Computing 2014: Some ideas on assessmentThe DfE has released details of what students should study but has left the subject of assessment up to individual schools to pick and choose what suits them best in order to show progression.

There have been some really innovative ideas suggested so far. This document attempts to pull some of these ideas together but deliberately tries to be as minimalist as possible and as easy to assess as possible. Other teachers may well choose to add extra things to this document, but I wanted something that linked really clearly from assessment criteria, written in pupil friendly language, back to the original 2014 curriculum requirements.

This is not an official document. Any suggestions, or criticisms are welcome!

The curriculum I’ve copied and pasted the criteria here for quick reference. You can find the originals here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-computing-programmes-of-study

I’ve split them into the topics that are suggested at the end of the joint CAS / Naace guidance: Computer Science (CS), Information Technology (IT) and Digital Literacy (DL)

I’ve also split each key stage into rows in the table based on the bullet points and semicolons in the curriculum.

Key Stage 1:Pupils should be taught to:

Key

Stag

e 1

Statement Topicunderstand what algorithms are; how they are implemented as programs on digital devices; and that programs execute by following precise and unambiguous instructions

Computer Sciencecreate and debug simple programsuse logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programsuse technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content

Information Technology

recognise common uses of information technology beyond school

use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private

Digital Literacyidentify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies.

Key Stage 2Ke

y St

age

2Statement Topicdesign, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts

Computer Science

use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs; work with variables and various forms of input and outputuse logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work and to detect and correct errors in algorithms and programsunderstand computer networks including the internet; how they can provide multiple services, such as the world wide web; and the opportunities they offer for communication and collaboration

Information Technology

use search technologies effectively, appreciate how results are selected and ranked, and be discerning in evaluating digital contentselect, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals, including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and informationuse technology safely, respectfully and responsibly

Digital Literacyrecognise acceptable/unacceptable behaviouridentify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact.

Key Stage 3Ke

y St

age

3

Statement Topicdesign, use and evaluate computational abstractions that model the state and behaviour of real-world problems and physical systems

Computer Science

understand several key algorithms that reflect computational thinking [for example, ones for sorting and searching]use logical reasoning to compare the utility of alternative algorithms for the same problemuse two or more programming languages, at least one of which is textual, to solve a variety of computational problemsmake appropriate use of data structures [for example, lists, tables or arrays]design and develop modular programs that use procedures or functionsunderstand simple Boolean logic [for example, AND, OR and NOT] and some of its uses in circuits and programmingunderstand how numbers can be represented in binary, and be able to carry out simple operations on binary numbers [for example, binary addition, and conversion between binary and decimal]understand the hardware and software components that make up computer systems, and how they communicate with one another and with other systemsunderstand how instructions are stored and executed within a computer systemunderstand how data of various types (including text, sounds and pictures) can be represented and manipulated digitally, in the form of binary digitsundertake creative projects that involve selecting, using, and combining multiple applications, preferably across a range of devices, to achieve challenging goals, including collecting and analysing data and meeting the needs of known users Information

Technologycreate, re-use, revise and re-purpose digital artefacts for a given audience, with attention to trustworthiness, design and usabilityunderstand a range of ways to use technology safely, respectfully, responsibly and securely, including protecting their online identity and privacy

Digital Literacyrecognise inappropriate content, contact and conduct and know how to report concerns.

Key Stage 4Ke

y St

age

4

Statement Topicdevelop their capability, creativity and knowledge in computer science1

Computer Sciencedevelop and apply their analytic, problem-solving, design, and computational thinking skillsdevelop their capability, creativity and knowledge in digital mediaand information technology

Information Technology

understand how changes in technology affect safety, including new ways to protect their online privacy and identity, and how to identify and report a range of concerns.

Digital Literacy

Overview of all Key StagesThe following page shows the all four key stages in one table. You may need to print to A3 or zoom in to read it, but it tries to give a visual overview of progression in each topic coming straight from the curriculum statements. Computer Science is the dominant topic, particularly at KS3, so I’ve split it into three further sections: Algorithms, Programming (algorithms implemented in code) and hardware & data representation. You could argue that it would be better just to have one big CS topic. Feel free to adapt if you have a strong opinion either way!

1 This statement has been split from the original in the 2014 Curriculum: All pupils should be taught to develop their capability, creativity and knowledge in computer science, digital media and information technology

Topic Key Stage 1 Key Stage 2 Key Stage 3 Key Stage 4Co

mpu

ter S

cien

ce

Algo

rithm

sUnderstand what algorithms are and they are implemented on digital devices

Understand that programs execute by following precise and unambiguous instructions

Use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs

Solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts

Use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work

Detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs

Design, use and evaluate computational abstractions that model the state and behaviour of real world problems and physical systems

Understand several key algorithms that reflect computational thinking (e.g. searching and sorting)

Use logical reasoning to compare the utility of alternative algorithms for the same problem

Develop and apply their analytic, problem solving, design and computational thinking skills

Develop their capability, creativity and knowledge in computer science

Prog

ram

min

g

Create simple programs

Debug simple programs

Design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems

Use sequence, selection and repetition in programs

Work with variables

Work with various forms of input and output

Use 2 or more programming languages, at least one of which is textual, to solve a variety of computational problems

Make appropriate use of data structures (e.g. lists, tables or arrays)

Design and develop modular programs that use procedures or functions

Hard

war

e /

Data

repr

esen

tatio

n

Understand how computer networks, including the internet, can provide multiple services (such as the World Wide Web) and the opportunities they offer for communication and collaboration

Use search technologies effectively

Appreciate how search results are selected and ranked

Understand simple Boolean logic (e.g. AND, OR and NOT)

Understand some of Boolean logic's uses in circuits and programming

Understand how numbers can be represented in binary and be able to carry out simple operations on binary numbers (e.g. addition and conversion between binary and decimal)

Understand the hardware and software components that make up computer systems and how they communicate with one another and with other systems

Understand how instructions are stored and executed within a computer system

Understand how data of various types (including text, sounds and pictures) can be represented and manipulated digitally in the form of binary digits

Info

rmati

on

Tech

nolo

gy

Use technology to purposefully create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content

Recognise common uses of information technology beyond school

Be discerning in evaluating digital content

Select, use and combine a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices to design and create a range of programs, systems and content that accomplish given goals including collecting, analysing, evaluating and presenting data and information

Undertake creative projects that involve selecting, using and combining multiple applications, preferably across a range of devices, to achieve challenging goals, including collecting and analysing data and meeting the needs of known users

Create, reuse, revise and repurpose digital artefacts for a given audience, with attention to trustworthiness, design and usability

Develop their capability, creativity and knowledge in digital media and information technology

Digi

tal

Lite

racy

Use technology safely and respectfully, keeping personal information private

Identify where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the Internet or other online technologies

Use technology safely, respectfully and responsibly

Recognise acceptable / unacceptable behaviour

Identify a range of ways to report concerns about content and contact

Understand a range of ways to use technology safely, respectfully, responsibly and securely, including protecting their online identity and privacy

Recognise inappropriate content, contact and conduct and know how to report concerns

Understand how changes in technology affect safety, including new ways to protect their online privacy and identity and how to report a range of concerns

Assessment post levelsAt the time of writing (Feb 2014) we’re in a bit of a difficult position. The DfE says we shouldn’t use levels as they were never designed to be an exact measure. Learning doesn’t always (if ever!) happen in a neat, linear fashion so the idea of making a certain number of split levels of progress in a set period of time was always a bit of a statistical fantasy. But, as teachers, we’re still held accountable to proving that each student has made demonstrable progress and all our assessment procedures are built around ‘old’ national curriculum levels.

Various alternatives have been mooted, (e.g. letters, colours, badges, hairstyles) but they all involve the teacher going through the arduous task of ‘which attainment description most closely matches the piece of work that I’m supposed to be marking’ and the student then being afraid to be the first to ask ‘what does this number / colour / badge actually mean and how can I get better?’

As a teacher I want something fast and unambigious because I hate spending time marking and I need to be objective rather than subjective when comparing the progress of one student to that of another.

As a parent I’d want something with inherent meaning and value so that I don’t have to defer to a smug teacher at a parents’ evening lecturing me what all the different numbers / colours / symbols mean.

As a student I’d want something that recognises what I’ve done and points me towards what I need to do without needing further explanation from my teacher.

What are the options?I didn’t ever really feel that I got any of that with the old NC levels. APP was an improvement but it was burdensome. Mark Dorling’s progression pathways2 is a great step in the right direction but the statements would still be confusing to a lot of my students.

2 Progression Pathways Assessment Framework KS1 (Y1) to KS3 (Y9): http://community.computingatschool.org.uk/resources/1692

Matthew Parry has converted these into ‘I can statements’3 which is very helpful:

The problem with progression pathways now is that it’s not clear what’s expected at each key stage whereas as a teacher I’d like to know what’s expected at each year. Obviously, some students will be above or below average, but I’d like a starting point and an ending point for each year.

The splitting of the curriculum into 6 sections is neat, but I’d ideally prefer a simpler 3 way split, much like the one in the excellent joint CAS / Naace primary guidance booklet4 which splits the curriculum into the three strands shown at the beginning of this document (CS, IT and DL):

3 "I can" statements for Progression Pathways by Mark Dorling: http://community.computingatschool.org.uk/resources/17444 Computing in the National Curriculum: A guide for Primary Teachers by CAS / Naace: http://www.computingatschool.org.uk/data/uploads/CASPrimaryComputing.pdf

Another approach is a Jane Waite5 style document that lets the “I can” statements be ticked off as a student completes a certain amount of work, with some indication level of confidence / understanding that the student has shown. Too many boxes to tick are a bad thing, but carefully selected and well worded “I can statements”, with a simple formula for how many ticks equate to each grade could be a really simple way for teachers to assess work and a really useful piece of feedback to a student who wants to know how to improve.

Bloom’s TaxonomyThe CAS / Naace document also mentions the idea of using Bloom’s taxonomy to differentiate between students who can just reel off the facts and those that have properly understood them, applied them and used them to inform and extend their work. I like this idea a lot because I believe a vibrant, challenging and engaging curriculum should be much more than the accumulation of facts (take note Mr Gove…).

I read around a little6 and tried to map out “I can statements on a flattened Bloom models (as there was a lot of debate around which of analyse, evaluate and create was the best but a clear consensus that applying knowledge is better than understanding it which is better than just simply remembering it:

5 KS1 Programming Progression Grid through I can statements adapted by Matthew Parry: http://community.computingatschool.org.uk/resources/11806 Some interesting (if you’re interested in that sort of thing!) reading on Bloom’s taxonomy in Computing: Is Bloom’s Taxonomy appropriate for Computer Science? http://kar.kent.ac.uk/14605/1/Is_BloomColin.pdf and Beyond Bloom: http://www4.uwsp.edu/education/lwilson/curric/newtaxonomy.htm

This is all very well in theory, but what does all of that look like and how does it help me assess my students? Taking a deep breath, I decided to try to map the KS1 and KS2 computing curriculum “I can statements” to the different levels of understanding in Bloom’s taxonomy (see next page)

High

er le

vel o

f und

erst

andi

ng

Remembering: Retrieving, recalling, or recognizing knowledge from memory

Understanding:  Generating  meaning from knowledge or fact:  interpreting, exemplifying, classifying, summarizing, inferring, comparing, and explaining. 

Applying:  Carrying out or using a procedure through executing, or implementing. Applying related and refers to situations where learned material is used through products like models, presentations, interviews or simulations.

Analyzing:  Breaking material or concepts into parts, determining how the parts relate or interrelate to one another or to an overall structure or purpose

Evaluating:  Making judgments based on criteria and standards through checking and critiquing.

Creating: Putting elements together to form a coherent or functional whole; reorganizing elements into a new pattern or structure through generating, planning, or producing.

2014 Computing Curriculum: Key Stage 1Remember Understand Apply Analyse Evaluate Create

Com

pute

r Sci

ence

I know what an algorithm is

I know what a computer program is

I know what it means to run a program

I know what a “bug” is

I know what it means to debug a program

I can explain the steps in a simple algorithm

I can explain how a computer follows an algorithm

I can explain why debugging is useful

I can tell when a program runs correctly or has an error

I can follow an algorithm without a computer

I can run a program

I can use a program to solve a problem

I can use a debugger to step through a program

I can break a problem down into smaller steps

I can spot an error in algorithm

I can find a bug in a program

I can compare different algorithms in terms of speed and how easy they are to follow

I can predict how a computer program will behave

I can argue what problems are best solved by either computer programs or humans

I can write an algorithm on paper

I can fix a bug in a program

I can write a simple program

Info

rmati

on

Tech

nolo

gy

I know what a file is

I know what a computer is

I can explain why it can be useful to use a computer

I can use a computer to create a file (document / presentation / picture etc…)

I can save my work on a computer

I can organise my files on a computer

I can open work on a computer

I can edit my work on a computer

I can list jobs done by a computer inside school

I can list jobs done by a computer outside of school

I can say when it’s better to use a computer and when it’s better not to.

I can create something useful on the computer

Digi

tal L

itera

cy

I know the difference between private and public

I can list some dangers of using the Internet

I can explain why it’s important to be safe online

I can describe what information should be kept private

I can use a computer safely

I can use the Internet without giving away private information

I can send a message using a computer without upsetting anyone

I can recognise something online as bad or wrong

I can recognise something online as good or helpful

I can say how my school could make its students safer online

I can say how my family could be safer online

I can tell people what they can do if they see anything bad online

2014 Computing Curriculum: Key Stage 2Remember Understand Apply Analyse Evaluate Create

Com

pute

r Sci

ence

I know what sequence means

I know what selection means

I know what repetition means

I know what a variable is

I know what an algorithm is

I know what a program is

I know what debugging is

I know what computer control means

I know what simulation means

I know what a physical system is

I know what the Internet is

I know what a network is

I can explain the difference between input and output

I can give some examples of what algorithms can be used for

I can explain why programs need to be tested and debugged

I can explain why computers are sometimes used to control things

I can explain why computers are sometimes used to simulate things

I can follow a sequence of instructions

I can make a decision based on a selection instruction

I can repeat something a certain number of times

I can use a variable to keep track of something (e.g. counting)

I can design a program on paper

I can split a problem into smaller parts

I can use a program to control a gadget

I can use a program to simulate a physical system

I can tell when an algorithm has worked or not

I can explain how an algorithm works

I can run a program

I can spot when a program goes wrong

I can compare two different algorithms that do the same thing in different ways

I can debug a program to fix a problem

I can explain the strengths and weaknesses of using a simulation compared the real thing

I can write my own algorithm

I can fix an error in an algorithm

I can write my own programs

I can write a program that controls a gadget

I can make a simulation of a physical system

Info

rmati

on T

echn

olog

y

I know what communication is

I know what collaboration is

I know what data is

I know what information is

I know what software is

I know what searching the Internet means

I know what relevant means

I can explain the difference between data and information

I can choose which program to use to make a piece of work

I can explain what the Internet can be used for

I can explain how the Internet lets people communicate

I can explain how the Internet lets people collaborate

I can explain why some search results appear higher than others on a search engine

I can use the Internet to communicate with other people

I can use the Internet to collaborate with other people

I can use software to create work for a given purpose

I can use a computer to collect data

I can search for information on the Internet

I can ignore information that isn’t relevant

I can describe what can go wrong when using the Internet to communicate or collaborate

I can use a computer to analyse data to show something useful

I can work out which search result is the most relevant

I can evaluate how well a piece of work does what it’s supposed to do

I can explain the advantages and disadvantages of using the Internet to communicate

I can create my own piece of work

I can present my work to others using a computer / device

I can create advice for others on how to search effectively online

Digi

tal L

itera

cy

I know what respectful means

I know what responsible means

I know what safe means

I know how to report unacceptable uses of technology

I can explain the difference between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour (when using technology)

I understand why people need to be safe online

I understand why people should be responsible online

I understand why people should be respectful online

I can use technology safely

I can use technology in a responsible way

I can use technology in a respectful way

I can report unacceptable uses of technology

I can spot acceptable and unacceptable behaviour (when using technology)

I can evaluate how safe someone’s behaviour is (when using technology)

I can evaluate how responsible someone’s behaviour is (when using technology)

I can evaluate how respectful someone’s behaviour is (when using technology)

I can create something that tells people how to stay safe

I can create something that tells people how to use technology responsibly

I can create something that tells people how to use technology respectfully

Is anyone actually still reading at this point?! If so, you’ll have noticed that I’ve not done KS3 or KS4 yet… Would it be useful to anyone?

My ideal solutionIn an ideal world, I’d like a computerised assessment system that had all the “I can” statements already pre-loaded. I could then plan my scheme of work by thinking of something fun that students could do and picking off the “I can statements” for that project.

It would then generate a Jane Waite style ticklist that students can use to guide them through their work (no more “what do I do next?!”) Teachers could use the ticklist to assess the work with a minimum of fuss, subjectivity or ambiguity, just a tick in a box to say whether they’ve done it or not.

Because each “I can” statement was mapped to a level of understanding (remember, understand, apply…) you could then get a breakdown of depth of understanding for each pupil.

Because each “I can” statement was mapped to the original curriculum statements, you’d be able to get a breakdown of the breadth of coverage of the curriculum.

Finally, if you adapted Jane’s tick sheets to allow you to say how much support was given to each student (Couldn’t do this at all, needed help for all of it, needed help for some of it, did it on my own) you’d have a breakdown of the level of independence that each student works at.

So for each student, the teacher would get something like this:

Name: Joe Blogger Teacher: Mrs Computer Subject: Computing

Project: eSafety Animation

Task Completed:

max 3 ticks

Help needed0-3 ticks

I know what software is I know what safe means I can choose which program to use to make a piece of work I can use software to create work for a given purpose I know what respectful means I know what responsible means I know what safe means I know how to report unacceptable uses of technology I can create something that tells people how to use technology responsibly I can create something that tells people how to stay safe I can use technology safely

Ideally, this would all be done online, so that the data is stored for the teacher to review and the student / parent to refer back to. The data would then be used to generate the following summary:

Name: Joe Blogger Teacher: Mrs Computer Subject: Computing

Amount completed: 21/33: 64%

Depth of understanding:7/12: 58%

Independence: 29/33: 88%

Average: 70%

How the grades are calculatedAmount completed would be calculated by adding up the number of ticks in the completed column and dividing by the maximum possible number of ticks. This tells the teacher / student / parent how much of the work the student is doing, giving an indication of pace and ability to keep up.

Depth of understanding would be calculated by the sum of the average amounts completed for each stage in blooms (max three for remembering, max 3 for understanding, max 3 for applying and max 3 for the higher 3 combined). This tells the teacher / student / parent how deeply the student is processing the information to be able to do something useful with it.

Independence would be done by counting up the number of ticks and taking it away from the maximum possible number of ticks in the help needed column. This gives the teacher / student / parent an indication of how well the student is able to motivate and manage themselves through a piece of work.

This would be a pain in the backside to do by hand, but would be trivial for a computerised system to do the calculations. A computerised system could also keep track of progress and give a breakdown of strands (CS / IT / DL) or level of understanding over time.

The big questions are:

1) Would this system be useful?

and

2) Who’s going to make it?!

All comments and criticisms welcome. This is not an officially endorsed piece of work, just a collection of thoughts. I’ve cobbled this document together pretty quickly so there are bound to be mistakes. If I’ve stolen someone else’s ideas without crediting them, let me know – it’s not deliberate.