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Baseline Assessment

In preparation for statutory Baseline Assessment from September 1998, many LEAs will be developing their own Baseline Schemes or considering the adoption of schemes which are already available. This guidance is intended to support LEAs and schools in their decision making.

The importance of early years education for children's subsequent development is widely recognised. It is therefore very important that any baseline scheme which is selected or developed should be as effective as possible in supporting children's learning and be appropriate to the assessment needs of children at this age.

Baseline assessments will be taking place at a time when children are getting used to new and unfamiliar surroundings. In addition, the ways in which they are learning and developing will vary and they will not show their understanding and skills in the same ways. Hence, to assess children at this time on the basis of one-off activities/tasks or through relatively formal assessment procedures would be inappropriate.

An effective baseline scheme will allow access for all pupils to an assessment process in which they can demonstrate what they know, understand and can do in a variety of learning contexts. Any scheme should, therefore, be based upon teacher assessment over a period of time. This will allow children to demonstrate their skills and understanding and provide a foundation for subsequent teaching and learning.

Purposes of a Baseline Scheme

Characteristics of an effective Baseline Scheme

Purposes of a Baseline Scheme.

An effective baseline scheme should support good early years practice and good assessment practice. Any scheme should therefore:

be based on assessments of children's performance across a wide range of activities and learning contexts which would be encountered over time in good early years settings

be summarised by the end of the first half-term that a child is in school

be based upon observation, discussion and questioning as the main means of assessment, supported by tangible evidence where appropriate

be unobtrusive to children

utilise children's first language where at all possible

allow the best possible access to all pupils

support meaningful dialogue with parents/carers

have assessment criteria which promote dialogue and sharing of good practice between early years staff and result in consistent interpretation of the assessment criteria

support the development of shared learning objectives and help staff to plan more effectively

not make unreasonable demands upon teachers' time or school budgets

In addition, an effective scheme should provide data and information for monitoring, evaluation and planning for a range of users.

For teachers in the classroom it should provide information that:

acknowledges children's achievements on entry, provides a basis for planning an appropriate curriculum and also a baseline against which subsequent progress can be measured

supports curriculum planning and the monitoring of its effectiveness

For the whole staff, senior managers and governors, as appropriate, it should provide information for whole school planning that supports:

evaluation and planning for school improvement

target setting

value-added analysis

school self review

inspections

For the LEA, it should provide information that allows it to:

monitor performance in schools

support school improvement strategies

evaluate its own effectiveness and target support to schools

set targets for the LEA as a whole

support schools in interpreting and using data, and in meeting the requirements for inspections

Characteristics of an effective Baseline Scheme.