Responding to Recent Debates in Education: Review of KS2 Testing, Assessment & Accountability Christine.Merrell@cem.dur.ac.uk www.cemcentre.org

Scope of Independent Review Led by Lord Bew, Published June 2011 How best to ensure that an assessment system can improve standards How to ensure that schools are accountable for the progress of every pupil on the basis of objective and accurate assessments How to reduce over rehearsal and reduction in productive learning

Scope of Independent Review How to ensure that tests are rigorous, and as valid and reliable as possible, within an overall system of assessment (including teacher assessment) Enable international comparisons to be made How to make administration of the system as simple and cost-effective as possible, with minimal bureaucracy

CEM’s Response Monitoring national standards The present statutory system tries to do too many things We recommended sampling

CEM’s Response Data for parents, schools and children Recognised the challenge to avoid league tables Don’t collate information centrally Government specify minimum criteria for assessment and then encourage schools to select their own high-quality scheme which contains national norms

CEM’s Response Diagnostic assessments Making use of computer-adaptive methods

CEM’s Response Marking open ended work

Bew’s Recommendations 3 main uses of statutory KS2 data Holding schools accountable for pupils’ attainment and progress Informing parents and secondary schools about performance of pupils Benchmarking between schools, monitoring local and national standards

Bew’s Recommendations A greater focus on progress Broader accountability measures Greater range of published information Publish 3-year rolling averages Benchmarking against similar schools, local and national norms

Bew’s Recommendations Publication of summative teacher judgements Teachers’ assessments submitted before tests

Bew’s Recommendations Computer-delivered assessment “We believe the potential of computer-administered testing is enormous, but it needs to be approached with caution. We believe it should be explored further and piloted with a view to exploring the possibility of introducing it in the long term. We recommend the same approach should be taken with computer adaptive testing, given the advantages associated with pupils being able to sit their own personalised test according to their level of attainment.”

Traditional approach Low Average High

Adaptive approach Low Average High

Monitoring the Progress of Older Children: The Importance of Developed Ability Vocabulary Acquisition and Non-verbal Ability

Early maths average for his age End of First Year Maths average for Start of school Early maths average for his age End of First Year Maths average for End of Second Year Curriculum-based

Ian’s Picture Vocabulary and Non-verbal Ability are also assessed Curriculum-based At end of 2nd Year, Ian’s Picture Vocabulary and Non-verbal Ability are also assessed

Curriculum-based Combined, these assessments give a picture of Ian’s ‘Developed Ability’

Curriculum-based Ian’s Developed Ability score suggests that he is a very able boy, far above average

Curriculum-based Ian might be able to do better in maths but without the added dimension of Developed Ability (Vocabulary and Non-verbal Ability), it would be difficult to identify this

InCAS InCAS Administer at any time of year CD (installed on school network) Group assessment Feedback Within 24 hours

Content Picture Vocabulary Developed Ability Non-verbal ability Attitudes Word recognition Word decoding Text comprehension Spelling Mental arithmetic General maths Developed Ability

Beginning to Read Children need different types of knowledge: Global and cultural awareness Vocabulary and basic understanding of language Conventions of print Phonological awareness

Reading – an Interactive Compensatory Process Word recognition/decoding Comprehension

Problems with Literacy Acquisition Dyslexia Found across the whole intelligence range Continuum of severity 3 males : 1 female

Types of Difficulties Phonological deficit Visual memory These Speed of processing These can overlap

Impact of Spelling Difficulties Spelling problems Slow writing & poor quality Poor note taking and exam performance

Areas of Maths Mental arithmetic General maths Number (informal, verbal, counting, place-value) Number (formal, algebra) Measures, shape and space Handling data

Demonstration What does each module look like?

InCAS Achievement

Reading Modules

Longitude Charts