Making Good Assessment Decisions 3-18
www.educationscotland.gov.uk
We need a curriculum which will
enable young people to understand
the world they are living in, reach the
highest levels possible of
achievement, and equip them for
work and learning throughout their
lives.” Curriculum for Excellence 2007
Transforming lives through learning
Transforming lives through learning
Tackling Bureaucracy
Assessment judgements, particularly within broad
general education but also in the senior phase of CfE,
should be based on evidence drawn mainly from day-today teaching and learning. Tracking pupil progress and
moderation is important; however, there is no need to
produce large folios of evidence to support this.
Assessment within CfE is based on the exercise of
professional judgement.
Transforming lives through learning
Tackling Bureaucracy
Forward planning should be proportionate;
there is no need to plan, assess, record and report at the level of
each and every Experience and Outcome. It is almost always better
to group together related Experiences and Outcomes and focus on
the most significant aspects of teaching and learning.
Forward planning should support professional dialogue rather than
simply fulfil an audit function.
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Transforming lives through learning
Assessment resources
Transforming lives through learning
Assessment – Key Messages
Assessment:
1. Is integral to learning and teaching
- involves all stakeholders, most importantly the learner
- is ongoing, periodic, at times of transition
2. 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
3. Is holistic and informative
- has many purposes, the most important of which is to
support the learner journey
- goes beyond KU alone to include skills, attributes and capabilities
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Suite of resources
Transforming lives through learning
Overarching Paper – generic advice
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•
•
•
•
How Should I Plan for Assessment? NAR Flowchart
What are Significant Aspects of Learning?
What Does Progression Look Like?
Breadth, Challenge and Application
How Do I Make Holistic Judgements About Achieving a
Level?
• How Can We Monitor and Track Progress?
• Responsibility of All
Published December 2013
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Curriculum Papers
• A description of the significant aspects of learning within
that area of the curriculum
• An outline of what breadth, challenge and application
look like within the area of the curriculum
• Information on planning for progression through
curriculum levels, using breadth challenge and
application
• Information on monitoring and tracking progress and
achievement in that area of the curriculum
Almost all published – target date end of February
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Annotated Exemplification
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Annotated Exemplars
• Early insights published June 2013
• Fourth level – Early Insights April 2014
• Early to fourth level – June 2014
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Progression Frameworks
• Identifies for each level a body of knowledge and
understanding and related skills, as detailed in the
experiences and outcomes
• Describes progression within the significant aspects of
learning
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Progression frameworks
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Monitoring and Tracking Progress in the
Broad General Education
• Processes should be manageable and sustainable
• Focus should be on information that supports
discussions about planning, learning, teaching and
assessment
• Staff working together to reach a shared understanding
of what good progress and achievement looks like
• Important to avoid approaches which suggest a linear
approach
• Published December 2013
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What does your school look like?
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This is:
Grouping together
related Experiences
Planning for
and Outcomes or
assessment as part
Course requirements
of learning.
and planning a range
of assessment
approaches.
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This is not
Excessive planning
based upon assessing,
recording and
reporting at the level
of individual
Experiences and
Outcomes.
Carrying out
assessment as part of
learning.
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This is:
In partnership with
the learner using a
range of
assessment
approaches which
allow you to track
the progress of
each learner.
This is not:
Over reliance on
tests or
assessments
which are
unrelated to the
planned learning.
Making
professional
judgements.
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This is:
Assessment
judgements,
should be based
on evidence drawn
from day-to-day
learning and
teaching, where
possible.
This is not:
Producing large
folios of
assessment
evidence,
unrelated to the
planned learning.
This is:
Agreeing
Local quality
assessment
assurance and
decisions at a
moderation, within local level is
and across
achieved through
establishments. professional
dialogue.
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This is not:
An over
bureaucratic, tick
box exercise or
one which leads to
excessive
paperwork.
This is:
Using and sharing
National quality
materials through
assurance. Setting Glow/NAR. Making
and agreeing
use of SQA
national standards guidance and
Assessment
Support Materials.
Taking part in SQA
verification
activities.
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This is not:
Gathering
excessive evidence
which hinders the
understanding and
application of
standards at
national and local
levels
This is:
At all levels in an
establishment,
Evaluating by reflecting
evaluation of
on the process and
learning and
outcomes
teaching focuses
on improving the
outcomes for
learners.
Transforming lives through learning
This is not:
Unnecessary
auditing and
accountability
which distract
from high quality
learning and
teaching.
Evidence of learning
observati
on
professio
nal
judgeme
nt
jotters
learning
conversati
ons
plenar
y
planning
Where do you
find evidence
of learning?
written
feedba
ck
summativ
e
assessme
nt
self
assessm
ent
peer
assessm
ent
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personal
learning
plans
learning
logs
@educationscotland.gov.uk
www.educationscotland.gov.uk
Transforming
Transforming lives
lives through
through learning
learning