Assessment Policy

Introduction

At Bartley Green School, assessment is at the heart of teaching and learning. Assessment provides evidence to guide teaching and learning, as well as providing the opportunity for pupils to demonstrate and review progress.  Assessment ensures that there is a pathway of progress, development and excellence for every pupil in our school. Consistency is ensured at Bartley Green School because accurate judgements are formed according to common principles.

Assessment is meaningful and understandable at Bartley Green School because

·        it supports pupils in developing their learning

·        it supports parents in understanding their child’s progress

·        it supports teachers in planning precise teaching and learning

·        it supports school leaders and governors to plan and allocate resources

We deliver high quality teaching and learning, and at the heart of this is effective assessment, underpinned by our belief that all pupils can succeed.

Purpose

This Assessment Policy sets out the key principles of our school assessment system. It is intended to provide a clear and succinct overview of why, how and what we assess as a school.

Aims

·        Identify what pupils know and what they need to learn next

·        Inform planning (school/class/cohort/group/individual), target setting and information for parents and governors

·        Monitor individual/group progress

·        Evaluate effectiveness of teaching methods and interventions

·        Promote positivity in our pupils and celebrate their successes

·        Comply with statutory requirements: compare the school with national standards and aim to exceed them

Key Objectives

1.      To use formative assessment to inform teaching and provide for the learning needs of all pupils

2.      To give constructive feedback to pupils in a range of ways to ensure that they have an active role in identifying their own learning needs and how to make progress.

3.      To use a systematic approach for informing parents of their child’s progress and giving advice in how to support learning at home

4.      To systematically and effectively monitor and evaluate pupils’ progress on an individual and school basis and use results to plan for improvement

Rationale

·        At Key Stage Three and Four, assessment is designed to track pupils’ progress. This is possible through recording of assessments that are recorded in Bromcom.

·        At Key Stage Three, pupils’ progress is tracked against their prior attainment.

·        Our targets at KS4 are based on KS2 results from FFT (top 5%) and our own Baseline assessments.

·        For pupils entering Bartley Green School without KS2 data, challenging targets are set through a comparison to pupils with similar academic profiles.

·        At KS4 targets are reviewed where progress at KS3 is above expected progress, and adjusted to increase challenge and to reflect good progress in learning.

Attitude to Learning (ATL)

At both Key Stage Three and Four, when reporting on pupils’ progress, teachers will make a judgement on their attitude to learning.  One of four possible judgements are made:

• Outstanding

• Good

• Inconsistent

• Causing Concern

The Attitude to Learning criteria enables pupils to recognise their specific strengths, and where relevant, identify steps they need to take to make a positive difference to their progress. Any pupil who displays an attitude to learning that is either inconsistent or causing concern will be supported and challenged by all stakeholders to make the most of every learning opportunity.

Key Stage Four

Alongside an attitude to learning grade, pupils are also given a predicted grade. This is the grade a teacher expects a pupil to achieve at the end of their course. It is a realistic prediction of what the pupil is expected to achieve in the examination. It is not the teacher's assessment of their current working at grade, but reflects where the pupil will be at the end of the course should they maintain their current ATL and attainment (exam data).

Once a year we review our end of Key Stage Four data against Nationally standardised summative assessment:

For pupils: comparisons to performance of pupils nationally.

For teachers: comparisons to performance nationally and clarity on nationally expected standards.

For parents: comparisons as to how the school and their pupil is performing nationally.

Key Stage Three

At Key Stage Three pupils are assessed against prior attainment. All pupils are placed in bands on entry based on their prior attainment in KS2. Based on KS2 data and aligning with sets in year 7:-

B – 106 to 120

A – 97 to 105

R – 90 to 96

T – less than 90 or working below the level of the KS2 test.     

Pupils are formally tracked three times a year and pupils are given one of the following descriptors, relative to their band. Pupils are graded according to the work they have achieved in the most recent period of time.

Pupils in bands A/R/T can achieve:-

Extending

Securing

Developing

Acquiring

Pupils in B can achieve:-

Mastering

Extending

Securing

Developing

·        To ensure differentiation at the top there is a Mastering Plus above B which describes the skills/knowledge of pupils above their set.

·        Each subject has assessment matrices that identify the skills and knowledge pupils need to apply in order to meet each descriptor.

·        Every year, the skills and knowledge pupils are expecting to show get more challenging. For example, a pupil may be ‘developing in Year 7 and ‘developing’ in Year 8, however, the skills and knowledge assessed are deemed more challenging in the Year 8 curriculum than the Year 7 curriculum.

·        Each department’s curriculum is planned from an expectation that each year gets harder.

All grade descriptors are relative to the pupil’s prior attainment band – so a pupil in T can be producing work at a lower level than someone in A but achieving a better descriptor as they are performing better relative to their peers.

How do we assess?

There are three formal data entry points for each year group throughout the year. These are based on :

·        pupils’ performance in the annual exam week (KS3) or mock exam data prior to data entry.

·        At KS3 pupils are given an exam percentage, at KS4 pupils are given an exam grade.

·        teachers use of a variety of assessment strategies within lessons to make judgements about pupils’ knowledge and understanding and achievement.

·        Formative and summative assessment strategies are used, as well as peer and self-assessment. Frequent retention tests also enable teachers to regularly check pupils’ knowledge of the content covered.

How are pupils involved in assessment, feedback and target setting?

Teachers provide regular feedback through marking, feedback and questioning. Pupils have opportunities to respond through teacher/pupil dialogue which is evidenced in work. They are also provided with tracking data which enables them to engage with their progress. This ensures they can set personal targets to support their progress towards theirtarget grades and take charge of their learning.

How are parents involved in assessment and feedback?

·        Parent/carers’ evenings

·        Written report discussed at Parents’ Day

·        In year 9 Parent/carers’ evening to inform about Pathways choices

·        Mock Exam results

Assessment Week Guidance

Assessments should:

Take place during calendered times as per assessment calendar

·        Take one hour and include skills and knowledge from previous term/terms

·        Test more than one area

Pupils should be expected to revise and understand the consequences of failing to revise

Assessment marking and feedback

·        As above, marking should take place in the week following an assessment.

·        Pupils and teachers should complete a yellow Afl sheet which includes the main strengths and the areas for development.

·        The data should be entered the week following the marking week. This data will be used for departmental and whole school monitoring and evaluation purposes.

Types of Assessment

There are three main types of assessment: formative; in-school summative and nationally standardised summative.

Formative Assessment (Assessment for Learning – AfL) is at the heart of good quality teaching and learning.

·        For pupils: to develop keen, ambitious pupils who understand what they need to do to improve and reach their target.

·        For teachers: as reflective practitioners, AfL allows us to identify what a pupil knows and what they need to learn next, and so supports our evaluation of what is working well in our teaching and what might need to be adapted.

·        For parents: it provides us with accurate, constructive information to report to parents and provide them with a broad picture of pupils’ strengths and areas for improvement.

Summative Assessment  - Assessment of Learning

In-school summative assessment:

·        Allows pupils to know how well they have understood and retained information on a particular topic, to understand how near they are to their target.

·        Offers teachers an opportunity to monitor and evaluate pupil learning and the impact of their teaching. All of this information supports the planning of future teaching and learning.

·        Parents receive a summary of their child’s progress

·        School leaders can support and verify judgements made through formative assessment and  monitor the progress and attainment of individuals, classes, year groups and other identified groups within the school. To use this analysis to ensure resources are directed to close attainment and progress gaps.

The school headline measures are:

-        Basics: English and Maths (securing Grade 5+)

-        Attainment 8 (the “best” 8 subjects indicating an average “grade” for the school)

-        Progress 8 (which measures how much progress a pupil makes from end of KS2 to end of KS4)

-        Ebacc: a combination of Science, Humanities and MFL subjects