Fazakerley High School. Assessment Policy

Transcription

1 Fazakerley High School Assessment Policy 2018

2 Rationale At Fazakerley High School we have revised our assessment procedures in light of the government s reducing teacher workload review. All assessment at FHS must: inform pupil progress have a positive impact on pupil outcomes be good use of teachers time. Principles There are minimum expectations for all teachers regardless of their subject or personally preferred approaches. This assessment policy sets out those minimum expectations for all teachers at Fazakerley High School and these are linked to the Teachers Standards: S6 Make accurate and productive use of assessment a. know and understand how to assess the relevant subject and curriculum areas, including statutory assessment requirements b. make use of formative and summative assessment to secure pupils progress c. use relevant data to monitor progress, set targets, and plan subsequent lessons d. give pupils regular feedback, both orally and through accurate marking, and encourage pupils to respond to the feedback. S2 Promote good progress and outcomes by pupils b. be aware of pupils capabilities and their prior knowledge, and plan teaching to build on these c. guide pupils to reflect on the progress they have made and their emerging needs e. encourage pupils to take a responsible and conscientious attitude to their own work and study. S3 Demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge c. demonstrate an understanding of and take responsibility for promoting high standards of literacy, articulacy and the correct use of standard English, whatever the teacher s specialist subject Assessment expectations A teacher should only write in a pupil s book if it is going to impact on progress. The more immediate the feedback the greater the impact. Pupils should take part in and have ownership of their assessment. It is essential that pupils work as hard as their teachers. For this to happen, teachers will ensure their pupils know the answer to the following questions: What am I doing well in this subject? What do I need to do to improve in this subject? If pupils can answer both questions accurately, in subject specific detail, they are receiving and taking an active part in accurate assessment and effective feedback. 1 FHS Assessment Policy SKS

3 The majority of work in pupils books will be self-assessed in the lesson by the pupil (or peerassessed) against a list of success criteria / grading criteria written in language accessible to pupils. In this way pupils will instantly recognise what they have achieved in the lesson and what they need to do to improve. Teachers will give regular verbal feedback in lessons which will not be recorded in pupils books. All teachers will set one formal assessment per half term in each subject. All written formal assessments will use the set school format using past questions from GCSE / Technical Award papers at Key Stage 4 or questions written in that style. Teachers will mark the assessment, share the result with pupils and plan time in subsequent lessons to address mistakes, misconceptions and gaps in knowledge and allow pupils time to address these. Following this, pupils will answer the questions: What am I doing well in this subject? What do I need to do to improve in this subject? Consequently they will have set their own subject specific targets for improvement. All pupils will have one key piece of work diagnostically marked each half term (this may be the formal assessment if appropriate). Teachers will use whole school marking codes (appendix 1) and subject specific marking codes (appendix 2) for feedback to avoid writing repeated comments when marking sets of books. These codes will be attached to pupils books for reference by the pupil when reviewing feedback. Teachers will use the SPAG (Spelling Punctuation and Grammar) marking key (appendix 3) to address spelling and grammatical errors. Assessment Strategies for Teachers and Pupils Teachers will acknowledge and feedback on work in a variety of ways. Below is a description of some methods, however this is not an exhaustive list. Departments and teachers may have additional methods they employ including those which have been agreed following the INSETs on DIRT. Stickers / stamps etc. are also useful for celebrating and encouraging achievement and progress, however they must be used in combination with other methods. Some of the types of formative marking and feedback may include: 1. Feeding back to pupils using marking codes 2. SPAG Marking 3. DIRT Marking 4. Highlighting 5. Verbal Feedback 6. Marking / Corrections during the Lesson 7. Target Setting 8. Peer Assessment and Self Assessment 9. Success Criteria / Assessment Criteria 10. Two Stars and a Wish 11. WWW/EBI 12. Proof Reading 2 FHS Assessment Policy SKS

4 1. Feeding back to pupils using marking codes The agreed whole school codes in appendix 1 and subject codes in appendix 2 should be used by teachers to give clear specific feedback to pupils on what they have done well and how to improve. These codes can also be used during peer and self assessment. 2. SPAG (Spelling Punctuation and Grammar) Marking Marking for literacy addresses spelling, punctuation and grammar. When marking for Literacy, all staff should use the school literacy marking symbols. The marking symbols are displayed in appendix 3. It is not expected that staff correct every punctuation and grammatical error in every piece of writing; neither will every spelling mistake need to be corrected. Where spelling mistakes are addressed teachers should write SP in the margin and either underline the misspelt word, or expect learners to identify it themselves. Depending on ability; learners could then use a dictionary to find the correct spelling. Where dictionaries are not regularly accessible in the lesson, teachers should write SP next to the misspelt word and write the correct spelling in the margin. Learners should respond by writing the correct spelling three times in the margin in purple pen. 3. DIRT (Dedicated Improvement and Reflection Time) As well as providing learners with feedback on the work they have completed and targets for improvements, it is also vital that teachers build into their lesson, opportunities for learners to act upon this information and advice. DIRT is the process of allowing learners to reflect/act upon written and verbal feedback, therefore ensuring the feedback is being put to use and is supporting the progress of our learners. It is important for learners to improve a piece of work before moving on to the next. At FHS learners carry out DIRT work using purple pen. DIRT lessons can take as long as the teacher feels necessary, they can form the starter, or for longer pieces of work, take the whole lesson. DIRT is the good practice of getting learners working really hard to ensure that the standard of their work is the best it can be. DIRT promotes independence and learning from previous pieces of work; learners value their work more as a result. For DIRT to be effective it needs to take place as soon as possible after the initial piece of work. Examples of DIRT: Reflection and responding to precise feedback. Learners using teacher feedback to analyse their own work, step by step, improving methodology and accuracy of answer. Feedback in the form of questions to extend learners understanding. This scaffolds learner understanding, step by step, with the expectation that learners act upon their feedback using DIRT writing an appropriate detailed response to teacher feedback. 3 FHS Assessment Policy SKS

5 Encouraging learners to draft and proof read their work with a clear signal that improving their writing and literacy is a basic, but crucial expectation of their learning. In this case DIRT is about improving extended writing and ensuring learners proof read their work automatically. 4. Highlighting Highlighting positive sections of work in green and sections to be improved in pink clearly signposts to learners where they have done well and which parts of their work need improvement. Learners can be asked to annotate or summarise their strengths and targets based on the highlighting. 5. Verbal Feedback Verbal feedback is an essential form of formative feedback which is highly valued by learners. Some departments may use this type of feedback more frequently because of the nature of their subject, for example in art, design and technology, performing arts, music, physical education etc. the most effective feedback is often verbal. Verbal feedback is most valuable to learners when it is clear and relates to a specific aspect of their work. Teachers should not record verbal feedback in pupils books, however teachers can ask pupils to make a note of the feedback on their work if they feel it would be useful as a reminder for the pupil. 6. Marking / Corrections during the Lesson Marking and making corrections during the lesson can be a very efficient use of a teacher s time. Carrying this out while the learner is present has high impact and allows learners to question for understanding and to respond immediately where suitable. 7. Target Setting Target setting should take place once each half term after formal assessments. The Head of Faculty is responsible for checking that regular target setting is taking place which will be visible in learners work as a yellow or green target sticker or the pro-forma devised by the faculty. Learners are required to respond to the targets for improvement set by the teacher, by stating what they can do well and setting their own personalised targets or defining what they need to do to improve. It should be noted that a learner simply writing I agree or similar is not a suitable response and does not illustrate the learner s understanding of the target. Targets should use subject specific language. 4 FHS Assessment Policy SKS

6 8. Peer and Self Assessment This can be a useful activity if done in an environment where learners have been given guidance on how to carry it out effectively. It may take various forms for example assessing against success criteria, two stars and a wish, highlighter marking, use of the school literacy marking symbols etc. Teacher professionalism should be used whilst planning the lesson to ascertain which method will be most effective. 9. Success Criteria / Assessment Criteria Success Criteria / assessment criteria should be used regularly in lessons so that pupils can peer / self assess during and at the end of the lesson. The teacher can devise the list of success criteria before the lesson or they can be agreed with pupils at the start of the lesson once the task has been explained (in doing this, pupils have ownership of the criteria and they are clearly understood). Pupils should then be encouraged to check their work periodically through the lesson and at the end against the criteria and make improvements as they go along. 10. Two Stars and a Wish Two stars and a wish is a feedback and target setting method which many learners are familiar with from primary school and one which they understand and are comfortable with. The teacher or pupil writes two stars (positive comments about two things which have gone well) and one wish (a suggestion / question which when responded to provides opportunity for further progress). 11. WWW/EBI What went well /even better if can be used as a marking strategy by the teacher or as a peer / self assessment tool. It is a similar approach to two stars and a wish. 12. Proof Reading Learners should be encouraged to proof read their work and make corrections at all times. This encourages learners to develop independent study skills and contributes to minimising teacher workload. Proof reading may be employed as a defined strategy when, for example, an extended piece of work is being submitted. The teacher may request that the work is proof read by the learner before submission for marking. 5 FHS Assessment Policy SKS

7 Work Scrutiny Work scrutiny at Fazakerley High School is carried out in two ways to ensure consistency and quality, both within departments and across the whole school. Departmental Procedures for Work Scrutiny Work Scrutiny will be carried out half termly throughout the year by the Head of Faculty. SLT faculty line managers should be invited to take part in the process. It is the responsibility of the Head of Faculty to inform teachers of the dates for planned scrutiny for the year. Heads of Faculty will ensure that: departmental procedures are being carried out effectively by all staff feedback is regular, personalised and constructive work is suitably targeted for learners there is evidence that learners review their own work and respond to feedback teachers have high expectations of learners both in terms of challenge and standard of work completed by learners opportunities are given for learners to work collaboratively and independently using both peer and self assessment mistakes in spelling and grammar are addressed using the school s SPAG symbols there is evidence that learners are making sustained progress over time and that this progress is visible in books / folders in the form of a department tracker / flight path. Whole School Work Scrutiny Whole school Work Scrutiny will be carried out at specific points during the academic year by a designated group of senior leaders. At the start of each academic year the timetable for whole school work scrutiny will be added to the school calendar. Specific groups of pupils (for example under achieving high ability boys) may be targeted in response to data over the academic year. Senior Leaders, Lead Practitioners and the SENCO will ensure that: the school s assessment policy is being followed learners are given the opportunity to discuss their work through a pupil voice session which will be fed back to all staff a written feedback summary of the work scrutiny is issued to all staff written constructive feedback is issued to Heads of Faculty which should then be shared with the faculty and discussed in the following faculty meeting the Heads of Faculty are offered a face to face meeting with the member of the team carrying out the scrutiny to discuss the feedback and agree any necessary actions any issues arising as a result of the scrutiny are discussed with the relevant Heads of Faculty and relevant action taken by a member of SLT. 6 FHS Assessment Policy SKS

8 Appendix 1 Code Meaning Explanation IP Whole School Marking Codes Improve presentation You should always produce your neatest work and best handwriting in future. TDU Title, date, underline Write the title, date and underline. PR Proof read Read back through what you have written. Check that what you have written makes sense and that there are no SPAG mistakes. FS Full sentences Use full sentences. U Unfinished work Complete the unfinished work in DIRT / next lesson. C+P Copied and pasted This work has been copied and pasted. Put into your own words; this does not mean just changing some words. Read it then rephrase. D Add detail Go into more detail with your answer by adding further information to give a clearer picture. E Explain Explain your ideas or thinking clearly and in detail. J Justify Justify your answer. I think. Because. K Keyword Use the correct subject specific terminology or keyword. WOW Fantastic piece of work All the success criteria have been met. Great effort Great effort shown in this piece of work. 7 FHS Assessment Policy SKS

9 Appendix 2 Faculty / Subjecty codes to be added once agreed within faculties. 8 FHS Assessment Policy SKS

10 Appendix 3 Marking Symbols Look Correct Sp Ww NP// P C ^^ Exp Spelling mistake Wrong Word used New paragraph Punctuation Capital Letter A word or letter is missing Expression Learn Fazakerley High School 9 FHS Assessment Policy SKS

11 Appendix 4 Dos and Don ts for teachers and why this is better for pupils Don t Do Why this is better for pupils Don t mark everything yourself. Plan peer and self assessment tasks against success criteria into your lessons. Pupils have ownership of their learning and understand what the need to do Don t diagnostically mark every piece of work. Don t write extensive comments. Don t make literacy corrections for pupils. Do diagnostically mark one piece of work which demonstrates the key skills and/or knowledge required for that half term. Do use the agreed marking codes and make pupils use the key in their books to identify what they have done well and what they need to do to improve. Do use the SPAG marking codes and have pupils make the corrections themselves during DIRT. to improve. Pupils have a manageable set of targets to work on for that half term. This half term I am working on improving my Pupils often struggle to read teachers handwriting. Pupils have to work to identify their feedback. Pupils enjoy the fun of looking up the codes and deciphering. Pupils understand the importance of literacy and take ownership by making their own corrections. Don t save all your marking for PPA time / after school / home. Don t mark work with obvious careless mistakes. Don t get pupils to swap work when marking mini tests / quizzes. Don t keep marking in the same way (e.g. two stars and a wish) just because you have always done it that way. Don t write generic phrases such as good work or excellent. Don t keep writing the same comments on many pupils work. Don t mark for the adult observing / looking at books. Do complete simple marking such as SPAG marking during the lesson while you are moving around the classroom. Do encourage pupils to review their work and proof read during the lesson before submitting work for marking. Do get pupils to mark their own tests / quizzes in green or purple pen and write down the correct answer if they got the answer wrong. Do think about what the most effective assessment strategy is for that piece of work before pupils complete it. Plan HOW you or the pupils will assess the work in advance. Do identify specifically what aspect of the work deserves praise and use the marking codes where possible. Use the whole school or subject marking codes. If none are applicable, review the codes within your faculty or suggest an addition to the whole school codes. Do mark for the pupils. Make sure your valuable time spent marking has impact. The pupil can respond to your marking immediately. Marking has instant impact. Pupils develop independent study skills. Pupils know immediately what mistakes they have made and record the correct answer for future reference. Pupils receive feedback in the most meaningful, useful way. This builds self esteem because pupils know their specific efforts have paid off. Pupils have to decode your feedback and will therefore engage with it in more detail. Pupils will benefit form 100% of what you write. 10 FHS Assessment Policy SKS