Assessment
Tracking progress from Key stage 1 to 3
A number of years ago ‘Levels’ were removed from Government SATS exams and schools were asked to create their own systems of tracking progress. This was known as Assessment Without Levels (AWL).
The fundamental reason levels were removed from schools across the country was to eradicate the ‘labelling effect’ of assessment. Instead of stating a child is working at level 5b, a different system would have to be developed, one where the child is not merely a label. The assessment system would need to be informative and align assessment, teaching and pedagogy together.
The school has created its own bespoke assessment model to replace levels that involves tracking students against our own school curriculum.
The school’s progress tracker records curriculum statements across different subjects and measures student progress against them. We use a traffic light system to assess each objective and record the data across all four Key Stages (KS1 to 4).
The traffic light system colour codes learners to signify where the student is in relation to a particular learning statement. Colours are assigned values to enable in-house data analysis to look at overall progress and cohort analysis. Students are not set numerical targets based on these values.
The coding for colours is as follows:
- White No attempt (Possible absence)
- Red: unable to access the Learning statement (LS)
- Amber: able to meet LS with help
- Green: able to meet LS independently
For in-house data analysis the following Scoring Index is used:
- Red: Does no score (0)
- Amber: 0.5
- Green: 1
The data is then calculated to a decimal value along with the year group. For example, a Year 7 student progressing through the English curriculum might be assigned a value of 7.38 This would indicate that the student is working through the year 7 curriculum objectives and has a weighted score of 38. If a student completed all objectives though the year 7 curriculum then he/she would score 8.00 at then end of year 7.
This will continue through the school to build a picture of the student’s learning journey. Teachers would continue working through objectives for the relevant year group as well as filling gaps in prior knowledge from previous years/terms that the student may have.
What assessment informs the progress trackers?
The progress trackers are informed by different assessment approaches:
- Formative teacher assessment, which is low stakes day to day assessment like quizzes, skills/knowledge tests and summative tests, typically once per term depending on the subject.
- The school’s summative tests, which are the more traditional assessments that occur at end of terms, and are based on the school’s current subject curriculum.
Together, these assessments inform the colour coding for the progress trackers.
How are the progress trackers used?
Once the learning statements are colour coded, teachers use this information to inform and refine planning to provide support more effectively. Gaps in knowledge and understanding are quickly identified and are accounted for in future lessons. The progress trackers allow close alignment between assessments and curriculum. This greater coherence between the two, promotes greater breadth of content and depth of learning as well as providing a stronger integrated system of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment.
The learning statements and assessment approaches are used to increase students’ ownership of their own learning. Students typically self-assess themselves against the assessment criteria followed by teachers involving pupils in discussions about their own performance. Teachers then tailor their written or verbal feedback and focus on what has been done well and what the possible next steps for development might be.
How accurate are the progress trackers?
Progress tracker judgements are based on formative and summative assessments. To help quality assure our judgements, NHLC moderates its judgements using our Hub of local schools (Envision Partnership). Schools within this partnership include: Longwell Green, Redfield Edge, Courtney Primary, Broadway Infants and The Ridge.
Assessment at KS4
Progress trackers are also used at KS4 much in the same way as KS3, however, assessment tends to change as external measures are used to account for progress, such as coursework and externally assessed exams.
NHLC offers a range of curriculum qualifications, each with different assessment structures. Most GCSE options are assessed purely on external exams, whilst others like GCSE Fine Art uses a combination of externally moderated coursework as well as terminally assessed exams.
The school also offer some qualifications where are entirely coursework based, for example, ASDAN short courses and COPE Level 2 qualification.
