Understanding the Key Stage 3 (Years 7 to 9) Reports 28 th November and 1 st December

KS3 Report Structure Term 1 and Term 2: For each subject the student will be given: Effort grade (excellent – good – satisfactory – needs improvement) Attainment Level (National Curriculum Level)

KS3 Report Structure Term 3: A comment from their tutor For each subject the student will be given: Written comment Effort grade (excellent – good – satisfactory – needs improvement) Attainment grade (National Curriculum Level)

Where does an Attainment level come from? All assessment in Key Stage Three is done using National Curriculum Levels Throughout the term each class will undertake a number of assessments that are used to decide teach Term’s level. The amount type and structure of the assessments is based on an Assessment Outline for that subject and that Year This is recorded by staff in their Marks Books and key assessment points are standardised across classes for consistency

How do Levels Work? They will range from level 1 to 8 and each level is broken into three sub-levels of a, b and c. Each level is a statement of knowledge, skills and understanding that indicate what a student can do at that level. The letters represent whether the student is beginning (c), developing (b) or secure (a) at that level The level on the end of Term report will reflect the best fit level from these assessments.

The National Curriculum Descriptors File

Making the Descriptors Accessable MFL Example

Student Reflection using the Level Descriptors Art & Design

Why Best Fit? Unlike grades, National Curriculum levels are based on a series of descriptors. Students may not exhibit all the aspects of that level descriptor in all assessments Students may show different aspects of a level in different assessments Professional judgement will be used by the teacher based on the assessment evidence collected to decide on the attainment level

What Progress are students expected to make? Students should generally make two sub levels of progress a year. So a student who enters Year 7 as a level 5b should target a 7b at the end of Key Stage Three However, it is not automatic that students make this progress in this way.

What Progress is my child expected to make?  Each student is different, they are not robots and so they learn differently and at different paces.  Some factors which may influence expectations are:  How long has your child been taught in English?  How long have they been at DCS?  Are they EAL?  What is progress like in other areas of the curriculum?  What system have they come from?  Look for two sub-levels per year ~ One year you might get one sub-level and the next three sub levels

What Progress is my child expected to make? Students will be set Target Levels in all their subjects this year These will be based on: – the previous year’s attainment – CEM data Student progress will be evaluated against these targets Staff will monitor student progress in light of these targets to ensure the student’s remain on track

Where do we start? Different subjects will also show different rates of progress depending on the experience students have had of the subject before coming to DCS For example, in Modern Foreign Languages students have no leveled assessment before joining and start at the beginning of level 1, while in other subjects students may already be at level 5 on entry. Please do not be alarmed if the Modern Foreign Language or other non-core subject’s levels seem low. By the end of the Key Stage students will be able to access the highest levels in languages, as with all other subjects.

UK National Targets versus DCS Targets - Core Subjects

Progression to the I/GCSE The table shows a standard expected progression from levels at the end of Key Stage Three to the I/GCSE in most subjects Remember these are a very broad general guide to progression. Every Child is different and for every rule there are exceptions Level at end of KS3 I/GCSE Grade 4D 5C 6B 7A 8A* This table shows the I/GCSE grade that the majority of students who attain a certain level often receive at the I/GCSE

Isn’t the National Curriculum Changing in the UK? A new revised National Curriculum has been released that is being implemented Schools no longer have to use National Curriculum Levels for their assessment Schools can choose their Assessment Method

How Will The Changes Affect DCS? We already modify the National Curriculum we use to suit our students and we will continue to do this We will continue to use the National Curriculum Levels as the basis for our assessment

Why Use NC levels? Criterion based Clear, tried and tested Significant experience of NC levels within the school Significant tools and documents within the departments to support NC levels Standardisation across Dulwich Colleges

Questions