing to modify teaching so that pupils achieve their potential by the end of a year or key stage; inspectors should note that Ofsted does not expect to see any particular system of assessment in place.

Assessment draws on a range of evidence of what pupils know, understand and can do across the curriculum

Teachers make consistent judgements about pupils’ progress and attainment, for example within a subject, across a year group and between year groups

Latest comments from Ofsted about assessment

“At the root of ‘beyond levels’ is that assessment should be based on the curriculum and the school’s vision for its pupils’ learning, not the other way round.

Schools can develop effective assessment systems by first setting out a broad, balanced curriculum and being clear on the big ideas that they want their children to understand.

Their next step is to identify milestones in children's learning along the way to understanding those big ideas, and when they expect these to be achieved by the pupils.

Successful schools then set out the routes for learning to those milestones and their teachers provide the level of challenge required through their expectations of the pupils’ work.

Then, and only then are the assessment system and methods considered, so that real progress along the pathways can be checked, i.e. identifying what the pupils know, understand and can do that they didn’t or couldn’t before.

The key then is how the school uses the information, in whatever form suits the school and its pupils best, to support further achievement.”

Taken from a blog by Sean Harford 16.06.16

What is your school’s approach to life after levels?

Still using/adapting existing KS3 levels

A linear progression model eg move from 0-9 across 5 years of KS3 and KS4. Pixl/Doddle model uses this

A flightpath model – eg a C grade looks different in Years 7-11

Age expected progress model egabove/at/above/below

An opportunity to share

Move to sit with people following a similar approach to that in your own school (or the one that you plan to adopt). Discuss:

Reasons for adopting this approach

The benefits

Any problems and how these have been overcome

Next steps

New Curriculum, New Challenges

New Curriculum, New Challanges

What are the key challenges of preparing students for the new curriculum?

New Curriculum, New Challenges

Increased rigour in skills and knowledge

More demanding literacy skills (especially spelling, punctuation and grammar)

Terminal assessment

Gaps in knowledge and skills that have not been covered in KS2 and KS3

Training staff for reforms

Increased rigour in skills and knowledge

More demanding literacy skills (especially spelling, punctuation and grammar)

Terminal assessment

Gaps in knowledge and skills that have not been covered in KS2 and KS3

Training staff for reforms