PRIMARYGetting the measure of

InCAS for ages 6-11 (P2-P7)

Getting the measure of PRIMARY 3

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Getting the measure of PRIMARY 2

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Signposting the pathwaythrough Primary for children to reach their potential

Children’s development at primary school age is intense, often uneven and sometimes against expectations. It can be hard at any given point to judge their ability, discern their progress or guess what they might achieve.

The suite of CEM assessments for primary schools is designed to bring a measure of certainty into the education process. They evaluate performance, monitor progress and indicate potential in specific and helpful ways. As a result, teachers and schools are able to provide individual and groups of children with learning opportunities to enable them to achieve their best.

• InCAS provides detailed, age related diagnostic information and recommendations whenever required.

The CEM differenceWhat sets CEM systems apart is our pedigree. They are based on evidence from over 30 years of scientific research as part of Durham University, a World Top 100 university. You can rely on our independence as a not-for-profit organisation dedicated solely to improving teaching and learning for children and young people from age 3 to 19.

Every year CEM brands assess the potential of a million children in over 70 countries. We pioneered and are one of the world’s leading providers of computer adaptive systems. These automatically adjust the assessment process to a child’s level of knowledge so that learning can be targeted at individual needs.

Support and trainingTo help you run CEM assessments we provide manuals for each system. Then to enable you derive the most from your data we offer support online and by email. We are always happy to explain feedback and what it means directly over phone. We also organise in-school training and teacher conferences both in Durham or at schools and centres around the world.

Through such constant contact we learn from schools’ experience of using CEM systems. This refreshes the fund of knowledge built up since we pioneered evidence-based measurement in 1981 and helps our team, which includes qualified teachers, to develop even more cost-effective ways to make a positive difference to pupils’ prospects.

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InCASThe practical tool to diagnose and help to improve learning performance.

InCAS was introduced in England and Scotland in 2003 and is being taken up across the world. The popularity of this innovative diagnostic tool stems from its flexibility.

InCAS can be deployed at any point in the school year to assess children aged between 5 and 11. Feedback follows shortly afterwards. We also supply guidance on translating the data into practical ways to help pupils to build on their strengths and overcome difficulties, especially with literacy and maths.

� Word Decoding – spelling unfamiliar and nonsense words

� Comprehension – reading through a passage and selecting words which fit into the sentence

� Spelling – finding the letters of a spoken word in a sentence

• Mathematics – curriculum based assessment of general maths

� Number 1

� Number 2

� Measures, Shape and Space

� Data Handling

• Mental arithmetic – processing numerical tasks quickly and accurately

� Addition

� Subtraction

� Multiplication

� Division

• Developed Ability

� Picture vocabulary – matching a spoken word to a picture

� Non-verbal ability – matching a pattern on one side with the same embedded on the other side

• Attitudes – to mathematics, reading and school indicated by selecting points on a scale

Core assessmentsInCAS is easy to administer. Being modular it allows you to choose which units are useful. InCAS begins by asking a pupil questions suitable for an average similarly-aged child. According the answers, it adjusts the level of difficulty up or down. Children simply follow the prompts to complete each enjoyable session in about 30 minutes. Because it adapts to individual ability – not too hard, not too easy – InCAS produces a bespoke assessment.

The menu of assessment modules covers every area which together contribute to a full diagnosis of a pupil’s current learning.

• Reading

� Word recognition – identifying familiar spoken words in context

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“Following staff attendance on a CEM training course we decided to give the InCAS package a go. We felt that InCAS would give us additional information that we had not had access to before and that it would complement our existing assessment arrangements. We liked the idea that each child would have an individual profile through the adaptive nature of the test.

There was a high level of engagement from the majority of the nearly 600 students who took part. They enjoy doing the assessments. Talking to the parents of one child and the child themselves, who has a real issue with taking ‘tests,’ the child didn’t even realise that they were being ‘tested.’

The adaptive nature of the test certainly appealed to us and this wouldn’t be possible with a traditional test. The children responded well to the graphics and to the various different aspects of the test.”

Discovery Bay International School, Hong Kong

What the feedback showsThe feedback amounts to a profile for each pupil and can be customised to highlight particular aptitudes, reveal inconsistencies and diagnose needs.

• Age related scores for each pupil in each module (except attitudes)

• Pupil progress chart

• Comparison of reading and maths performance with developed ability and attitudes

• Analysis of reading – recognising and decoding words and reading with understanding

• Spelling – able to be compared with picture vocabulary and non-verbal ability

Putting diagnosis to workThe design of InCAS is based on research at Durham which includes remediating reading problems (dyslexia) and maths problems (dyscalculia). Feedback is accompanied by advice on its use to facilitate personalised learning plans. InCAS is a precision tool for:

• Evaluating pupil needs

• Identifying suitable interventions to help pupils showing signs of dyslexia and dyscalculia

• Evidence of pupil progress

• Identifying specific areas within a subject where progress could be made

• Identifying pupils who are falling behind or excelling

• Providing the basis of discussion of future needs with the next teacher

www.cem.org

@CEMatDurham

EARLY YEARSGetting the measure of

ASPECTSPre-school Assessment

BASE

PRIMARYGetting the measure of

InCASfor ages 5-11 (P2-P7)

ALISfor age 16 and over

ALISGetting the measure of

SECONDARYGetting the measure of

MidYISfor ages 11-14

INSIGHTfor ages 13-14

Yellisfor ages 14-16

Find out about our other assessments

For more information about these assessments,

Telephone 0191 334 4223

Or email primary.support@cem.dur.ac.uk