Assessment. A guide to pupil levels and progress.
From the time your child joins our school they will be assessed. In the foundation stage assessment takes place through formal and informal observations which are matched to six areas of learning covering mathematics, literacy, knowledge and understanding, creative and physical activities and personal and social development
In years 1-6 children follow the national curriculum. The National Curriculum determines which subjects children must study at school. It also divides them into age groups called Key Stages. At each Key Stage, all children in state schools will study certain subject areas, following the National Curriculum.
At the end of each key stage, in year 2 and 6, all children are formally assessed. This assessment is used along with the national tests to measure your child’s progress.
Foundation Stage: Nursery to year R Reception
Key stage One: Year one and two.
Key Stage Two: Years three, four, five and six.
The National Curriculum levels
During Key Stages 1 and 2, progress in most National Curriculum subjects is assessed against five levels.
Attainment Levels describe exactly what a child working at that level will be achieving.
Each level from 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest, have specific outcomes. (Refer to our attached year target sheets)
Levels are then divided into ‘sub-levels’ – the letters a,b or c (although these aren’t always given to parents). An ‘a’ means a child is performing very consistently and securely within the level and is ready for the next one, a ‘b’ means they are ‘secure’ and a ‘c’ means they are less so and just starting on this stage. A child achieving 1a would be working strongly within the level 1 criteria and be ready for level 2 work.
As a general guide the expected levels for the end of each year group are:
Year 1: 1b
Year 2: 2b
Year 3: 2a/ 3c
Year 4: 3b
Year 5: 3a/4c
Year 6: 4b
Some more able children will exceed these expectations, gaining a level 3 in year 2 or a level 5 in year 6, others will be working at a lower standard. This may seem confusing, but subdividing levels helps teachers to monitor how children are progressing from term to term. For example, a child who moves from Level 3c to 3a over a year is clearly making good progress, even though s/he has stayed at the same level. A child who moves from Level 3a to 4c will not have progressed as much, despite moving from one level to the next. Most children making normal progress will move around three sub levels in two years, so if they are at a level 2a at the end of year 2, we would expect them to achieve around a level 3a at the end of year 4.
At the end of Key Stage 1 the level is based on teacher’s assessment, taking into account a child’s performance in several tasks and tests. At Year One a new phonics assessment will be put in place. It will consist of both real and fictitious words based on phonic sounds. The details will emerge this year. At the end of Key Stages 2 the level will reflect the teacher’s assessment and the national assessment tests. This is going to change and a combination of new assessments and teacher assessments are going to be put in place.
Some children may be working below the expected level and the school will identify these children and put in place extra support.
In year 1 teacher assessment is used to measure progress. In years 3, 4 and 5 we use optional tests to help assess children’s progress. These formal tests take place in the first half of the summer term, during May at the same time as the national assessments.
In Years 1-6, teacher’s set termly individual targets in mathematics, reading and writing and annual targets in science. These targets are assessed through on-going monitoring, where staff are continually assessing children’s progress on a more informal basis based on key skills. Other subjects such as geography and history are also assessed in this way.
Assessments focus on a specific aspect, for example in literacy we may look at their progress in story writing in one half term and their ability to write a piece of instructional writing in the following half term. Part of the assessment will include a focus target, such as correct use of sentence construction. In numeracy we may look at their ability to complete problem solving questions in one half term and their multiplication skills in a second half term.
Parents will be given their child’s targets in a specific format at the start of the Autumn Term.
In Reception children are set targets based on the foundation stage stepping stones and early learning goals.
If a child fails to make expected progress at the end of a term, they are closely monitored during the next half term and extra support is put in place if they continue to fall behind. Children don’t all make expected progress all the time. In year 3, for example, children nationally make slower progress, and often make accelerated progress in year 6. Similarly in year 1, children make less significant progress following transition from the foundation stage and often make good progress in year 2.
The Department for Education Teaching and Learning site provides additional information.
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning
It is confusing enough for teachers so do not hesitate to ask for advice from your class teacher. Change to the curriculum is planned but at the earliest 2013-2014.
Here are the parent target sheets we use at the start of term. They provide level descriptors for numeracy and literacy by level which is an overview of what is expected to be achieved at that level.
parents and target proforma Y2 Y3 parents and target proforma Y4 Y5 parents and target proforma Y6
The next two files provide you with a more detailed view of what is expected. The reading levels are designed for our pupils, whilst the writing levels for the teachers. The various references to strands and AF’s are for the teachers, but this overview highlights the depth of what is expected of children. Mathematics is not included at this time. Use the level descriptions in the parent target sheets as the most useful guide.