National Conference for Parents

Primary Assessment

Jacqueline Price

October 2010

Primary Assessment How are children being assessed

and how will parents know their child is making progress in primary?

Curriculum for Excellencecurricular framework

assessment frameworkthinkinglanguage

Focus on the experiencesand the learning outcomes

• The experiences and outcomes are a set of statements which describe the expectations for learning and progression for each of the eight curriculum areas.

• The title ‘experiences and outcomes’ recognises the importance of the quality and nature of the learning experience in developing attributes and capabilities and in achieving active engagement, motivation and depth of learning. An outcome represents what is to be achieved.

What’s new and what’s not?• building on good practice• improving the quality of teaching and learning experiences• focus on the learner and the learning • detailed knowledge of the learner –

strengths, areas for dev. next steps• learner engagement• teaching – learning – assessment• progress– breadth, challenge & application• assessment over a longer period of time• supported by a wider range of evidence• teacher judgement• quality assurance & moderation• core learning –

literacy, numeracy & health and wellbeing

earlier or later for someEarly – pre-school years and P1

First – to the end of P4Second – to the end of P7

Third, Forth – S1 to S3Senior phase – S4 to S6 and college or

other means of study

What?• Knowledge & understanding• Skills• Attributes and capabilities

When?• As part of ongoing learning and teaching• Periodic• At transitions

How?• By using a variety of approaches and range of evidence• By making assessment fit for purpose and appropriately valid, reliable and

manageable & proportionate• Through partnership working

Achieving a level

For learners to demonstrate that their progress is secure and that they have achieved a level, they will need opportunities to show that they:

• Have achieved a breadth of learning across the experiences and outcomes for an aspect of the curriculum

• Can respond to the level of challenge set out in the experiences and outcomes and are moving forward to more challenging learning in some aspects

• Can apply what they have learned in new and unfamiliar situations

say write make do

Assessment evidence may come from things pupils

in response to their learning experiences.

The assessment process will involve gathering and consideration of the evidence, using agreed criteria, in order to arrive at judgements about how much and how well, and what needs to be done next.

practical investigation, performance, presentation, discussion, drawing, report, project, check-up, learners’ assessment of their own work and

comparisons with others, model, piece of artwork, test, video, photograph ...

Evidence might be a...

How do we ensure progression within Es/Os?

• Vary learning outcomes• Vary success criteria

• Vary activities• Vary contexts

• Vary approaches to assessment

Health and wellbeingExperiences and OutcomesHWB 0-15a: I am developing my understanding of the human body and use this knowledge to maintain and improve my wellbeing and health.HWB 0-32a: I know that people need different kinds of food to keep them healthy

Learning Intentions – We are learning to:•categorise healthy/unhealthy foods within a balanced diet• organise a range of foods into their specific group

teaching – learning – assessmentin action

Success CriteriaAPS

• I can choose healthy foods.• I can give reasons for healthy food choices.

PS• I can sort healthy/unhealthy foods.• I can identify ‘healthy’ and ‘treat’ foods.

P1• I can categorise healthy/unhealthy foods within a

balanced diet.• I can organise a range of foods into their specific

group.

MNU 1-20b: I have used a range of ways to collect information and can sort it in a logical, organised and imaginative way using my own and others’ criteria.Group 1

• I can place important family events in time using a timeline.• I can sort information I have found into chronological order.

Group 2• I can collect information about family pets and interests.• I can display the information I collect in graphs and

pictograms.• I can decide how I would like to display my information.

Group 3• I can use Venn and Carroll diagrams to sort the

information collected.• I can record information using a Carroll diagram.• I can think of and use interesting ways to display

information.

Experiences and OutcomesLIT 2-09a: When listening and talking with others for different purposes, I can clarify points by asking questions or by asking others to say more. When listening and talking with others for different purposes, I can share information, experiences and opinions

Success CriteriaP5

• The children can prepare a presentation on an issue.• The children can present arguments for and against their chosen topic.• The children can answer questions on their topic.• The children can offer their own opinion on the topic based on their research.• P6• The children can devise open-ended questions to allow the character’s feelings

and experiences to be discussed.• The children are able to create a role using previous knowledge and

understanding.• The children are able to show through an interview scenario, who a character is

and how they feel• P7• The children can understand how events and characters relate to one another,

before evaluating and applying knowledge to asking and answering questions.• The children are able to form an opinion of a character and through ‘hot-

seating’ demonstrate their understanding of why characters behave in such a way

Ensuring consistency• Supporting development of shared understanding

of standards and expectations and build trust and confidence in teacher judgements

• Moderation activities in school, across schools, across clusters, nationally

• HT/SMT/LA monitoring practice• National monitoring such as Scottish Survey of

Achievement – monitoring national performance in literacy & numeracy

• HMIe inspections

Reporting can take a variety of forms ...

• Quality discussion- parent - teacher – learner• Written reports• Achievement events• Personal learning planning• ‘I can’ folders• Learning walls• Learning stories• Monthly newsletters• Learning logs• Learning blogs• Electronic portfolios ...

Reporting to parents should ...

• Be constructive• Avoid jargon• Provide information on learner’s strengths,

progress, achievements and attitude to learning• Motivate learners to develop their fullest potential• Allow learners the chance to comment on their

progress.• Provide parents with a chance to comment as

part of the process

*No set formats for written reports

Focus on the learner & the learning:the four capacities

• Successful learners with enthusiasm and motivation for learning and openness to new ideas and determined to reach high standards of achievement

• Confident individuals with physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and self respect and ambition

• Responsible citizens with respect for others and a commitment to participate responsibly in political, economical, social and cultural life whilst developing a knowledge of the world and Scotland’s place in it.

• Effective contributors with resilience and self-reliance, who can communicate, work in partnership and apply critical thinking, solve problems and be enterprising and creative.

Keep up to date• Talk to your child and their school• Visit the Learning and Teaching Scotland website

http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/index.asp and the Parent Toolkit http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/buildingthecurriculum/engagingwithparents/index.asp

• Sign up for email updates and the CfE Bulletin at http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/keepuptodate/index.asp

• Get support and ideas from http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/parentzone/

• Follow the development of new qualifications on SQA website http://www.sqa.org.uk/

• Fact fileshttp://www.ltscotland.org.uk/Images/FACT1_Assessmentandqualifications_tcm4-624656.pdf

Assessment TeamLearning and Teaching Scotland The Optima, 58 Robertson Street, Glasgow G2 8DUT: Customer Services: 08700 100 297

Website: www.LTScotland.org.uk

Contact us