Assessment for Learning
(AfL)
Learning Intentions & Success Criteria
Samaira Nasim
AIMS OF SESSION:
• Understand what learning intentions and success
criteria are.
• Be able to identify and frame learning intentions and
success criteria
• Understand the difference between product criteria
and process criteria.
• Have a go at writing process success criteria.
Task 1
Think about a time when you have
succeeded at learning something.
• What made it successful?
• Were there are any barriers?
KEY ELEMENTS OF AfL
•
•
•
•
•
•
Shared learning intentions/objectives
Clear success criteria
Feedback and marking
Pupil self evaluation
Effective questioning
Target setting
Why Are Learning Intentions and
Success Criteria Important?
‘If learners are to take more responsibility for their own learning,
then they need to know what they are going to learn, how they will
recognise when they have succeeded and why they should learn it
in the first place.’
- (An Intro to AfL, Learning Unlimited, 2004)
Learning Intentions
‘What’ and
‘Why’
Success Criteria
‘How to recognise success’
What Is a Learning Intention?
‘A learning intention describes what pupils should know,
understand or be able to do by the end of the lesson or series of
lessons.’ (Learning Unlimited, 2004)
Learning Intentions
• Identify new learning
• Focus on transferable skills
Sharing Learning Intentions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Identify what pupils will be learning (We are learning
to…).
Explain the reason for the learning (This is because…).
Share (and sometimes negotiate) the learning and the
reason with pupils at the beginning of the lesson or
activity.
Present these in language that pupils can understand.
Revisit the learning intention throughout the
activity/lesson.
Defining the Learning Intention
• We are learning to…
- work effectively in groups.
- use evidence to draw conclusions.
- identify odd and even numbers.
Defining the Learning Intention.
• Activity: What are we doing?
- Write a description of your best friend.
• Learning Intention: What are we learning?
- To write an effective characterisation.
Activity 1
From Doing to Learning
Learning Intention
Be able to identify learning intentions
Be able to frame learning intentions
Getting the Learning Intentions
Right!
Activity
Learning Intention
Context
Give a speech for or
against smoking
To present a point of view
in a persuasive way
Speech about smoking
Draw a bar chart to
show how pupils in
our class come to
school
To present information
graphically
Bar chart on types of
transport used to get to
school
Work effectively in a
group to design a
leaflet to promote
healthy eating
To be able to work
effectively in a group
Healthy eating leaflet
Activity 2
From Learning Intention to Success Criteria
Learning Intention
To identify and frame success criteria
Success Criteria
What do you understand by the term Success Criteria?
What Are Success Criteria?
‘… success criteria summarise the key steps or
ingredients the student needs in order to fulfil the
learning intention – the main things to do, include or
focus on.’
- Shirley Clarke
Success Criteria
Learning
Intentions
‘What’ and
‘Why’
•
Success Criteria
•
‘How to recognise
success’
Different Types of Success
Criteria
• The success criteria is a statement of what the child will
be able to do if they meet the learning objective.
• It should also be linked to an age-related example which
children can attempt to show whether they are successful.
• The process success criteria are the steps which could
help the child achieve the learning objective.
• ‘Product’ success criteria are unhelpful e.g. ‘your
answers will be correct’. They focus on end points
or products. They are what the teacher wants and
don’t indicate for the children how the learning
objective will be fulfilled. ‘I’ll know it when I see
it’ approach that leads to being reactive rather
than proactive.
• ‘Process’ success criteria are helpful. They
explain how the learning objective will be
achieved. Children are actively engaged in the
process of learning. They act as an aide-memoire
of necessary ingredients.
Why Are Success Criteria Important?
•
•
•
•
Improve understanding
Empower pupils
Encourage independent learning
Enable accurate feedback
Effective Success Criteria…
• are linked to the learning intention;
• are specific to an activity;
• are discussed and agreed with pupils prior to
undertaking the activity;
• must be visible so children can look up and check during
the lesson.
• provide a scaffold and focus for pupils while engaged in
the activity; and
• are used as the basis for feedback and peer-/selfassessment.
Effective Success Criteria cont.
Learning Intention:
We are learning to write a narrative.
Activity: Write a ghost story.
I will be successful if:
I will be successful if:
• people enjoy reading my story;
and
• it frightens them.
• set the scene in the opening
paragraph;
• build up tension/suspense;
• use spooky adjectives and
powerful verbs; and
• end with a cliffhanger.
Additional Examples
We are learning to…
present an argument.
We are learning to…
calculate the passing of
time in 5-minute intervals.
Remember to…
Remember to…
• include opening and closing
• count from the minute hand
• stop where the minute hand
finishes
• count in fives
• go clockwise
statements
• give reasons for and against
• use evidence to support
• use language to persuade
Generating Process
Success Criteria
• Essential for children to be included.
• Write the success criteria in children’s words.
• If there are a lot of steps (e.g. in a calculation), write
each one as that step is modelled.
• With the whole class, look at anonymous work.
• Get the children to have a go first, then generate the
criteria.
Effective Process Success Criteria
Effective criteria will:
• Be written to support understanding
• Include examples
• Be short
• Be clearly laid out and visible
• Relate to the learning and not the task
Effective use will be when pupils:
• Know their purpose
• Use as and when they need to, either to:
- support learning
- act as a reminder
• Use as a check
Process Success Criteria –
an Example
• Learning Objective: To use a multiplication grid to calculate TU x
TU
• Success Criteria: I can calculate TU x TU by using a multiplication
grid.
• Process Success criteria:
– Partition the numbers into T and U on the grid.
– Multiply the numbers for the first square and put the answer in
the box.
– Do the same for the rest of the grid.
– Total the four boxes. etc
Task
Write suitable process success criteria
for the following learning objectives.
Year 2 Objective:
•Round two-digit numbers to the
nearest 10.
Process criteria:
Find the number on the number line
Identify the multiple of 10 at either side of
the number
Count the jumps to the multiple of 10 before
Count the jumps to the multiple of 10 after
Round the number to whichever is nearest
If the last digit is 5, round the number up to
the next multiple of 10
Year 4 Objective:
• To be able to multiply and divide
numbers to 1000 by 10.
Process Criteria:
• Multiplying by 10
• Move the digits one place to the left
• Use 0 as a placeholder
• The number becomes 10 times bigger
Year 6 Objective:
• To be able to locate and plot
coordinates in the first quadrant.
Process criteria:
• To plot a coordinate:
• Start at the origin (0,0)
• Read along the x axis to find the
first co-ordinate (x)
• Read up the y axis to find the second
co-ordinate (y)
• Mark the point on the gridline where
they meet
Recapping the Benefits
• How does the use of Learning Intentions and Success
Criteria benefit pupils?
Benefits for Pupils
‘Children are more focused
and interested, creating a
positive learning culture.
Their self-esteem is
improving also.’
‘Success can now
be achieved by
all, even the
weakest
children!’
‘We have given children
the vocabulary to
discuss their own work.’
‘Pupils are beginning
to talk more about
how they are learning
rather than what they
are learning.’
Benefits for Teachers
‘I’m more sensitive to
individuals’
needs/achievements.’
‘Relationships
between teacher
and pupils are
warmer and more
positive.’
‘Sharing learning intentions
and success criteria at the
beginning of the lessons has
resulted in teacher and
pupils working more in
partnership towards a
common goal.’
‘My planning is more
effective/focused/
thoughtful.’
Summary
To take more responsibility for their own learning,
pupils need to know:
• what they are going to learn;
• how they will recognise when they have succeeded;
and
• why they should learn it in the first place.
Summary cont.
Using Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:
•creates more self-motivated pupils;
•empowers pupils to become independent learners;
•improves understanding; and
•can help focus feedback.
This isn’t all new but we need to be more systematic
about using these approaches in our classrooms.
Feedback and Marking
AIMS OF SESSION:
• Review what we mean by ‘providing effective
feedback’
• To look at some suggestions for responding to
children’s work.
• To consider how pupils can participate in the marking
process.
• Evaluate the feedback that is being currently
provided to children.
•
•
•
•
Marking/Feedback
Links to the objective/success criteria.
Is specific.
A balance of oral and written.
Each pupil receives focused feedback on a regular
basis.
• Involves the pupils.
• Follows the schools marking policy.
“To be effective, feedback should cause thinking to
take place.”
Shirley Clarke
Types of marking
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Oral feedback
Distance marking
Acknowledgement marking
Closed exercise marking
Paired response
Quality marking
Self and paired marking
Successful oral feedback . . .
Foundation Stage/Year 1
• focuses on two or three places where
the child’s work meets the learning
intention;
• indicates where an improvement could
be made;
• is followed by time to complete the
improvement.
Distance Marking
Distance marking may be quality marking or a comment that takes the
child’s learning forward.
Acknowledgement Marking
This is a courtesy look at the work, and may include a tick or an initial. It
implies that some dialogue took place during the lesson, which will have
had impact on the child’s learning. The acknowledgement simply informs
others that the work has been dealt with orally, in a group or whole-class
setting.
G for guided group work V for verbal feedback
Closed Exercise Marking
This is where the work is marked together, and therefore fewer examples
of the work have been given and normally requires a tick or cross.
Wherever possible work will be marked as a class or in groups. Children
may use a coloured pencil crayon to self-mark.
Self and paired marking
Quality self-marking is very powerful, and the first stage of moving power
from teacher to child is to get the children to mark their own work. This
will lead on to response partner work. .Ground rules need to be put into
place when paired marking occurs. These could include:
•The pupil needs time to reflect on, and check his or her writing before a
response partner sees it.
•The response partner should begin with a positive comment about the
work
•The response partner should ask for clarification rather than jump to
conclusions.
Paired marking should not be introduced until KS2, unless teachers feel
that younger children are ready. Children need to be trained to do this,
through modelling with the whole class and watching the paired marking in
action. It is also important to establish ground rules (e.g. listening,
interruptions, confidentiality, etc.) and display these in class.
Paired Response
A response partner helps you with your work, tells you the truth about
your work, and helps you to make your work better.
Successful
written feedback
‘Success and Improvement’ Marking
(Quality marking)
• Highlights success and improvement
• Asks for a small improvement
• Quality marking within a unit
• Moves towards shared marking
– teacher and child
– child and partner: paired marking
– child marks own work
The marking process
• Highlight 2 or 3 aspects of the writing which
meet the success criteria
• Identify a difference between the success
criteria and the child’s work
• What needs to happen to ‘close this gap’?
• Ask for a small improvement - oral or written
• Allow time for children to respond
Key Elements
Learning Objectives:
“What are we going to learn?”
Activities:
“How are we going to learn?”
Success Criteria:
“How do we know if we have succeeded?”
Sequence –
marking writing.
• Share the learning objectives and the success
criteria with the children
• Ensure feedback gives support, motivates and
enables improvement.
• Encourage children to assess their own work.
• Provide time for improvements to be made
Ways to respond ‘Closing the gap’
• Reminder prompts
• Scaffolded prompts
• Example prompts
Quality marking
not expected on a daily basis!
~ within the unit of work
~ at the end of a unit of work
Use effective
adjectives in a
description
‘He was a bad monster’
Reminder prompt:
Can you think of a better adjective than ‘bad’?
Scaffolded prompt:
What kind of a monster was he? Change ‘bad’
for a word that will make him more scary.
Example prompt:
Try one of these words, or think of one of
your own – ferocious, terrifying, evil
Activity
• Read the example of Jason and the Golden
Fleece
• Using the success criteria, highlight 2
examples of effective adjectives or adverbs
• Provide a reminder, scaffolded and example
prompt in response to the child’s writing
• Feedback
Highlighted good
examples against the
L.O.
Closing the gap tasks
PUPIL SELF
EVALUATION
Pupil self-evaluation
“Learners must ultimately be
responsible for their learning
since no one else can do it for
them.”
“Self-evaluation is part of
learning – it’s part of the
lesson, not an extra thing.”
Shirley Clarke
Strategies to support
pupils’ self-assessment
• Literacy Ladders
• Genre Checklists
• Response partners
When you write, remember…
Full
stops
Capital
letters
Does it
make
sense?
www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/nationalstrategy/literacy
Response partners can:
• Discuss the learning objective
• Work together - reminding each other of
the learning intention
• Comment to each other as they work
• Mark each others’ work
• Encourage self-evaluation
Marking Partnerships
Our agreement on marking partnerships –
We decided that there were some rules we all needed to keep.
When we become marking partners we all agree to:
• Respect our partner’s work because they have done their best and so their
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
work should be valued
Try to see how they have tackled the learning objective and only try to
improve things that are to do with the learning objective
Tell our partner the good things we see in their work.
Listen to our partner’s advice because we are trying to help each other do
better in our work
Look for a way to help our partner achieve the learning objective better by
giving them an improvement suggestion
Try to make our suggestions positive and as clear as possible.
Get our partner to talk about what they tried to achieve in their work.
Be fair to our partner. We will not talk about their work behind their backs
because we wouldn’t like them to do it to us and it wouldn’t be fair.
(Excellence and Enjoyment: Learning and teaching in the primary years. Planning and Assessment for learning p64)
The last word …
‘It makes you feel like you’ve done it well’
Year 3 – average ability
‘I feel cheerful that I did something good, before I was
always told to check my spellings….I’m a better writer
now’
Year 6 – SEN
‘It makes me want to write more cos I know how to
make my writing better’
Year 2- below average ability
Key Messages
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Give feedback against the focused learning objectives of the task
Mark spelling, aspects of presentation etc only when this is the learning
intention
Avoid writing large pieces of prose at the end of the piece of work (which
might not be understood)
Highlight where success has occurred against those objectives.
When marking for improvement, give appropriate prompts or strategies
to enable pupils make those improvements (reminder, scaffold and
example prompts). The aim is to enable the pupil to look for their own
highlights and arrows after time – this is what self-assessment is really
about
Paired marking with this strategy is very constructive. (response
partners)
Wherever possible pupils should be encouraged to self-mark.
Distance marking should be accessible to pupils but manageable for
teachers. Use codes against the learning objectives whenever possible.
(Follow the school’s marking policy.)
Build in reading/’making improvements’ time- what do I need to do to
improve this piece of work?
If it is a closed task (right or wrong answers) then ticks and crosses will
work, but one can still use the arrow and the prompt.
AFL SELF EVALUATION
• Using the Afl self review grid
conduct a review of your own
performance.
Questions and Close