#ukedchat Archive
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Thursday March 3, 2016
Hello. Interested in assessment and tea at the ready... .
I know lots of teachers will have strong opinions but I am most interested in the solutions teachers have developed
A1: use of elicitation tasks to enable teaching sequences to be closely planned around current areas for development of children
We are off. Please look at the first Q or comments on if you think assessment is in a mess - https://t.co/24vgBoVX0f
Should schools have an, "observation room". To boost collaborative CPD and personal reflection?
drinking very strong coffee
interesting to see what others have as many just seem to have a system
A1 How would you define assessment principles?
a1 assessment is a mess nationally. We have devised a system at my school but still a lot is unknown.
assessment is in need of a good shake up.
What would you like to know please Suzanna?
was going to ask the same thing? does this mean assessment policies?
we did this in our school to be clear about why assessment is important rather than just levelling
If not a silly question... do we know the unknowns? ?
How? Why? surely is being shaken up - but perhaps more stirring less shaking?
Think if there had been greater clarification it would be okay. Teachers are floundering not knowing expectations.
good Q.IMO no it does not. It means what is the basis for carrying out assessment and how?
That is great! Assessment as finding out where kids are, but is that possible within government sets of grading?
agreed. Please can you say what clarification you are looking for? and from whom?
stirred - like your thinking. Assessment should be invented by teachers for teachers.
Agree but principles of assessment are not easy to implement within given structures
not everyone will have the same principles in the school let alone across towns, cities and the country
assessment should be formative and inform on-going direction and intervention
thanks I totally agree. I do think we the national debate has confused assessment with national standards
So true! Research on assessment AFL, no grades, lollipops etc, but grading more embedded than ever
very little, hence no moderation tools with other schools.
Is consistency of principles desirable across towns or counties?
And is it needed? Shouldn't we adapt to individual needs?
when researching before writing our assessment principles I found Dylan William’s paper on ass for SSAT
blooms structured assessments identify where students are. Section 1- recall , S 2- explain, S3- apply
A2: only measured on what is deemed to be quantifiable via traditional (and often archaic) assessment methods
A2: clearly defining what a 'secure' understanding is & identifying how far below chn that are 'entering' ARE are
Haven't worked out what is yet, but I now have an account! My profile is https://t.co/jQn2R0ckq4 Can someone explain?
distress for teachers is caused by the lack of empathy.
i see the merit in more precise assessment to see where students are strong and not so strong
however this type of approach does not seem to sit with the expectations for primary seemingly.
For me it is the lack of clarity, the not knowing what the new 1-9 means for my subject.
teachers get distressed because the curriculum is designed by non teachers. Unrealistic.
A2 a lot of the battle is the unknown about assessment but there is also knowing when to stop working.It is endless.
but schools like seem to have produced a model that has at its heart learning
So agree! And parents find it even more difficult to navigate
thanks Nick! from whom? to?
So what tools can we give to parents to help? https://t.co/F9SwtiYtOY
So agree! And parents find it even more difficult to navigate
Very important, too. But quick progress checks throughout lessons important
and often a lack of regard for any professional integrity or standards https://t.co/wUKm0qlZ9f
distress for teachers is caused by the lack of empathy.
perhaps only knowing what9 looks like is important, working out how to achieve that and checking progress
when to stop working on what Jo?
exemplifications should have been published earlier and information given nationally on a far more in depth basis.
of course they are. Thats what guides teachers in what to do next
Definitely think some of the anxiety at the moment is a fear of the unknown
Makerspace, raspberry pi and football.
Too much change, too quickly. We've got 4 A level specs and 2 GCSE specs in our team. Need time to consolidate.
a2 teachers feeling they are part of a chaotic, ineffective process causes distress.
That would be good. My Ss are already asking what it takes to get their Target and at the mo I don't know
help guides and info sessions, but frankly, if we as professionals are struggling?
The teachers I work with are committed to perfecting all aspects-Planning,assessing,marking,leadership. https://t.co/sFYIT4WLL0
when to stop working on what Jo?
KS3 is also unclear. We have ks2 (eventually) & are part way through new GCSE. Need space to pull threads together.
This is so true - far too much change for little basis for change that does not allow for excellence https://t.co/pfBZ1JsOTQ
Too much change, too quickly. We've got 4 A level specs and 2 GCSE specs in our team. Need time to consolidate.
a2 results driven, quantifiable data being the given for success. Also time.
I actually like quite a lot of the changes. I just think roll out, information and timing could have been better.
constantly measuring the easily measurable leads to learned incompetence. Teachers must trust own judgements.
but it is brining back the discussion about teaching again. Silver lining I suppose.
SOOO true! And apprenticeship standards. It's like an endless treadmill
i dont want levels to come back. But i dont want practical CA for a level chem to go
I like quite a few changes in my subject. But implementation at a national/gov level could have been better
I think the 1-9 scale was only introduced so they can add more numbers if fhey feel "dumbing down"
A3 - All of them! if we don't know what we are doing at KS3 this impacts KS4 which in turn impacts KS5
thanks for this. Totally agree. We as teachers must not avoid the hard things to solve
still think assessment created by teachers that work for teachers is the way forward.
I'm glad to see the end of English CAs but don't get the removal of practical from science
are you giving your as grade based targets? We're considering ditching them.
what is your subject Jen? Implementation of change or any edu plan is a critical issue not looked at enough IMO
all end of KS assessments not clear.Constant updates don't help.Releasing full 16-17 guidance asap to stop it happening again!
does there need to be ks3?
A3 got to be KS2 with the whole SATS shambles
all about making sure the numbers/statistic in it make country look good on a global scale.
we have moderated compulsory practical work that counts for zero marks. Go figure
a3 anything that is not safely secured in its own bucket!
global success/reputation seems to be taking over
assessment should always be pupil-led and tailored - not politically-led and off-the-peg.
I'm English & Eng Lang at KS5. Schools are working hard to implement changes but I wonder if they had enough time
A3 subject-wise, I'd say writing in primary - who knows what standard of writing 10/11 year olds are expected to produce?
So true! It all starts in Reception actually...
need to see it as a 14 yr curric. Without arbitrary transitions Even ITT cRiteria has ditched KS now
IMO NO. Not for excellence and true understudying because often the same people will be looking at gcse changes
Quite right. Change is brought about before we have had time to implement previous initiatives.
teachers need to be included In Making the assessment so they know they are fit for purpose.
And for sec Eng, KS2 is a case of getting our heads around things that great pri colleagues don't quite get yet
We should develop application of knowledge not reciting information. This benefits students rest of their lives.
ks2 writing seems to b very opaque at the moment with very little leadership attempting to make it transparent 2 all
as a profession, we must cease all self-doubt caused by top-down initiativitis. A noble vocation!
i completely agree. We used similar approach when redesigning school curriculum models
Agreed, but some changes counteract that
Current y11 results reflect changes made 3-5 years ago. Very little accountability at policy level IMO
but that is unlikely given the high stakes of league tables, inspection regimes etc
and experiential activities at pri not directly linked to a8 too I suppose. like music and art.
shouldn’t that be no accountability at policy level?
A3. All of them! Each KS has a knock-on effect on the next. No consistency = students and staff won't know where they are
it helps break this 'your too young for...' Philos too. It's about being ready not old enough. .
Would like to spend some time on this Q pls. This is about us as professional people & how we face change https://t.co/vDDXwK2TK4
I am very old and decrepit though
what if we were accountable for the employment status of our pps in 10 to 15 yrs time!
in my experience how much science art drama music etc is taking place?
might bring a sharper focus to the learning rather than current short term asses goals.
A3 ICT - where does it stand with CS, digital citizenship and IT approaches to learning skills
Exactly, all of this squeezed out
but are schools fixated on the ST? Be it assessment lesson grading teacher grading?
We must adapt, but hold true to guiding principles. Society needs highly principled teachers.
Imagine the stress on that! Tough schools would find it impossible to employ
I was going for diplomacy as its a public forum... But yes. 😀
but clearly not our political elite because neither of the past 3 govs have done much here
I know. And there's a lot of studies that show correlation with social deprivation.
wrong moderator person if you want diplomacy tonight
background shouldn't be an excuse, but schools can't reactivity structural inequality
Yes - assessment is a complete shambles. Y2/6 have some idea, Y3/4/5 is ??????? anyone got a solution?! https://t.co/KmSROot5Sb
if it was about added value not absolutes those sch would have more scope. But would we teach differently?
Teachers: Save time. Reduce workload. Organise your curriculum. Transform learning! Take out FREE trial. https://t.co/KRi1LEOGVl
see that might have some thinking here
and within subjects more emphasis on literacy etc makes difficult for some too
i did ask for any examples of how teachers might be making a success of assessment in spite of changes https://t.co/47u0WlkWJm
in some sch pps are removed from subjects for xtra maths and eng. so no geog for them.
Today focused on 'what great writing looks like' rather than AO boxes. If they write well, they'll hit the AOs
some teachers? some subjects? some schools? why? surely schools should know their students
Would we teach more for depth of understanding? Possibly. But would focus be put on the achievers? Likely -
I think too difficult a question, we still trying to make sense, so not gotten to that point yet
A4: with changes to curriculum & raised expectations, excellent subject knowledge is as crucial as ever for successful outcomes
how many hours a fortnight will you have for teaching each yr group in September? Am conducting a short survey
I would say it's too early to find examples that have evidence backing it. Tried and tested assessment methods.
Policies resembling no. of lifeboats on Titanic will be shown-up by an iceberg sooner or later.
we built a non NC non Ofsted primary for school refusers. Fab results. Great teaching exp. beautiful learning.
We use Sheffield STAT assessment tools which is working well to get a common language for ARE across the school
try to think about practical + functional application that you can hang the AOs off rather than being driven by AOs
please can share the links maybe?
Yes, of course... we wrote levels based on what we consider a perfect Geographer to be
Formative assessment has become increasingly important - rightly so - this was the point of the changes I think (even if rushed)
I fear for Y2 and Y6 pupil wellbeing.
Thank you! Excellent examples, but not all schools are there yet...
have seen this. A good start.
No they are not. why do you think that might be?
and is it exactly that... Hysteria. Sometime you need perspective. Don't try and boil the ocean
a4 there may be some successes but these are hard to quantify when everything is so fluid.
plus and might have more to share for secondary?
did you do this in other subjects too?
Anyone got any English ideas for The Highwayman? So far been writing from perspective of a character (Tim, Bess..)
and no sats in that school either. But then no funding.
Makes a good point Some successes hard to quantify....
https://t.co/WNIjwAfcI1
it is certainly taking the focus of teachers away from teaching ... or so it appears to a parent
we often sell ourselves short by being so shortsighted and frustrated by things we can't control
I'm pleased w some of the churn. It was broke and it needed fixing. In this case nothing is better than something.
it is a start but so many overlapping ideas. How can we ensure consistency?
I teach Primary Science and feel that the new performance descriptors are great for assessing 'working scientifically'
https://t.co/iKnzTdp3vi
this constant push towards exam results is spiraling out of control. Constant inflation of what educational achievement is.
A6 I think it shows how resilient we are & has provided opportunities for schools to refine assessment & reflect on what's best
I hope parents will use democratic processes to make their views known (e.g. letters to local MPs).
last few minutes Any thoughts not currently shared?
