Assessment

The government is measuring the success of departments in terms of the percentage of pupils who make a minimum of 3 levels of progress from KS2 to KS4, this spreadsheet gives you a possible progression map to use to monitor your pupils progress across the 5 years - Click here

Assessing Pupil Progress (APP) and Assessment for Learning (AfL)

APP is about providing a standardised means of measuring pupil attainment and it provides a structured approach to in-school assessment which:

  • enables teachers to make judgements about their pupils’ attainment, keyed into national standards
  • develops and refines teachers’ understanding of progression in their subject
  • provides diagnostic information about the strengths and weaknesses of individual pupils and groups of pupils
  • enables teachers to track pupils’ progress over time
  • informs curriculum planning
  • facilitates the setting of meaningful curricular targets that can be shared with pupils and parents
  • promotes teaching that’s matched to pupils’ needs
  • supports the transfer of meaningful information at key transitional points, e.g. from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3

  • is not a 'bolt-on' to existing arrangements. APP is all you need

Click here to download a selected part of the recent DfES Powerpoint presentation which clearly explains the rationale that should underpin any form of assessment

 

Recording Sheet


Click here to access an APP sheet from Jonathan McKie covering NC Levels 2 to 8
Click here to access the APP recording sheet by Mark Greenaway - [enter the names across the top and enter r, a or g in the cell]

Click here to access the APP recording sheet from the Kangaroo Maths website
Click here to access the APP recording sheet for the P Levels P1 - NC3
 

Pupil Self Assessment

 

Kangaroo Maths has a wide range of assessment materials including topic tests, progression ladders and self assessment material - brilliant

Schoolwork Progression Ladders for Higher Tier: Transformations              Trigonometry                        Area & Volume      
                                                                  Data Collection               Percentages/Calculations      Statistics
Pupil Self Assessment Checklists Levels 3 to 8 from Bristol CYP
Key objectives for self assessment Levels 3 - 8
Key Objectives Colourful Poster useful for Self Assessment
Pupil Self Assessment following a test 1
Pupil Self Assessment following a test 2
Pupil Self Tracking performance document
Self Assessment - Equations Exemplar

 

Mark Greenaway Pupil Self Assessment - linked to this APP from above:
NC Level 3 NC Level 4 NC Level 5 NC Level 6 NC Level 7 NC Level 8
GCSE Grade E GCSE Grade D GCSE Grade C GCSE Grade B GCSE Grade A GCSE Grade A*

 

Kangaroo Maths Pupil Self Assessment:  Combined Levels 3-8

 Levels 3-5 Levels 6-8

 

Stoke High Level 3-7 Topic Ladder Foundation GCSE Self Assessment Higher GCSE Self Assessment  

 

Supporting Documents

Click here for DCFS Assessing Pupils' Progress: Focused assessment materials - Levels 4 to 8 with examples and Probing Questions
Click here for document to assist you in assessing pupils at different levels
Click here for an overview document of the progression from Level 2 to level 8
Click here for the NC Level descriptors used in the APP materials and the higher GCSE grade descriptors in word format
Click here for a  DCSF Direct link for materials relating to assessment

AfL Policy - Sir John Leaman

AfL Top Ten Tips - Click here
Click here to visit the DfES website for the AfL units.  These are generic and are designed to support whole-school training and lead to more subject-focused development work in individual departments. The units are to be used selectively according to a school's context and need.

This is a good website for assessment for learning, not maths specific but some good generic ideas and a good site with summary of all black box research etc.
www.aaia.org.uk/assessment.htm

 

APP AT A GLANCE  [John McIntosh]

 

WHY Supports systemic assessment Improves students learning
  Helps students understand where to go next Gives parents/carers better information about students progress
  Informs teacher planning  

 

RESOURCES

Focussed Assessment material

Assessment Packages
  Assessment Guidelines Levelopaedia
  APP Recording Spreadsheet - Above  

 

HOW

Identify learning objective to be assessed and how it is to be assessed (use assessment material/assessment guideline)

Evidence in students books/worksheets
  Observe and listen to students when they are talking Evidence from tests
  Peer assessment Student self-assessment
  Performance/feedback on ICT tasks (eg My Maths)  

 

RECORDING

Mental note made by teachers

Students use self-assessment sheets
  Notes made on focussed assessment materials Notes made on Assessment Guidelines
  Periodic referral to APP Guidelines  
     

Summary of alternative forms of Assessment within Mathematics
Traditionally, assessment has been derived from the curriculum; however, assessment has not been part of a feedback loop linked to instruction. It is now widely believed that assessment must be an integral part of teaching, so that it is used as a tool not merely to collect data, but also to influence instruction.
Click here to download the full document

Exemplars and Guidance

This table was the result of analysing GCSE results in 2006 and looking back at the KS3 levels achieved in Year 9.  This provides an indicator of progression from KS3 to KS4 but is a summary from all schools and not aspirational or even desireable.  For example Suffolk LA were expecting more than 90% of level 6's and 40% of level 5's to get a grade C or above.

Comparison of 2004 KS3 to 2006 GCSE Grades

Good Assessment practice in Mathematics (OFSTED)
Effective assessment practice in mathematics is associated with systematic arrangements for actively promoting, monitoring and recording pupils’ progress. In such circumstances, assessment is used as a teaching tool as well as a means of judging attainment. At best teachers review pupils’ progress closely as part of daily classroom practice, involving pupils in the assessment of their strengths and weaknesses and provide feedback on how to improve. 
Click here to download the full document

Using Assessment to raise achievement in Mathematics at KS1-3 (OFSTED)
Evidence suggests that using good strategies for formative assessment could lead to significant improvements in the performance of pupils. This guidance aims to provide information about using the following techniques: a)  involving pupils in assessing their own performance
b) setting learning goals for pupils and sharing these with them
c) using effective questioning techniques to assess and further pupils’ learning
d) using marking and feedback strategies to inform pupils about their progress

This guidance considers each of these aspects and illustrates how some schools have used them.
Click here to download the full document

Assessment and Target Setting
Assessment, recording and reporting are important elements of teaching but they have to be manageable if the information they yield is to be useful. The best assessment has an immediate impact on teaching, because it alerts you to the needs of pupils who are either out of step or exceeding expectations.
Click here to download the full document

Assessing though Posters
Preparing a poster and presenting and defending it at a poster session encourages a pupil to speak, write and visualise mathematics. We are suggesting that poster creation is a good, alternative, way of encouraging mathematical learning.
Click here to download the full document

Journals
The purpose of a Maths Journal is for the pupil to keep a record of the things they have learnt in Maths lessons over a set period of time.  This can be ...
Click here to download the full document