AE SIG Workshop GA Conference 2014

…this system is complicated and difficult to understand, especially for parents. It also encourages teachers to focus on a pupil’s current level, rather than consider more broadly what the pupil can actually do. Prescribing a single detailed approach to assessment does not fit with the curriculum freedoms we are giving schools. (DfE, 2013a)

Attainment targets By the end of each key stage, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study. National Curriculum in England: Geography

Teaching Geography Summer 14  Removes a structure that was familiar and usable, if problematic, without providing an alternative vision.  Opportunities: freedom for teachers to pay more attention to student learning;  Challenges: lack of a national structure that provides a shared understanding of assessment.

‘The concept of progression, which focuses on the advances in students’ learning over a period of time, is important for planning the structure of a curriculum and for assessing students' attainment.‘ Bennetts, 2005

Learning (and teaching) is a two way process 1. Start from the learner 2. Students active learners 3. Students understand learning target ▪ Criteria – Now – Metacognition 4. Students use ‘language’ of geography Vocabulary Grammar

Source: Rawling, 2008

Periodic Day-to- day Transitional Learning outcomes shared with pupils Peer- and self-assessment Immediate feedback and next steps for pupils Broader view of progress for teacher and learner Using national standards in the classroom Improvements to curriculum planning Formal recognition of achievement Reported to parents/carers and next teacher/school May use tests/tasks from national sources

 Formative: day-to-day (informal) assessments,  identify current understanding  share targets  Feedback to prompt action  Summative: more formal summing-up of progress  providing information  certification  selection (Mansell et al., 2009, p.9 quoted in NFER, 2013)

 Ipsative  own previous performance  Normative  all other students (normal distribution)  Criterion  set criteria “Students should be able to correctly add two single-digit numbers” ‘Know understand and can do’ 11

More students set to receive highest A- level grade this year Defensible Trusted Fair Consistent Ipsative Criteria Norm referenced

 Student knows how they are doing…  Teacher – well founded judgements  School – structured, systematic assessment system – tracking  Parents and carers know how their child is doing, improvement and how they can support child and teacher

Keep talking about assessment and standards Produce sets of outcome criteria to guide assessment Display examples of work exemplifying quality, standards Plan a range of assessment formats Keep a portfolio of assessed work showing expectations Objectives/out comes shared, plus review/ plenaries Self and peer assessment Questioning classroom Formative feedback/mar king plus next steps Confidence in quality & improvement

 Has origins in ‘strands’ approach from QCA: created a more workable framework – helpful for post LDs  Relates standards in relation to specific particular parts of the curriculum (what pupils know, understand and can do) rather than generalised attainment  Can be used to identify the qualities in pupils’ work, and next steps (so progress)  Opportunity to create a new sense of quality in geography, and benchmark expectations for particular age groups e.g.  At year 9 (with potential link through to GCSE criteria)  Each year: ‘an Expert Geographer in Year 7 can/looks like…’

1. Overview possibilities:  Key concepts  NC reference points  Programme: summary of the territory/purposes  Assessment summary; pupils will show evidence of:  Contextual knowledge  Understanding  Procedures and skills

2. Themes (tectonics, volcanoes & earthquakes) 3. Criteria possibilities:  Key Questions  More detailed objectives: what pupils should know, understand for the theme  Pitch – criteria related to the content of the unit The menu – not the set meal

Worth reading – suggests different modes for different purposes – see slide 20

e.g.Progress checks Week 3Short test – earth structure and plates Week 7H/w plus activity– volcano landforms/process Week 9Book check – paired classes across year group Week 11-12Enquiry – comparing a volcanic eruption and earthquake, assessed using outcome criteria AFL UnitExpectations for this unit/year

Scale/focusPracticeProgress and standards Day to dayAfL classroom practice, e.g. questioning, formative feedback/response etc Evident in teaching and learning, in pupils’ ongoing work Frequently (basic knowledge/skills) Short test, identified piece of homework Progress check (confidence vs concern?) gives a number Half/Termly (conceptual- procedural) Short research task, decision-making exercise etc Access to work at particular standards – e.g. display Peer/self assessment Criterion marking and feedback Linked to pitch/age- related expectations Linked to aspects of levels if you want Yearly (substantial conceptual devt – big Qs) A major piece of work – eg essay, DME, (perhaps synoptic) As above, plus opportunity to develop portfolio of geog work exemplifying & sharing standards and illustrating progress See Michael Fordham in Teaching History, September 2013

Evident inMonitoring/reference point In action – AfL classroom processesLesson obs, (eg paired/co-obs) In books/work: formative marking/response Book scrutiny eg paired groups In markbook (e.g. homework, tests)Quick check on progress On more significant pieces of work criterion-marking (without or with levels) Standards and progress by unit/term, yearly progress in relation to expectations Departmental portfolio: samples to show standards (e.g. end of Y9), plus progress over the key stage for a few key pupils Long-term review of standards and progress: opportunity to pitch standards re GCSE These won’t help to generate short-term level-type ‘data’. Reporting:

You could:  Turn the outcome criteria into a narrative  Talk about expectations (meet/above/below) in relation to the work studied  Still go with levels if you want  Link expectations to future GCSE grading