1. Assessment without levels 8th October 2014
RNLC
Assessment
without levels
8th October 2014

2. The Network Priority New National Curriculum
(Narrative and number)
To develop accurate teacher assessment without levels

3. What are the questions we need to ask as a Network in Redbridge?

4. How do we accurately monitor attainment and progress without levels?
How will we know if a child is below, above or exceeding ARE?
What does ARE look like in year 3 in reading and what does it look like if I am an able child?
How does the teacher demonstrate progress for all children without NC levels?

5. How will the changes we make to assessment systems in school impact on practice?
What will daily, weekly, half termly assessment information look like?
How does the teacher measure next steps learning and use this at pupil progress meetings and formal appraisal target setting meetings to evidence the impact of their teaching?

6. How do we link our new assessment systems to the new curriculum?
What does the new curriculum ask each teacher to deliver in each year group?
What must we include in the systems and procedures we produce to ensure they always matches the requirements of the NC as well as other areas of our curriculum?

7. How will the systems that senior leaders use, ensure that teachers continue to be fully accountable for children's achievement?
What tracking system will provide each school with accurate measurements so they can confidently reports summative data?
Can we agree as a network which system is best or how we can obtain parity across schools so we are all measuring the same things in the same way?

8. Time for members of schools to talk to each other about any other questions they would like the network to answer as part of its work.

9. Ofsted – what are they looking for now?
As now, inspectors will use a range of evidence to make judgements, including by looking at test results, pupils’ work and pupils’ own perceptions of their learning. Inspectors will not expect to see a particular assessment system in place and will recognise that schools are still working towards full implementation of their preferred approach.
However, inspectors will:
spend more time looking at the range of pupils’ work to consider what progress they are making in different areas of the curriculum
talk to leaders about schools’ use of formative and summative assessment and how this improves teaching and raises achievement
evaluate how well pupils are doing against relevant age-related expectations as set out by the school and the national curriculum (where this applies)

10. Further advice and guidance to support schools in selecting an appropriate system may be found by following the links below:
Assessment principles: school curriculum, DfE, April 2014:
Schools win funds to develop and share new ways of assessing pupils: pupils.
National curriculum and assessment: information for schools, DfE, March 2014: schools.
Assessment Commission Report, NAHT, February 2014, media/key-topics/assessment/assessment-commission-resources/.
Case study One - Assessment without levels, summary.139FCCAF-54DA-416D-B67D2FA2149B6BA7.html.
Case study Two - Assessment without levels summary.8A5E3F E-928E83DAA69E3AB0.html.

11. More from Ofsted!
Schools are likely to use a combination of relevant national curriculum expectations and performance descriptors where they apply (see below), and expectations set by the school for other (continued in the footnote below) subjects and age groups through the chosen assessment system.
For the end of each key stage, the government will set the expected standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science. In between, it is for schools to determine where pupils must be in relation to that standard.

12. More from Ofsted!
For Key Stage 1, the DfE will provide performance descriptors for expected national standards in mathematics, reading and writing. It will provide a single descriptor of the expected standard for science.
For Key Stage 2, the DfE will provide performance descriptors for expected standards in writing. For science, reading and mathematics, it will provide a single descriptor of the expected standard. The DfE will publish the draft performance descriptors in autumn At both key stages, tests will be reported against scaled scores rather than levels.

13. Backdrop We know the questions we wish to ask We know what Ofsted want
I would like to share with you what Tim Oates, Chair of the expert panel, which advised the government on the new curriculum for 4 years, says about assessment.
This may provide us with further thoughts and questions on the work ahead of us.

14. Tim Oates
Chair of the expert panel which informed the review of the NC from 2010 to 2014
Group Director of Assessment Research and Development at Cambridge University
Fewer things done in greater detail!
Question Kleptomaniacs!

15. NAHT set of principles
Read copies of the underpinning principles of assessment in schools
Read copies of the design check list – understand the notes that the NAHT commission highlight
Use these to support the work of the network
View the May 2014 schools who received funding from the DFE for the work they achieved with coming up with innovative ways to assess progress and achievement
Inform this is the work that Redbridge needs to do for its schools.

16. Support teachers to:
Know and understand the key ideas, skills and concepts in each year group and in specific areas of the curriculum
Know and understand what expected and exceeding outcomes are in each year group
Challenge all children so there are no limits to achievement – learning is not capped

17. Support teachers to:
Use matrices to support next steps learning so that depth and breath is achieved.
Develop banks of challenging key questions to enable them to accurately assess achievement.
Formatively assess, diagnose next steps and summarise learning.

18. What impact are we expecting
for teachers?
There is a key formative assessment document that sets out key areas of key skills, knowledge and understanding for each year group.
A document that is easy to use and enables the teacher to secure breadth and depth learning, identifying gaps.
A document that enables teachers to set challenging learning from the start of each lesson that is achievable as a result of accurate next steps assessment information.

19. What impact are we expecting
for our children?
Learning opportunities will not be capped for any child.
Children will become more proactive as challenges are set and they no longer see themselves as a particular level child – work is always a challenge, it doesn’t come if you are the most able, it comes all the time!
Deeper and more meaningful learning is achieved.

20. What Impact are we expecting
for our school leaders?
Network members are knowledgeable about the systems and procedures that are most effective for assessment without levels in schools.
Network members are providing a professional arena to support their own and other schools, via the work of the group on how to secure high quality assessment for next steps learning for every child.
There is a key document in place that enables every school leader to show: how well pupils are doing against relevant age-related expectations as set out by the school and the national curriculum (Ofsted 2014)

21. Learning without limits
A film that shows children challenging themselves in a setting without NC assessment levels
Learning without limits