Reflect on our progress since OFSTED (focus on assessment)

Identify areas in which each of us can make assessment more

effective

OFSTED’s findings Feb 2011

“This uneven approach is reflected in assessment practice, which is excellent in some areas, but too inconsistently applied across the school to have a wide-reaching impact on progress.

Although good whole-school systems for tracking student performance are in place, they are not used effectively within lessons to inform teachers' planning or to help students know how to improve their work.”

OFSTED’s findings Feb 2011

“This uneven approach is reflected in assessment practice, which is excellent in some areas, but too inconsistently applied across the school to have a wide-reaching impact on progress.

Although good whole-school systems for tracking student performance are in place, they are not used effectively within lessons to inform teachers' planning or to help students know how to improve their work.”

Assessment is an exceptionally strong feature. Teachers refer constantly to assessment criteria during lessons so that students are fully aware, from an early stage, of the skills they need to develop to achieve the higher grades. Skilfully structured activities are used to develop students’ higher order writing skills. These are complemented by a very strong focus on encouraging students to contribute extended responses to teachers’ questions and engaging them in challenging group discussions. The detailed feedback that students receive on their written work, and the expectation that they will respond to this, ensures that they understand how to improve on their work to meet or exceed predicted targets.

Assessment is an exceptionally strong feature in Economics and Business. Teachers refer constantly to assessment criteria during lessons so that students are fully aware, from an early stage, of the skills they need to develop to achieve the higher grades. Skilfully structured activities are used to develop students’ higher order writing skills. These are complemented by a very strong focus on encouraging students to contribute extended responses to teachers’ questions and engaging them in challenging group discussions. The detailed feedback that students receive on their written work, and the expectation that they will respond to this, ensures that they understand how to improve on their work to meet or exceed predicted targets.

Achieving consistency

1. Have you assessed pupils’ work?

2. Have you produced written comments related to the work assessed?

3. Have you written targets which relate specifically to progress in your subject?

4. Has the pupil recorded these comments and targets on the Target Sheet?

5. Have you required pupils to act on these targets to improve the assessed piece of work?

6. Have they acted on this? Is there evidence?

Speak to a child

What is the primary purpose of assessing pupils’ work at Key

Stage 3?

To improve pupil performance and progress

particularly at GCSE

Effective targets are the key to our success

Examples of poor subject targets

“Try harder”

“Keep up the good work”

“You need to think more about your work”

“You need to revise on BBC Bitesize”

“Underline your headings”

Technology:

“To reach Level 6 you need to link annotations to the specification criteria.

(Annotate) Add notes to this piece to show how you are meeting the users needs and wants.”

Maths:

“You need to practise factorising expressions (like q. 5).

Read the example on p57 and complete questions on p58.”

Examples of effective targets

History:

You need to explain rather than describe a point you identify.

Re-write your weakest paragraph (*), using ‘This meant that...’ so that your explanation is complete.

Science:

“You have stated facts. To progress to a level 6c you need to describe the effects.

Improve the answer by linking the key words (light, rate) to show the effect on photosynthesis.”

Assessment Title & Date

N C L Teacher Comments and Targets Action taken by pupil to improve

Comments about the quality of work (strengths and weaknesses)and targets should be written here by the pupil. These targets are set by the teacher.

What the pupil did to try to improve (response to target) should be written here.

Actions for all staff

• Need to plan time for reflection and pupil reaction at KS3.• A valuable use of curriculum time and/or

homework is to improve a piece of work/ a skill.• We need to educate our pupils to expect

to go away and improve pieces of work.

Actions for all staff

• We all need to ensure that we “scaffold” our targets/ actions required. More scaffolding for the weaker pupils and less/none for our brightest.• All assessed work must be recorded on

the Target Sheets, ie. comments about the work (related to progress) and targets must be written.

Actions for HODs

• HODs must continue to monitor assessment within their dept and offer support to those who need it.

Actions for other key staff

• The Year 7 Welcome Evening should be used to inform pupils and parents of the Target Sheets and how parents can use the sheet to support their child.

• Parents Evenings of other year groups should be used to raise parental awareness of the Target Sheets.

Benefits

• Skills and knowledge embedded at Key Stage 3

• Pupils become reflective learners.• Pupils become increasingly responsible

for their own progress• It is easier for parents to support their

child• Greater chance of success at GCSE

Twilight Session(s)

• For those members of staff who need more help and advice with assessment, the TLCs will run an afterschool session to provide support.