ascl.org.uk Primary assessment and accountability September 2015

ascl.org.uk The case for change

ascl.org.uk “Our current expectations for primary schools are set too low. In 2012, less than half the pupils who had only just reached the current expected standard at key stage 2 went on to achieve five good GCSEs, including English and mathematics. In contrast, seven in ten of those with a ‘good’ level 4 or above achieved this GCSE standard. The new assessment and accountability system for primary schools … will set a higher bar.” (Government response to consultation on primary school assessment and accountability, March 2014) 1. We’re not aiming high enough

ascl.org.uk “We also want to celebrate the progress that pupils make in schools with more challenging intakes. We recognise that for these schools, getting nearly all pupils to meet this standard is very demanding, at least in the short term. Our reforms will recognise the good progress that schools make with children from a low starting point.” (Government response to consultation on primary school assessment and accountability, March 2014) 2. We should be looking at progress as well as attainment

ascl.org.uk “Assessment should be focused on whether children have understood … key areas of knowledge and skill, rather than whether they’ve achieved a particular level, or are moving at a fast pace up through the levels.” (Tim Oates video, May 2014) (play to 1:12) 3. Our model of assessment is wrong

ascl.org.uk So what’s changing?

ascl.org.uk 1. We’re not aiming high enough …so we’ll raise the bar

ascl.org.uk Introduced from Updated to match the new National Curriculum (in which some things are taught one, two or even three years earlier than previously). New KS1 grammar, punctuation and spelling test. KS1 SATs continue to be largely teacher-assessed, with judgements informed by children’s performance in externally set and internally marked reading and maths tests (for now at least…) At KS2, the balance of external tests and internal teacher assessment remains. There will no longer be separate tests for the most able; instead there will be scope in the main tests for higher attaining pupils to show their strengths. New (harder) SATs

ascl.org.uk “We want to celebrate the success of schools that equip the vast majority of their pupils for life at secondary school. For that reason we are including an attainment element in the floor standard. Our expectations are high. We want schools to aim to have 85% of their pupils at this new higher standard for the end of key stage 2 (similar to a level 4b under the current system) by 2016.” (Government response to consultation on primary school assessment and accountability, March 2014) New (higher) attainment floor standard

ascl.org.uk “We want to celebrate the success of schools that equip the vast majority of their pupils for life at secondary school. For that reason we are including an attainment element in the floor standard. Our expectations are high. We want schools to aim to have 85% of their pupils at this new higher standard for the end of key stage 2 (similar to a level 4b under the current system) by 2016.” (Government response to consultation on primary school assessment and accountability, March 2014) New (higher) attainment floor standard 65%

ascl.org.uk “At primary level, the definition will apply to those schools who have seen fewer than 85% of children achieving an acceptable secondary-ready standard in reading, writing and maths over the course of 3 years, and who have seen insufficient pupil progress.” (DfE press release, June 2015) New ‘coasting’ measure

ascl.org.uk 2. We should be looking at progress as well as attainment …so we’ll introduce a new progress measure

ascl.org.uk “A progress measure is the fairest way to assess many schools. We will … assess the progress children make between starting reception and age 11, compared to other children with the same starting points … We are proposing that schools will only meet the progress standard if pupils make sufficient progress in all of reading, writing and mathematics.” (Government response to consultation on primary school assessment and accountability, March 2014) Schools will be above the floor target if they meet EITHER the progress measure OR the attainment measure. New progress floor standard

ascl.org.uk Provides an ‘input measure’ for progress target. To be taken in first term of Reception. Schools will be able to choose from a range of assessments, developed by different suppliers to match a set of criteria provided by DfE. Some assessments will be available from Sept 15, others from Sept 16. Optional, BUT… “The reception baseline will be the only measure used to assess progress for children who start reception in September 2016 and beyond … Schools that choose not to use an approved baseline assessment from 2016 will be judged on an attainment floor standard alone.” (Government response to consultation on primary school assessment and accountability, March 2014) New baseline assessment in Reception

ascl.org.uk 3. Our model of assessment is wrong …so we’ll change it

ascl.org.uk “As part of our reforms, we have not replicated a system of national curriculum levels in the new programmes of study. Levels were intended to provide a universal framework to ensure that schools were measuring attainment and progress consistently. But, over time, it became clear that the level descriptors, which were not closely related to curriculum content, were ambiguous and open to different interpretations.” (Consultation on performance descriptors for use in KS1 & 2 statutory teacher assessment, October 2014) Instead… Levels have been removed and not replaced

ascl.org.uk Performance will be reflected as a ‘precise scaled score’ (where 100 will represent the new expected standard for that stage). 100 will roughly equate to a Level 2b at KS1 and a Level 4b at KS2. The rest of the scale will be set once the first cohort of pupils have taken the test. KS2 test results will be published in the July after the test is taken. Each pupil will receive: o a raw score o a scaled score o confirmation of whether or not they attained the national standard Year 7 teachers will be able to view their incoming pupils’ scaled scores so that they can prepare for their new intake. SATs results will be expressed as a scaled score

ascl.org.uk Performance descriptors will be provided to inform teacher assessment at the end of KS1 & 2 KS1 reading, writing & maths Four performance descriptors: Mastery standard National standard Working towards national standard Below national standard KS1 science One performance descriptor: Working at the national standard KS2 writing Five performance descriptors: Mastery standard Above national standard National standard Working towards national standard Below national standard KS2 maths One performance descriptor: Working at the national standard KS2 science One performance descriptor: Working at the national standard KS2 reading One performance descriptor: Working at the national standard Health warning!

ascl.org.uk Many schools uncertain how to design a system that is both sufficiently rigorous to provide hard data and sufficiently clear to provide parents with meaningful insights into their child’s attainment and progress. DfE providing support through: o clarity around Ofsted expectations while schools develop their own approach o clarity in new Ofsted handbook on how quality of assessment will be judged o Commission on Assessment Without Levels Schools will be expected to design their own approach to assessing pupils and tracking progress within key stages

ascl.org.uk Ofsted expectations on ongoing assessment and progress tracking

ascl.org.uk Inspectors will not expect to see a particular assessment system in place Inspectors will recognise that schools are still working towards full implementation of their preferred approach spend more time looking at the range of pupils’ work to consider what progress they are making in different areas of the curriculum talk to leaders about schools’ use of formative and summative assessment and how this improves teaching and raises achievement evaluate how well pupils are doing against relevant age-related expectations as set out by the school and the national curriculum (where this applies) assess how well the way the school reports on the progress and attainment of pupils to parents helps parents to understand how well their children are doing

ascl.org.uk From Ofsted handbook Inspectors will make a judgement on the effectiveness of assessment in schools by evaluating the extent to which: assessment information is gathered from looking at what pupils already know, understand and can do, and is informed by their parents/previous providers in the early years assessment information is used to plan appropriate teaching and learning strategies, including to identify pupils who are falling behind in their learning or who need additional support, enabling pupils to make good progress and achieve well except in the case of the very young, pupils understand how to improve as a result of useful feedback, written or oral, from teachers the school’s engagement with parents, carers and employers helps them to understand how children and learners are doing in relation to the standards expected and what they need to do to improve

ascl.org.uk From Ofsted handbook (contd) In evaluating the accuracy and impact of assessment, inspectors will consider how well: teachers use any assessment for establishing pupils’ starting points, teacher assessment and testing to modify teaching so that pupils achieve their potential by the end of a year or key stage; inspectors should note that Ofsted does not expect to see any particular system of assessment in place. assessment draws on a range of evidence of what pupils know, understand and can do across the curriculum teachers make consistent judgements about pupils’ progress and attainment, for example within a subject, across a year group and between year groups.

ascl.org.uk From Ofsted handbook (contd) Grade descriptor for outstanding assessment practices include: Teachers check pupils’ understanding systematically and effectively in lessons, offering clearly directed and timely support. Teachers provide pupils with incisive feedback, in line with the school’s assessment policy, about what pupils can do to improve their knowledge, understanding and skills. The pupils use this feedback effectively. Pupils are eager to know how to improve their learning. They capitalise on opportunities to use feedback, written or oral, to improve. Parents are provided with clear and timely information on how well their child is progressing and how well their child is doing in relation to the standards expected. Parents are given guidance on how to support their child to improve.

ascl.org.uk Commission on Assessment Without Levels Report completed and submitted to DfE in July. DfE announced it wouldn’t be released until September. Draft leaked in July. Draft report outlined: o the problems with levels o the benefits of assessment without levels o three main purposes of assessment in schools, and the principles of each of these o recommendations for how government can best support schools in developing assessment systems that align with these principles

ascl.org.uk Purposes of assessment Day-to-day in-school formative assessment helps pupils and parents understand how well the pupil is doing and what they need to do to improve, helps teachers to plan and teach appropriately, and provides assurance to school leaders. Local in-school summative assessment provides pupils and parents with information on their attainment and progress over a period of time, enables teacher to evaluate their teaching and plan future teaching, and enables school leaders to monitor performance. Nationally standardised summative assessment provides pupils and parents with information on how both pupils and the school as a whole are performing against national comparisons, enables teachers and school leaders to benchmark their performance against national comparisons, allows the government to hold schools to account and assess the impact of their policies, and is the starting point for Ofsted’s discussions with schools.

ascl.org.uk Principles of day-to-day in-school formative assessment What will this assessment tell me about pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the topic, concept or skill? How will I communicate the information I gain from this assessment to pupils in a way that helps them to understand what they need to do to improve? How will I ensure pupils understand the purpose of this assessment and can apply it to their own learning? How will I ensure my approaches to assessment are inclusive of all abilities? How will I use the information I gain from this assessment to inform my planning for future lessons? How could I improve, adapt or target my teaching as a result? What follow up action should I take to plug gaps in knowledge and understanding or to support progression where learning is secure? Is it necessary to record the information gained from this assessment? And if so, how can this be done most efficiently?

ascl.org.uk Principles of local summative assessment Who will use the information provided by this assessment? Will it give them the information they need for their purposes? How will it be used to support broader progress, attainment and outcomes for the pupils? How should the assessment outcomes be communicated to pupils to ensure they have the right impact and contribute to pupils’ understanding of how they can make further progress in the future? How should the assessment outcomes be communicated to parents to ensure they understand what the outcomes tell them about their child’s attainment, progress and improvement needs? How should the assessment outcomes be recorded to allow the school to monitor and demonstrate progress, attainment and wider outcomes?

ascl.org.uk Recommendations There should be a programme of dissemination and engagement to ensure individuals and organisations who work closely with schools, such as RSCs, LAs and Ofsted have the necessary knowledge and skills to help schools and to maintain oversight of the long-term impact on teacher workload. Assessment should be included in the core content for ITT, and should be informed by the principles outlined in the report. The government should fund one person in every teaching school alliance to become an SLE on assessment. A national item bank of assessment questions should be established, that teachers could use to build bespoke formative and summative assessments. A dedicated forum should be created where teachers can share their ideas on assessment without levels. A training module should be developed which could be used by both senior leaders in schools and Ofsted inspectors to ensure a shared understanding of the principles and purposes of assessment, what good practice looks like and how it can be demonstrated in schools. The DfE working group on school data management should help to build the evidence base to understand how schools are using assessment data and what drives their data management practices.

ascl.org.uk Final plug… New ASCL/NGA/BJ guidance: Forming or Joining a Group of Schools: staying in control of your school’s destiny Guidance for standalone schools considering forming or joining federations or MATs Explains the benefits of doing so and suggests a step-by-step process for working through your options and making the right decision for your school Please feel free to share it with schools in your area