24/11/2011
Curriculum for Excellence West Lothian Council Assessment Guidelines Section One A Coherent Approach To Planning, Learning And Teaching And Assessment Section Two Assessment and Moderation
Appendix 1 Roles And Responsibilities In Assessment Appendix 2 Quality Assurance of Assessment Checklist
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24/11/2011 Section One
A Coherent Approach To Planning, Learning And Teaching And Assessment
Introduction There are a number of national publications in the Building the Curriculum series, which contain guidance informed by effective practice, much of it already evident in schools. This advice should be read in conjunction with the advice in BtC5. However, there are several key messages that can be addressed in the short term and this advice seeks to sign post the most effective practice to date. It draws on national advice, our own experience and that of other authorities, particularly Inverclyde. One such key message is that there needs to be a coherent approach to planning learning and teaching and assessment, where moderation starts at the planning stage with an agreed understanding of expectations. West Lothian Council endorses the approach outlined in these guidelines and expects that they will be used in schools to support effective learning and teaching.
How to ensure a coherent approach to planning learning and teaching and assessment When planning learning using CfE Experiences and Outcomes practitioners need to consider a number of different factors. The following advice provides support in selecting Experiences and Outcomes appropriate to the learning context, developing appropriate learning intentions and success criteria and gathering successful evidence (assessment) of learning and teaching. These key elements outlined below, should be explicit in forward plans and this will support the process of moderation and quality assurance. 1. CONTEXT FOR LEARNING – Planning around the Experiences and Outcomes Contexts for learning should be relevant to learner’s experiences and interests. They should be challenging and allow learners to use their knowledge and skills in new and more challenging situations to deepen their learning. 2. EXPERIENCES AND OUTCOMES It is important to ensure Coherence and Relevance to the Experiences and Outcomes selected. Limit the number of Experiences and Outcomes you select and identify key aspects of each that the activities will focus on to enable the learning to take place. Don’t forget to think about ‘the responsibility of all’ Experiences and Outcomes. Learning is a spiral, where knowledge, understanding and skills develop progressively in an iterative way, and Experiences and Outcomes are revisited as learners’ progress. 3. LEARNING INTENTIONS Your assessment approaches must match the type of learning defined in the experiences and outcomes and in the specifications for qualifications and awards. You should find it helpful to pick out actual words and phrases from the Experiences and Outcomes. You will not necessarily be covering all of a particular Experience and Outcome so focus in on the part that you have included in your planned experiences. The match between the Experiences and Outcomes and the planned learning (learning intentions) is really important in order to make your assessment information valid. Learning intentions (what? and why?) should: Describe what the learner should know, understand, be able to do Be written in language easily accessible by the learner Focus on the intended learning, not the task or activity Link closely to success criteria
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24/11/2011 4. SUCCESS CRITERIA Success criteria will need to match closely the learning intentions and the evidence of learning you plan to collect, indicating how you will judge the quality of the response. When revisiting the Experiences and Outcomes the success criteria must be reconsidered to ensure they are appropriate. Success Criteria (how to recognise success) should: link closely to the learning intention describe how learners will know if they have been successful in achieving the intended learning usually be broken down into stages which provide a scaffold for pupils whilst they are engaged in the learning be discussed and agreed with learners before the activity begins be used as the basis for feedback The success criteria will be used by learners and staff to judge ‘how much’ and ‘how well’ the pupils have learned. Success criteria may vary depending on the different groups or classes, taking into account the needs of individuals, even though the same Experience and Outcome is being used. 5. EVIDENCE 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. Pupils can demonstrate their learning by things they say, write, make or do and this might be found e.g. in a jotter, a display, a learning log, a test or on an area of the computer network. The evidence of learning could be in the form of: formal written assessments based on the Experiences and Outcomes observation records peer or self-assessment
samples of classwork photographs or videos records of interviews or discussions
Using a range of evidence increases the validity of your assessment approaches.
6. REFLECTION AND FEEDBACK Your feedback should clearly link with the learning intentions and success criteria you have agreed with learners at the outset. You should try to ensure that the feedback provided is positive and encouraging while taking care that it always points towards specific actions for improvement. All learners can make progress from where they are, based on your assessment of and feedback about their evidence. Research suggests that pupils who understand what they are being asked to learn and how they will recognise success are more likely to make learning gains than those who don’t. IN SUMMARY: Identify the learning in the Experiences and Outcomes Plan learning experiences that enable pupils to respond to BREADTH, CHALLENGE and APPLICATION (BCA). Ensure success criteria that judge the extent and quality of learning have been agreed. This enables a shared understanding of standards. Plan assessment that is valid and reliable by checking quality assurance criteria at the planning stage. Gather a range of evidence matched to the learning purpose. O WE ASSES ?
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24/11/2011 OTHER ASPECTS OF LEARNING TO CONSIDER WHEN PLANNING LEARNING – Where relevant, these should be explicit in the plan. Skills/Knowledge and Understanding The development of skills is an essential aspect of learning throughout curriculum areas and the experiences and outcomes provide frequent opportunities for applying these skills in new and more complex contexts. Skills for learning, skills for life and skills for work will be delivered through all areas of the curriculum, at all stages, including through practical or applied learning opportunities such as Skills for Work qualifications. Responsibility of all (ROA) The development of numeracy, literacy and health and wellbeing are the responsibility of all adults, working together to support the learning and development of children and young people. Development of the ROAs should be considered when planning the learning. Learning and teaching approaches The experiences and outcomes have been written in ways that encourage engaging, enterprising and active learning approaches in a variety of contexts to promote effective learning and enable personalisation and choice. Planning should encourage participation by, as well as being responsive to the learner. how can you plan for active learning which engages pupils and makes them think? how can you plan for a variety of activities, including direct teaching? how can you plan for opportunities to learn collaboratively and independently? how can you plan for use of reference materials? how can you plan for meaningful use of ICT? Themes across learning There is a range of topics and themes which offer interesting and varied ways to deliver the curriculum including aspects of global citizenship such as Scotland’s culture sustainability and entrepreneurial learning and teaching. how does your planned learning provide a sufficient emphasis on active and enterprising learning approaches? what range of learning activities could you use more effectively to help to develop young people’s skills? how do you currently develop literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing? What new opportunities might you provide? how could you use themes across learning to support the delivery of learning in your curriculum context?
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24/11/2011 Section Two
Assessment and Moderation WHEN DO WE ASSESS? Ongoing assessment is about knowing where pupils are in their learning. This can be done by, observing pupils during their learning, looking at what they write or make and during dialogue either individually or in a group or class setting. More formal assessments at the end of a unit or topic or at points of transition can be used to take stock of learners’ progress and achievement at that point in time and to report on progress but also to plan the next steps in learning.
HOW DO WE ASSESS? Assessment should be built into the planning process and any judgement should be made based on the learning intentions and success criteria, which have been identified and agreed between learners and staff. Learning can be demonstrated in a variety of ways such as: discussion with the learner peer or self-assessment observation
a presentation by the learner a group co-operative learning task written tests or assignment.
EVIDENCE OF ASSESSMENT Pupils can demonstrate their learning by things they say, write, make or do and this might be found e.g. in a jotter, a display, a learning log, a test, on an area of the computer network. The evidence of learning could be in the form of: formal written assessments based on the samples of class work Experiences and Outcomes photographs or videos observation records records of interviews or discussions peer or self-assessment There is an expectation that there would be a coherent and consistent approach to assessment across a school or department.
ASSESSING PROGRESS IN LEARNING Progress is now defined in terms of ‘how well’ and ‘how much’ as well as learners’ rate of progress. Assessment approaches should help learners to show their progress through levels and enable them to demonstrate their achievements in a range of ways, which are appropriate to learning. For learners to demonstrate that their progress is secure and that they have achieved a level, they will need planned opportunities to show that they have achieved a breadth of learning, can respond to the level of challenge set out in the Experiences and Outcomes, moving towards more challenging learning in some aspects and can apply what they have learned in new and unfamiliar situations. BREADTH – means that a judgement about a level is drawn from varied evidence from across a course or topic. Breadth involves learners in achieving mastery across many outcomes but also being able to make connections between them CHALLENGE – this relates in part to depth and personalisation e.g. to the learners’ deeper study of areas of particular interest. It requires learners to be able to show more than the acquisition of knowledge. Learning needs to be focused on understanding and skills development.
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24/11/2011 APPLICATION – is applying knowledge or skills in a different context. It should involve developing higherorder skills, i.e. the ability to turn knowledge to practical effect by applying it in the real world and not merely in the particular classroom in which it was first acquired. (ref Bloom’s Taxonomy) Teachers can use these three aspects of learning to decide when a leaner has met agreed expectations and achieved a level in a part of a curriculum area such as reading, or in a whole curriculum area or what additional learning and support is needed. Teachers need to evaluate a range of evidence produced over a period of time to provide a summary of progress and achievement. Teachers should be able to judge a learner’s progress within any level to say whether a pupil is: developing consolidating secure
Building the Curriculum 5 describes progress within any level as: Developing
Consolidating
Secure
has achieved a breadth of learning across many of the experiences and outcomes for the level
has achieved a breadth of learning across almost all of the experiences and outcomes for the level and has responded consistently well to the level of challenge set out in these experiences and outcomes
can apply what he/she has learned in familiar situations
has applied what he/she has learned in new and unfamiliar situations
is beginning to undertake more challenging learning and to apply learning in unfamiliar contexts
has moved forward to more challenging learning in some aspects
has started to engage in the work of the new level is beginning to make progress in an increasing number of outcomes across the breadth of learning described in the experiences and outcomes for the level
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24/11/2011 Moderation A new way of looking at moderation ‘Moderation is the term used to describe approaches for arriving at a shared understanding of standards and expectations for the broad general education. It involves teachers and other professionals as appropriate, working together, drawing on guidance and exemplification and building on existing standards and expectations to: plan learning, teaching and assessment as described above. check that assessment tasks and activities provide learners with fair and valid opportunities to meet the standards and expectations before assessments are used. sample evidence from learners’ work and review teacher judgements. agree strengths in learners’ performance and next steps in learning. provide feedback on teachers’ judgements to inform improvements in practices.’ (Building the Curriculum 5: a framework for assessment: quality assurance and moderation, 2010: p3) Moderation will ensure that assessment judgements are dependable (i.e. valid, reliable, comparable) There is a clear message that moderation starts at the planning stage where teachers should identify the learning in the Experiences and Outcomes, agree success criteria that are clearly understood by the learners and design discussion, tasks and activities that elicit effective evidence of learning. There should be a coherent approach to planning learning and teaching and assessment. Verification, as opposed to moderation, is a quality assurance measure to confirm that assessments are fair, valid and reliable and meet these standards. (Appendix 2 – Quality Assurance of Assessment Checklist) Moderation activities are based on professional dialogue between staff, groups of staff working together, using their existing professional ideas of standards and expectations. Moderation can be undertaken in a variety of contexts or settings such as: Within schools stage or departmental planning common assessment materials and marking schemes classroom learning visits collegiate or department meeting focus on learning and teaching cross marking
examples of learner work sharing expectations professional dialogue focussed on learner’s work particularly at times of transition discussion with learners about progress and target setting use of SQA materials sharing national standards
Within clusters professional dialogue focussed on learner’s work particularly at times of transition. This might be done through Glow meets. Across the authority network meetings Glow meets use of STACs, Fyfe data, Nfer results and other attainment data Outwith the authority National Assessment Resource Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy use of national moderation staff
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24/11/2011 A Suggested Model for Moderation Schools or clusters or in curricular groups: a group of appropriate staff should be involved in moderating within, and at transition between, Curriculum for Excellence levels. For example, staff who teach a particular level would meet together. The numbers of staff involved should be small enough to ensure the process is manageable. the group should agree which key Experiences and Outcomes from a course or curricular area are to be moderated. The number of Experiences and Outcomes should be small and manageable. One or two individual Experiences and Outcomes may be selected or a small group of related Experiences and Outcomes. the group of staff should agree learning intentions and success criteria relating to these Experiences and Outcomes. This should not be a lengthy process and could be achieved in one meeting. Staff should then teach and collect evidence on the Experiences and Outcomes selected for about three pupils. The group should have a second meeting within a fairly short space of time, to share the evidence, discuss if pupils have demonstrated their learning and agree appropriate standards. Over an agreed period all courses and curricular areas will be considered on a rolling basis.
SOURCES OF ADVICE ON ASSESSMENT AND MODERATION: Relevant Authority advice, support materials and the full ‘Building the Curriculum 5’ suite of documents can be found in the West Lothian CfE Development Glow Group National advice can be found in the Education Scotland Web Site. This includes exemplification of assessment and moderation approaches in the National Assessment Resource (NAR) along with CPD on a coherent approach to planning curriculum, learning and teaching and assessment.
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24/11/2011 Appendix One
Roles and Responsibilities in assessment
Teachers and Other Practitioners Work collaboratively to develop approaches to monitoring, self-evaluation and improvement planning. Engage regularly in collegiate working including by participating in local and national networking activities. Work with colleagues to develop a shared understanding of standards and expectations through moderation activities, which involve coherent planning, checking, sampling, reviewing and providing feedback for improvement. Ensure that assessment always supports learning and is based on a wide range of evidence, which is reliably judged against national standards and expectations and promotes progression, breadth and depth in learning. Plan, design and carry out assessment as an ongoing part of learning and teaching and periodically use specific assessments, tests or examinations as appropriate. Involve learners fully in assessment and help them to understand what is expected. develop learners’ roles in moderation activities evaluate evidence of learning to contribute to profiles and report on learners’ achievements and progress participate in quality assurance, moderation and CPD activities, using materials available, to develop assessment expertise and to ensure assessment practices are valid and reliable contribute to and take ownership of the National Assessment Resource
Learners engage actively in learning are assessed as part of daily learning through a range of activities including dialogue and interactions with peers and teachers, practical investigations, performances, oral presentations and discussions are assessed on written work and on products such as artwork, reports or projects demonstrate their knowledge and understanding, skills, attributes and capabilities through a wide range of evidence including specific assessment tasks, activities, tests and examinations shape and review their learning by reflection, setting learning goals and next steps including through personal learning planning review their own learning through self assessment collaborate in peer assessment contribute to moderation activities
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24/11/2011 Appendix Two
Quality Assurance of Assessment Checklist
QUALITY ASSURANCE OF ASSESSMENT Coherence amongst the experiences and outcomes selected. Is the assessment a natural part of the learning process and not contrived?
COMMENTS
Quality of experiences offering opportunities to demonstrate achievement. Is the assessment a quality experience in terms of CfE?
Match between the selected experiences, outcomes and success criteria (ie validity). Does the evidence clearly link with success criteria?
Evidence of involvement of learners in the assessment process, including self-assessment.
Nature and quality of the evidence in relation to experiences and outcomes, reflecting appropriate professional discussions and agreed standards.
Relevant emphasis on a range of approaches that reflect the breadth, challenge and application of learning. Does it follow the say, write, make, do model?
Quality of the annotations of pupils' work made during quality assurance / local moderation discussions.
Quality of feedback to learners on progress and achievement and an indication of how these could be reported to parents. Can the assessment been used with pupils and /or parents to progress learning?
Evidence of professional thinking and reflection about progression in relation to the selected experiences and outcomes.
Assessment materials that the National Quality Assurance Group (NQAG) felt were suitable, demonstrated some key features, including the following: strong coherence across the experiences and outcomes selected. good match between the selected experiences, learning intentions and success criteria. good quality feedback provided to individual pupils on progress.
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