Assessing
Writing
Questions to Consider
A - Why do we carry out assessments?
B – Who are the results of our assessments
for?
C – How does assessment benefit our
children?
D – What tools do we need to ensure
assessment supports children’s learning?
Formative/Summative Assessment
Formative:
Sets targets for improvement
Informs next steps for learning
Enables all concerned to know where support is needed
Enables all concerned to see the learner’s progress
Is more suitable for teachers, pupils, carers, LSA’s
The draft Ealing Assessment Grid is designed to allow for formative assessment.
Summative:
Provides a record of attainment
Is more suitable for measuring success of an organisation or policy
Is more suitable for SMT, OFSTED LEAs
QCA mark schemes and grids based on them, (e.g. Suffolk and Croydon) are more
helpful with summative assessment.
AIMS
• To provide a model for identifying
children’s needs in writing through
assessment.
• To look at grouping and target setting
efficiently to meet those needs
• To consider methods of planning and
classroom management which will enable
teaching to match learning needs.
Assessment into Learning Cycle
Assess
Set Targets
Group children by
target
Deliver teaching sequence
with appropriate, regular
review.
Share targets with pupils,
parents, LSA’s and other
appropriate audiences
Decide on success
criteria
Select appropriate
NLS objectives.
Plan guided
teaching sequence.
Key Principles of Draft
Assessment Grid
• For formative, not summative,
assessment.
• Tied to NLS illustrative writing targets
rather than mark schemes.
• There is no pre level 1.
Pre Level 1
Why is this child
working below
level 1?
Reason 1
The child is in the foundation stage.
Assess using
Foundation Stage Early
Learning Goals.
Reason 2
The child is in the early stages of learning English.
Assess using
Language in Common
Stages
Reason 3
The child is in Year 1 or above and still not
attaining level 1.
Assess using Special
Needs P-scales
Key Principles
• For formative, not summative,
assessment.
• Tied to NLS illustrative writing targets
rather than mark schemes.
• There is no pre level 1.
• It assumes that children working below
level 1 at the beginning of Year 1 need
some form of intervention.
A Suggestion for using the Grid
• Looking for habitual use of skills
• Each term or half term select three pieces
of writing (fiction and non-fiction)
• Highlight on the grid those aspects where
there is clear evidence of attainment
• Award a level only when every aspect
has been highlighted
• If a level is awarded it is assumed that the
child is working securely within it
Expectations
End of Year…
R
1
2
3
4
5
6
Expected Writing
level
1c/1b
1a/2c
2b/2a
3c/3b
3b/3a
3a/4c
4b/4a
Assess
Set Targets
Group children by
target
Deliver teaching sequence
with appropriate, regular
review.
Share targets with
pupils, parents, LSA’s
and other appropriate
audiences
Decide on success
criteria
Select appropriate
NLS objectives.
Plan guided
teaching sequence.
Setting Targets
• Select an aspect which is not highlighted.
• Make sure it is within the level they are
working within.
Assess
Set Targets
Group children by
target
Deliver teaching sequence
with appropriate, regular
review.
Share targets with
pupils, parents, LSA’s
and other appropriate
audiences
Decide on success
criteria
Select appropriate
NLS objectives.
Plan guided
teaching sequence.
Grouping Children by Target
• You should have a minimum of 3 and a
maximum of 5 groups.
• If over 75% of your class show a similar
target, look at the NLS objectives and plan
appropriate whole class teaching into the
next unit of work.
• Group by target not ability.
Date
Children
Level
Target
Success Criteria
Action
Assess
Set Targets
Group children by
target
Deliver teaching sequence
with appropriate, regular
review.
Share targets with
pupils, parents, LSA’s
and other appropriate
audiences
Decide on success
criteria
Select appropriate
NLS objectives.
Plan guided
teaching sequence.
Targets and Success Criteria
• You will share this and the child’s target
with the children, their parents or carers,
LSA’s who work with that group etc.
• The success criteria should show everyone what the target will look like when it is
achieved.
Success Criteria
Target:
To invest simple words and phrases with meaning
Success Criteria
Must - Read back what they have written, pointing
to the text.
Should – Read the same text each time they are
asked.
Could – Relate some parts of the text (initial
letters, name, familiar words) to the reading.
Success Criteria
Target
To vary sentences showing characteristics of chosen form.
Success criteria
Must – Expand noun phrases and add detail with adverbial
phrases. (The big ugly dog barked all afternoon.)
Should – Add subordinate clauses to extend or clarify
meaning. (The dog who was called Fred barked all
afternoon because he was angry.)
Could – Use commas accurately to demarcate the
grammatical boundaries. (The dog, who was called Fred,
barked all afternoon because he was angry.)
Assess
Set Targets
Group children by
target
Deliver teaching sequence
with appropriate, regular
review.
Share targets with
pupils, parents, LSA’s
and other appropriate
audiences
Decide on success
criteria
Select appropriate
NLS objectives.
Plan guided
teaching sequence.
Assess
Set Targets
Group children by
target
Deliver teaching sequence
with appropriate, regular
review.
Share targets with
pupils, parents, LSA’s
and other appropriate
audiences
Decide on success
criteria
Select appropriate
NLS objectives.
Plan guided
teaching sequence.
Year 2
Guided
Group A
Guided
Group B
Guided
Group C
Time table (Year 2 line)
Term 1 – stories and poems, instructions,
PiPs step 7, re-reading own writing for
sense and punctuation, uses story
structure to write about own experience
Term 2 – traditional stories and poems,
alphabetical texts, explanations, compound
words, secure use of simple sentences,
write character profiles
Term 3 – Extended stories and information
books, spell words with common suffixes,
accurate sentence punctuations, write nonchronological reports
Guided
Group D
NLS
objectives
Carriage buffet menus
GGD
Hearing the beginning and ending of sentences
GGC
Showing the boundary of a sentence with a full
stop
GGB
Differentiating between lower case and capital
letters when punctuating sentences
GGA
Extending simple sentences by adding more
detail (e.g. the red hat)
Teaching to targets
• Demonstration
• Modelling
• Questioning
• Guided work
• Independent work
Assess
Set Targets
Group children by
target
Deliver teaching sequence
with appropriate, regular
review.
Share targets with
pupils, parents, LSA’s
and other appropriate
audiences
Decide on success
criteria
Select appropriate
NLS objectives.
Plan guided
teaching sequence.
How can we make this process child
friendly?
How are levels communicated to children?
Which is more valuable to the child, levels or targets?
Are levels communicated to children in a way that empowers them, so they understand
how to move forward?
How do we maintain the self-esteem of pupils working below age related expectations?
How to we prevent children working on a higher level from ‘cruising’?
How do we explain levels to children?
How do we explain levels to parents and children?
Do parents, carers, children and LSA’s understand what a level means?
Are they able to look at levels as a measure of progress rather than a summative label?
How do targets help children?
How are targets explained to children?
Are children given strategies that will help them achieve their targets?
How do children know when they have achieved their targets?
Are the children empowered or demotivated by their targets? How can we ensure they
are empowered?
How do targets help teachers?
How do targets feed into planning?
How do we maintain the pace and whole class age related expectations while addressing
the needs of targeted groups of children?
Assess
Set Targets
Group children by
target
Deliver teaching sequence
with appropriate, regular
review.
Share targets with
pupils, parents, LSA’s
and other appropriate
audiences
Decide on success
criteria
Select appropriate
NLS objectives.
Plan guided
teaching sequence.