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Explore the STEPS Grid assessment model for Key Stage 3 students, monitoring progress in English, Maths, and Science. Learn about baselines, progress reporting, and the STEPS grids in this practical handbook for parents.
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Sir James Smith’s Community School STEPS GRID handbook A practical guide Key Stage 3
STEPS and the STEP Grid Handbook Monitoring and reporting attainment and progress throughout Key Stage 3 Dear Parent/Carer, Over the past 12 months we have been using the STEPS assessment model with our Key Stage 3 students. Each subject has a STEPS grid. Each grid is comprised of 9 ‘steps’ and a number of ‘strands’. The grid contains descriptors for what your child needs to be able to do to complete a ‘step’. After using the STEPS model for the past year, we have refined and updated some grids. Your son/daughter will start with a baseline ‘step’ in Year 7, which will be derived from KS2 data and baseline assessments they will complete in their opening weeks of Year 7. For Year 7 students, we will report the baseline step for each subject in the first report in mid-November. For Year 8 and 9 we will report the next progress data at this time. It is expected that most students would move up each strand by at least 1 step each year (3 steps over the course of the key stage)*. We feel very confident that what your son/ daughter experiences at Sir Jim’s is indeed a very comprehensive and professional package. This assessment model allows you as parents and carers the opportunity to be closely involved in their attainment, progress and target setting over the entire key stage. Below you will find a copy of the STEPs grid. Please keep this safe and use it to cross reference attainment on each report with content of the KS3 courses for each subject studied. You should receive three attainment reports throughout the year, as detailed below: Finally, please feel free to contact me directly if you have a specific question about the system which needs further explanation. Yours faithfully Mr. E. McGuffie Assistant Head Teacher – Curriculum
Introduction • What is STEPS? • Strategic Targets for Educational Progress and Success (STEPS) is an assessment and progress monitoring, tracking and reporting programme for secondary schools. • How does it work? • Upon arrival in Year-7, every student is assessed via a broad range of information and results available to the school. Subject teachers then place students at a baseline Step in each Strand and this becomes the starting point for each subject. A Step Point Score is generated which is an overall score for a subject. Each student is expected to make at least one Step of progress in the Step Point Score per year, with the exception of Science where progress has been built implicitly into the scheme of work. • School reports • You will receive three reports per year showing your child’s attainment and progress in every Strand in every subject and it will also show you the overall Step Point Score. When used in conjunction with this handbook, it will give you both a detailed and quick method of reviewing attainment and progress so far. It will also allow you to discuss targets to progress to the next Step. • The STEPS grids • Each subject has its own grid, these form the rest of this handbook. Each grid is a basic summary of all the work that can be covered in each of the Key Stage 3 Programmes of Study. Each subject follows a similar approach. • Strands: these run along the top of the grid, they break a subject down into smaller topics or areas. There are between three and seven Strands per subject. • Steps: These break a subject down into progressive Steps. There are nine Steps per Strand per subject; 1 is the lowest Step and 9 is the highest. • Statements: Each Step has one or more statements. Students have to achieve all of these, and all of the ones in the Steps below, to be at that Step level. • The Step Point Score • Students will be given a Step score for each individual Strand in each subject. The Step Point Score combines these individual scores to give an overall score in a subject. • If 3.6 was the baseline at the start of year-7, then the students would be expected to reach: • 4.6 by the end of Year-7 • 5.6 by the end of Year-8 • 6.6 by the end of Year-9. • This would be a minimum expectation and targets could be adjusted each year to maintain challenge for each individual.
Key Stage 3 Programme of Study 2018-19 - English Key: Each unit is assessed following our STEPs model. The course has been split into 7 ‘strands’, five for reading and two for writing. These strands have been highlighted above using the following colours: Reading Strands 1-5 Writing Strands 6-7
Maths Foundation Dependant on the Scheme of Learning your child is following, they may or may not complete all the content in each step.
Key Stage 3 Programme of Study 2018-19 - Science Key: Each unit is assessed following our STEPs model. The course has been split into 3 ‘strands’, one for Biology, one for Chemistry and one for Physics. These strands have been highlighted above using the following colours: Physics Strand 3 Chemistry Strand 2 Biology Strand 1
Key Stage 3 Programmes of Study 2018-19 - Art Key: Each unit is assessed following our STEPs model. Each project covers all STEPS. However, highlighted areas show where a particular STEP is being worked on in more detail.
Key Stage 3 Programme of Study 2018-19 – Catering & Textiles
Key Stage 3 Programme of Study 2018-19 - Geography Key: Each unit is assessed following our STEPs model. The course has been split into 5 themes or ‘strands’. These strands have been highlighted above using the following colours:
Key Stage 3 Programme of Study 2018-19 - History Key: Each unit is assessed following our STEPs model. In addition, each unit will also focus on one of the following skills:
Key Stage 3 Programme of Study 2018-19Modern Foreign Languages Key: Each unit is assessed following our STEPs model. The course is assessed for 4 skills or ‘strands’: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The highlighting indicates the skill to be assessed in each unit of work. Twice a year students have an opportunity to feed back to staff on their language learning and to tackle one of our creative challenges. These units are labelled ‘over to you!’
