Excellence Gateway- Home- Ofsted Good Practice Database- Actions for Quality Improvement- Initial Assessment- Initial assessment Action 1
Initial Assessment
Action 1 of 3- What is initial assessment for?
We carry out initial assessment to ensure that learners are on the right programme and properly supported while on it. If we design and manage the process well, we can use it to gather information to support the whole of the learners’ experience and inform other stakeholders who are interested in the learners’ progress and success.
This activity will help you to identify and agree the purposes of you initial assessment activities and, through considering an example of goof practice, plan how to make improvements.
Activity
Download, print off and read through Initial Assessment Activity Plan1 (link below - think about how to proceed with the activity, who it would be useful to have involved and where you want it to lead - alter the plan as requiredto fit your circumstances and add approximate timings),Initial Assessment Action1 Handout, the Good Practice exampleand use the AQI general improvement action plan (link below) to begin planning improvements to yourinitial assessmentprocesses or to add to an existing action plan on completion of this activity:
At the end of this activity you will have:
- reflected on the purpose of initial assessment
- considered your current initial assessment processes
- identified gaps and positive action arising
These are your links for this activity:
Initial Assessment Activity Plan 1 (Word document, 118kb)
Initial assessment handout for Action 1 (Word document, 110kb)
GPD example: STL 3 (Systematic learner support)
AQI general improvement action plan (Word document, 129kb)
What is initial assessment for?
Aspects to consider:
- What is the prior attainment of learners (qualifications and experience, particularly that which is relevant to the qualification/programme)?
- What should your learners achieve as a minimum by the end of their programme?
- To do this, what additional support needs do they have and how can you meet them?
- If they have prior qualifications or experience, can they be used to set other higher or additional qualifications or units?
- What underpinning skills they require, including communication, literacy, numeracy and language
- If applicable, what are your employers’ expectations?
- If work based learners, how do job roles match learning and assessment requirements?
- What are the needs of other stakeholders, partners, funding bodies and referral agencies?
- What are the awarding body’s expectations?
- What are the needs of the skill sector?
- Are there specific legal requirements? (e.g. child protection screening?)
- Equality and diversity issues
- Learners’ learning styles and personal characteristics- if you assess these, how do you intend to use them?
You may wish to add to this list.