Teacher Assessment - National Comparative Data?

The table above is taken from a document produced by EES for schools which, in the absence of any national comparative data, takes the sample of pupils from Target Tracker and analyses their performance. According to EES, this analysis document is based on anonymised data taken from schools using Target Tracker and only pupils who have been assessed against the ‘steps’ assessment scale have been included. As Target Tracker is used in 22% of English Primary schools and the nationwide pupil database contains approximately one million pupils, it is statistically relevant. This is the first indicator that might assist us in comparing ourselves to other schools in a meaningful way.

Judging Progress in the New Curriculum

What will progress look like in the new curriculum, life beyond levels? We've been attempting to use our assessment tools to define what good progress and attainment will look like. Having worked through the new curriculum for almost a complete academic year, we are very much in a position to begin the next one knowing exactly what our issues are. Our pupils have all been placed on a 'step' or within a band in the new curriculum and we know what our strengths and weaknesses are as a school. So now, with the floor target of 85% in mind, it's on with the job...! It's not going to be easy but it will be exciting!

Our KS1 & KS2 National Assessment Results 2015

We are really pleased with our results this year and proud of what the children have achieved. Further analysis will follow but the summaries for KS1 and 2 are below.

These tables below show the percentage of Year 6 pupils at Bitterne Manor Primary School achieving each level, compared to national end of Key Stage 2 teacher assessment levels and test results. The shaded sections of the tables represent 2014 national teacher assessment and test result data.

Figures may not total 100 per cent because of rounding.

This table below shows the percentage of eligible children at Bitterne Manor Primary School achieving each level, compared to national end of Key Stage 1 teacher assessment levels. The shaded sections of the table represent 2014 national teacher assessment data for core subjects.

Figures may not total 100 per cent because of rounding.

When Children Want to Learn... They Will!

Our staff training day last week was spent pondering 'life beyond levels' and what this meant for our pupils' progress and attainment. Many questions still remain in our minds about how the DfE will define a National standard but we are confident that we have the skills to show how well our children are doing. One of the key lessons learnt from our work on steps and bands so far is that securing an accurate judgement of where the children are is fundamentally important in determining what this attainment and progress will look like. We have realised that there are limits on equating what a pupil has covered in the curriculum with what they have mastered and that these can mean two different things. In other words, covering a lot of stuff quickly doesn't make a good learner. As teachers, we need to get our pupils to show what they can do by providing them with much deeper and broader opportunities through our curriculum.

‘Children need teachers who understand they are individuals, each with his or her own unique brilliance within. Education is about bringing out that person…not achieving statistical success according to a strict narrow criteria.’

Michael Morpurgo

A Step Forward for Assessment...

As a school, we have been subscribing to the Target Tracker system for tracking our pupil progress. In a recent circulation, the company have released a set of documents - freely available - called 'Steps'. Developed in partnership with EES Education Consultants, Steps has been designed to address the removal of levels in the 2014 and support teachers in making judgements about pupil progress and achievement in the new National Curriculum and, of course,  for use with the Target Tracker Assessment software. Steps breaks the new curriculum into easy-to-understand statements providing a manageable set of tools to enable teachers to carry out formative pupil assessment effectively. Forgive the pun but we think this is a useful step forward...