Curriculum and Assessment in Northern Ireland

Background Foundation Stage Years 1 - 2 Ages 4 - 6 Key Stage 1 Years 3 – 4 Ages 7 – 8 Key Stage 2 Years 5 – 7 Ages 9 – 10 Key Stage 3 Years 8 – 10 Ages 11 – 14 11+ / Transfer Test for transition to post-primary schools

Reasons for Change Perceived problems in NI Impact of social deprivation Gender gap Wider spread of attainment than elsewhere Extent of remediation in English and Maths Experience from other countries Research evidence – educational and neurological Early evidence from NI Early Years’ pilot project

Reasons for Change Subjects fragmented Too much content Not enough emphasis on skills Impact of the Transfer Test Assessment limited to TA in English and Maths at KS2 Assessment limited to tests in English, Maths Science at KS3 Moderation process sound but limited eg no follow-up Outcomes of assessment lack meaning for parents Transfer Test was discredited

Changes Characteristics Enriched curriculum in Years 1 and 2 Reduced content Learning areas not subjects More teacher autonomy Emphasis on Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities Relevance and enjoyment Formative assessment – AfL Agenda Informed teacher judgement Introduction of the Annual Pupil Profile

Key Principles - Assessment Assessment should not distort the curriculum and must match learning and teaching intentions There should be a strong emphasis on assessment for learning including peer and self assessment Teacher judgement must be well supported and quality assured Progress and attainment must be reported to parents and pupils in ways that are meaningful The system must provide the right information for key stakeholders to monitor achievement and progress

Annual Process Diagnostic assessment in Literacy and Numeracy Years 4 - 7 Programme for teaching and learning for each year Strategies and mechanisms for assessment and recording Ongoing formative assessment during the year Summative judgement at end of the year Quality feedback to pupil and the parent

Product – The Pupil Profile Pupil Profile – annual report Replacement for end of key stage assessment Covers the skills and learning areas according to key stage Mixture of qualitative and quantitative information Focuses in on achievement of the child Flags concerns Progress can be set in an overall context

The Pupil Profile Highlights continuity of progress and attainment Builds up, over time, a realistic picture of a pupil’s attainment, skills and capabilities, attitudes, aptitudes and interests Indicates areas for improvement and future learning Ensures parents, pupils and teachers share the same realistic picture Not a tool for selection

Pupil Profile - Primary Level and comment for Communication Using Mathematics ICT Comments on Personal Development, The Arts, World Around Us, PE and RE Collective/generic comments for Skills and Capabilities Attitudes, Aptitudes and Interests Highlight key areas for improvement

Pupil Profile - Post-Primary Annual Reporting involving comments on Attainment in Learning for Life and Work and the General Learning Areas Skills and capabilities and attitudes, aptitudes and interests And commentary on and measurement of Communication, Using Mathematics and ICT Areas for improvement Opportunity for pupil input and parental feedback The annual report is central to the new assessment arrangements. It will fulfil requirements for accountability by providing parents with a range of appropriate information on attainment in Learning for Life and Work and in the General Learning Areas and on progress and development of the skills and capabilities which the revised proposals see as being essential for lifelong learning. The skills of Communication, Application of Number and ICT will also be measured. CCEA proposes to standardise the detail and method of reporting to parents. The report will be broad and balanced and based on current best practice. CCEA will develop systems to enable the report to be completed electronically with much of the basic information being inserted automatically. Comments can be generated by the teacher or drawn from a comment bank which can be customised to school needs and policy or by a combination of both systems. Before the new method of reporting is introduced CCEA will trial and pilot reporting systems to ensure that they are effective and reliable.

Assessed and Measured Ongoing Process of assessment and recording Background information based on observation and interaction Levelling, as appropriate, and recording electronically outcomes of class work and homework set tasks and class tests CCEA tasks periodic reviews of attainment eg twice per term Levels of progression have skill descriptors embedded in assessment criteria

Quality assurance Standard setting Exemplification Agreement trials (cross-phase) Internal Standardisation Local Moderation (cross-phase) CCEA moderation Feedback to schools focuses on improvement

Keeping parents informed Parent – teacher meeting in October On the table Pupil Profile (Statutory) Diagnostic information ( Non-statutory) Learning Plan for the year ( Non-statutory) Agenda for progress and achievement including parental input Forum for parents and teachers to develop a partnerships based on good quality, well understood information

Improving parental confidence Make parents aware of the assessment process and how it works Make parents aware of the QA already in place Continuing Professional Development CCEA support Standardised assessment items and tasks Exemplar materials Agreement trials CCEA moderation Explain how issues of “bias” and “objectivity” are dealt with Emphasise the continuity of the Pupil Profile and what it means and how to use the information

ARG Paper Principles of summative assessment by teachers Based on school’s programme of work Explicitly linked to formative assessment Involves pupils’ self assessment Supported by pre-service courses and CPD Supported by set tests/tasks where appropriate Moderation appropriate to the purpose of assessment Procedures consistent with local and national policies

Benefits Highlights continuity of progress and attainment over time Builds up over time a shared and realistic picture of progress and achievement. Continuity of information eg access to previous Pupil Profile reports. Under-achieving pupils identified quickly and not allowed to drift through the system. Parents will have the information to ask the right questions. Supports rather than distorts teaching and learning. Enables assessment for learning and not just of learning. The information should promote better planning for learning. All stakeholders will get the information they need

Key Issues Workload and manageability Blanket diagnostic assessment and using the information effectively Putting level in context of NI attainment for that year Parental confidence in teacher assessment Parental awareness Teacher confidence in teacher assessment Quality Assurance/Moderation How rigorous should it be? Local moderation? Transition to post-primary ICT – packages, confidence, competence and the platform Timeline for implementation

Core Objective To help parents and pupils in all school years decide on appropriate educational choices / pathways / courses by providing consistent, high quality information about pupils’ progress, aptitudes and interests ensuring that the information is meaningful to parents and easily understood providing a basis for discussion between parents, pupils and schools

Thank you for listening Any questions?