 Assessment without levels  New curriculum expectations  Testing at Year 6

ASSESSMENT WITHOUT LEVELS From September 2014, with the introduction of the new Primary National Curriculum, the government assessment reforms came into force. These included National Curriculum levels being removed and not replaced. This has allowed schools to design and implement their own assessment frameworks. A group of 20 REAch2 educational experts have worked hard to put an ‘Assessment Without Levels’ (AWL) system in place which enables schools to demonstrate quality assessment focused on children’s learning and developmental needs.

THE REACH2 NON-NEGOTIABLE MILESTONES  A trust-wide system has been devised which uses non- negotiable milestones to assess and track the learning of pupils against the new national curriculum.  The new assessment system using the non-negotiable milestones recognises that the new national curriculum is sufficiently challenging for pupils and that schools should avoid attempting to accelerate pupils in a narrow, linear fashion.  It is a non-algorithmic system, which recognises that not all outcomes represent equivalent amounts of learning and does not pretend that children progress in a nice, neat, straight line.

 Teachers are now free to help children master the full breadth of the curriculum for their year group. The progress will be evident and measurable in books and through the children themselves.  Once a child has met aspects of their year group’s curriculum and this is clearly evidenced, the teacher must push the child on to their next stage of learning.  In order for this new assessment criteria to work it requires a change of mind-set at all levels regarding assessment. Schools have the freedom to make professional judgements on how children learning the knowledge, skills and concepts within the National Curriculum.

ASSESSING ATTAINMENT AT ANY POINT IN TIME – 4 JUDGEMENTS  Working towards – Children are accessing the curriculum below the expectations of their chronological age. They do not currently have the skills, knowledge and understanding required to access, achieve or demonstrate significant engagement with the assessment criteria.  Aspiring to Meet – Children are accessing the expectations of their chronological year group, however are deemed not to be On-Track to meet expectations fully by the end of the year without significant additional support. Children have demonstrated some capability of engaging with it but may need specific intervention and / or additional quality-first teaching in order to be confidently assessed as On-Track.  On-Track to Meet – Children are On-Track to comprehensively attain the S,K & U of the assessment criteria by the end of the year.  Met – Children demonstrate they have mastered the S,K & U of the assessment criteria required to apply them across a broad range of contexts. For children with specific diagnosed SEND, teachers will retain the ability to dis- apply criteria which are inappropriate to the child’s abilities and developmental needs

NEW CURRICULUM EXPECTATIONS

 September New National Curriculum started.  May children tested on the new curriculum for the first time. TIMELINE

What’s out? Informal written methods of calculation Calculators Separate strand for using and applying What’s there less of? Emphasis on estimation Less work on place value Less work on data handling (statistics) What’s there more of? More challenging objectives, especially in number Formal written methods introduced earlier More work on fractions What’s in? Roman numerals Times tables up to 12 x 12 Equivalence between metric and imperial Long division and algebra (Y6)

 Reading to a higher standard with the focus on analysis of text  Showing that they can read confidently and fluently whole novels – including aloud with intonation.  Explain and justify their opinions based on the text.  Retrieve information from non-fiction  Summarise main ideas, identify key details and use quotations  Evaluate how the author uses language and consider the impact on the reader.READING

 Again higher expectation in 3 areas:  Grammatical understanding – knowing the terms,identifying and using grammar correctly.  Spelling – writing accurately including the statutory word list for Year 5 and 6  Independent writing – using correct grammar, punctuation and spelling with fluent, joined handwriting. Writing in the correct style with a wide range of vocabulary, sentence structure and using a variety of organisational techniques. WRITING

TESTING IN YEAR 6

 Maths – new written tests.  Arithmetic test 35 questions in 30 minutes.  2, 40 minute tests word problem based questions.  New marking procedure HOW WILL MY CHILD BE TESTED?

 Teacher assessment only for independent writing.  This is not just what they do in Big Write every 2 weeks but across the curriculum.  There will be – ‘The pupil can statements. Teachers have to show evidence that a pupil can do these ENGLISH WRITING

 Tested with SPAG tests  2 tests: one for grammar, punctuation and vocabulary use. 45 minutes (50 marks) e.g. identifying a feature like subordinate clauses, or correct use of grammar such as apostrophes, synonyms, colons and semicolons and prepositions.  Spelling - Spelling rules and statutory word list – 20 questions.(20marks) ENGLISH WRITING – GRAMMAR AND SPELLING

 1 hour test  Testing retrieval of information – who, what and when type of questions. Inference and deduction – why, how, use of language.  Why is a particular word used and meaning in context.  Opinion and reasoning – what do you think and why? Using the text to justify an answer.  Reasoning on authorial choices e.g.– How does the author create suspense? ENGLISH READING

 The test will be sent away for independent marking.  The previous national curriculum levels have been scrapped, and instead children will be given scaled scores.  You will be given your child’s raw score (the actual number of marks they get), alongside their scaled score and whether they have reached the expected level. Scaled score of 100 will be used as the expected level.  The raw score on each test needed to reach the expected level has yet to be announced.  For the teacher assessment we have to give: Working below the expected standard, working at the expected standard, working at a greaterdepth within the expected standard. MARKING AND RESULTS

 All children take the same tests regardless of ability  Pupils working below the standards of the National Curriculum tests can be disapplied from the tests.  Pupils with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities may require special arrangements to enable them to take the tests e.g. prompters, scribes, readers, rest breaks. This is in line with normal classroom practice and evidence needs to be provided.  Children who are more anxious are nurtured and might take their tests in a smaller group of children.  More information is coming in January Access Arrangements

 Homework- work with us to consolidate learning  Memorising times tables and spellings: learning styles, fun, ICT, games. Training memory.  Vocabulary: technical words, “magpie” from reading books, full sentences  Real Life Situations: application of knowledge- shopping problems, using time, measuring, distances, cooking. Making links.  Handwriting- climbing, monkey bars, tracing letters in flour,painting fences, encouraging/ insisting! Ways to Support your child

 Encourage Thinking- card, dice, domino games, brain teasers, Yahzee, draughts, chess, Guess who? Boggle, Cluedo, Coppit. Model how you think.  Value strengths and individuality.  Avoid conflict over learning-pick your battles  Talk to us if you are worried. We are here to help. Ways to Support your child