Designing, embedding and tracking robust & formative classroom assessment

Alex QuigleyDirector of learning & research at Huntington School

www.huntingenglish.com @huntingenglish

• The primary objective of our assessment system is to improve students’ learning;

• A move towards a system of formative assessment;• A move away from simply charting attainment, and

towards charting progress relative to a student’s starting point;

• A focus on the Growth Mindset ideals;• An end of year examination in Years 7, 8 and 9;• Flexibility to allow for subject level distinctions.

Overarching Principles of Assessment

How do we translate our vision of the ideal student at the end of KS3 into a practical and

manageable assessment system?

• Schemes of Learning • Indicative Content at KS3• Subject Specific Assessment Objectives• Progression Mapping

What should students know, understand and be able to do by the end of KS3?

http://www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk/videos/expertspeakers/feedbackonlearningdylanwiliam.asp

Focus on progress & not just attainment

Ron Berger

Austin’s Butterfly

Student A

Student B

Baseline testing can establish the relative starting points for our students. We can use existing RAISE/KS2 data to create the following groups:

• H Starters: roughly the highest 40% of the year group

• M Starters: the middle 50% of the year group• L Starters: the lowest 10% of the year group

Student assessment groupings

Austin’s Butterfly

Student A Low Starter

Student BHigh Starter

Each of the three groups in the cohort will make progress that is relative to their starting point (which can be re-evaluated annually). There are four stages of progress:• Exceeding expected progress• Meeting expected progress• Working towards expected progress• Underperforming against expected progress

Judge student progress

Subject specific example

The understanding of NC levels (whether they were accurate in many subject is a matter for debate) will be lost, but it creates an exciting opportunity for teachers to develop a more bespoke system of assessment for our students. To ensure accuracy, the following measures will be undertaken:

• Departmental moderation• Work scrutiny• Subject TLFs (Teaching and Learning Forums)• Three whole school disaggregated sessions

Accurate judgement of assessment

Defining the Butterfly: Knowing the Standards to Set the Standards (Tom Sherrington)

At the core of this issue – of students being set work that is too easy or having substandard work accepted – is that teachers lose sight of expected standards. They don’t define what the finished Butterfly should look like for each learner, taking account of their age and prior

attainment. The key to real assessment of this kind and the real standard setting that it allows, is to have

routine moderation processes.

How do we set our own standards?

• The only reporting to parents on attainment will be at the end of the year;

• Subject leaders and senior leaders can still internally track progress and intervene where appropriate. There will be whole school tracking of progress (which is reported to parents) on a termly basis;

• We will have end of year examinations in KS3, reported to parents, that will utilise the new 1 -9 GCSE notation.

Tracking and reporting

• Our whole school assessment model will focus on formative progress rather than solely upon attainment. It is assessment for learning, rather than of learning;

• Subjects have designed their subject specific standards, within a whole school framework, and they will undertake thorough moderation;

• Reporting and tracking will be rigorous and robust;• Students, teachers and parents will require support

and good communication to enable these changes to occur.

Summary

Questions