1. Planning for Learning and Teaching, Assessment and Moderation
The purpose of this PowerPoint Presentation is to support practitioners in :
developing a better appreciation of assessment policy (BtC 5) and the role of assessment and moderation in Curriculum for Excellence
developing the practice of sound assessment
It can be used to raise awareness of important assessment developments and to promote discussion of their relevance to Curriculum for Excellence.

2. BtC5: A Framework for Assessment
LEARNER
responsible citizens
successful learners
effective contributors
confident individuals
skills for learning, life and work
health and wellbeing
literacy
numeracy
Informing self- evaluation for improvement
Reporting on progress and achievement
How we assess
Principles of assessment
What we assess
When we assess
Ensuring quality and confidence in assessment
Reflecting the values and principles of CfE
KEY MESSAGES: National Framework to support the purposes of learning 3-18
that the learner and learning are at the heart of this process
that Assessment should be an integral part of day-to-day learning and teaching.
that the process of assessment should begin at the planning stage
that by putting the learner at the centre shifts the focus of assessment away from using information to monitor provision and practice towards providing useful, personalised feedback for young people and their families, to inform their next steps in learning and their choices about future learning pathways.

3. BtC5: A framework for assessment
Assessment will
support learning
give assurance to parents, learners and others
provide a summary of what learners have achieved
contribute to planning the next stages of learning
inform future improvements in learning and teaching
BtC 5 a framework for assessment (p5):
Assessment should reflect the values , purposes and principles of CfE.
develop the knowledge, understanding, skills and capabilities which contribute to the 4 capacities
give assurance that young people are progressing in their learning and developing in line with expectations
include achievements through qualifications and awards
help learners to progress to further education, higher education and employment
inform future improvements in learning and teaching

4. BtC5: A framework for assessment
Some key messages
Assessment practices will follow the new curriculum, giving more autonomy and professional responsibility to teachers
Standards and expectations will be defined in a way that reflects CfE, supporting greater breadth and depth in learning and focusing on skills development
Assessment should support learning and not be a bolt-on activity.
Reflecting the principles of Curriculum for Excellence, progress is now defined in terms of ‘how much’ and ‘how well’ as well as learners’ rate of progress.
This approach will promote greater breadth and depth of learning including a greater focus on the secure development of skills and knowledge.

5. Planning for Learning and Teaching, Assessment and Moderation
Three central ideas
The quality of the learning –
what will we assess ?
Assessment is ongoing –
when will we assess ?
Approaches to assessment –
how will we assess ?
We need to define what assessment is about – why do it?
to provide all stakeholders with sufficiently dependable information and feedback to inform judgements, choices and decisions about learning, and to inform planning for improvement.

6. What ? Focus on the experiences and the learning outcomes
The experiences and outcomes are a set
of statements which describe the expectations for learning and progression for each of the eight curriculum areas.
The title ‘experiences and outcomes’ recognises the importance of the quality and nature of the learning experience in developing attributes and capabilities and in achieving active engagement, motivation and depth of learning. An outcome represents what is to be achieved.

7. What will we assess?
Each learner’s progress and achievements in terms of :
Knowledge and understanding
Skills
Attributes and capabilities
All of these are described within the
Es and Os
What will we assess ?
The focus for assessment will be on the knowledge and understanding, skills and attributes and capabilities within the experiences and the learning outcomes

8. How will we assess? Planning rich and engaging learning experiences
Using a range of approaches to learning / assessment
Gathering appropriate evidence
Working together to gather as much information about each learner’s achievements, strengths and next steps
Consider what kind of activities you plan to offer the learners in your group/class, that will result in evidence of their learning, in line with the principles of CfE: coherence, breadth, depth, relevance, progression, personalization and choice, challenge and enjoyment
Consider a range of assessment approaches including Self and Peer Assessment .We know that ‘conversations about learning’ are at the heart of good assessment. The more learners share an understanding about what is to be done, what good learning looks like, and what needs to be done next, the better the learning will be.
The assessment process will involve gathering and consideration of the evidence by teachers and learners, using agreed criteria, in order to arrive at judgements about what has been learned and how well, and what needs to be done next.
Working together will help ensure that information about the amount and quality of each young person’s learning is both accurate and consistent, and is used as part of improvement planning to promote better learning.

9. Gathering a range of Evidence
Evidence of learners’ achievements may come from things that pupils
say
write
make do
in response to the whole range of learning experiences
from across contexts and settings
The assessment process will involve all partners in
gathering and consideration of evidence by adults and learners
using agreed criteria to arrive at judgements about what has been learned and how well, and what needs to be done next
Gathering evidence
Evidence may come from things that learners say, write make or do in response to their learning experiences.
The processes of gathering evidence across CfE experiences and outcomes requires an approach to assessment which actively involves both learners and teachers in both supporting learning and in making judgments about progress.

10. Holistic assessment judgements to ‘sum up’
When will we assess?
On-going
Assessment during learning
Taking
a close look
at individual progress…
Assessment
of key milestones in learning
Progress and achievement
Periodic
Periodic
In developing assessment approaches it is important that we do build on our current effective practice and use self-evaluation activities to identify priorities for improvement.
In taking a coherent approach to planning learning, teaching and assessment, it is helpful to plan a strategic approach to ensure there is an appropriate balance between the on-going assessment that supports learning and the periodic assessment at key milestones including for qualifications.
We need to be careful that in developing assessment to support learning that we ensure that it does not become too time consuming and have unintended consequences.
Well-designed valid tests and examinations will of course continue to be very useful and be used in an appropriate and proportionate repertoire of assessment.
Holistic assessment judgements to ‘sum up’
Transitions

11. What do progress and achievement
in CfE look like?
For learners to demonstrate that their progress is secure, they will need opportunities for:
breadth of learning
challenge within learning
applying learning in new and unfamiliar situations
Understanding progression
Currently, Es and Os in CfE are described over five levels - early, first, second, third and fourth - spanning early years to S3.
Progression through one level to the next is likely to involve engagement in a wide range of tasks over two to three years.
In planning and providing learning opportunities to lead pupils through these Es and Os, staff need to be familiar with what learning should look like at different stages in a pupil’s journey from one level to the next.
It is important that learners have the opportunity to demonstrate their achievement of standards and expectations in different ways and to progress by different routes and pathways through the experiences.

12. Quality Assurance and Moderation of Assessment
Part of day-to-day work / collegiate culture
Includes monitoring, self-evaluation and planning for improvement- based on all involved in the processes and the dialogue
Since assessment is integral to learning, teaching and the curriculum these approaches apply equally to assessment
By developing a collegiate approach to planning and delivery of learning quality assurance will become embedded in the school/ centre’s quality improvement culture
The professional dialogue about learning will develop the school / centre’s capacity to reflect, evaluate and improve the learning experiences for both learners and teachers
Reflecting on assessment tasks and activities will also contribute to the school/centre’s improvement agenda

13. Quality Assurance and Moderation of Assessment
Developing confidence in teachers’ professional judgement in applying national standards
Building on existing approaches to be able to provide assurance that there is a shared understanding of standards and expectation.
Building the Curriculum 5: a framework for assessment includes a commitment to “a coherent system of quality assurance, moderation and sharing of understanding and best practice to support teachers in achieving greater consistency and confidence in their professional judgments” (p2).
The purpose of moderation is to ensure that the judgments they make about their pupils’ learning is as dependable (i.e. as valid, reliable, consistent and comparable) as possible.
Effective moderation helps to reduce inconsistencies in teacher assessments of pupils’ work and makes judgments more dependable.

14. Quality Assurance and Moderation
of Assessment
Moderation
Teachers and other professionals working together to :
Plan learning, teaching and assessment
Check validity and reliability before assessments are used
Sample evidence of learners’ work and review teachers’ judgements
Agree strengths in learners’ performance and next steps
Provide feedback on teachers’ judgements to inform improvements
The purpose of moderation is to:
- develop professional practice and confidence in making assessment judgments
- share standards between colleagues within and across schools and authorities
increase consistency and dependability of teachers’ judgments.
The moderation process involves teachers and learners in sharing evidence of learning and collaborating to establish a shared understanding of what quality evidence looks like.
It leads to greater confidence in teachers’ capacity to assess their pupils’ work and a greater sense of ownership of the standards underpinning CfE experiences and outcomes
Moderation is everyone learning together.

15. Key Features of Quality Assurance and Moderation
Approaches to Quality Assurance and Moderation must be:
Proportionate
Manageable
Promote capacity building