COLEG CYMUNEDOL
Y DDERWEN
Assessment Of Learning
Procedures &
Policy
Date Reviewed ..........................
Signed .........................................
Chair Of Governors
Andrew Warren
Headteacher
Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen, Heol Yr Ysgol, T ondu, CF32 9EL
Assessment Of Learning Policy
This policy must be used in conjunction with the following documents:
 Understanding and using FFT data at CCYD
 Using data effectively to monitor and track progress
 Tracking and monitoring timescales
 Ways of tackling underachievement
 CCYD procedures on data for class teachers and Team Leaders
 Rewards Policy
Aims of the Policy
To ensure that assessment information helps all learners improve their learning. To
ensure that it is dependable, purposeful, valid and reliable. It will provide data by
which targets can be set and monitored effectively.
Assessment Of Learning
AoL with formal recording is needed for our strategic planning and accountability
purposes as well as for our learners and their parents/carers. It will provide
evidence of individual, whole class and cohort levels.
Team Leaders must ensure that assessment tasks are clearly identified in all
Schemes of Work. These pieces are set for AoL purposes– here work is graded and
levelled [KS3] or grades [KS4/KS5] and the results are shared with the learner.
Teachers will enter the current and predicted achievement grades along with an
effort grade onto Sims, the cycle for which is the ARR calendar. Sims is our tracking
tool.
The Current Grade
This allows staff to show their assessment of student achievement at that precise
time. This grade needs to be based on formative assessment such as an assessed
piece of work or an in class test. This information will be used to identify learners
needing intervention and target support to improve their achievement.
The Predicted Grade
This should be a true reflection of what the teacher thinks that a particular student
will achieve at the end of the course. If, for example you award a grade B to a
GCSE student, it should mean: ‘The impression I have at this moment of this
student’s work, attitude, ability, skills and knowledge from all the evidence he/she
has produced in class and out of class, leads me to say at this stage that I would
expect her/he to gain a grade B in her/his GCSE.’
It is very important that we all follow the same procedure; this gives consistency
from which teachers, tutors, HOCs, Leadership team, parents and students can
work.
From these grades we will be able to analyse a broad range of performance
indicators, trends and patterns. These include:
 Pattern of distribution of levels/grades by classes, gender and targets
 Comparison of individual performance across subject ranges
 L2 inc, L2, L1, PNQs
 The colour coded system on Sims will allow us to see those who are on,
above or below target – Green for 2 or more grades/sub levels above
target. Light green for 1 grade/sub level above target. No colour for
achieving target. Light red for 1 sub level/grade below target. Red for 2 sub
levels/grades below target.
Effort grades
 1 = Excellent
 2 = Good
 3 = Adequate
 4 = Room for improvement
 5 = Cause for concern
Fine Grades – 1,2,3
These will be used to help us refine our tracking procedures especially during our
Raising Achievement Meetings. [RAM]
1 = Confident – You are very confident that they will achieve this grade
2 = Cautious – They should achieve this grade but it’s a warning
3 = Concerned – Without intervention/monitoring they will struggle to achieve this
grade
Single pieces of work should not be levelled, although they will provide evidence
of characteristics from one or more level descriptions. To recognise progress within
a key stage ‘best fit’ judgements will be used and sub levels A, B and C will be
used to show whether a learner is working at the:
 lower end, still having some characteristics of previous level [C],
 securely within [B],
 at the top end of the national curriculum level, with characteristics of next level
[A].
At the end of Key stage 3, learners’ attainment must be reported in terms of the
most appropriate level. The importance of ‘best fit’ applies to the assessment of all
learners.
These grades/levels are to be entered onto Sims in accordance with the
assessment calendar where they will sit alongside estimated grades from FFT and
CATs and be used by Team Leaders, Heads of Colleges, subject teachers and the
Director of Achievement and Standards to track progress and set targets. Team
Leaders will use this data on a half-termly basis to monitor progress in their subject.
At least one departmental meeting per half-term should be used to analyse the
findings of this data to identify underperformance and to look at intervention
strategies. Every team leader will then discuss the findings of their data analysis
with the Director of Achievement and Standards on a half-termly cycle. They will
also have to complete an annual report based on examination results and discuss
their analysis with the Head teacher and Director of Achievement and Standards.
Another analysis will also be completed in the Spring Term to monitor/track
standards and these will be presented to the Governing Body Monitoring
Committee.
This data will also be used by Team Leaders to consider their performance against
our Families of Schools in the All Wales Core Data Sets
All targets for Year 7 will be set using KS2 data along with baseline tests and Fisher
Family Trust data [Type D] for key stages 4/5. This will be used to set individual
learner attainment targets and departmental attainment targets. Targets for Year
7 and 8 students are end of year targets and not end of key stage targets. We are
looking for learners to make two sub-levels of progress throughout the year.
All students must be aware of their MTG [Minimum Target Grade] or MTL [Minimum
Target Level] in all subjects. This is the class teacher’s responsibility. Each
department must follow school policy. This means that all learners should be aware
of their MTG/MTL. This should be clearly displayed in their books and all covering
sheets for assessed pieces of work. All covering sheets should indicate their current
working at level or grade. [Using the ‘best fit’ judgements, which will provide
evidence of characteristics from one or more level descriptions.] It will also refer to
their MTG or MTL. Learner-specific information, in the form of a teacher comment
on strengths and areas for development will be included on the covering sheet.
There should also be a section where the learner can self reflect and record their
comments and targets. This should follow school policy and use the common
language of WWW/EBI. All staff should be aware of each individual learner’s
starting point and have a precise understanding of each learner’s strengths and
areas of improvement. We also adopt the philosophy that learners are more likely
to make progress if they understand clearly their present levels of achievement,
know what they need to do next and are involved in discussing how to improve
their work. These grades/sub levels will also be used to inform the tutor led
mentoring sessions in line with the ARR calendar.
AoL data will inform our reporting procedures for parents. Reports along with the
data/progress reports will be posted home.
AoL scores will feed into the Rewards System at all key stages. It is the responsibility
of the classroom teacher to ensure that students are rewarded with credits in
every subject according to the School Rewards Policy.
All team leaders must also refer to the document: Tracking and Monitoring
timescales and ensure that the procedures for the analysis of data and the tasks
that follow happen in the Autumn, Spring and Summer terms.
All team leaders and Heads of College must also refer to the document: Using
data effectively to monitor and track progress, which outlines the tasks and
procedures expected of them.
Third Amendment - July 2014