Main strand session 17 Session Seventeen Measuring Learning 2: Assessment evidence Jim Rogers

2 NB for this session you will need a copy of the National Curriculum, and the level descriptors. 2

Aims to establish the nature and purpose of assessment to be aware of different ways of assessing to gain some experience of using the Level Descriptors for KS3

Objectives using summative assessment know what types of evidence can be of value, and ways of constructing an assessment the use of teacher, peer, and self assessment strategies know how to ‘level’ KS3 work

Task 1: 5 mins If you were to divide assessment into 4 main purposes what would they be? Discuss 5

The 4 main purposes of assessment: 1.To provide feedback – to teachers and students about progress. 2.To measure achievement. 3.To certificate achievement – recognising a common standard 4.To evaluate effectiveness – of the education system operated in schools. 6

Summative assessment Recording a summary of learning, assessing the level and development of a pupil at a particular time. make judgments about progress or attainment in relation to levels or grades inform other teachers about students’ achievements inform parents about students’ progress help teachers and schools to address accountability inform evaluation and development planning

Formative and summative assessment Formative and summative assessment should work alongside each other The national curriculum places a statutory requirement on schools to report a level in geography for each student at the end of the three years of key stage 3; the level must be reported to parents and to the Department for Education and Skills. Assessment for Learning (AfL).

Planning: 4 principals of learning 1.Start where the student is; learning occurs when students can connect to their personal experiences. 2.Students to take an active part in the dialogue – when doing the learning. 3.Students must know the target they are trying to achieve. Transparent assessment criteria. 4.Give students and opportunity to talk about geographical ideas – the vocabulary and grammar.

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Task 2: Evaluating and improving an assessment Have a look at the Plate Tectonics assessment. Evaluate this as an assessment, and redesign it with your improvements. It is for a mixed ability year 8 class designing a poster based on an earthquake or volcanic eruption if their choice. Evaluate it. Does it reflect the principals of learning? Improve it. How would you use the NC level descriptors? You will all then mark an assessment.

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The challenge of ‘leveling’ student’s work: The wide-ranging content of the PoS and assessment criteria (level descriptions); the importance of geographical enquiry, which was emphasised in the revised national curriculum and which cannot easily be assessed under timed conditions; the danger of assessment overload for students at the end of key stage 3.

Level 4 represents expectations for the average 11-year-old Level 5-6 represents the expectations for the average 14-year-old. Therefore with KS3 usually 3 years long, students can expect to progress between 1 and 2 levels in 3 years. How do you record progress? it is better to assess attainment over a long period of time rather than in a short ‘spot’ assessment that may be externally marked with no allowance for an ‘off day’.

AfL What is it? Discuss with your partner-have you seen it in action? Do you have examples of good practice you can share? (4 mins)

AfL is… Classroom questioning and dialogue Feedback through marking Peer and self assessment The formative use of summative tests

Questioning and dialogue What does this mean? What makes a good question? What is dialogue?

Framework for feedback: Assess student’s work, provide a formative comment without a grade. Return assessed work as soon as possible. Planned verbal summary to class Time for student reflection Why are these important?

Managing peer assessment TASK 15 mins What do you understand about peer assessment? How would you go about setting up an assessment that is peer assessed? Consider what the key elements of a peer assessment should be. 19

Formative use of summative assessment Refer to the sheet on your desk: Development of revision Generating and answering questions Use of test outcomes for further work 20

Good practice: celebrating what students can do: Teacher assessment is a continuous process that has assessment for learning embedded in it makes use of a range of assessment techniques throughout the key stage. provide opportunities for individual student enquiry to be assessed manageable for teachers and students in the context of their overall workload; understood clearly by students; allows for inclusion so that all students can show what they have learned; improves learning; does not dominate the curriculum and stifle new approaches to learning such as thinking skills

Collecting evidence It is important to collect evidence of students’ experiences and achievements in key stage 3 geography to support Teacher Assessed levels, in order to: monitor progress and set targets for improvement provide a basis for writing annual reports and for discussing progress with individual students and their parents; support end-of-key-stage judgments; maintain fair and consistent assessment standards among teachers through time Retainable evidence may be categorised as direct evidence, indirect evidence and ephemeral evidence.

Direct evidence This category would include exercise books and individual student enquiries containing written and visual material, possibly produced with the aid of ICT. Direct evidence should also include individual responses to timed assessments such as end-of-unit tests. It is also possible to retain responses by pairs and groups of students.

Indirect evidence Indirect evidence might include students’ self-evaluation sheets and/or teacher observations and notes.

Ephemeral evidence This may or may not be physically recorded but includes important teacher knowledge of individual students. This may include observations on students who make frequent, perceptive oral contributions to lessons but do not match the level of these in their written work, or it may be discussions with students.

Portfolios A portfolio is a collection of evidence that exemplifies students’ standards of work. Portfolios may be divided into two broad categories: 1. The school or departmental portfolio that exemplifies standards of attainment at each end-of-key-stage 3 level including borderlines between levels. 2. The individual student portfolio that builds up samples of work through key stage 3, providing a basis for considerations of progress and, ultimately, evidence to support teacher assessment of the student’s key stage 3 level and teacher observations about individual students.

Useful links: Assessment Reform Group: GTC: NC in action: The Association for Achievement and Improvement through Assessment: Butt, G., & Weedon, P. (eds): ‘Assessing progress in your Key Stage 3 Geography Curriculum (2009). GA. 27