Transcript Slide 1

AfL and APP: developing good practice in Devon English departments
Assessment for Learning
AfL helps pupils understand where they are in their learning, where
they need to go and how they can get there. By sharing clear learning
objectives, providing informative oral and written feedback, and using
skilful questioning, teachers help pupils to take increasing responsibility
for their own learning. In lessons where AfL is part of everyday teaching,
pupils become increasingly independent, are typically highly motivated
and engage with the learning. A lot of work is in pairs or in small groups.
Pupils regularly reflect on their learning, discuss their work, and seek
advice and assistance when they need it. AfL promotes the full
participation of all pupils of all abilities and a culture in which all pupils
are confident they can improve because they are aware of their
successes and the progress they are making. In lessons, all pupils have
a clear understanding of what they are trying to learn (learning
objectives), how they can recognise achievement (learning
outcomes), what “good” looks like (success criteria) and why they are
learning this (the big picture).
AfL and APP: the national picture
• DCSF has provided extra, ring-fenced funding for schools until 2011 to develop AfL
• APP materials (the Level criteria assessment grids, Teachers’ Handbook and
Standards Files) are available for English, Maths and Science and are being developed
for Foundation subjects
• All Primary schools have been trained in using APP for teacher assessment
• There is a clear expectation that APP will be used by all secondary schools to ensure
robust, accurate and reliable teacher assessment, reported at the end of KS3
AfL and APP: the picture in Devon
The expectation is that all English departments in Devon will make APP approaches and
materials central to effective practice in AfL. Departments that have developed their use
of APP in recent years are clear about the benefits:
• the APP approach is straightforward and manageable
Assessing Pupils’ Progress
How APP is central to AfL:
Day-to-day formative assessment typically means that teachers:
• use the APP guidelines (grids) to inform their understanding of
progression in reading and writing
• share and explain assessment criteria with pupils and involve
them in self and peer assessment
• use the guidelines to inform curricular targets focusing on areas
that need developing for individuals or groups
Periodic assessment (e.g. each term) typically means that
teachers:
• review a range of evidence and use the grids to assign pupils
levels so that their progress can be tracked
• identify next steps in learning for individual pupils
• review the attainment of the whole class to identify weaknesses
and gaps in learning
• revise teaching plans in the light of assessment evidence
This is summative assessment used formatively.
Transitional summative assessment typically means that
teachers:
• use pupils’ APP profiles to report on progress to parents at the
end of the school year or key stage
• use the APP guidelines to make summative judgements of
students’ attainment in reading and writing
• reference these judgements to national standards as
exemplified in the APP Standards Files (standardisation)
• use APP Standards Files and guidelines to agree judgements
of students’ attainment as a department (moderation)
Check!
Are you using the revised (2008) version of the APP Teachers’
Handbook and guidelines which:
• show Levels 2-8 for Reading and Writing
• provide 3 sub-levels (low, secure, high)
• include AF7 for Reading (social, cultural, historical traditions)
• explain how APP links to the new Secondary Framework
• include revised and extended Standards Files?
Are you using the flow charts that explain how to make a best-fit
level judgement of Reading and Writing? These are on pages 18 and
19 of the Teachers’ Handbook
• it gives a detailed profile of what a pupil can do in relation to the assessment
focuses
• it enhances teachers’ subject knowledge and understanding of progression
• it encourages effective self and peer assessment and meaningful, personalised
target setting
The challenge now is to ensure consistency and effectiveness of use across English
departments in Devon and to exploit the potential of APP for improving rates of progress.
The end of external testing at KS3 makes it even more important to ensure that teacher
assessments are robust and reliable, whilst the use of APP by KS2 teachers provides
new opportunities to strengthen transfer and transition.
Key points about using APP for periodic assessment
APP is a process of periodic review of work already done, not a new or one-off
assessment event. The school assessment policy will influence when teachers make
APP judgements but as a basic principle, the work reviewed in each periodic assessment
should cover a range of areas of English and at least one term’s progress. Periodic
assessment will typically take into account end-of-unit assignments (which might be
redrafted), day-to-day work in exercise books, and evidence of attainment recorded
elsewhere e.g. notes made by the teacher as part of an oral assessment of reading. In
deciding a best-fit Level and whether it is low, secure or high, teachers need to take into
account:
• the need for sufficient range of evidence, across the AFs, not just one or two
• the degree of independent attainment shown by the student
There is helpful guidance about these things in the Teachers’ Handbook and in some of
the commentaries in the Standards Files e.g. Pupil 17, Secure 6
Monitoring and evaluation of APP can be based around the following questions:
The APP approach to assessment and planning
APP is primarily an assessment tool. At regular
intervals, which are planned to fit in with school
assessment policy, teachers review pupils' work using
APP guidelines to build a profile of their attainment. The
information gained from the process allows teachers to:
• analyse by AF the relative strengths and weaknesses
of each pupil
• assign each pupil an overall National Curriculum level
for reading and for writing
• use this information to set curricular targets to
strengthen pupils' learning and inform their own future
teaching by making links to the relevant objectives from
the renewed Framework.
The APP criteria should be used to assess learning
outcomes, not to lead the curriculum. It is important that
planning is based on National Curriculum and
Framework objectives to ensure broad curriculum
entitlement. The assessment criteria do, however,
inform planning because teachers need to have an idea
of the type of assessment evidence that any sequence
of lessons will generate; this is why the revised
Framework objectives are linked to AFs and APP
criteria.
Periodic assessment using APP may show up gaps in
curriculum provision as well as areas where pupils are
underperforming. As a consequence, planning and
teaching may need adjusting, either to give a fuller
evidence base or to focus on weak areas.
Student voice sample questions
• What are you good at in reading and writing? How do you
know?
• What (curricular) targets have you worked on so far for
reading and writing? (Which AFs have you focused on?)
• How do you know what your targets are?
• How do you know that you have achieved your target(s) and
been successful?
• Can you show me examples of how you have met your
target(s) in your work?
• If you were going to teach your target(s) to someone else,
how would you do it? What would they need to know?
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Are teachers making judgements based on good quality evidence?
• How have your targets helped you to learn?
•
Are teacher judgements consistent and accurate?
• What do you think your next target(s) should be? Why?
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Are APP judgements being recorded effectively?
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Are teachers using APP assessments to inform their teaching?
• How are your curricular targets helping you achieve your
Key Stage 3 Level?
•
Are appropriate curricular targets being set?
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Are pupils aware of their strengths and weaknesses and what they need to
improve?
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Are parents receiving detailed feedback on their children’s progress?
Resources!
All the revised APP materials, including optional tasks
and blank assessment grids, can be downloaded from
www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/secondary