Branksome Heath Middle School
ASSESSMENT POLICY
Assessment should fulfil these fundamental principles;
o Assist teachers to facilitate children learning
o Help children know 'where they are' and 'how to take the next step to improve'
o Enable teachers to make appropriate judgements about children's achievement
o Provide information about children for a range of third parties i.e. teachers, parents, governors. LEA.
Long Term Records
o Statutory Teacher Assessment records and SATs scores for NC purposes
o Standardised Reading Scores - assessed annually
o Copies of Annual Reports kept electronically
o Personal medical details
o Other relevant information, i.e. IEPs, SEN records...
o Common Transfer Form kept electronically
o Year Group Planning kept on School Network, schemes of work
o Subject Portfolios with samples of work across the school
Short Term Records
Teacher Lesson Plans
Teacher Mark book
Exercise books
Year Group Planning
This planning details the work in all subject areas. It is based on policies and schemes devised by our Subject Leaders and developed by teams of staff within and across Year Teams. They are modified/updated as and when required. Teachers' lesson plans are developed from these units to take into account the ability and experience of the group.
Pupil Work
This is one of the best records of academic progress across the curriculum particularly where more formal records are limited. Selected pieces of work will be collected to create subject portfolios.
National Curriculum Records
The main teacher assessment record is the individual Mark Book. At the end of each term 'Levels' for Core Subjects are handed to the Assessment Co-ordinator for central record keeping. In addition, any SATs/Optional SATs scores will be recorded and kept electronically for analysis.
Teacher Assessment should be based on every day teaching routines which will include planning, observation, verbal interactions, written marking and the availability of children's work around the classroom. These routines and daily contact with a class/set will help build the professional knowledge a teacher has of each child enabling him/her to make assessments against National Curriculum levels. The Assessment For Learning strategies will be the main source of our assessment system.
Teacher Planner/Mark Book
This is a more personal system of recording information as compared to NC records. It is used to aid weekly planning and record everyday marking such as internal test scores, credits/merits, comments, equipment checks, progress against Learning Objectives. As most marking is based upon a comment system, teachers will summarise using a coded system that identifies to everyone the performance of individual children in relation to scaffolded comments.
Annual School reports
The report provides parents and the school with a summative record of academic progress in all NC subjects and RE. In addition, a comment is made covering other aspects of school life including behaviour and particular contributions/interests. Statutory requirements regarding reporting on attendance and NC levels are also included.
In writing the report, the teacher will draw on his/her professional knowledge of the child built up through daily contact. All formal records of Reading Ages, NVR scores, Test scores, FAB tasks and end of unit assessments will be useful in creating this report.
Transfer of Records between Schools
Years 3 -4
Year 2 official reported End of Key Stage Scores
Year 3 records including Optional SATs
Annual Reports
SEN records
Personal information including medical etc.
A summary of previous learning from First School Colleagues
National Transfer Form - electronically
Years 7 - 8
National Transfer Form - electronically
Personal information including medical etc.
SEN records
A summary of previous learning given to High School Colleagues by Year 7 Team
Some High Schools ask for specific information in addition to the above
Between Year groups at Branksome Heath Middle
All children will have new books in September
Y6 to Y7 transition units
SEN Information
IEP updated on computer
Maths IEP updated
Guided Reading Records
Letters from Parents/Guardians
Old Sanction slips
Records of intervention/meeting with Parent/Carer
A sample of top/middle/bottom of ability range as evidence of work this year to show progress made.
Marking Policy
Every child deserves feedback from their teacher. We will use the Assessment for Learning Strategies as the basis for all of our assessment and feedback. This will include any of the following strategies:
No hands up - time limits given for all children to have a response and then teachers ensure all children are asked across a series of lessons to promote full engagement
Questioning children as a group and individually to help teachers assess understanding
Use of: thumbs up, smiley faces, 3 ticks, sides of triangle, traffic lights as a means to assess how well children assess their own and peers progress
Develop a bank of key questions to prompt learning
Use of oral feedback by teachers with children writing a when the teacher has given a verbal prompt in passing, whilst the child puts a
When the teacher has talked through a prompt with the Focus Group
The use of Focus Groups in all lessons to provide specific teacher support
The use of Response Partners to help self and Peer Assessment/Understanding
To plan Oral Feedback into lessons each week
To write a scaffolded improvement prompt for Core Subjects each week
To plan time for children to work on their improvement prompt
To use a highlighter pen to show at least 3 examples of success against Learning Objectives
To use improvement prompts or Key Questions if more appropriate for Foundation Subjects written in books fortnightly
These prompts will move beyond generic comments such as, 'Great Effort' or 'Untidy', and have subject specific prompts to help the child improve their understanding and level at which they are working
Teachers will also assess against the Lesson Objectives and Success Criteria
Viewing, discussing and writing comments on children's work is an everyday feature of the teaching process. The intention is to help the child in future learning. Verbal discussion is often the most beneficial means of marking, particularly in practical subjects.
Comments whether written or verbal are difficult to directly transfer to a record system. It is expected that regular marking and discussion with children will help build up a picture of a child and will aid the teacher in measuring the child against the formalised National Curriculum criteria. Updating this sort of record will involve looking at the range of work over a period of time and using the professional knowledge built up through daily contact with the group to assess the level which best fits that child. To help validate judgements, some work will be targeted and marked against National Curriculum criteria with samples being annotated and collected to form a Subject portfolio.
Assessing Pupil Progress
Having trialled APP throughout 2009 we decided to formalise the process. Staff build a picture of levels during the term, recording and reporting at the end of each term for the selected group before relating these agreed levels for the rest of the teaching group.
February 2010
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