Assessment without levels

Shaun Allison & Emma Mason@shaun_allison @EmmaEMccannhttp://classteaching.wordpress.com/

• Help us to refine our Growth & Threshold model, by questioning us.

• Get you thinking about AWL without levels in your own context.

• Help you to overcome any obstacles, if you choose to implement it, in your own school.

Why scrap levels?

Group Director of Assessment Research and Development, Cambridge AssessmentYou Tube: National Curriculum: Tim Oates on assessment

Why scrap levels?

1. Never meant to be a label – meant to support progress.

2. Undue pace – focus on getting through levels quickly, rather than embedding deep understanding of key concepts.

3. Levels mean different things – marks on a test, APP work best matched a descriptor or ‘just in….’

4. Successful nations don’t use them – children capable of anything because of effort put in…not because they are level 4, 5 etc.

Teacher (interview)

“If your target is a level 5, you can try the extension task”

Headteacher (not SMR!)

“Thinking about it, our KS3 teacher assessments are always bang on target or

above….but our GCSE results are crap!”

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=opportunity+knocks&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=rFZB4dSlZrleqM&tbnid=tQmDJa75AeGYNM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://gigsmacked.com/2011/12/22/guest-post-by-weston-mccready-if-opportunity-knocks/&ei=D5ueU-D6GaWa1AWy94D4Cw&bvm=bv.68911936,d.ZWU&psig=AFQjCNHdla6NtBjs44VV8MYONRKeHu8HvA&ust=1402989693304249

Austin’s Butterfly – Ron Berger

Austin’s Butterfly – Ron Berger

“I’ve had a look through and we’re definitely on the same page with the approach.”

Dylan Wiliam (in response to looking at our model)

Where we are• May 2014 – DfE announced we were successful with bid.• May 2014 – appointed assessment innovators to lead the

re-write of KS3 curriculum and assessment.• September 2014 – teaching new KS3 curriculum to Y8• October 2014 – parents evening session where AWL was

explained to parents• November 2014 – first Y8 AWL tracking point (data

gathering)• December 2014 – First Y8 reports went home• Feb 2015 – 2nd set of Yr8 reports going home• Feb 2015 – Final Growth & Threshold model was sent to

the DfE• June 2015 – Last set of Yr8 reports going home• June 2015 – Departments getting Yr7 and Yr9 schemes of

work finalised• June 2015 – Discussions regarding KS4

Growth & Threshold Model

• What are the ‘big ideas’ in each subject?• What do students need to master in order to

be successful in KS4?• What does excellence look like?

• Use this to set the bar of expectation – with progression through the thresholds.

• Focus assessment on what counts – key knowledge and skills.

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=spreadsheets&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=pn1OdkvWmO46MM&tbnid=e-tWb9nPWXusMM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spreadsheet&ei=tuWfU-qGFIOH0AWKv4HYDw&bvm=bv.68911936,d.ZWU&psig=AFQjCNHUAJH4_85ZZK9BsB766Cknh4Ozow&ust=1403074333083658

June July July July July2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Y7

Y8

Y9

Y10

Y11

Knowledge & Skills

June July July July July2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Y7

Y8

Y9

Y10

Y11

Knowledge & Skills

Plan backwards

What are the ‘Big Ideas’?

e.g. In Science:

• Cells• Particles• Energy• Forces• Interdependence

These should shape your key knowledge

Each unit of work starts with ‘Threshold Assessment Table’

•Don’t assess everything.•Select the key knowledge & skills in that unit of work, that students need to be successful at the end of KS4.•That becomes the focus of the assessment & feedback for that unit of work.

Learning Schedule for a Unit of Work

English

Maths

Different from levels?

• Not assigned a target level – high expectations for all – Growth Mindset.

• Assessment is based on progress made – so celebrates effort of all students, with different starting points.

• Our teachers set the standard of excellence expected – reinforces our high standards.

• Not given feedback such as ‘you’re a 4a’ – but focused on formative feedback that makes students think about how to progress.

• Rubrics used for planning teaching and progression – not assigning numbers.

Grade C

Expected Progress

KS2 Level 4

Formative assessment• Ongoing.• All lessons.• Use the threshold rubrics for personalised and

specific feedback.• And to plan progression in teaching

Focus for students is HOW to improve, not how much they

have to do to get to the next

level/step/badge

Summative assessments

• 3 times a year.• Format of assessment is appropriate to each

subject.• Assessments assess all thresholds– Students do assessment.– Compare student performance to baseline

threshold.– Report progress made.

Good progress

Expected Progress

Exceptional Progress

Less than expected progress

Baseline Threshold+1

0

+2

-1

Using the thresholds for each assessment, where is the student relative to their baseline threshold?

Above baseline threshold

Below baseline threshold

Threshold Assessment

Planning backwards – what are the key knowledge and skills needed in each threshold, in each year, to ensure progression?

How will they be assessed?

How will the thresholds be ‘moderated’?

• Allows underachieving students to be identified and interventions planned.• Allows performance of classes/ subjects to be monitored - % of students

making good, expected, less than expected progress.• Ensures students of all abilities can be praised for the effort and progress they

are making – in the same way.• Supports long term goals – and monitoring progress towards them.

Assessment Innovators

• Humanities – Ben Crockett• Art & Design – Emma Wade• PE & Performing Arts – Jack Corbett• English – Jo Grimwood• Maths - Sam Down & Emma Mason• Science - Simona Trignano• Computing – Chloe Gardner• MFL – Pam Graham

Impact since September

• Level of challenge in Y8 lessons has increased dramatically.

• Response to feedback• • Celebrate the success of all students who are

making good progress, irrespective of their starting points

• Focus interventions meaningfully for students in all of the thresholds.

Overcoming barriers• Change of mindset – mostly for staff.

• Exceeding excellence.

• Avoiding the temptation to link it to a future GCSE grade. • High ability students fixed mindsets coming to the fore.

• Moderating the level of challenge in the thresholds within subjects, but also between subjects.

Some key points/ questions we are still thinking about:

• How will standardisation of the thresholds within and between subjects happen?

• Will students/ parents be told forecast grades in Yr 9?

• Should the ‘baseline threshold’ be reviewed each year?

• Will the thresholds be the same in each subject?

• What else is reported at each Tracking point eg effort/behaviour?

• What about Growth mindset in KS4? Should they have target grades or not?