Uckfield Civic Centre

Friday 17 October 2014

Bill Roddick

Standards & Learning Manager

Standards and Learning Effectiveness Service

Assessment Without Levels

Conference on Monday

• Brief outline…

Aims and Purpose

• To review the issues facing us all

• To hear ideas and approaches from colleagues who have been working without levels

• Outline the development of an ‘area’ approach to assessment, drawing on developing good practice

BackgroundJune 2013 “Assessing without levels” (DfE)

•levels removed and not replaced•not prescribing a single approach to assessment •schools introduce own approaches to formative assessment•assessment framework built into school curriculum, schools can check what pupils have learned and whether they are on track to meet expectations at the end of the key stage and so that they can report regularly to parents•Ofsted informed by tracking data system schools choose•schools free to devise own curriculum and assessment system, the DfE will provide examples of good practice

Background• December 2013: DfE launched Assessment Innovation

Fund to collect and promote examples of innovative approaches to assessment

• February 2014: NAHT published “Report of the NAHT Commission on assessment”

• March 2014: DfE published “Reforming assessment and accountability for primary schools”

• March2014: STA published National Curriculum test frameworks

• May 2014: nine selected Assessment Innovation Fund schools and organisations announced. Their approaches are being made freely available (TES website)

Background• May 2014: Reception Baseline assessment• July 2014: Note for inspectors (Ofsted): Use of assessment

information during inspections in 2014/15• July 2014: Standards and Testing Agency: “National

curriculum assessments: 2016 sample materials”• August 2014: “National curriculum and assessment from

September 2014: information for schools”• September 2014:

– “Beyond levels: alternative assessment approaches developed by teaching schools”

– “Beyond levels: national curriculum assessment outcomes and impact” 

All of the above (and more) is covered in the following Virtual School Bags

•VSB 139/2014 – Mon 12 May 2014

•VSB 271/2014 – Tue 7 Oct 2014

Y2

Y3

Y4

Y5

Y6

Y1

YR

End of key stages

Measuring progress?

At Expected

At Expected

At Expected

Above

Below

Below

Below

Above

Above

Year 2 or Year 6

100

Keynote Speakers

Michael TiddDeputy Headteacher@MichaelT1979 Edgewood Primary School

Dame Alison PeacockHeadteacher@AlisonMPeacockThe Wroxham Teaching School

Schools and East Sussex in partnership

Aims and Purpose

• Joint working between schools and LA

• Teaching Schools at the heart of it

• Development of an ‘area’ approach to assessment, drawing on developing good practice.

Assessment Innovation Fund

Assessment Principles

For parents Drive Improvement

Draw on best

practice

Core Event 1

Core Event 2

Project Structure

Messages Dissemination

M

W

R

• Mon 13 Oct• Key

messages • Assessment

principles• External

speakers• Project

outline

• Thurs 12 Feb

• Roll out of materials

• Conference with Formative Assessment focus

• Wed 17 Sept

• Working groups develop and trial

• Reading, Writing and Mathematics

Development Development

• Tue 18 Nov• Developments

reviewed and continue

Activities

• Development of assessment criteria for reading, writing and mathematics for years 1 to 6.

• Guidance for teachers in making judgements “within age related expectations”?

• Exemplification materials for year 1 and 5.• Development of approaches to tracking.• Planning for follow up assessment conference

February 12th 2015.

Tracking?

At Expected At Expected At Expected

Above

Below Below Below

AboveAbove

Tracking?

% At Expected % At Expected % At Expected

% Above

% Below % Below % Below

% Above% Above

Term 1 Term 2 Term 3

+ a points system?

Discussion