Planning for Learning and Teaching, Assessment and Moderation The purpose of this PowerPoint Presentation is to support practitioners in : developing a better appreciation of assessment policy (BtC 5) and the role of assessment and moderation in Curriculum for Excellence developing the practice of sound assessment It can be used to raise awareness of important assessment developments and to promote discussion of their relevance to Curriculum for Excellence.

BtC5: A Framework for Assessment LEARNER responsible citizens successful learners effective contributors confident individuals skills for learning, life and work health and wellbeing literacy numeracy Informing self- evaluation for improvement Reporting on progress and achievement How we assess Principles of assessment What we assess When we assess Ensuring quality and confidence in assessment Reflecting the values and principles of CfE KEY MESSAGES: National Framework to support the purposes of learning 3-18 that the learner and learning are at the heart of this process that Assessment should be an integral part of day-to-day learning and teaching. that the process of assessment should begin at the planning stage that by putting the learner at the centre shifts the focus of assessment away from using information to monitor provision and practice towards providing useful, personalised feedback for young people and their families, to inform their next steps in learning and their choices about future learning pathways.

BtC5: A framework for assessment Assessment will support learning give assurance to parents, learners and others provide a summary of what learners have achieved contribute to planning the next stages of learning inform future improvements in learning and teaching BtC 5 a framework for assessment (p5): Assessment should reflect the values , purposes and principles of CfE. develop the knowledge, understanding, skills and capabilities which contribute to the 4 capacities give assurance that young people are progressing in their learning and developing in line with expectations include achievements through qualifications and awards help learners to progress to further education, higher education and employment inform future improvements in learning and teaching

BtC5: A framework for assessment Some key messages Assessment practices will follow the new curriculum, giving more autonomy and professional responsibility to teachers Standards and expectations will be defined in a way that reflects CfE, supporting greater breadth and depth in learning and focusing on skills development Assessment should support learning and not be a bolt-on activity. Reflecting the principles of Curriculum for Excellence, progress is now defined in terms of ‘how much’ and ‘how well’ as well as learners’ rate of progress. This approach will promote greater breadth and depth of learning including a greater focus on the secure development of skills and knowledge.

Planning for Learning and Teaching, Assessment and Moderation Three central ideas The quality of the learning – what will we assess ? Assessment is ongoing – when will we assess ? Approaches to assessment – how will we assess ? We need to define what assessment is about – why do it? to provide all stakeholders with sufficiently dependable information and feedback to inform judgements, choices and decisions about learning, and to inform planning for improvement.

What ? Focus on the experiences and the learning outcomes The experiences and outcomes are a set of statements which describe the expectations for learning and progression for each of the eight curriculum areas. The title ‘experiences and outcomes’ recognises the importance of the quality and nature of the learning experience in developing attributes and capabilities and in achieving active engagement, motivation and depth of learning. An outcome represents what is to be achieved.

What will we assess? Each learner’s progress and achievements in terms of : Knowledge and understanding Skills Attributes and capabilities All of these are described within the Es and Os What will we assess ? The focus for assessment will be on the knowledge and understanding, skills and attributes and capabilities within the experiences and the learning outcomes

How will we assess? Planning rich and engaging learning experiences Using a range of approaches to learning / assessment Gathering appropriate evidence Working together to gather as much information about each learner’s achievements, strengths and next steps Consider what kind of activities you plan to offer the learners in your group/class, that will result in evidence of their learning, in line with the principles of CfE: coherence, breadth, depth, relevance, progression, personalization and choice, challenge and enjoyment Consider a range of assessment approaches including Self and Peer Assessment .We know that ‘conversations about learning’ are at the heart of good assessment. The more learners share an understanding about what is to be done, what good learning looks like, and what needs to be done next, the better the learning will be. The assessment process will involve gathering and consideration of the evidence by teachers and learners, using agreed criteria, in order to arrive at judgements about what has been learned and how well, and what needs to be done next. Working together will help ensure that information about the amount and quality of each young person’s learning is both accurate and consistent, and is used as part of improvement planning to promote better learning.

Gathering a range of Evidence Evidence of learners’ achievements may come from things that pupils say write make do in response to the whole range of learning experiences from across contexts and settings The assessment process will involve all partners in gathering and consideration of evidence by adults and learners using agreed criteria to arrive at judgements about what has been learned and how well, and what needs to be done next Gathering evidence Evidence may come from things that learners say, write make or do in response to their learning experiences. The processes of gathering evidence across CfE experiences and outcomes requires an approach to assessment which actively involves both learners and teachers in both supporting learning and in making judgments about progress.

Holistic assessment judgements to ‘sum up’ When will we assess? On-going Assessment during learning Taking a close look at individual progress… Assessment of key milestones in learning Progress and achievement Periodic Periodic In developing assessment approaches it is important that we do build on our current effective practice and use self-evaluation activities to identify priorities for improvement. In taking a coherent approach to planning learning, teaching and assessment, it is helpful to plan a strategic approach to ensure there is an appropriate balance between the on-going assessment that supports learning and the periodic assessment at key milestones including for qualifications. We need to be careful that in developing assessment to support learning that we ensure that it does not become too time consuming and have unintended consequences. Well-designed valid tests and examinations will of course continue to be very useful and be used in an appropriate and proportionate repertoire of assessment. Holistic assessment judgements to ‘sum up’ Transitions

What do progress and achievement in CfE look like? For learners to demonstrate that their progress is secure, they will need opportunities for: breadth of learning challenge within learning applying learning in new and unfamiliar situations Understanding progression Currently, Es and Os in CfE are described over five levels - early, first, second, third and fourth - spanning early years to S3. Progression through one level to the next is likely to involve engagement in a wide range of tasks over two to three years. In planning and providing learning opportunities to lead pupils through these Es and Os, staff need to be familiar with what learning should look like at different stages in a pupil’s journey from one level to the next. It is important that learners have the opportunity to demonstrate their achievement of standards and expectations in different ways and to progress by different routes and pathways through the experiences.

Quality Assurance and Moderation of Assessment Part of day-to-day work / collegiate culture Includes monitoring, self-evaluation and planning for improvement- based on all involved in the processes and the dialogue Since assessment is integral to learning, teaching and the curriculum these approaches apply equally to assessment By developing a collegiate approach to planning and delivery of learning quality assurance will become embedded in the school/ centre’s quality improvement culture The professional dialogue about learning will develop the school / centre’s capacity to reflect, evaluate and improve the learning experiences for both learners and teachers Reflecting on assessment tasks and activities will also contribute to the school/centre’s improvement agenda

Quality Assurance and Moderation of Assessment Developing confidence in teachers’ professional judgement in applying national standards Building on existing approaches to be able to provide assurance that there is a shared understanding of standards and expectation. Building the Curriculum 5: a framework for assessment includes a commitment to “a coherent system of quality assurance, moderation and sharing of understanding and best practice to support teachers in achieving greater consistency and confidence in their professional judgments” (p2). The purpose of moderation is to ensure that the judgments they make about their pupils’ learning is as dependable (i.e. as valid, reliable, consistent and comparable) as possible. Effective moderation helps to reduce inconsistencies in teacher assessments of pupils’ work and makes judgments more dependable.

Quality Assurance and Moderation of Assessment Moderation Teachers and other professionals working together to : Plan learning, teaching and assessment Check validity and reliability before assessments are used Sample evidence of learners’ work and review teachers’ judgements Agree strengths in learners’ performance and next steps Provide feedback on teachers’ judgements to inform improvements The purpose of moderation is to: - develop professional practice and confidence in making assessment judgments - share standards between colleagues within and across schools and authorities increase consistency and dependability of teachers’ judgments. The moderation process involves teachers and learners in sharing evidence of learning and collaborating to establish a shared understanding of what quality evidence looks like. It leads to greater confidence in teachers’ capacity to assess their pupils’ work and a greater sense of ownership of the standards underpinning CfE experiences and outcomes Moderation is everyone learning together.

Key Features of Quality Assurance and Moderation Approaches to Quality Assurance and Moderation must be: Proportionate Manageable Promote capacity building