Download - A new conversation about assessment
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: [email protected]