Assessment and Moderation: Setting the Context

1. Assessment and Moderation: Setting the Context

2. A little task to get you thinking… • How many CfE documents can you name that refer specifically to assessment and moderation?

3. Curriculum for Excellence • Background • National Debate on Education 2002 • Clear indication that curriculum needed reviewed –Early Years, 5-14, Standard Grades, National Qualifications • System failing the lowest 20% of pupils • Too great a focus on testing • Need to ‘de-clutter’ the curriculum • Curriculum Review Group set up

4. Curriculum Review Group • Set out coherent curriculum 3-18 • Vision for Scotland’s 21st century children • Values –wisdom, justice, compassion and integrity • Four capacities

5. Steps towards CfE • • Building the curriculum 1 – The contribution of curriculum areas • • Building the curriculum 2 – Active learning in the early years • • Building the curriculum 3 – A framework for learning and teaching • • Building the curriculum 4 – Skills for learning, life and work • • Building the curriculum 5 – A framework for assessment

9. BtC5 Principles of Assessment • ‘Assessment practice will follow and reinforce the curriculum and promote high quality learning and teaching approaches. Assessment of children’s and young people’s progress and achievement during their broad general education to the end of S3 will be based on teachers’ assessment of their knowledge and understanding, skills, attributes and capabilities, as described in the experiences and outcomes across the curriculum.’ • (Building the Curriculum 5: A Framework for Assessment, p. 8)

10. Argyll and Bute Skills list…

11. But what are capabilities and attributes?

12. Assessment – key messages • Assessment: • Is integral to learning and teaching • involves all stakeholders, most importantly the learner • is ongoing, periodic, at times of transition • Builds capacity in practitioners to make professional judgements underpinned by professional dialogue • assessment requires a variety of approaches generating a body of quality evidence • assessment and moderation are integral to each other • Is holistic and informative • has many purposes, the most important of which is to support the learner’s journey • goes beyond KU alone to include skills, attributes and capabilities

13. Your turn: • How would you define moderation in your context?

14. BtC5 and ‘Moderation’ • ‘Moderation is the term used to describe approaches for arriving at a shared understanding of standards and expectations for the broad general education.’ • (Building the Curriculum 5: A Framework for Assessment, p. 36)

15. Quality Assurance and Moderation – key messages • QA and Moderation: • Is a collaborative process involving all stakeholders, including the learner • Is the means by which we develop a shared understanding • Ensures a rigorous and robust system • Is integral to every stage of: • Planning • Learning and Teaching • Assessment • Feedback and evaluation • Provides opportunities for feedback and planning for improvement • Should be an on-going, sustainable process by which we raise standards and expectations

16. Improving Schools in Scotland: An OECD Perspective. • “In the next phase of the Curriculum for Excellence journey, Scotland has the opportunity to lead the world in developing an innovative national assessment, evaluation and improvement framework.” • This requires very careful balancing of the need for appropriate data and evaluation – ensuring that information is used effectively to drive improvement in the learning experiences of individual children and young people.

17. NIF – Setting out Scotland’s vision and priorities for children’s progress in learning • The Vision: • Excellence through raising attainment • Achieving equity • Building on the work of: • GIRFEC • Early Years Collaborative • Scotland’s schools for the future • Youth Employment Strategy • Teaching Scotland’s Future

18. Priorities of NIF • • Improvement in attainment, particularly in literacy and numeracy • • Closing the attainment gap between the most and least disadvantaged children • • Improvement in children and young people’s health and wellbeing • • Improvement in employability skills and sustained, positive school leaver destinations for all young people.

19. Key drivers of improvement 3 of 6 drivers talk specifically about moderation… But it could be argued…

20. What does NIF say about moderation? There is a strong link between teacher’s professional skills and competences and the quality of children’s learning experiences. Ensuring the highest professional standards for all teachers in Scotland will help to ensure the highest standards and expectations for all children. Consistent, well-moderated teacher judgement data on achievement of curriculum levels in literacy and numeracy will help us to focus accurately on the difference in attainment between the most and least disadvantaged children and take further action as a result. Evidence will be gathered through school inspection and local authority self-evaluation reports providing us with information on the effectiveness of moderation processes and therefore the consistency of teacher judgement of children’s achievements.

21. Our Children, Their Future – Argyll and Bute’s Vision and Strategy • Our aspiration is to ensure that Argyll and Bute is the best place in Scotland for our children to grow up. Our vision is that together we will realise ambition, excellence and equality for all.

22. 6 Key Objectives: • Raise educational attainment and achievement for all • Use performance information to secure improvement for children and young people • Ensure children have the best start in life and are ready to succeed • Equip young people to secure and sustain positive destinations and achieve success in life • Ensure high quality partnership working and community engagement • Strengthen leadership at all levels

24. Benefits of Moderation • Practitioners work together more effectively, building capacity and confidence in themselves and each other • Practitioners better understand learners and their learning • Learners better understand their learning • Learners are more engaged and motivated • Learners and practitioners work together more effectively • Positive, productive relationships are developed within and beyond the school • A more open, transparent and trustworthy system emerges

25. Practitioner Quotes • “Best CPD (NAR and BtC5) we’ve ever had, made so much sense and very logical. I already work closely with my stage partner so planning together seemed like a natural next step. I was initially worried about how to develop success criteria with the younger ones but was amazed at what they could do.” P2 teacher • “Now that we have a clear structure to support our planning, teaching and assessment, I finally feel like we’re out of the CfE woods. I am much more aware of the evidence I should be gathering and how to assess across the curriculum.” P5/6 teacher • “Lots of my planning is done which really takes away the stress. I loved seeing how much the children enjoyed engaging with the Es and Os and their ideas for their success criteria and final outcomes are often better than mine!” P7 teacher

26. Practitioner Quotes • “As a probationer, it made planning easier, less time consuming and I finally felt confident I was doing the right thing as everything was discussed with my stage partner” P4/5 teacher • “The children themselves commented how it was great to be discussing their learning with different children – this was a big positive for them – discussing their learning in this way should lead to deeper learning. They will not forget this experience. They said they found a ‘hook’ and then there was sharing and it was clearly very motivating for them. They also said that to learn about something that is current, such as Scottish Independence is really useful to them for the future – it has an impact and is relevant.” Head teacher. • “Working with another school gave us great reassurance about our expectations for children, sometimes you worry that you are pitching things too high or too low and this really helped us build a shared understanding.” P5 teacher.

27. Remember: • Everything in moderation and moderation in everything