Sir James Smith’s Community School STEPS GRID handbook A practical guide Key Stage 3

STEPS and the STEP Grid Handbook Monitoring and reporting attainment and progress in Year-7 and Year-8. Dear parent/ carer, As someone with a son or daughter in Year 7/8 you may be aware that there have many changes to assessment in schools over the last few years. At the same time as the government’s announcement of a major shift in the way attainment and progress were to be reported at KS2 from September 2016, they also indicated the abolishment of ‘levels’ at KS3, but with a much earlier deadline of September 2014. However, unlike KS2, there was no prescribed alternative system put into place across the country and all secondary schools were invited to create their own model of assessment. Over the past two years we have been working to create an assessment model that will work with our Key Stage 3 students. This year we have improved our model to create distinct STEPS grids. Each grid is comprised of 9 ’steps’ and a number of ’strands’. The grid contains descriptors for what a child needs to be able to do to complete a ‘step’. Your son/ daughter will start with a baseline ‘step’, which will be derived from KS2 data and baseline assessments they will complete in their opening weeks of the Autumn-term. We will report the baseline step for each subject in the Q1 report in mid-November. It is expected that most students would move up each strand by at least 1 step each year (3 steps over the course of the key stage)*. We feel very confident that what your son/ daughter experiences at Sir Jim’s is indeed a very comprehensive and professional package. This assessment model allows you as parents and carers the opportunity to be closely involved in their attainment, progress and target setting over the entire key stage. Accompanying this letter you will find your own copy of the STEPS grids. Please keep this safe and use it to cross reference attainment on each report with content of the KS3 courses for each subject studied. Finally, please feel free to contact me directly if you have a specific question about the system which needs further explanation. Yours faithfully Mr. E. McGuffie Assistant Head Teacher – Curriculum * In Science, progress is built implicitly into the scheme of work. Therefore students will be expected to stay on the same step or fluctuate above/ below this step as the content becomes more challenging throughout the year.

Introduction What is STEPS?   What is STEPS? Strategic Targets for Educational Progress and Success (STEPS) is an assessment and progress monitoring, tracking and reporting programme for secondary schools. How does it work? Upon arrival in Year-7, every student is assessed via a broad range of information and results available to the school. Subject teachers then place students at a baseline Step in each Strand and this becomes the starting point for each subject. A Step Point Score is generated which is an overall score for a subject. Each student is expected to make at least one Step of progress in the Step Point Score per year, with the exception of Science where progress has been built implicitly into the scheme of work. School reports You will receive four reports per year showing your child’s attainment and progress in every Strand in every subject and it will also show you the overall Step Point Score. When used in conjunction with this handbook, it will give you both a detailed and quick method of reviewing attainment and progress so far. It will also allow you to discuss targets to progress to the next Step. The STEPS grids Each subject has its own grid, these form the rest of this handbook. Each grid is a basic summary of all the work that can be covered in each of the Key Stage 3 Programmes of Study. Each subject follows a similar approach. Strands: these run along the top of the grid, they break a subject down into smaller topics or areas. There are between three and seven Strands per subject. Steps: These break a subject down into progressive Steps. There are nine Steps per Strand per subject; 1 is the lowest Step and 9 is the highest. Statements: Each Step has one or more statements. Students have to achieve all of these, and all of the ones in the Steps below, to be at that Step level. The Step Point Score Students will be given a Step score for each individual Strand in each subject. The Step Point Score combines these individual scores to give an overall score in a subject. If 3.6 was the baseline at the start of year-7, then the students would be expected to reach: 4.6 by the end of Year-7 5.6 by the end of Year-8 6.6 by the end of Year-9. This would be a minimum expectation and targets could be adjusted each year to maintain challenge for each individual.

 

Making: carrying out basic techniques Making: adapting to meet needs Food Technology Step Strand 1 Preparation (Equal weighting) Strand 2 Planning Strand 3 Making: carrying out basic techniques Strand 4 Making: adapting to meet needs Strand 5 Evaluation 9 All of the below and… can get ready for practical lessons without any help or reminders from the teacher. can give detailed reasons for choices and uses different types of research. can think outside the box. can use basic and advanced skills and techniques accurately to produce products of a high standard and is fully competent using all the essential equipment. shows high-level skills. can fully understand the task and can adapt recipes to meet the needs required unaided. can select recipes to enhance practical skills and culinary tasks. can make changes to methods when things go wrong to produce an excellent product. can evaluate dishes made in depth and suggest how to make improvements. evaluations also cover costing, environmental, ethical, social and cultural values where relevant. 8 can get ready for practical lessons independently. can collect and interpret a wide range of relevant research. can follow a detailed plan which contains all the necessary information to make a quality product. can consider the constraints of time, provenance, cost and nutritional needs of more than one target group to produce a range of ideas. can analyse conclusions from research, explain how ideas fit the target group and use ICT to display some conclusions. can show detailed nutritional knowledge. has advanced knowledge of functions of ingredients, equipment and methods, relating to a variety of food situations (both home and commercial). can work independently and as part of a team, using correct basic and advanced skills and techniques, without the help of the teacher, to successfully make a range of dishes. can produce dishes that show understanding of recipe development through making and discussion. can carefully select ingredients and if changes are needed ingredients are selected with little effect on the quality of the product. can produce a final product that is different and successful. can use a nutritional program to produce a label and cost the product. can select correct evaluation techniques to fully evaluate the success of the product and explain how it could be improved further. can use a broad range of criteria for evaluating the product (such as star profiles, hedonic ranking, taste panels).

Making: carrying out basic techniques Making: adapting to meet needs Food Technology Step Strand 1 Preparation (Equal weighting) Strand 2 Planning Strand 3 Making: carrying out basic techniques Strand 4 Making: adapting to meet needs Strand 5 Evaluation 7 All of the below and… shows understanding of why certain food products would be suitable for specific target groups/situations. can interpret a wide range of information. can use research to help decide what to make with some consideration of time, provenance, costs of ingredients and whether they meet the needs of the target group/situation. has excellent knowledge of nutrition and functions of ingredients. can use time plan and follows HACCP and quality control procedures to complete work independently with confidence. can also work well as part of a team. shows some high-level skills and excellent middle-level skills. may need to ask for help to make necessary adaptations so products are successful and of a high quality. can understand how to change ingredients and make suitable substitutions. can evaluate cost and nutritive value in addition to sensory analysis. 6 has a clear understanding of the type of ingredients suitable for the task and uses planning to prepare for practical lessons. shows understanding of functions of ingredients in chosen dishes. begins to consider ethics, seasonality and nutrition. knows how to write a flowchart/timeplan, including equipment and ingredients in metric. can use research to select suitable dishes and knows that cost, time, provenance and nutritive value are important when selecting foods to use. has an expanding knowledge of nutrition. can complete basic skills successfully with the minimum amount of help and works in a tidy, efficient manner, following time and basic HACCP procedures listed on a plan. can rectify problems when cooking. shows some high-level skills and medium skills are being perfected. with some help, can make good adaptations to products, such as to make them healthier/suited to the task. may occasionally ask for help to finish products. can compare own product to existing products and can explain what changes are needed and how these could be implemented. in writing, can explain whether their product is successful or not. 5 can use class research to help make decisions about what to make, but sometimes needs to be reminded about getting ready for a practical lesson and how to clear away appropriately at the end. can collect information from a variety of sources, but does not always interpret all the information. has some understanding of functions of ingredients. can write a flowchart/timeplan which contains most of the information needed to make a successful product. can select and store ingredients correctly, but may need help to select equipment to make the product successfully. can classify foods by main nutrient groups. can follow a flowchart which indicates quality controls. can make a range of products using basic skills and techniques and equipment correctly, and is confident using the cooker. can work independently and makes a useful contribution to team work. shows mainly medium-level skills. needs help with the more difficult stages of making their dish. can make simple changes to the product. can make simple suggestions for changes to the product and uses comments of others to evaluate the product. can use sensory analysis or a star profile to evaluate product in detail.

Making: carrying out basic techniques Making: adapting to meet needs Food Technology Step Strand 1 Preparation (Equal weighting) Strand 2 Planning Strand 3 Making: carrying out basic techniques Strand 4 Making: adapting to meet needs Strand 5 Evaluation 4 All of the below and… can list ingredients, but no quantities or specific details (such as type of flour), and can get themselves ready for practical lesson. needs to ask where to store high-risk ingredients. does not fully use information collected. can list ingredients, but no quantities or specifics, and can get ready for practical lesson. understands Eatwell guide and principles of a healthy diet. can follow flowchart most of the time and works in a tidy and organised manner. can produce a flowchart that has some basic quality controls. is competent with most basic skills and techniques and knows how to use the cooker, but needs practice to be confident. has perfected lower-level skills and some medium skills being shown. can name foods that are healthier alternatives. can carry out simple practical tasks independently but product, although complete and meets the task to some degree, is quite basic. can make one change to the original product. can follow hygiene and safety rules when making. can use sensory descriptors to discuss some aspects of the product and can say what was said by others about the product. 3 can list ingredients but no quantities or specific details. can get themselves ready for practical lesson. unsure of where to store high-risk ingredients. can carry out limited research to get ideas about what told to do, but doesn’t always interpret the information. can list ingredients but no quantities or specifics. knows about five a day and has some knowledge about basic sensory properties. can write a basic plan with correct sequencing, but little detail. can suggest how to adapt the dish when prompted. can say ‘what went well’ and ‘even better if…’ but does not get others’ opinions. can make basic suggestions of how to improve the dish. 2 needs help to carry out basic skills, put the oven on and select simple tools to make products. can use given information. can write a flowchart with some details of how to make the product. needs help to follow the plan. is developing lower-level skills. can suggest how to change the dish only when asked specific questions. can say ‘what went well’ and ‘even better if…’ and make a basic suggestion of how to improve the dish with prompting. 1 Can… bring the correct ingredients but needs help weighing and measuring. needs to be reminded how to prepare for a practical lesson. use given information and criteria. understand what a flowchart is, but finds it difficult to produce one. with help, carry out basic skills, put the oven on and select simple tools to make products. find it difficult to suggest ways that dishes could be adapted, apart from linking to their own likes and dislikes. can say ‘what went well’ and ‘even better if…’ but no idea how to make these changes.

Frequently Asked Questions Q. What is STEPS? A. STEPS is an assessment-recording and progress-monitoring system for all subjects studied at Key Stage 3. Q. What are STEPS grids? A. The STEPS grids break a subject down into Strands of content and nine progressive Steps. Students are placed on the STEPS grid following a baseline assessment. The expected progress is at least one-Step per year or three-Steps over the key stage. Q. What is a Strand? A. A Strand is an area of study of a subject. Every subject is divided into between three and seven Strands. Q. What is a Step? A. Every Strand is broken down into nine progressive Steps. Nine is the highest Step and one is the lowest. Steps provide the pathway through the Programme of Study for each Strand. Q. Why does my child appear to have made more progress in one subject than another? A. All subjects are different and so are children! It is quite understandable for one student to have a different rate of progress to another. Learning is a cycle of improvement. Students improve and then plateau before making further improvement – the timescale for this improvement is very individual and varies between subjects. It is quite normal for rapid progress to be made when children are exposed for the first time to specialist teaching, when perhaps teachers with expert knowledge were not available in primary school. Q. My child seems to have made no progress at all in one subject. A. There could be circumstances which would mean that within the last assessment cycle this was the case. It could be a completely new subject, or one that has been studied for only a portion of the year. We are anticipating three Steps of progress over the key stage and that one Step is merely the average of this expected progress each year. Remember also that in Science, progress has been built implicitly into the schemes of work. Therefore your child will be expected to stay on the same step or fluctuate above/ below this step as the content becomes more challenging throughout the year. Progress will be numerically represented by a variation score (progress score) from your child’s start point. If your child’s score is positive or remains at 0 throughout the year this represents expected progress or above expected progress; if they receive a minus progress score then this indicates that they will need more support to maintain their progress in the upcoming units.