Assessment: A view from the receiving end

• As you read through Billy’s experiences annotate the sheet to indicate Billy’s changing emotions;

• Once you have done this read through again annotating the assessment issues that Billy’s experiences raise;

• Then note down the kinds of assessment information that you think Billy needs;

• Finally, note down what measures could Billy’s teacher introduce to improve the effectiveness of her marking.

Why do we assess?

Assessment may be:

• Diagnostic where the assessment is designed to identify particular needs of the pupil for future action;

• Formative where the assessment is designed to provide information about the progress of the pupil at a particular point in time;

• Summative where the assessment is designed to measure attainment at the end of a particular stage.

How do we assess?

Assessment may be:

• Norm referenced in which the pupils are placed in rank order according to their performance;

• Criterion referenced in which pupils are judged against agreed criteria which are not dependent on the performance of other pupils;

• Ipsative in which pupils are judged against their own previous performance.

Other considerations in an assessment strategy

• Validity: Are you assessing what you intend to assess? To maximise validity the assessment should resemble the pupils’ learning experience in terms of content and process. Judgements informed by informal observations, discussions about classwork undertaken and recorded by the teacher.

• Reliability: To maximise reliability you need to reduce all possible sources of variance such as the conditions in which the assessment takes place and different possible judgements. Standardised tests, multiple choice etc.

• Manageability

Assessment for Learning: beyond the black box (1999: University of Cambridge)

• Is embedded in a view of teaching and learning of which it is an essential part;

• involves sharing learning goals with pupils;

• aims to help pupils know and to recognise the standards they are aiming for;

• involves pupils in self-assessment;

• provides feedback which leads to pupils recognising their next steps and how to take them;

• is underpinned by confidence that every student can improve;

• involves both teacher and pupils reviewing and reflecting on assessment data

Assessment: KS3

• There are no externally set tests which pupils have to take in history at the end of KS3;

• There is, however, statutory teacher assessment of pupils in history at the end of KS3;

• In other words, teachers must report the level attained by pupils in history at the end of KS3;

• There are test materials available for teachers to use but there is no obligation for teachers to use these;

• If a parent asks what level their child is performing at in history, a teacher must provide this information within 15 school days.

Formative assessment

1 Look at the two annotated scripts on the Battle of Hastings.

2 Read one of the scripts ‘Why was the Roman army successful’ annotating for the pupil to show where s/he has applied good writing procedures.

3 Write a feedback comment and target for the pupil to work on.

Diagnostic assessment

For this task you should look at one or more of the following pupil scripts:

• The Slave Triangle Version

• Was Oliver Cromwell a hero or villain?

For either of the above, consider how effective they are in connecting, expressing and developing ideas. What advice might their teacher give?

• Pollution notes

These were produced for homework in response to ‘make notes on pollution from your own reading’. What issues does the pupil’s response raise?

Summative assessment

From your marking of pupils’ work:• Levels awarded;• Comments given to pupils;• Targets set for pupils;• Any issues arising.

Assessment: GCSE

• Replaced the two tier system of O-Levels and CSEs;

• Assessment criteria have been revised to come into line with National Curriculum KSUs;

• Common subject criteria and code of practice which all exam boards must comply with;

• David Hargreaves (formally of the QCA) has talked of the need to reduce the assessment burden at GCSE; others have argued that, since most children stay at school until 18, GCSEs have become redundant.

Examining Boards

• AQA (Assessment and Qualifications Alliance which includes SEG, NEAB, AEB)

Tel: 01483 506506 www.aeb.org.uk

• Edexel

Tel: 01623 467467 www.edexcel.org.uk

• OCR / MEG (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations)

Tel: 0870 870 6621 e.mail: publications@ocr.org.uk

• WJEC (Welsh Joint Education Committee)

Tel: 029 2026 5000 e.mail: bookshop@wjec.co.uk

• CCEA (Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum Examinations and Assessment)

Tel: 028 9206 1200 www.ccea.org.uk

Syllabuses

• Modern World History full and short course

• Schools History Project full and short course

• British Social and Economic full and short course

• Humanities full course

• History Certificate of Achievement

• Modern European and World History full course (Edexcel)

• Modern British History full and short course (Edexcel)