Types of Assessment

Types of Assessment

a) Formative Assessment

The majority of assessment is formative, through a range of low stakes activities that enable students and their teachers to see what they know and can do in order to inform teaching. This is an ongoing process, integrated into all lessons.

This may include:

• questioning
• Show me boards
• Checking student work
• peer and self-assessment
• low stakes assessment tasks
• games and quizzes

This may  include pre-tests (to measure starting points) and post-tests (to measure progress over a few weeks).

b) Summative Assessment

Students complete a more formal summative assessment activity in each subject at least once a term. This measures their progress over a longer period of time and helps to develop the revision, retention and retrieval skills necessary for formal exams, as they have to move information from their long-term to their working memory. In many subjects, termly assessments take the format of a formal test completed in the usual classroom under test conditions. This helps to develop students’ resilience and confidence to tackle exams. Students should be clear about how they are to be assessed and the criteria to be used, and be given the opportunity to prepare for the assessment both through revision or retrieval activities in lessons and homework tasks that help them to revise or practice.

c) Formal exams

From Year 9 onwards, students experience blocks of exams in identified subjects, in order to begin preparing for more intensive periods of exams. Exams are timetabled to fit the course structure. Gaps between exam sessions allow students to act on feedback and refine and develop their revision, retention and recall skills. The exam blocks become increasingly more intensive over the three years to build students exam skills and stamina in preparation for their external exams at the end of Year 11. A timetable and revision resources will be made available to students and parents prior to each exam block.

Key Stage 4 courses are structured so that students sit almost all of their external exams at the end of Year 11.

How is work graded

How is work graded?

Summative assessments, and sometimes formative assessments, will be given an assessment grade or band. More detailed feedback will also be given about what a student has achieved and what their next steps are.

a) Year 7-9 (Key Stage 3)

KS3 Assessment is based on the Mastery Model, with a focus on deep and secure learning.

The curriculum outlines the core knowledge students should develop during each unit of work. Summative assessments measure how well students know, can remember and apply this knowledge.  These will be used, along with formative assessments, to identify the band in which they are working.

As students move through Key Stage 3, the curriculum becomes more challenging. Therefore, a student who continues to achieve within the same band is making progress.

Emerging	Emerging - The pupil is starting to develop the concepts, methods and skills covered.
Developing	Developing - The pupil is more familiar with concepts, methods and skills covered.
Secure	Secure - The pupil is secure in the concepts, methods and skills covered.
Mastery	Mastery - The pupil is at ease with the concepts, methods and skills covered.

b)  Year 10-11 (Key Stage 4)

In Year 10 and 11 work is graded using the GCSE (or vocational equivalent) grading system. For GCSEs, grades go from 9 (highest) to 1 (lowest). GCSEs grade boundaries are “norm referenced” – this means that in each year a grade boundary is set to ensure the exams are equally challenging each year and a similar percentage of students nationally achieve each grade. GCSE papers are marked and grades awarded based on the published grade boundaries for that exam paper.

Student Target Setting

Student Target Setting

We set an expectation that every student demonstrates an excellent attitude to learning and does their very best at all times. Targets are used to maximise student progress. We do not use the progress to student targets to measure teacher or school performance as this is not their purpose.

Subject specific targets are not currently set in Year 7. Students are encouraged to aim to progress to the next Assessment Band. Subject specific attainment in Year 7 enables assessment band targets to be set for Year 8 and 9 - this is to at least achieve in the same assessment band, but in some cases teachers may set a more challenging assessment band for the following year.

In Year 10 a Key stage 4 target is set for the end of Year 11. This is set in discussion with the student and using the progress demonstrated in Year 7-9. Targets are regularly reviewed.

It is an expectation that student targets are recorded on the front of exercise books and folders and are regularly referred to and reviewed. It is important that students know what this target means and what they need to do to achieve it.

Grade or assessment band targets give a “top level” view of progress and attainment. Students should also be given descriptive feedback, and an opportunity to evaluate their own work, so that they know what they have achieved and what they need to do next. 

Marking and Moderation

Marking and Moderation

We fully support the findings of the DfE report “Eliminating Unnecessary Workload around Marking” and believe that marking should be meaningful, manageable and motivating.

Marking is one way of checking understanding and providing feedback and teachers are encouraged to use this alongside other approaches.

Teachers should monitor students written work - this can be done during the lesson or by sampling books or work. Not all written work needs to be marked, and where possible, peer or self-assessment should be used.

Summative assessments should be carefully marked and moderated as they provide a “checkpoint” of student learning.

Curriculum Leaders are responsible for:

• Ensuring that all staff share a common understanding of assessment criteria and standards.
• Organising the standardisation of formal assessments through departmental discussions and paired marking.
• Organising external standardisation opportunities with other schools to check age related expectations and ensure accuracy of assessment.
• Ensuring that all internal examinations have a clear marking scheme.
• Supporting staff with managing their marking and workload effectively.

Teachers are responsible for:

• Ensuring that they have a deep knowledge and understanding of the mark schemes they are working with.
• Contributing effectively to paired marking and departmental moderation activities.
• Raising any concerns over workload or deadlines with their curriculum leader as soon as they arise.

TFeedback and Response (Target Tackling Time)

Feedback and Response (Target Tackling Time)

The frequency and type of feedback may be expected to vary considerably between subjects, depending on the numbers of lessons the student has in that subject and the nature of the subject.

Workload needs to be considered so that the feedback moves the learning forward effectively, whilst not impacting negatively on a teacher’s workload.

Feedback may take many forms and may often include a variety of different approaches. For example, the teacher may give feedback on whole class areas for development, undertake live marking in the lesson, or provide verbal guidance to groups of students, rather than individual written feedback. Pupils themselves should also be involved in self-reflection and in supporting their peers.

Feedback should be based on the following principles:

• Clear feedback of strengths, with at least one subject-specific target for future development which shows pupils how to improve.
• Incisive feedback, which has an impact on learning because pupils use it effectively to develop their knowledge or skills.
• Opportunities for pupils to respond to the targets set e.g. through dialogue, a teacher may ask a question which the pupil then responds to in green pen to secure subject knowledge and increase understanding.

Feedback from summative assessments or exams should include an EDSM band or GCSE (or equivalent) grade and give specific guidance about what individual students need to do to reach the next level or improve their grade.

After an assessment, students will receive positive feedback about what they have achieved, and will also be asked to complete a Target Tackling or green pen activity to address any gaps in their learning. Challenge or mastery activities will be used to extend learning further where appropriate. This response to feedback is an important strategy in accelerating learning and progress.

Tracking progress and reporting to parents

Tracking progress and reporting to parents

Student progress data is collected termly. For each subject studied, teachers report on:

The grading system used by all staff to judge attitude to learning is as follows:

EX (Excellent) = Students make every effort to achieve or exceed their target.  Concentration, cooperation and engagement is continuous.  They help others as the need arises. Homework is of an exceptional quality and completed by the deadline.  

GD (Good) = Students always demonstrate clear intent to reach their target. They concentrate, cooperate and engage consistently with obvious focus and attention to tasks. Students are supportive of others in the class. Homework is of a good quality and completed by the deadline.  

RI (Requires Improvement) = Student effort is limiting progress towards their target.  There are occasional lapses in concentration and cooperation. Engagement may be low and they could be more supportive of others.  Homework requires improvement and may not always be completed by deadline.  

CN (Concern) = Student effort is significantly limiting progress towards target.  Lapses in concentration spoil their own learning and do not help others. There is a lack of self-regulation in behaviour. The quality of homework gives cause for concern and/or is not completed by the deadline. 

Parents and carers and students will receive one written report and 2 data only reports per year. Reports will be made available to parents on My Child at School (MCaS) and to students on Student Portal. Parents and students will also be invited to a subject Parents Evening each year.

Appendix 1: Progress Assessment Schedule

Appendix 1: Progress Assessment Schedule

Progress Exams are held at the following times:

Year 9:

June: English, Maths and Science – formal exams in the Sports Hall

Year 10:

All Progress Exams take place under exam conditions.

English, Maths and Science Progress Exams throughout the year to build exam skills.

June: Progress Exams in all qualification subjects

Year 11:

All Progress and Mock Exams take place under Exam Conditions.

English, Maths and Science Progress Exams throughout the year to build exam skills.

November: Progress Exams (including Maths, and Science papers)

March: Mock Exams (including Maths and Science papers)

A termly exam timetable will be issued to students and parents giving all key dates.

GCSE EXAMS

Practical Exams run between March and the end of April, depending on the Subject.

MFL Speaking Exams take place in April / May.

All Practical Exams will be completed before the main exam season which runs May – June.

A personalised GCSE Timetable will be issued to parents and students as soon as possible after February half term.