Assessment Policy Magna Academy

Approved by Regional Board:

Date: October 2020

Last reviewed on: October 2020

Next review due by: September 2021

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Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3

Types of assessment............................................................................................................................... 3

Characteristics of good practice in assessment .................................................................................... 4

Our assessments ..................................................................................................................................... 5

Banding on entry .................................................................................................................................... 6

Age related expectations ....................................................................................................................... 6

Subject assessment plans ...................................................................................................................... 7

Assessment Points 1 and 2 ..................................................................................................................... 8

Key Stage 3 standardisation ................................................................................................................... 8

Tracking student progress ...................................................................................................................... 9

Target setting.......................................................................................................................................... 9

Most able ............................................................................................................................................... 9

Reporting .............................................................................................................................................. 10

Reporting criteria – descriptions ......................................................................................................... 11

Accountability ....................................................................................................................................... 12

Sources of guidance ............................................................................................................................. 13

Appendix 1 - Magna Academy Assessment Journey

Appendix 2 – Maths National Age Related Expectations

Appendix 3 – Assessment Point Analysis Templates

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Introduction

Assessment is the process of obtaining, analysing and interpreting evidence for use by both students and teachers to enable the review, planning and improvement of learning. It is fully integrated with the delivery of the curriculum and is an essential component of effective classroom practice. The assessment process and the data it generates should be valid (they measure that which they were intended to measure and data are appropriate for the interpretations intended to be made from them) and reliable (consistent over time) for the purpose intended: a poor-quality assessment may give misleading results and lead to poor-quality decisions.

By using high-quality data efficiently as a tool to help inform practices in school three positive consequences occur:

Senior leaders and their teachers make conscious decisions about the specific uses of each piece of assessment data they will collect. This enables productive conversations about ensuring these are appropriate and useful for the intended purposes.

Teachers and senior leaders consider the opportunity costs of assessment. They recognise that the time and effort spent on assessment must be as valuable – if not more so – than other ‘opportunities’ (such as more teaching time) which could have been taken up.

Assessment data informs decisions about teaching and learning. Lessons and interventions are planned proactively in response to purposeful assessments.

Education Endowment Foundation

Types of Assessment Summative Assessment It is Assessment of Learning. It is mainly used to measure performance and to clearly identify the standard of student attainment. It is carried out at the end of a period of learning. E.g. External examinations; internal school examinations; end of topic/unit tests; standardised tests Formative Assessment It is Assessment for Learning. It is ongoing and provides evidence of and for progression in learning. It supports learning through identifying difficulties, providing feedback and diagnosing future learning priorities. E.g. Class work; homework; questioning; oral discussion; presentation; knowledge retrieval testing; practical projects Self-Assessment It encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning by:

Evaluating their own achievement against shared learning outcomes

Identifying their own strengths and areas for improvement

Encouraging individual learning goals and action plans for future progression

Fostering a self-reflective learning culture

Encouraging independence in learning

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Characteristics of good practice in Assessment Assessments which 1. Promote and support learning

• Identifies what students know, understand and can do • Enables consistent monitoring of students progress • Identifies individual learning strengths and weaknesses • Encourages progression in learning

2. Inform teaching

• Assists lesson planning • Informs review of content and skills • Promotes a variety of teaching strategies • Enables consistent monitoring of teaching progress • Encourages self-reflection

3. Are both formative and summative • Promotes a shared learning culture • Provides clear and regular feedback • Diagnoses learning difficulties • Measures student performance • Identifies clear and shared targets for student progress • Informs subject choice and career decision making • Provides effective and progressive student records • Informs regular reporting to parents/carers

4. Use appropriate and diverse strategies • Is both formal and informal • Tests a range of skills • Encourages effective and standardised marking procedures • Is both quantitative and qualitative • Is carried out in a range of contexts

5. Recognise student progress and achievement • Rewards progress, effort and achievement • Fosters motivation and promotes a commitment to learning • Creates opportunities for self-direction • Fosters self-esteem and social development

6. Develop the capacity for self-assessment

• Shares learning outcomes and assessment criteria • Gives sensitive and constructive feedback • Supports students in self and peer assessment activities • Engages students in realistic target setting

7. Foster a shared involvement and responsibility between School and Home • Shared responsibility in motivating student to achieve • Creates a shared ownership and collaborative aligned support network • Families have an indication of student’s most likely outcomes in public examinations

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Our assessments Our assessment system comprises of three types of interlocking assessments:

1. Regular Knowledge Retrieval Tests (Formative) 2. End of Topic Assessments (Summative and Formative) 3. End of Year Examinations/Mock Examinations (Summative)

Knowledge Retrieval Tests Depending on the number of lessons in a two-week cycle, each subject will set a minimum of 1 Knowledge Retrieval Test every 2 weeks. This is a low stakes test, identifying gaps in a students knowledge and to embed the knowledge learnt. These will always be peer/self-marked and questions that are frequently incorrectly answered should prompt a review of the teaching of that content. They should also form areas of focus for the next lessons. This knowledge will inevitably be based upon the students’ knowledge organiser, within that subject for that unit. End of Topic Assessments Each subject will assess students at regular intervals throughout an academic year. The timings of these assessments will be appropriate for that subject, and taken at the end of each topic. These assessments will assess what has been taught within the topic, and are pre-planned within the subjects’ curriculum. The assessment design for each subject has been carefully planned during the 7-year subject curriculum, building upon the recall and application of knowledge when appropriate. These assessments will also support the student development of examination skills over time. End of Year Examinations For all subjects in Key Stage 3, students will sit an end of year holistic assessment ‘End of Year Examination’, assessing the content from that year’s academic subject curriculum. This is in addition to their regular end of topic tests, and will last 50 minutes. This will take place during Unit 4 for Year 9, supporting students in making informed GCSE Option Choices. For Years 7 and 8, this will take place during Unit 6. These will take place during normal timetabled subject lessons, and will be timetabled during a specific week. They will be marked by the class teacher, moderated within the department, and an attainment band will be assigned to the level the student achieved. Mock Examinations For Key Stage 4 and 5 in all subjects, students will participate in two mock examination sittings each year. These where appropriate will use GSCE or A Level examination material. This will enable us to see how much our students have developed over the full range of skills in each subject curriculum and how much they have developed their overall subject knowledge. All assessments will inform our curriculum planning. We will review whether our expectations are in line with the national picture and ensure they are aspirational. The outcomes will also inform us of what students may benefit from targeted intervention. For all formal Key Stage 3 assessments or exams, students will be awarded an attainment band for each of their end of topic assessments classified as High, Middle, Low or Unbanded. For all Key Stage 4 & 5 assessments or exams, students will be awarded fine grades.

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Banding on entry At the start of Year 7, students will be categorised within one of three Attainment Bands.

1. High Attainment Band (HAB) 2. Middle Attainment Band (MAB) 3. Low Attainment Band (LAB)

These bands are generated using the combined English reading and Maths Key Stage 2 SATs Scores. Where students do not have Key Stage 2 SATs data, the CAT4 baseline assessment data will be used to derive an appropriate Band. These Bands will not be shared with parents/carers, to avoid labelling a child at an early age and limit their aspirations. The purpose of this, is in order for Magna to track that our students are making the progress we would expect, from year 7 until they leave.

Age related expectations Subject teams will use summative assessments throughout a student’s Key Stage 3 journey, following their subject’s assessment plan. Each subject team will track how each student has performed in these assessments, in relation to age expectations. These summative subject assessments will be quality assured, ensuring that they are fit for purpose. Appendix 2 details the National age related expectations.

If a student has performed higher than expected in relation to their age for a summative assessment, then they will be recorded as achieving a High Attainment Band (HAB). This should be only awarded, if the standard produced on this assessment is in line with what would be expected from a student at this point in time, who would eventually go onto achieve a grade 9 to 7 at the end of their GCSE, in that subject.

If a student has performed as expected in relation to their age for a summative assessment, then they will be recorded as achieving a Middle Attainment Band (MAB). This should be only awarded, if the standard produced on this assessment is in line with what would be expected from a student at this point in time, who would eventually go onto achieve a grade 6 to 4 at the end of their GCSE, in that subject.

If a student has performed below expected in relation to their age for a summative assessment, then they will be recorded as achieving a Low Attainment Band (LAB). This should be only awarded, if the standard produced on this assessment is in line with what would be expected from a student at this point in time, who would eventually go onto achieve a grade 3 to 1 at the end of their GCSE, in that subject.

If a student has performed significantly below expected in relation to their age for a summative assessment, then they will be recorded as achieving Unbanded (U). This should be only awarded, if the standard produced on this assessment is in line with what would be expected from a student at this point in time, who would eventually go onto achieve a grade U at the end of their GCSE, in that subject.

Subject teams are to use their summative assessment data for that academic year, to give a holistic subject grade for each student, when reporting their data for Assessment Point 1 and 2.

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Subject assessment plans Each subject will review and update their subject assessment plans annually. Below are a couple of extracts, as examples: History Maths

Our subject assessments feed into our reporting cycle to students and their families, reporting home twice a year on students’ progress for all year groups. We will also report on attainment in Key Stage 4 and 5. Subject teams will use the school assessment register facility in our MIS to record all of the students’ summative assessment data, a minimum of once a Unit for each year group, which will feed into the two Assessment Points (AP1 and AP2). These are current attainment grades. Year 8 History – example

Name The British empire

Slavery & civil rights

The industrial revolution

AP1 World war 1

Inter war

years

World war 2

End of Year Exam

AP2

Student x MAB MAB HAB MAB HAB LAB HAB HAB HAB

Year 9 Maths – example

Name

Gen

eral

N

um

ber

Frac

tio

ns

Pe

rcen

tage

s Rat

io &

P

rop

ort

ion

Ind

ices

Mo

ck 1

AP

1

Stan

dar

d

Form

Bo

un

ds

Surd

s

Mo

ck 2

AP

2

Student Y MAB MAB MAB HAB LAB MAB MAB MAB MAB HAB MAB MAB

Year 11 Geography – example

Name UK physical landscapes

Tectonic Hazards

resource management

Mock AP1 Paper 3 - Issue

Evaluation

Geographical skills

Student x

5- 5 5+ 5 5 6- 5+

Year 13 Psychology – example

Name Approaches

Issues and debates

Mock 1

AP1 Schizophrenia

Gender

Mock 2

AP2

Student x

B B- B B A- A- B+ A-

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Assessment Points 1 and 2 Each student will have their Attainment/Progress formally recorded for each subject twice a year. For Key Stage 3, this data will be generated, based upon the cumulative summative assessment outcomes that each student has achieved within a subject, up until that point during that academic year. For Key Stage 4 and 5, this information will be generated by two separate mock examination series. Year 11 will however only be one set of mock examinations. These Assessment Points will generate reports for students and their parents/carers. Teachers, departments, the Senior Leadership Team and the Academy Trust, will use these outcomes to make informed decisions for, student interventions and the Magna Academy Improvement Plan.

AP 1 & 2 Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5 Unit 6

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

Year 11

Year 12 Progress Check

Year 13

Key Stage 3 Standardisation At the start of Year 7, students will sit the GL CAT4 and New Group Reading Tests (NGRT), to give further validity in the base lining of our students on entry to Magna Academy. These assessments will form part of the student profile, along with their Key Stage 2 SATs outcomes, establishing targets for the end of Key Stage 4 and support in the initial setting of students in some subject areas. This information will also assist in the identification of those students who require initial intervention support. At the mid-way through (Unit 3) and at the end of Years 7 and 8, students will sit the GL Assessment Progress Tests in English, Maths and Science. These tests will give us a robust and reliable indicator of student attainment and progress, relative to their age and starting point. These tests have been standardised against a national sample of students, and will give us a norm-referenced measure of our students. That is, it will tell us how they are doing compared to other students of the same age. The purpose of this assessment is to provide us with an accurate check against our own judgments. These assessments will provide us with a variety of information from Question Level Analysis and Progress to likely GCSE outcomes. This information will be provided in a variety of reports, which will be accessible for class teachers, departments, whole school and to parents/carers.

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Tracking student Progress Key Stage 3 Assessment Point data will generate ‘Progress’ data for each student within each subject, which will be reported to the student and their parents/carers. This ‘Progress’ data is based upon their prior attainment upon entry. For example;

Nam

e Attainment on Entry

Expected GCSE

Outcomes Y7

AP

1

Pro

gres

s

Y7

AP

2

Pro

gres

s

Y8

AP

1

Pro

gres

s

Y8

AP

2

Pro

gres

s

Y9

AP

1

Pro

gres

s

Y9

AP

2

Pro

gres

s

X

High Attainment

Band (HAB)

Grades 9 to 7

HA

B

Exp

ecte

d

MA

B

Bel

ow

Ex

pec

ted

HA

B

Exp

ecte

d

HA

B

Exp

ecte

d

MA

B

Bel

ow

Exp

ecte

d

HA

B

Exp

ecte

d

Y

Middle Attainment

Band (MAB)

Grades 6 to 4

MA

B

Exp

ecte

d

MA

B

Exp

ecte

d

LAB

Bel

ow

Ex

pec

ted

HA

B

Ab

ove

Exp

ecte

d

HA

B

Ab

ove

Exp

ecte

d

MA

B

Exp

ecte

d

Z

Low Attainment

Band (LAB)

Grades 3 to 1

LAB

Exp

ecte

d

LAB

Exp

ecte

d

MA

B

Ab

ove

Ex

pec

ted

LAB

Exp

ecte

d

LAB

Exp

ecte

d

MA

B

Ab

ove

Ex

pec

ted

Key Stages 4 and 5 Students in Years 10, 12 & 13 will sit internal mock examinations twice a year, with Year 11 once a year. This will involve students being tested using past examination papers. Students’ outcomes will be reported to all stakeholders as GCSE fine grades e.g. 7-, 7 or 7+. Students in Year 12 will sit an additional subject progress assessment during Unit 1, after starting their Level three qualifications where their attainment is classified as either Above, On, Below or Significantly Below the necessary level at the start of the A level course. All subjects for each year group will update their subject mark books with an assessment grade after each unit. This will be based upon a combination of any assessments taken up until that point and the class work students have completed. For KS3 using LAB/MAB/HAB and KS4/5 - Grades.

Target Setting

All of our students at Magna Academy will be set a FFT5 aspirational target for their GCSEs and vocational courses. These targets are shown on their reports throughout Key Stage 4. It is a highly aspirational target, derived by the Fischer Family Trust, which uses national statistical data. These targets equate to a student making exceptional progress, placing them nationally within the top five percentile for progress, compared to children with the same Key Stage 2 SATs outcomes.

For Key Stage 5, we use Alps targets, to set appropriate and aspirational targets for our sixth form students. These targets our based upon their GCSE outcomes at the end of Year 11 and are shown on student reports.

Most Able In line with our Most Able policy, if a student in KS3 is recorded as achieving a HAB for two consecutive assessment points, they will be placed on the most able register for the subject in question. The reporting of students should take into consideration the age related expectations and the subject specific criteria set out by each department. Students in KS4 will have fine grading from

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GCSEs for each subject and this data, along with the age related expectations and subject specific criteria will be used to identify students.

Reporting

Reports will be generated after each Assessment Point (AP1 & AP2), which will be shared with

students and their parents/carers. For all year groups, reports will indicate the progress that the

student has made within each of their subjects. This will be based upon their prior attainment on

entry to Magna Academy in Year 7. For key stages 4 and 5, students will also have an attainment

grade awarded. These will be generated from their mock 1 and 2 examinations, in the form of a fine

GCSE/A Level grade – e.g. 7+, 7 or 7-.

For KS4, students will also be given a ‘Most Likely Outcome’ on their report, for each of their GCSE

subjects. This will be based upon their attainment during each of the mock examination series. This is

a judgement, mapped against our internal data from previous Magna Academy cohorts. The ‘Most

Likely Outcome’ grade will be derived from what the majority of our students went on to achieve at

the end of Year 11, from this point in time.

For example;

The majority of students, who achieved a grade 3 in their Year 10 English AP1, went on to achieve a

grade 5 in their final English GCSE examinations. Therefore, at this moment in time, this students

‘Most Likely Outcome’ is a grade 5 for the end of their GCSE course.

It is possible that the ‘Most Likely outcome’ could change after each mock examination series, as it

will be dependent upon student performance at that moment in time. KS5 student’s will be tracked

against their ALPs targets for the end of their courses. These are based upon their average GCSE

points score.

In addition to a students’ attainment and progress data, teachers/tutors will report on a student’s:

Attitude to Learning – tutor and subject teachers

Behaviour – tutor and subject teachers

Homework completion and quality – tutor and subject teachers where applicable

Personal Organisation – tutor only

Attendance and Positive & Negative Behaviour – A summary will be systematically

generated and included

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Reporting Criteria – Descriptors Attitude to Learning

1. Excellent 2. Good 3. Satisfactory 4. Unsatisfactory

Behaviour 1. Excellent 2. Good 3. Satisfactory 4. Unsatisfactory

Homework (KS3 Tutor only, or KS4 Tutor/Teachers)

1. Excellent 2. Good 3. Satisfactory 4. Unsatisfactory

Personal Organisation (Tutor only)

1. Excellent 2. Good 3. Satisfactory 4. Unsatisfactory

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Accountability Progress reviews are completed after each Assessment Point and the Summer Public Examinations.

The system is designed to direct the maximum support to the areas of greatest need, to ensure that

all students in each year group make rapid progress and that all teachers are supported to facilitate

this.

Whole Academy Accountability

These reviews will form a part of the whole academy Self Evaluation (SEF) judgement(s). The Progress Reviews will draw together trends across the academy, looking at subject and specific group variation.

This forms part of our whole academy monitoring and quality assurance systems. Areas of additional support and training will be identified and become actions of the Academy Improvement Plan (AIP).

Subject Accountability

Subject analysis of the AP1 & AP2 report cycle will take place for each year group as calendared on our Magna Academy Assessment Journey, using the Assessment Point Subject Analysis Proforma.

It will focus upon variation in the progress of groups, classes, teachers and areas of the curriculum.

This analysis will also identify those students who are persistently underachieving in a subject area.

Findings will inform the subject SEF judgements and Subject Improvement Plan (SIP), with updated actions relating to the curriculum; staff training and student’s needs.

Heads of Year Accountability

Each Head of Year will analyse their cohorts AP1 & AP2 data, as calendared on our Magna Academy Assessment Journey, using the Assessment Point Head of Year Analysis Proforma.

It will focus upon variation in the progress of individual and groups of students across their subjects.

Findings will inform the Head of Year Academic SEF judgements and Academic Improvement Plan.

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Sources of guidance

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/tools/assessing-and-monitoring-

pupil-progress/developing-whole-school-assessment/

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attach

ment_data/file/764174/NFER_AWL_report.pdf

Appendix 1 – Magna Academy’s Assessment Journey

Appendix 2 – Maths National Age Related Expectations

Appendix 3 – Assessment Point Analysis Templates