Assessment for Learning Policy

ASSESSMENT POLICY

Intended Outcomes

To gather information on all children which aids/informs/directs planning and future steps in learning
To identify where additional support or more challenge is needed
To ensure staff develop good Assessment for Learning (AFL ) practices e.g. scaffolding, modelling, questioning, self/peer assessment, observations
To ensure staff teach children how to peer and self assess using Steps to Success (S2S), success criteria and pink/green highlighters
To ensure appropriate differentiation
To use ongoing, classroom based AfL to ensure learning is challenging and engaging, connected, personalised and meaningful
For teachers to use AfL to adapt practise immediately, where necessary, to ensure children's needs are catered for
To gather information which supports the development of specific curricular skills, learning habits and thinking skills
To use information from questioning, observations, use of S2S, use of success criteria, marking children’s work, pupil interviews and informal ongoing dialogue with pupils
To work with the children when determining next steps in learning ensuring children have an active role in their own assessment
To enable children to use metacognitive skills to support the assessment of their learning

Procedures for Assessment in Maths

All staff will:

Use The Teaching Maths For Understanding (TMU) guidance and the maths Steps to Success (S2S) to help assess conceptual understanding, reasoning, fluency and problem solving
Ensure children know their next steps in learning by using the TMU guidance, the S2S and learning zones (comfort, stretch and stress)
Use the TMU guidance to provide a summative review, including next steps, for the child’s next teacher
Monitor children’s progress and provide evidence (e.g.verbal, annotated S2S, work and plans, samples of work etc) for judgements when appropriate
Meet with HT formally, twice yearly, to discuss children’s attainment and achievement and informally as necessary
Annotate the S2S with AfL comments if useful and appropriate
Expect children to participate in their assessments by adding their own annotations and by discussing which skills are in their comfort zone
Work with all staff to moderate judgements
Provide a summative review, including next steps, for the child’s next teacher
Provide a judgement re: developing/ expected/ greater depth in conceptual understanding, reasoning, problem solving and fluency

Procedures for Assessment in Writing

All staff will:

Use Steps to Success (S2S) and IOM level descriptors to help assess current achievement and attainment
Ensure children are aware of their next steps in learning by using the S2S and learning zones (comfort, stretch and stress)
Use S2S and relevant success criteria to plan for and reflect on children’s writing in individual, group and whole class sessions
Ensure children have their own S2S to allow them to plan for and reflect on their own and peers’ writing
Ensure children have time to write both as directed by the teacher and independently on a genre of their own choice
Use S2S to provide a summative review, including next steps, for the child’s next teacher
Use the ‘think pink’ and ‘green to go’ highlighting strategy to provide honest, informative feedback on specific writing skills and allow dedicated time to act on this feedback
Meet with HT formally twice yearly to discuss children’s attainment and achievement and informally as necessary
Give each child a level based on several samples of independent writing across a variety of genre including writing which the child has done during their own independent learning time - there is no need for formal written assessments
Provide a summative review, including next steps, for the child’s next teacher
Work with all staff to moderate judgements

Procedures for Assessment in Reading

All staff will:

Use the S2S, PM benchmarks, IOM level descriptors to help assess current achievement and attainment
Ensure all children have opportunities to develop all reading assessment foci using a range of genre in both fiction and non fiction texts
Annotate S2S with AfL comments for all assessment foci
Provide a summative review, including next steps, for the child’s next teacher
Meet with HT formally twice yearly to discuss children’s attainment and achievement and informally as necessary
Work with all staff to moderate judgements

Procedures for Assessment in Speaking and Listening

Use the S2S, IOM level descriptors to help assess current achievement and attainment
Ensure all children have opportunities to develop skills from the S&L descriptors through a range of activities

Procedures for Assessment in Science

Use the S2S, IOM level descriptors to help assess current achievement and attainment
Provide a summative review, including next steps, for the child’s next teacher

All areas of learning

Use the learning zones with the children to help assess their learning and use this information to support future learning
Set high expectations for all children through the use of assessment procedures that carefully monitor achievement and attainment, involving all children in planning and assessment and ensuring suitable challenge
Guide children in the use of the learning zones (comfort, stretch and stress) to enable them to have an active role in assessing both their learning habits and curricula/thinking skills in order to both set next steps in learning and reflect on prior learning

EYFS

Reception children are assessed using the same approaches as above but against the Early learning Goals as they work towards a Good Level of Development

To be read in conjunction with the Teaching for Learning and Feedback policies

Reviewed September 2019, June 2021, July 2022

Next review Sep 2023