NASAT: Assessment, Recording & Reporting Policy (Draft) Policy Date January 2013

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1 NASAT: Assessment, Recording & Reporting Policy (Draft) Policy Date January 2013 Background Assessment is an integral part of both teaching and learning. Reporting is the process of providing information about pupil progress to a range of audiences including parents. The proposed SEN Bill represents a cultural change in terms of engagement with parents and families. The draft code of practice puts increased focus on the outcomes that young people and their families want to achieve. It therefore increases the involvement of parents in the assessment, planning and reviewing process. Education, health and care plan pathfinders have been tasked with developing single integrated assessment that informs personalised strategies and that involve the family as well as the young person. The Department for Education identifies the key elements of integrated working as including integrated assessment, information sharing (regular team around the child meetings), and lead professional (to ensure integrated working with families). This policy aims to ensure all schools within the NAS Academy Network embrace this cultural change. Purpose NASAT regard assessment as central to facilitating (as well as evidencing) pupil progress, personalising learning and tailoring teaching to meet individual needs, and ultimately improving outcomes. For students, to celebrate success and achievements of all students and provide pupils with immediate feedback regarding their progress For teachers and professionals, to understand individual needs, to plan and inform learning and interventions and ultimately to facilitate pupil progress For parents, to understand how well their child is progressing For governors and managers, to monitor student progress over time and use data to evaluate practice Terminology Summative assessment is assessment of learning that can provide evidence of progress Formative assessment is assessment for learning that informs and facilitates learning by identifying personalised learning goals and ensuring activities are tailored to individual students learning or development needs Standardised assessments of reading are completed annually Assessment and autism For specialist settings such as NAS Schools there are particular challenges for assessment. For example the progress of pupils with autism is not always linear and skills are rarely generalised spontaneously. Many assessments also rely on the cooperation and engagement of the young person that may be difficult with young people with PDA. Good practice involves using multiple systems and tools for assessing pupils. The AET promote using a wide range of formal and informal of assessing pupil progress in all areas including social communication, emotional well-being and independent living skills. This is necessary because: assessment needs to take place across several different agencies monitoring different areas of functioning (eg physical, social, emotional and cognitive aspects of development) 1

2 autism is a spectrum condition and therefore it is not a case of one size fits even when assessing just one aspect of development Therefore we are not prescriptive in terms of which assessment tools we use. The appropriate professional will select the appropriate assessment tool according to individual needs from a battery of assessments. The professional will clearly explain in any report why this assessment was used and what progress we might hope to see. Initial baseline assessment period NAS Schools conduct a baseline assessment of each student by our team of multiagency professionals within the first four months of being placed at a NAS sponsored school. This initial assessment period is not to assess suitability of placement as that is done during the admissions process (although local authorities may request an assessment place where they have identified the need for a formal multi-agency assessment to inform an education, health and care plan). The purpose is to provide a baseline to measure success against and enable us to understand how autism impacts on the individual student in terms of identifying their profile of strengths and difficulties. Identifying each student s specific needs informs personalised intervention packages and identifies specific priorities for learning. The assessments used will be tailored to the needs of each individual. An example battery of assessment is outlined below. Academic performance (eg PIVATS) assessed by teacher Comparative attainment (eg CASPA) assessed by teacher Cognitive ability (eg WISC) assessed by psychologist Academic ability (eg WIAT) assessed by psychologist and teacher Adaptive functioning (eg VABS) assessed by psychologist Pragmatic language (eg PLSI) assessed by speech and language therapist (S&LT) Non verbal communication (eg PVCS) assessed by S&LT Sensory profile (eg Dunn) assessed by OT Wellbeing (eg Nosinger) assessed by psychologist and teacher Emotional Regulation (eg SCERTS) assessed by psychologist and/or teacher Executive Functioning (eg BRIEF) assessed by psychologist Anxiety (eg RCMAS) assessed by psychologist Functional Motivation (eg MAS) assessed by psychologist Independence (eg PTI or FIM) assessed by pastoral / social care team Social skills (eg SSRS) assessed by appropriately trained professional Autism symptoms (eg CARS) assessed by psychologist Risk Assessments (eg HCR20) assessed by psychologist A integrated summary of the initial baseline assessment written in ordinary English and free of professional jargon is included in the first annual review report. Defining and measuring success One of the key outcomes that NAS sponsored schools hope to achieve is improve quality of life. It is recognised that Quality of Life involves many different domains including employment, relationships, inclusion and self-esteem. The National Institute of Health Research recognise that the multitude of assessment tools used in collecting evidence about children with autism may not always be found to be useful by parents and carers as they do not always match with their priorities for their children. Outcomes measurements have been constrained in specialist multi-agency settings due to the broader range of desired outcomes. Research from AET and feedback from parents informs us that success related to a broad range of outcomes including; attendance & participation, vocational skills, independent living skills, self esteem & wellbeing, functional academic skills, emotional regulation, sensory and relationships. Example outcomes that parents frequently regard as a priority include: 2

3 NAS Schools often support people who have been excluded from several previous schools and have not attended school for many months. For these young people success will include improving attendance. Other young people may have profound anxiety of display behaviour that restricts their opportunities such as being able to go to crowded places. Success for these young people will include supporting them to develop coping strategies to increase the range of activities they can participate in and opportunities available to them within their local community. Success for many students will also relate to our aspiration to reintegrate as many students as possible into mainstreams schools for at least part of their timetable. All young people we support will have social communication difficulties. Minimising these barriers and developing functional social communication skills will be an example of success. Therefore success for young people we support is very much personalised to their individual needs and will not solely focus on academic achievement. The AET Outcomes Report highlighted the difficulty of reporting on aspects of attainment that fall outside the national curriculum. NAS sponsored schools therefore use Goal Based Outcomes in addition to traditional measures to define and measure success. Goal Based Outcomes (GBOs) GBOs measure progress towards what parents and professionals agree are priorities and desired outcomes for a service or intervention. Personalised goals are developed collaboratively between the young person, their parents, commissioners and the school through a team around the child meeting soon after the placement starts. GBOs are an effective means of ensuring a shared understanding (informed by the initial assessment) of the priorities for development when working with children and their families. and ensuring. Collaboration between parents and professionals lies at the heart of GBOs (CAMHS Outcomes Research Consortium) and they are an effective means of ensuring schools are accountable to the young people and parents they serve. As with any goal it is vital that the GBOs are challenging but realistic and achievable. Progress against GBOs will be RAG rated (eg using evidence from CASPA or compared to whole school targets for a cohort) so parents can easily see how their child is progressing. Whole school targets Assessment and monitoring outcomes takes place not only at individual student level but also at a department level and a whole school level. Each school has whole school targets that they monitor their success against. These may include: whole school target relating to IEP success rate whole schools performance targets relating to external qualifications levels of progress for different cohorts of students comparison with national norms for cohorts of students parent surveys and impact recording collecting data to conduct (externally evaluated) long term studies relating to the effectiveness of the provision. Such tools are used to inform the schools self assessment which is regularly updated and submitted to the local governing body. We RAG rated our whole school targets so stakeholders to see how we are doing. Cohort Target area Green Amber Red All students IEP target success rate >85% 75-85% <75% All students Attendance >95% 85-95% <85% All students Frequency of incidents of Decrease No change Increase challenging behaviour All students Community participation >3 per week 1-2 per week <1/week Students Academic progress in >1 level 1 level <1 level 3

4 working at P levels Students working at NC levels Students on enhanced placements Student on integrated placements Students on access placements Years School leavers core subjects (per KS) Academic progress in core subjects (per KS) Frequency of serious incidents >2 levels 2 levels <2 levels >25% reduction <25% reduction No reduction Accessing mainstream >2 per week 1-2 per week <1 per week Attending community based education Attend FE college or meaningful work placement Qualifications (GCSEs or foundation diploma) daily 2-4 / week weekly >85% 70-85% <70% >95% 85-95% <85% Evidence of achieving aspirations Aspiration Outcomes Evidence (Internal and external measures) Students feel valued and respected Develop students strengths and minimise students barriers to learning Support students to gain recognised qualifications Help students understand themselves and their autism Be regarded as a regional resource that benefits wider community Emphasis on social communication skills and community participation Provide bespoke packages of support and personalised learning journeys Facilitate reintegration into mainstream where appropriate Innovative use of ICT Students enjoy school Student learn to recognise and regulate their emotional state Parents feel confident in provision Increased confidence and self esteem of students Students make good progress Increased job prospects Increased confidence of students Improved autism provision in local services Increased participation in community Increased opportunities Students prepared for living in technological age Students engage in learning Student contributions to IPMs Ofsted IEPs Qualifications achieved by students Autism Accreditation Feedback from local services SCERTS IEPs % students accessing sessions on mainstream site ICT mark Attendance SCERTS Incident data Parents happy with Parent survey provision Impact reporting Students benefit from work Students are job ready % students achieving 4

5 placements where relevant Students develop skills for independent living Students live independently or in supported living work placements % school leavers who live independently Individual Education Plans (IEPs) IEPs are the cornerstone of the educational programme designed to meet the specific needs of an individual student. All students have an IEP that will be reviewed termly and monitored weekly. Parents are encouraged to contribute to developing the IEP. Parents are given guidance on work that can be done in the home to support the achievement and generalisation of IEP targets. Pupil Progress Plans and GBOs provide mechanism for identifying appropriate IEP targets. Individual planning meetings (IPM) provide an effective mechanism to ensure students and their families are involved in developing the IEP. All IEPs are written in an accessible and child friendly format and where possible students are encouraged to be involved in recording progress. At least one target will be transferable to the home setting. Individual Progress Meetings (IPMs) Regular team around the child meetings are vital in ensuring seamless working across different agencies. Young people who are looked after (LAC) by the local authority have at least two statutory reviews each year (one of which is normally combined with the annual SEN review). Best practice involves all students benefiting from two reviews per year. NAS sponsored schools therefore believe best practice is having a team around the child meeting called an individual progress meeting (IPM) for each student at least every six months (which may be combined with a LAC or annual review). For those students for whom there are particular concerns about their progress the frequency of these meetings may be increased to termly. IPMs are multiagency meetings attended by representative from each relevant agency. The student and his/her parents are encouraged to attend the meeting. Prior to each IPM, parents will be sent a copy of the updated Individual Progress Plan (IPP). These plans cover all aspects of provision including: Core educational curriculum Specialist curriculum Therapeutic intervention Psychological intervention Pastoral Care In each of the key areas the plan will celebrate achievements, evaluate progress (eg against GBOs), and recommend targets (or an action plan) for any areas for development. The integration of multi-agency working is crucial. Therefore, each school has a multi-agency assessment coordinator who integrates personalised progress plans and coordinates individual progress meetings. Collaboration with parents NAS Schools are committed to collaborative working with parents and value the key role of parents as the people that know their child best. Collaboration with parents and the young person is central to improving quality of services and outcomes for young people. Within the first six months of the placement starting parents will be invited to one of our parent support programme days at the school. Feedback suggests such programmes can improve the quality of family life. All young people and their families will be assigned either a key-worker or a lead professional who has received training in supporting families. The key-worker will visit the family in the home setting within the first year of the placement. This is a vital role in providing parents with a single point of contact who will contact the family on a weekly basis and where possible ensure effective interventions are transferable to the home. The key-worker will ensure the views of the young person and their family are included in both the assessment and planning stage. Each school also uses a range of strategies, such as home school diaries, to provide parents with 5

6 accurate and accessible information regarding their child s progress. Individual Progress Meetings provide parents with a regular opportunity to understand how their child is progressing. Such meetings are also an opportunity to review individual education and behaviour plans. Where possible the school will provide information to parents in an accessible format that is that minimises the use of professional jargon. All schools within the NAS Academy Network operate an open door policy so parents are welcome to arrange additional appointments to discuss how their child is progressing. The school also ensures good links with the local parent forum and NAS parent branch to ensure we are adapting in response to evolving local needs. Involving students We are committed to celebrating the achievements of all pupils. Wherever possible the learning objective is made clear to students using the WALT principle. IEPs are written in an accessible and child friendly format and where possible students are encouraged to be involved in recording progress. Students also receive regular feedback on how they are doing. The method of feedback will be differentiated according to the individual students needs. NAS Multi-disciplinary Approach Most students with autism benefit from input from our in house S&LT, OT and clinical psychologist. Therapeutic sessions are delivered in small groups facilitated by the appropriate professional. Our multi-agency team of professionals skill up HLTAs to deliver sessions. Our multi-agency team of professionals play a key role in the initial baseline assessment outlined below. Where a student requires input from additional professionals the school will work closely with both the LA and PCT to ensure they receive all the specialist support required. NAS Schools provide a holistic approach to meet all areas of need akin to the governments proposed EHC plans. Typically, our multiagency provision focuses on 5 key areas (broken down into four aspects of assess, need, intervention and outcome): Psychological intervention focused on emotional regulation and wellbeing (overseen by psychologist) Therapeutic intervention focusing on social communication and meeting sensory needs (facilitated by team of professional therapists) Core educational curriculum focusing on functional academic and vocational skills (facilitated by teacher) Specialist curriculum (to facilitate personal development and minimise inclusion in the community) Pastoral Care (focused on developing independent living skills, and promoting safety & health) 6

7 Outcomes (against which progress can be measured) are clearly defined across each area of provision. NAS SPELL Framework: Assessment is used to inform the development of an appropriate intervention programme tailored to meet individual needs. All interventions within NAS Schools are based around the well established and evidence based NAS SPELL framework (evaluated by Tizzard Centre at the University of Kent). SPELL stands for: Structure Positivity Empathy Low arousal Links All staff complete 2 days training in SPELL during their initial induction period. The SPELL framework is inclusive of other interventions such as SCERTS, TEACCH, PECS and PBS which fit within the SPELL framework. All teaching staff are given the opportunity to attend 5 days autism specialist training every year including TEACCH, SCERTS, and PBS. TEACCH aims to increase independence and reduce anxiety through 7

8 Physical structure of the environment Personalised visual schedules Independent work-systems Visual instruction jigs SCERTS facilitates the development of Functional Social Communication Emotional Regulation and coping strategies (including recognition of the role of behaviour in this) Through the use of transactional supports (complimented by TEACCH) PBS is used to understand behaviour whilst respecting the individual through a five step process (which relates to the assessment cycle) Functional analysis Behaviour support plans that identify setting, triggers as well as proactive, preventative and reactive strategies Implantation through direct support Monitoring and collecting data Evidence based evaluation Training All staff attend SPELL 1 & 2 during their initial induction and a SPELL 3 session within their first year. Staff from each school attend the following training each year: 5 day TEACCH training 2 day SCERTS training Advanced Diploma in PBS Roles and responsibilities: Each school will have a member of the senior leadership team who is the designated assessment coordinator. Their responsibilities include: Lead on ensure effective assessment, recording and reporting (APR) procedures Ensure information from different agencies is summarised in accessible pupil progress plans Contribute to School self evaluation and develop plan Recording Assessment should be functional, part of everyday practice but should not be onerous for any of the schools team of multiagency professionals. Therefore not all assessment is recorded. Recording is used review pupil progress and monitor progress over time. All students will have a main file (that includes statements, reviews, plans, standardised assessments etc) and a record of achievement folder (that includes annotated examples of work and photographic evidence of achievements). Moderation Moderation takes place at least once per term and may be Internal with other teachers With teachers from other NAS schools External with teachers from other local schools Cyclical process NAS adopts an assessment and learning cycle: 8

9 Techniques The NAS uses a variety of methods to assess, review and monitor pupil progress over time across all areas of functioning and development. These approaches vary in frequency: Day to day assessment (eg of learning objectives such as IEPs and lessons) Periodic assessment (eg of speech and language or of a scheme of work) Transitional assessment (eg B squared at the end of the school year) Good practice involves using a range of different assessment techniques including: Observational assessment Dynamic assessment Oral and written feedback on work Questioning Medium and short term planning documents Formal assessment Functional assessment of behaviour Reviewing recent work to make judgements about progress in core subjects (in line with APP) Self evaluation and School Development Planning Cycle All NASAT Schools operate a continuous self evaluation and development programme. This involves: Monitoring practice Self evaluation (based on ofsted criteria) Three year school development plan Identify training and budget requirements Appendix: Department of Education SEN Draft Code of Practice 9