1. Life after Levels A Perspective for Primary School Governors
Hugh Lorimer
RM Education
November 2014
This presentation has been put together by Hugh Lorimer of RM Education.
It is suitable for presentations to interested parties such as School Governors to help explain the new National Curriculum and Assessment Regime.
Schools are free to use this within the School context, including Governor meetings and training.
It is assumed that the presenter has a good knowledge of the new National Curriculum and proposed Assessments.
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2. Life after Levels
A guide to the new National Curriculum and associated assessments for school governors.
A look at the new National Curriculum
Current statutory assessment system
New statutory assessment system
Performance Descriptors
Measuring progress in schools
Transition arrangements
Key discussion points
Outline of the presentation.
This covers a very brief look at the new Curriculum – those interested in this in more detail will need to obtain a copy.
By Current statutory system this means the system that will be in use up to the summer of 2015 and which reports in Levels.
Please note that this presentation concentrates on the curriculum and assessments used by pupils of average and above average ability. P Scale Assessments continue for pupils who are not yet working at the National Curriculum levels.

3. What does it look like? Covers Years 1-11 Primary Subjects
In Primary Schools it covers years 1-6.
Divided into Key Stage 1 & 2 as at present.
Primary Subjects
Core Subjects
English, Maths & Science
Foundation Subjects
Art & Design, Computing, Design & Technology, Languages (KS2 only), Geography, History, Music, Physical Education
Other Compulsory Subjects
Religious Education
 Secondary Variations
Citizenship and Sex & RE compulsory in KS3 & 4
Computing compulsory through to KS4.
All other Foundation subjects optional in KS4
Covers Years 1-11 – in particular the new NC doesn’t cover Early Years for which a recent new curriculum has already been published and is in use.
However the assessment changes do have an impact on Early Years Assessment.

4. Structure of National Curriculum
Core Subjects are also subdivided with, generally, a separate definition for each National Curriculum Year
Maths
Science
English
Spelling
Reading & Writing
Spoken Language
Year 1 P
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
This is a close approximation of how the core subjects are specified.
Generally there is a separate definition for each subject in each year group, but in some cases the definition covers the work for more than one year.
Strictly speaking, in Lower Key Stage 2 part is defined separately for each Year Group (3 & 4) while part is defined across the Lower Key Stage 2. Similarly for Upper Key Stage 2 (years 5 & 6).

5. Core Subjects English is subdivided as follows:
Spoken Language (a small section that covers Y1-6)
Reading
Word Reading
Comprehension
Writing
Transcription
Composition
Writing, Grammar & Punctuation
Spelling
Reading and Writing are the two main sections here

6. Core Subjects Maths is subdivided – varies by year Number Measurement
Number & Place Value
Addition & Subtraction
Multiplication & Division
Fractions
Measurement
Geometry
Properties of Shape
Position & Direction
Statistics (from Year 2)
Ratio & Proportion (Year 6 only)
Algebra (Year 6 only)
Year 1 only covers Number, Measurement & Geometry.

7. Core Subjects Science is subdivided – varies by year Year 1
Working Scientifically
Plants
Animals, including humans
Everyday changes
Seasonal Changes
Year 6
Living things and their habitats
Animals including humans
Evolution and inheritance
Light
Electricity

8. Core Subject Example Year 1 Maths Number number and place value
By the end of each year, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified
This is a small part of the Year 1 Maths Curriculum covering the section Number – number and place value.

9. Foundation Subject Example - Geography
NB. Much smaller definitions that just cover the two key stages.
This is an example of a Foundation Subject.
History is another interesting example that has received more than its fair share of media coverage in terms of the detail provided.

10. Introducing the New Curriculum
From September 2015
All Subjects in all years will be taught using the new curriculum
English, Maths, Science and all foundation subjects
New Statutory Assessments in summer 2016.
English and Maths
A summary of when the new National Curriculum started or is due to start

11. For 2014/15 only Year 2 Year 6 Years 1,3,4 & 5
Teach the old curriculum for English, Maths and Science. 
New curriculum compulsory for foundation subjects. 
Assessment in 2015 at end of KS1 based on old curriculum.
Year 6
New curriculum optional for foundation subjects. 
Assessment in 2015 at end of KS2 based on old curriculum.
Years 1,3,4 & 5
From Sept 2014 it has been compulsory to teach new NC to years 1,3,4 & 5.

12. Statutory Assessments
Are taken at the end of Years 2 and 6
Apply from Summer 2016
Early Years assessments are important, though not part of the new National Curriculum.
We will look at
Current Assessment System
New Statutory Assessments
Introductory slide to new Statutory Assessment regime

13. Current Assessment System
Early Years
Teacher Assessment at end of Reception Year to see if pupils have achieved a Good Level of Development in each of 17 aspects.
Key Stage 1
Teacher assessments in Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, Maths and Science. These are informed by internal tests.
Key Stage 2
Tests in Maths, Reading and GPS (grammar, punctuation and spelling)
Teacher Assessment for Writing
Science Tests in some schools – not reported.
First a summary of current assessments.

14. Assessment and Progress
Over next few years we will move towards a system that is based on:
An assessment of pupils ability at start of Reception
An assessment of pupils ability at end of Year 6
The progress made by pupils between start of Reception and end of Year 6
Whether pupils are at the national standard at the end of Year 6 (i.e. are ‘Secondary Ready’)
Summary of the new assessment regime and progress measures.
Detail follows in next slides.

15. New Assessment System Reception Baseline
A short assessment of pupils that will be a good predictor of KS1 and KS2 attainment.
Principle use is for checking on progress at a school level
Taken within pupil’s first few weeks at school (in Reception Year)
From September 2015 schools will be able to choose an approved baseline assessment (available from suppliers) that will sit within the assessments that teachers make of children during reception.
Details awaited.
The Baseline Assessment is Optional
Progress Measures for a School will rely entirely on the Baseline Data for pupils starting Reception in September 2016 and after.
So School Progress Measures in 2023 will depend on decisions taken in 2016
As it says – we don’t yet have the detail of these assessments, let alone how the data will be used in checking on Progress.

16. New Assessment System Early Years Phonics Test
From September 2016 the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile will no longer be compulsory.
The Early Years Foundation Stage will continue to be statutory.
Phonics Test
The phonics check near the end of Year 1 is being retained
With the ability to retake in Year 2 if required.
Early Years – emphasise that the curriculum is still compulsory but the recording of the Profile (i.e. the assessment part of Early Years) is no longer compulsory.
Many schools would be likely to continue to record this internally.

17. End of Key Stage Assessments
Assessment Methods and Reporting
Tests will be externally set and marked either internally or externally.
At end of KS2 the results will be reported as a Scaled Score where meeting the standard is awarded a score of 100 or above.
Teacher Assessments will be based on Performance Descriptors (PD).
In some cases there is just one PD for a subject (‘meets national standard’)
While in other cases there are 4 or 5 such as ‘Working Towards the National Standard’ and ‘Working at a Mastery Standard’
This is a summary of the methodologies used for End of KS1 and KS2 assessments

18. New Assessment System – KS1
Externally set & marked
Externally set Internally marked
GPS Test
Reading Test
Maths Test
Speaking & Listening TA
Writing TA
Reading TA
Maths TA
Science TA
Mastery Standard
National Standard
Working towards national standard
Below national standard
Mastery Standard
National Standard
Working towards national standard
Below national standard
Mastery Standard
National Standard
Working towards national standard
Below national standard
Working at the national standard
Teacher Assessments
Note that this is compulsory, even though School Progress measures will eventually not be based on this (in all-through primary schools).
Pupils are teacher assessed as being at one of 4 steps in Writing, Reading and Maths. Example of the descriptors on following pages.
NB Speaking and Listening Teacher Assessment is mentioned in documents but not clearly specified.
Performance Descriptors

19. New Assessment System – KS2
Externally set & marked
GPS Test
Reading Test
Maths Test
100 = Standard
Scaled Score
Scaled Score
Scaled Score
Writing TA
Reading TA
Maths TA
Science TA
Teacher Assessments
Mastery Standard
Above National Standard
National Standard
Working towards national standard
Below national standard
Working at the national standard
Working at the national standard
Working at the national standard
Note that Writing is assessed at one of 5 steps whereas for Reading, Maths & Science pupils are either at the standard or they are not.
There is some debate around the confusion of having different numbers of possible steps for different subjects – this is currently out for consultation so there may be changes.
Performance Descriptors

20. Performance Descriptors
To support teachers in making effective and consistent assessments of their pupils’ attainment, performance descriptors have been drafted for these subjects. (English, Maths & Science)
These set out the performance of pupils at the end of key stages 1 and 2. Where applicable, teacher assessment will also be informed by the outcomes of the statutory end of key stage tests.
From the October 2014 DfE Consultation Document
Consultation on Performance Descriptors closes on 18 December 2014

21. Performance Descriptors e. g
Performance Descriptors e.g. KS1 Maths – Pupils working at national standard
Options for Maths at KS1 are:
Pupils working below national standard
Pupils working towards national standard
Pupils working at national standard
Pupils working at mastery standard
The consultation says:
Teachers will need to confirm which description most closely matches a pupil’s overall attainment. There are currently no weightings given to any element within the performance descriptors, so pupils must demonstrate the majority of the elements described.
It doesn’t define ‘majority’ – commentators have asked if this means 51%.

22. Performance Descriptors e.g. Maths – Number and place value
Working below national standard
Pupils working towards national standard
Pupils working at national standard
Pupils working at mastery standard
This slide looks at a small aspect of the Key Stage 1 Maths performance descriptors.
Note that this shows an increase in the number of objectives up to the ‘national standard’ descriptor, whilst the ‘mastery standard’ descriptor is slightly shorter but includes the point ‘All aspects of number – addition and subtraction at the national standard are embedded’.
This ‘embedded’ part is typical of many aspects of the Mastery standard.

23. How will schools be measured?
In Reading, Writing and Maths at end of KS2
NB Student Expected Standard = requires both of
Achieve a scaled score of 100 plus
Teacher Assessment as ‘At National Standard’ or above
Floor Standard
This is the standard that the School is expected to meet. School is deemed to meet this
If:
More than 85% of pupils achieve the new expected standard
Or:
Pupils make sufficient progress from their Baseline
There are rule variations for Junior, Middle and First schools.
NB This is about how schools are measured rather than how individual pupils are measured, though the first is dependent on the second.
It is not yet clear how the 85% is determined – is it that 85% of pupils have achieved the standard in all 3 subjects? Or an average of 85% across all three subjects. My reading of the document is that the school needs 85% in Maths, 85% in Reading and 85% in Writing.
Progress measures from Baseline will be determined after the initial Key Stage 2 tests.
The Accountability document also says:
A junior or middle school will be above the floor standard if:
• pupils make sufficient progress at key stage 2 from their starting point at key stage 1; or,
• 85% or more of pupils meet the new expected standard at the end of key stage 2 (similar to a level 4b under the current system).
We will consider arrangements for measuring the progress of pupils in infant or first schools from their starting point in the reception baseline.

24. Floor Standard before 2023
Prior to 2023 the following methods will be used to determine if a school meets its Floor Standard
Until Year 6 pupils can have a Baseline in place (2022 or 2023) the progress measure will be based on progress from KS1 assessments to KS2 assessments.
From 2016 to 2019 this will be based on existing KS1 assessment system
from 2020 this will be based on new KS1 assessments.
Until the first cohort of children taking the reception baseline reach the end of key stage 2 in 2022, progress will continue to be measured from assessments at the end of key stage 1 to key stage 2. The proposed progress measure will be based on value-added in each of reading, writing and mathematics. Each pupil’s scaled scores in each area at key stage 2 will be compared with the scores of pupils who had the same results in their assessments at key stage 1.
For a school to be above the progress floor, pupils will have to make sufficient progress in all of reading, writing and mathematics. For 2016, we will set the precise extent of progress required once key stage 2 tests have been sat for the first time. Once pupils take a reception baseline, progress will continue to be measured using a similar value-added methodology.
Above is quoted from the DfE Response Document.

25. How Can Schools Ensure Good Progress?
Classroom teachers will be concerned to make sure that they:
Teach the assigned curriculum
Know what their pupils can and cannot do
Plan teaching to cover the things that their Pupils need to cover
Classroom teachers will also be required to report on this to
pupils
parents
management
The next few slides cover how schools can track attainment and progress in between key stages so as to ensure that all pupils achieve their best.
Note that planning of things that pupils need to cover isn’t just about getting pupils to be able to do everything – it also covers enabling pupils to master the curriculum once they have ‘got it’.
This slide indicates the possible tension between the key responsibilities of a teacher to their pupils alongside the need for accountability.

26. Teacher’s Perspective
Formative Assessment – In the Classroom
Assessment in the classroom against a detailed list of objectives.
Objectives generally based on National Curriculum and NAHT Objectives.
Schools are able to devise their own system.
Teachers can assess each objective at various levels: e.g. Beginning, Working Towards, Met
Some systems also allow teacher to record if a pupil has ‘more than met’ each objective.
Some systems encourage teachers to record when each objective is achieved (e.g. Year 1 Spring Term)
Most schools are going back to the drawing board to devise assessment systems for use in the classroom.
Many are using paper based methods to tick off whether (and sometimes when) pupils have mastered each objective.
Some schools are looking to record this on a computerised system – either directly in the classroom or as an admin task once or twice a term.

27. Management Perspective
Summative Assessment
Provide an overview of each student and of groups of students
Typically recording whether pupil is secure in the work for their Year Group.
In order to record progress need to record one or more ‘steps’ prior to being secure.
For pupils who are secure before the end of the year:
Record some steps beyond secure (e.g. ‘Excelling’, ‘Mastery Standard’ )
Or move on to the next year’ curriculum
This is the new version of monitoring the levels of individual and groups of students

28. Monitoring Progress – Within a Year
Progress can be monitored within a School Year
Typically a pupil will start the Year at the first step for that year and by the end of the year will be at least secure for that Year.
Some pupils will not be secure by the end of the year
Some pupils will be beyond secure
Example
John starts Year 3 at first step for that year
During the year we need to check that John is making sufficient progress such that they will be secure in the work for Year 3 by the end of the year.
To do this teachers may do one or more of:
Regularly count up objectives that John is secure in
Regularly assess a step or stage that John has reached in the subject (e.g. emerging, developing, secure, excelling) and plot this against John’s expected progress path.
In the past it has been possible to monitor progress from one point to another in terms of dates (e.g. from End of Year 2 to Autumn term in Year 4.
With the new assessments this might be more difficult but it will still be possible to monitor progress within a School year (this slide) and from one year to the next (next slide)

29. Monitoring Progress – Between Years
Progress can be monitored from one School Year to the next:
A pupil who is secure at end of one year may be expected to be secure at the end of the following year.
A pupil who is excelling at the end of one year would be expected to be excelling at the end of the next year
Schools can plot the progress of each pupil to detect pupils who are not making as much progress as their previous assessment data suggests.
For example if Jane was recorded as Exceptional at the end of Year 2, and Excelling at the end of Year 3 but is only Secure at the end of Year 4 the school would want to find out why
Note that this allows progress monitoring between a point in one year and the same point in a subsequent year (e.g. end of Autumn Term Year 2 to end of Autumn Term Year 4).
Over the years, as we gain data on pupils we should be able to improve our in year analyses of pupil performance in a school.

30. What are Ofsted Looking For?
Inspectors will:
spend more time looking at a range of pupils’ work in order to consider what progress they are making in different areas of the curriculum
talk to leaders about the school’s use of formative and summative assessment and how this improves teaching and raises achievement
evaluate how well pupils are doing against age-related expectations, as set out by the school and the National Curriculum (where this applies)
consider how the school uses assessment information to identify pupils who are falling behind in their learning or who need additional support to reach their full potential, including the most able
evaluate the way the school reports to parents on pupils’ progress and attainment. Inspectors will assess whether reports help parents to understand how their children are doing in relation to the standards expected. (extract from letter to schools from Ofsted – July 2014)
Ofsted have issued advice (and a subsequent clarification) on what they will be looking for.
At present this is all new to inpsectors too – and weare still waiting to see how this will work in practice.
Clarification
Ofsted does not expect performance- and pupil-tracking data to be presented in a particular format. Such data should be provided to inspectors in the format that the school would ordinarily use to track and monitor the progress of pupils in that school. (Clarification from Ofsted October 2014 )

31. Key Discussion Points
To what extent and detail should teachers be recording achievement in the classroom?
What scale should be used for recording detailed achievement?
Should teachers record when pupils achieve each objective?
How should Formative Assessment feed into Summative Assessment? Automatic? Termly?
What scale (points, steps,stages) should be used to record pupil attainment each term (or half term)? E.g. Beginning Year N, Working Towards Year N, Secure at Year N, Exceeding, Exceptional etc
Should Pupils move on to curriculum for the Year ahead of their National Curriculum Year?
These are some of the key discussion points taking place in school that I have visited when devising assessment systems.
The last point seems to provide a range of opinions.

32. In Summary There is a lot of work going on in schools
There is still a lot of confusion
Teachers need time to put formative systems in place
SLT, Governors need to work with Teachers to put summative systems in place that will enable them to monitor progress – without overloading the teachers
Thank you
Hugh Lorimer
Business Analyst
RM Education