ASSESSMENT, RECORDING AND REPORTING

AT MEREWAY MIDDLE SCHOOL

INTRODUCTION

The word assessment derives from the Latin word 'assidere' which means to sit beside. This would suggest the development of a close relationship between individuals and a degree of the sharing of experiences.

One of the main purposes of assessment is to provide information to help people make decisions. In the school context those who benefit from effective assessment include:

Pupils - who benefit from knowing their progress, their strengths and weakness and their special abilities.
Teachers - who can gain insight into individuals attainments and learning problems, review areas of difficulty and strength in the curriculum and pass information to other teachers.
Parents - who can be informed of their child's achievements and areas for further development.
LEA Advisors and Inspectors - who can gain awareness of the implementation of legislation and the effectiveness of it.

"Teachers assess pupils continuously . It is part of the process of teaching."

Deforges 1989

A. What is the purpose of assessment?

To discover how effective our teaching is, for evaluation and subsequent planning.
For diagnostic purposes. To help decide and plan the best route forward for a child.
To highlight where specific support is needed.
To equip children with information on their individual progress.
To help ensure continuity, consistency and progression.
To focus and draw together what has been learnt.
To prepare for future experiences.
To enable objective and constructive comparisons to be made.
To motivate.
To act as a tool for formalising record keeping.
To provide an opportunity to play back successes.

B. What form should assessment take?

If assessment is to be a positive experience for all children then it is essential that a variety of techniques are used. Children respond and learn in different ways depending upon the teaching style of adopted by the teacher. A child will often learn best when a teacher plays to the child's strongest learning style. Assessment needs to both reflect this and look to ways of strengthening weakness.

Assessment strategies could include:

Verbal assessment ( presentations, responding to questions )
Written tasks ( different forms e.g. open questions, multiple choice )
Observation
Self assessment
Peer assessment
Target setting
Standardised tests ( used diagnostically )
Practical tasks
Informal - based on professional judgement

C. When should assessment take place?

Assessment activities should be an integral part of the half termly theme and learning experiences of the children

It should not be something which is 'tacked on' at the end of a unit of work and therefore needs careful consideration and planning by the teacher.

Baseline assessments (appendix A) are to be used by year 5 teachers and can be carried out within the first term. These are used along with records to provide information for the teacher about the abilities and experiences of individual children. They help act as starting points from which the child can progress.

Students should negotiate or be made aware of the appropriate assessment objectives at the beginning of and throughout each unit of work.

Students should be given regular and frequent feedback of assessment outcomes which give support in setting future targets, building upon their strengths and identifying strategies for overcoming their weaknesses.

Effective Target Setting should be:-

Specific - clearly stated and related to identified areas for development.
Challenging - encouraging progression by stretching the learner.
Realistic - targets should take account of the learner's capability and the resources available.
Agreed upon - by both teacher and learner working in partnership.
Measurable - criteria for achieving targets should be clear so that later successes can be recognised.

Targets should be attained within an appropriate timescale and learners should receive regular feedback related to the targets.

D. Partnership Agreement Trialling

If consistency of expectation in and between schools is to exist, then communication through discussion of shared experiences and evidence is essential to a child's overall achievement.

Through regular meetings between teachers in partnership schools, who represent teaching across all key stages, agreement trials have included activities which promote discussion about expectation. These are enabling teachers to have confidence in each others' assessments.

Partnership work includes:

Group discussions of children's responses to particular activities.
The retention of illustrated material.
Classroom exchanges and observations ( in some cases. )

The outcome of the partnership agreement trialing is a useful bank of assessment activities, which can be used as examples of agreed interpretations of commonly occurring statements of attainment. (As yet, only National Curriculum. core areas. )

E. Consistency in Evaluating and Responding

Responding to children's work is a crucial element in the learning process, because it provides evidence to the students that their work is acknowledged and evaluated. It provides them with information on their current level of attainment and identifies areas for improvement.

Students will only be encouraged into a regular habit of work if they are supported by regular and frequent response. Evaluating and responding are key elements in the dialogue between teacher and student in the target setting process.

To summarise :-

Responses should be regular and frequent.
It should consist of positive and constructive comments.
Whenever possible, it should take place with the child.
It should be related to the objectives of the particular piece of work, which have been ideally negotiated with the student.
Using existing policy documentation, processes should be consistent throughout the whole school.

F. Recording of Information.

This should be an ongoing process clearly linked to assessment opportunities which are built into schemes of work and individual targets.

Records should show :

What tasks have been set and when.
The context of the achievement.
Whether any evidence has been retained for a particular achievement ( e.g. General books, maths books, display work, science portfolio, design portfolio. )

If records are effective they are likely to :-

Help in the planning and modification of later teaching and learning.
Highlight successes and problems.
Facilitate dialogue between teachers, children and parents.
Enable teachers to evaluate their own performance.

G. Reporting

Purpose :-

To communicate achievement in all areas of the child's development and progress in context.
To enable constructive and objective comparisons to be made.
Identify areas for future development.

All assessment should be useful and all reports usable. Different audiences will influence the context and the form of the reports.

The student needs feedback as evidence of progress.
Parents need periodic checks on progress in sufficient detail for them to work in partnership with the school.
The next teacher needs to know what has been done and how far each student has progressed to ensure continuity between years.
Prospective parents need an indication of what the school sets out to achieve and how well their child's needs may be met.

H. Records of Achievement

It is essential that as teachers we are understand the whole child, that is to say, not just in a classroom / curriculum environment, but in a variety of different situations. Records of achievement should relate to a child's academic, personal and social development and should engage children in discussion with teachers and parents about their progress.

A record of achievement is :-

A cumulative record of an individuals achievements.
Complied by everyone involved in the learning process.
Able to help children develop as individuals and to be proud of their successes and achievements.
Able to identify with parental help and input from the student, a child's strengths and weaknesses.
Able to provide a positive and open environment in which to discuss areas for development.