Short-, medium- and long-term assessments
Purpose of short-term assessments:
 to check if children have learned what you set out to teach;
 to check that children are remembering number facts and can use mental strategies;
 to provide you with information to help you adjust day-to-day lesson plans.
When to do short-term assessments:
 informally during every lesson;
 at intervals.
What to record:
 personal notes on children’s performance that is ‘out of the ordinary’.
Purpose of medium-term assessments:
 to review and record children’s progress in relation to the key objectives;
 to identify children’s progress against individual targets, including IEPs;
 to help you plan work over the next half term;
 to provide information for end-of-year teacher assessments.
When to do medium-term assessments:
 they should be timed to influence planning so that any difficulties identified can be
rectified;
 use ‘assess and review’ days to plan group and individual assessment activities and
written tasks.
What to record:
 the easiest system to use is a class record of the key objectives, plus supplementary
notes for those children whose performance in mathematics is markedly different from
the rest of the class. In mixed-age classes each Year Group may need a ‘class
record’.
Purpose of long-term assessments:
 to assess children’s work against key objectives for the year;
 to assess against national standards at the end of a key stage;
 to inform the next teacher;
 to provide supplementary information for reports to parents;
 to help schools set targets for future results of National Curriculum tests;
 to provide information for the headteacher to brief governors, staff and others.
When to do long-term assessments
 in compulsory National Curriculum mathematics tests in Years 2 and 6;
 through QCA’s optional tests for Years 3, 4 and 5;
 in end-of-year teacher assessments for all years.
What to record:
 for the next teacher a complemented class record of progress against key objectives,
plus a summary sheet of children’s test results;
 brief notes on children whose performance is exceptional, including those with IEPs.
Medway Numeracy Team
116100502