Assessment

How are we assessing pupil progress in developing skill development and ensuring they are able to dig deeper with age related expectations?

At Towers Schools we are using ‘The Towers Federation Assessment System’ to enable the rigorous and effective monitoring of pupils’ progress and identify next steps in their learning.

Our system clearly outlines the objectives that children need to cover each term in order to be on track and secure in their year group’s curriculum.

Our Assessment intent and implementation can be found here

The Towers Decimal assessment systems

The Assessment in the core areas of reading, writing and maths - decimal system process sheets work as tools for ongoing formative assessment. It directs planning and guides interventions.

The following sheets for Reading and Maths, Writing have been provided for each year group providing, staff, parents and children with an overview of the year of what is expected.

We use decimal recording to acknowledge the journey and progress of a child

Support staff are also expected to use these to identify success to help come to a termly conclusion of attainment.

The below are steps to success

Use the correct assessment sheet for the year group (a):

Yellow is Year 1, Orange is Year 2 and so on with Blue being Year 6

o Next steps in red are Key performance indicators

o Key Next Steps (in red font) should be almost 100% consistently met to be highlighted/dated.

o Key Next Steps (in red font) should also be the first Next Steps set for a pupil as they form the Initial Requirements for higher year groups.

o Next Steps underlined and in red are found in the Interim Assessment Framework

Depending on the ability of the pupil, staff may judge it appropriate to use a lower or higher year group assessment sheet.

We highlight the Expected Next Steps that have been met :

As a general rule, the pupil must show at least 80% confidence (“few errors”) for it to be ticked/dated although this depends on the next step itself. Higher performing pupils should have no errors.

Turn the number of highlighted steps into a decimal score (c):

The first number represents the year group, with the second number showing the finer stage within that year group.

For example: A score of 1.0 to 1.3 shows the pupil is Emerging against the Year 1 expectations. 1.4 to 1.6 shows the pupil is Expected against the Year 1 expectations. 1.7 and higher means they are exceeding the expectations.

If a child is working below the expected standard we check to ensure they have met the ‘red’ statements [Key performing indicators] from the year group before.

Once met they can move onto the next sheet but do take professional opinion that they may have met the ‘red’ statements but need some more of the skills in black to be able to tackle the next year groups skills.

A pupil should not be moved to a higher year group’s sheet but should deepen and extend (through using and applying) on the current year group’s next steps. We apply this to the exceeding criteria rather than move up a year group.

It is vital children are being taught where possible the age related skills and that the common goal is to get all learners to secure understanding so they are on track to success at the end of Key stages…

Alongside the triangulation of evidence from books, learning walks with respective managers and pupil progress meetings, our system enables staff to evaluate the attainment standards of children. These summative judgements will be inputted into SIMs to enable staff to analyse the data and working together as a team continue to build a successful educational journey for our children.

Our expectation of attainment by term is as follows;