BOWHOUSEPRIMARY SCHOOL

Assessment Is ForLearning

Policy


DRAFTED Feb 2008

Reviewed Aug 2011

Next review Feb 2013

AIFL Policy

Principles

Assessment Is For Learning

Formative assessment is part of the Falkirk Council Learning to Achieve Strategy. It is ongoing; gathering and interpreting evidence about learning in terms of where pupils are in their learning, where they need to go next and how best they can get there. The assessment is used to adapt the teaching work to meet the needs of the pupils

An AIFL school is a place where everyone is learning. It is a place where assessment is part of learning and teaching without dominating them.

In an AIFL school ;-

  • Staff are skilled in using assessment to support learning and in planning next steps in consultation with pupils and their parents.
  • Pupils and staff are fully involved in planning, reflecting and evaluating their own learning and make changes as identified.
  • There are sound procedures in place for assuring quality assessment judgements and for using them as evidence to plan for improvement.

Aims

In Bowhouse PS we aim to raise attainment by:-

  • Planning learning and teaching activities and planning assessment appropriate to the pupils needs.
  • Using formative assessment, reflective self assessment and summative assessment to help pupils achieve their learning goals and develop their thinking skills.
  • Sharing good practice adopted following the implementation of the Teacher Learning Community.
  • Work with parents and partner agencies to use formative assessment which will impact positively on pupils attainment

3 Strands underpin our approach to assessment

Assessment For Learning-2.1,5.1,5.4,5.5,5.7

  • Discuss what is to be learned
  • Recognise when learning has taken place
  • Provide useful and timely feedback to inform next steps in learning

Assessment As Learning-2.1,5.2,5.3, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7

  • Gather information and interpret evidence to determine learning
  • Plan learning activities and methodology
  • Plan next steps in learning and the evidence to improve success

Assessment Of Learning 8.4

  • Share learning across the school to determine levels of attainment
  • Use plenary sessions to ensure the learning intention has been achieved for all children and identify next steps.

In Bowhouse all teachers plan in our long, medium and short term plans the 4 following AIFL strategies and this is indicated on the weekly planning sheet.

Sharing Criteria Strategies

  • The learning outcomes are shared with children at the start of each lesson and for new concepts ( I CAN)
  • Learning Logs -learning intentions are planned regularly and shared with pupils in their learning log
  • Two Stars and a Wish for writing criteria and other areas of the written curriculum
  • Traffic Lighting to develop self grouping- this could include coloured traffic light trays for children to self assess
  • Green and yellow highlighters used across the school to show improvement and

meeting writing target .

  • coloured pencils to be used by children to indicate use of wow words etc this is in line with Big Writing guidance

Quality of Feedback Strategies

  • Avoiding giving marks – only write down what is required to improve
  • Talk to pupils on how to improve rather than excessive written feedback
  • Provide positive feedback on good work to ensure replication
  • Quality Feedback to pupils which is constructive and supportive and is both oral and written

Quality of Questions

  • Effective Questioning- expecting all children to give an answer
  • Wait Time
  • Open questioning
  • Think, pair and share which challenges thinking and encourages children to pose questions

Self assessment /Peer assessment

  • Thumbs up !
  • Pupils swapping work
  • Peer and self assessment-traffic lighting each others work according to targets

-learn to provide feedback to others eg writing

  • Plenary sessions
  • Structuring pupil` s debate

** refer to

Falkirk Council Staff Handbook AIFL-Formative assessment strategies

TLC Changing Classroom Practice- Dylan Williams

Evaluating

  • Staff use the AFL learning walk when sharing practice.(TLC)
  • Staff self assess annually and before final classroom observation (see Falkirk council handbook section 7 taking a closer look appendix 2)
  • Whole Staff Development -Through regular annual audit of the key questions which underpin the quality indicators in HGIOS3 and Child at the Centre -and across the 3 strands of AIFL, we will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of our approaches to assessment

Year / HGIOS 3 Child at the Centre- QIS
09/10 Assessment As Learning / 2.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7 7.2
10/11 Assessment of Learning / 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 5.3, 7.2, 8.4,
11/12 Assessment For learning / 2.1, 5.1, 5.4, 5.5, 5.7, 7.2

** JTEX--- Dim 1 - learning intentions

Dim 2 – outcomes and plan

Monitoring

It is recognised that monitoring is an essential part of ensuring quality and raising attainment in Bowhouse PS. The impact of AIFL programme will be monitored through classroom observation, evaluation of programmes of learning, sampling pupils` work and analysing attainment data.

When observing to monitor the use of assessment the following may be used as criteria for observation.

  • What Is the Learning Intention ( see P7 Falkirk Council doc. and Journey to Excellence )

We will measure our performance against the level 3 and level 5 examples given in JTE and How Good is Our School –see table above

Resources:-

Assessment Is For Learning Toolkit Early Years and Primary-Secondary

Falkirk Authority Assessment Staff Development Pack

Learning to Achieve Document

HGIOS Quality Indicators

Journey to Excellence

Appendix 1 Assessment for learning – Why, What and How?

What benefits will there be?

We expect to see a number of benefits to pupils after working in these ways. It may take a little time for us to notice some of them but others will be seen quite quickly.

Some of the benefits we will be looking for are:

Increased pupil confidence.

Greater motivation to work

Even better results in class work .

A quicker pace of learning

Better understanding of work covered.

Improved contributions to group work.

Children having an understanding of how they learn.

Pupils feel included and actively involved in tasks.

All of these add up to an even better quality of education and a more enjoyable school experience.

How will Parents be Involved?

You will be asked to talk to your child about their work, their Learning Log and their targets in their Personal Learning Plan. You will also be encouraged to use the traffic light self assessments with your child when he /she is completing home work tasks.

Useful Contacts

If you would like more information you can ring

Mrs Cassells 01324 508710

Assessment

Is for

Learning

What is Assessment?

There are two kinds of assessment – formative and summative-

If we think about learning to drive, formative assessment happens during every lesson. The instructor says what manoeuvre is going to be taught and explains how it is done. The learner gives it a go and gets feedback about how it went. Both the learner and the instructor have a say in how things went and what can be done to improve. Afterwards the learner can try again – and keep trying until it’s right.

Summative assessment is the driving test – no help or support just show what you know and prove what you can do.

What is the Assessment Is for

Learning Programme

As a Falkirk Council school we are part of a

national strategy called Assessment is For

Learning or AIFL.

Here in BowhousePrimary School, we have

gradually introduced many of the formative

assessment approaches from this strategy

into our every day learning and teaching. As

partners in your child `s learning, we feel it

is important to share some information

about these approaches with you.

Formative Assessment is about :

Pupils knowing what they are learning about and what they need to know or do to achieve success in the lesson.

Involving pupils in setting targets for future learning- PLP and Learning Logs.

Ensuring that pupils have ways of letting the teacher know how confident they feel about their learning.

Involving pupils in assessing their own and other `s work.

Ensuring pupils receive feedback from teachers about how to improve as

well as praise for their positive efforts.

The teacher waiting longer after asking a question before taking an answer.

Pupils being given the opportunity to prepare group responses.

Training the pupils to ask each other questions.

Helping pupils to explain how they got an answer.

Giving oral feedback and written comment instead of always giving a mark.

Using a marking key that has been agreed with the pupils.

Helping pupils to assess their own work.

What Strategies Are Used?

  • WALT and WILF- target setting
  • Traffic lighting- self and peer assessment
  • Go for Green/Mellow Yellow for feedback
  • to pupils
  • Increased wait time- al children have an answer.
  • Effective questioning-use open questions and challenge thinking