Rationale
This policy has been created in order to ensure a fair, measured and consistent approach to the assessment of our young people in the Senior Phase and the allocation of presentation levels across the school. Crucially, it is designed to ensure that the attainment of each individual young person is maximised. It is therefore understood, that in some instances, the application of this policy may be fluid in order to best meet the individual needs of the young person. This remains our ultimate priority.
This policy deals with the whole school expectations for:
· The assessment of young people.
· The recording and internal sharing of assessment data.
· Key and universal communication points with young people and their parents.
· Prompts for targeted communication points with young people and their parents.
· Attainment levels which will prompt a recommendation for change of level or further intervention.
· The “banking” of the Added Value Unit and/or the National 3
Each of these sections also outlines the respective responsibilities of all staff in ensuring that this policy is carried out.
Appendices
Model letters for contacting parents are provided in the appendices. It should be noted that any such communication should be carried out by either the Senior Year Group Head or the Pastoral Care Teacher of the relevant year group. These are not prescriptive as communication methods. In some circumstances (such as notification of subject choices) a mail shot may be the best way to achieve this. In others a telephone call, text message, email etc. could also be used. The important thing is for the communication to have taken place, not the format of that communication. As per whole school policy, all communication with parents should be recorded in the young person’s Seemis notes.
1. Model pupil cover sheet for assessment file
2. Model layout for departmental/ faculty spread sheet to record assessment data
3. S3 Options Choices Letter
4. Prelim Results Letter
5. Failed unit assessment(s) letter
6. Failed unit resit(s) letter
7. Coursework deadliness/ standards not met letter
8. Presentation level change recommendation letter
The Assessment of Young People
S3
At the end of the BGE phase young people should be clear of their Progress and Achievement in every subject area. This will ensure the continued and appropriate progress of all learners
The format of monitoring and tracking progress and achievement in the BGE will vary from department to department, but could include:
· planning related to the Significant Aspects of Learning/ Benchmarks to ensure learners receive their entitlement to a broad general education
· professional judgements about how well learners are progressing and achieving, based on a wide range of evidence suitable for supporting discussions with learners, parents and with staff across classes, stages, departments and whole school/establishment
· progress in significant aspects of learning for the curriculum area4 and evidence of breadth, challenge and application of learning in order to provide an overview of learning within a level
· a summary of how well learners are progressing in relation to achieving their learning goals, including personal achievements, to develop the skills, attributes and capabilities of the four capacities within different contexts of learning
Key assessment points for young people
o National 4
§ Each of the Learning Outcomes
§ Added Value Unit
o National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher
§ Internal Unit Assessments
§ Prelim Diet
· Additional Support Needs
o All assessment throughout the Senior Phase (and in the S3 end of BGE assessments) should have in place any supports which the young person will be entitled to in the SQA exams. Any assessments which do not have these in place will be inadmissible when making assessment decisions around presentation levels.
Responsibilities
Staff Member / ResponsibilitySL Pastoral Care / Co-ordinate completion of the whole school Additional Support Needs spread sheet.
Co-ordinate submission to SQA of ASN requirements.
SL Year Group / Maintain overview of each young person’s subject selection and presentation levels to ensure that they are being suitably challenged and to liaise with departments when appropriate.
SL QA and I / Produce and ensure adherence to whole school policy on the assessment of young people.
Maintain overview of the completion of assessments as per the whole school assessment calendar.
ML Curriculum / Produce and ensure adherence to departmental/ faculty assessment policy and the completion of and adherence to the whole school assessment calendar for their department/ faculty.
Plan and co-ordinate departmental/ faculty Quality Assurance and Improvement procedures with regards to rigour of assessments
ML PC Year Group / Maintain ASN spread sheet for appropriate year group and alert staff to updates. Liaise with PTs/ FHs/ SLT with regards to provision of appropriate assessment support for pupils with ASN.
Classroom Teacher / Administer and mark assessments in line with departmental and whole school policies.
Ensure that appropriate support is provided for pupils with ASN when completing assessments.
Participate in departmental Quality Assurance and Improvement procedures around assessments.
The Recording and Internal Sharing of Assessment Data
· Recording of Assessment Data
o All assessment data for young people should be recorded on a Faculty/ Departmental spread sheet on the shared drive. This should be regularly maintained.
o A file should be maintained for all young people, and held within the Faculty/ Department, containing their marked assessments, with a cover sheet which allows space for them to record their results and to set themselves targets based on feedback.
o Unit passes, target and working grades should be maintained on Seemis as per whole school requirements.
o Prelim examination results and progress through N3/ 4 courses etc. will be entered into the whole school spread sheet after the prelim diet.
· Internal Sharing of Assessment Data
o Faculty/departmental spread sheets should be held in the shared drive and made accessible to all members of the Faculty/ Department, SLT and Pastoral Care at all times.
o Faculties/ departments should alert SLT and Pastoral Care when the spread sheet is substantially updated (e.g. when a class’s unit assessment results have been input).
o Any particular concerns with regards to assessments results (e.g. uncharacteristic underachievement in an individual’s attainment) should be highlighted to appropriate SLT and Pastoral Care staff.
o Pastoral care staff should ensure that departments are informed (as far as data protection allows) of the outcome of any referral.
Staff Member / ResponsibilitySL Pastoral Care / Produce and oversee adherence to Pastoral Care referrals with regards to assessment performance. From the initial choice lists and presentation levels, co-ordinate checks to ensure that those pupils with SEN are being appropriately challenged and departments are aware of the supports which should be put in place for them (additional time, reader, scribe etc.) and to support departments as they implement these supports.
SL Year Group / Maintain overview of young people’s attainment across subjects and prompt targeted intervention when necessary.
SL QA and I / Co-ordinate and oversee completion of Seemis data.
Produce and ensure adherence to whole school policy with regards to recording an internal sharing of assessment data.
ML Curriculum / To produce and oversee maintenance of departmental/ faculty spread sheet.
Produce and maintain adherence to faculty/ departmental policy with regards to young people’s individual files.
Design and implementation of Quality Assurance and Improvement procedures to oversee completion of files, spread sheet and Seemis data.
ML Pastoral Care / Respond to Pastoral Care for assigned year group referrals with regards to assessment data, in line with whole school policy.
Classroom Teacher / Oversee maintenance of young people’s individual files.
Complete spread sheet in line with faculty/ department policy.
Complete prelim result spread sheet in line with whole school policy.
Complete Seemis data in line with whole school policy.
Universal Communication Points with Young People and their Parents
· End of S3
o Parents will be informed via letter home of their child’s option choices and recommended presentation levels in these subjects.
· All Senior Phase
o Senior Phase Tracking
o Senior Phase Reports
o Parents’ evening.
· National 3 and 4
o Progress through qualifications will be reported to parents along with prelim results.
· National 5/ Higher
o Prelim Results
Staff Member / ResponsibilitySL Pastoral Care / Work on an individual basis with our more vulnerable young people to support them to make the best option choices.
SL Year Group / Co-ordinate S3 options programme and ensure that parents are informed of their child’s options choices.
SL QA and I / Oversee reporting and tracking process at a whole school level, including arrangements for Quality Assurance and Improvement.
ML Curriculum / Oversee reporting and tracking process at a departmental or faculty level, ensuring their timely completion and Quality Assurance and Improvement procedures.
Oversee completion of departmental/ faculty spread sheet so that parents can be informed initial presentation levels, prelim results and N4 passes.
ML Pastoral Care / Support SL Year Group in co-ordinating and delivering S3 options programme and lettering parents.
Classroom Teacher / Timely completion of tracking and reporting for their assigned classes, in accordance with whole school and departmental guidance.
Complete departmental/ whole school tracking systems so that parents can be informed of initial presentation levels, prelim results and N4 passes.
Prompts for Targeted Communication Points with Young People and their Parents
o Parents/ carers notified
§ If a young person fails a unit assessment at any level.
§ If a young person fails a unit re-sit.
§ A young person has failed to complete compulsory course work to the initial deadline.
§ A young person has failed to produce compulsory course work to the required standard.
§ If a young person’s attendance drops below 90% or there is a pattern change in a young person’s attendance.
§ There is a pattern change in a young person’s general attainment in a class or classes.
§ There is a recommendation for a child to change presentation levels (either up or down).
The above list is not exhaustive. Individual circumstances which cannot be anticipated here will prompt the need for intervention. The key point is that parent’s should be kept informed, especially if a circumstance threatens a child’s presentation at a particular level or where it may lead to underachievement within a level.
Staff Member / ResponsibilitySL Pastoral Care / To ensure that the Pastoral Care team adhere to this policy and contact parents when necessary in relation to pastoral matters.
SL Year Group / To ensure that this policy is adhered to and that parents are contacted when necessary in relation to attainment matters.
SL QA and I
ML Curriculum / Oversee completion of departmental/ faculty spread sheet so that if parents need to be informed of under-achievement or a recommendation for a change of level, there is a suitable body of hard data which can be used to substantiate this recommendation.
ML Pastoral Care / To ensure that they contact the parents, as per this policy, when they are referred to them from departments.
Classroom Teacher / Inform PT/FH when a young person meets the criteria for targeted communication as laid out in this policy so that further action can be taken. Oversee maintenance of young people’s individual files, complete spread sheet in line with faculty/ department policy, complete Seemis data in line with whole school policy. This will ensure that in the event a parent needs to be informed of under-achievement or a recommendation for a change of level, there is a suitable body of hard data which can be used to substantiate this recommendation.
Attainment levels which will prompt a recommendation for change of level or further intervention.
The following are guidelines only. Final decisions about presentation levels need to be made using an holistic approach, taking into account an overview of a young person’s attainment and presentation levels across all of their subject choices, previous levels of attainment and personal circumstances.
For example, an able young person who is working towards 5 Highers may be performing poorly in all or a several of them. However, it would not be in the best interest of maximising that child’s overall attainment to remove them from all of the Highers they are sitting. A more likely solution may be taking one Higher over 2 years, moving to National 5 in another subject and continuing to work towards the Higher in the other three subjects.
Discussion will be prompted if one or more of the following occur:
· A young person fails both the unit assessment and the re-sit.
· A young person achieves less than 40% in the preliminary examination.
· A young person’s attendance is so poor as to threaten their ability to complete the course/ pass the exam.
· A young person has failed to complete compulsory coursework or that course work has not been completed to the required standard despite previous interventions.
Staff Member / ResponsibilitySL Pastoral Care / To ensure that the Pastoral Care team adhere to this policy and contact parents when necessary in relation to pastoral matters.
SL Year Group / To ensure that this policy is adhered to and that parents are contacted when necessary in relation to attainment matters.
SL QA and I / Co-ordinate and oversee completion of Seemis data.
Produce and ensure adherence to whole school policy with regards to recording an internal sharing of assessment data.
ML Curriculum / Oversee completion of departmental/ faculty spread sheet so that if parents need to be informed of under-achievement or a recommendation for a change of level, there is a suitable body of hard data which can be used to substantiate this recommendation.
ML Pastoral Care / To ensure that they contact the parents, as per this policy, when they are referred to them from departments.
Classroom Teacher / Inform PT/FH when a young person meets the criteria for targeted communication as laid out in this policy so that further action can be taken. Oversee maintenance of young people’s individual files, complete spread sheet in line with faculty/ department policy, complete Seemis data in line with whole school policy. This will ensure that in the event a parent needs to be informed of under-achievement or a recommendation for a change of level, there is a suitable body of hard data which can be used to substantiate this recommendation.
Strategies to safeguard minimum levels of attainment.