The Hampshire code of practice for KS1 assessment and moderation - updated 2016_(HF000013686136) 3

The Hampshire code of practice for end of Key Stage 1 assessment and moderation

Background

The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) requires that the Local Authority (LA)

ensures that assessment and reporting arrangements are administered appropriately

by their schools. The LA is required to:

·  offer schools training and advice on all aspects of assessment at Key Stage 1

·  ensure that the moderation of the Key Stage 1 assessment arrangements is carried out as specified in the Assessment and reporting arrangements (ARA) booklet and the Guidance for Key Stage 1 teacher assessment, both published by STA

·  ensure that schools have an appropriate system to record and process the Key Stage 1 data using electronic means

·  collect end of Key Stage 1 statutory assessment data, quality assure and submit them to Department for Education (DfE) in the required format.

Moderation is an integral part of the revised assessment arrangements introduced in

2004. The LA has a statutory responsibility for moderating teacher assessment in

schools and academies under their responsibility. This entails ensuring that all

schools are included in the formal moderation arrangements once in a four-year

cycle and more frequently where there are identified relevant issues.

Headteacher responsibilities are outlined in the ARA. These include:

·  ensuring teachers engaged in carrying out teacher assessments and in marking tasks and tests have adequate opportunities to become familiar with national assessment standards

·  providing opportunities for teachers to attend relevant training

·  encouraging meetings of teachers both within and beyond the school to scrutinise children’s work and compare understandings of assessment standards.

The formal process of moderation was defined by Qualifications and Curriculum

Development Agency (QCDA) as:

“Not a process for checking that every assessment made by every teacher for every

child is ‘correct’, rather a means for LAs to be confident that their schools understand

national standards and apply them consistently and that teacher assessment will

produce outcomes which are fair to children and provide an accurate picture of

progress for parents”.
The Hampshire code of practice

Hampshire LA’s code of practice is designed to ensure the statutory requirements

are met and also to provide quality assurance for all stakeholders. Its main purposes

are to:

·  ensure end of Key Stage 1 judgements are fair to children and provide accurate information for parents/carers

·  ensure teachers are provided with appropriate information and training to fulfil the demands of end of Key Stage 1 assessment

·  support the accuracy and consistency of judgements within and across schools

·  ensure that effective and useful moderation of standards takes place regularly in all schools with children at the end of Key Stage 1, not just those who are part of the statutory moderation process.

To achieve these ends

The LA will:

·  ensure the statutory requirements of moderation and the responsibilities of the LA (as set out in the ARA) are fully met

·  provide an annual programme of appropriate training and guidance open to all schools with Key Stage 1 children

·  offer assessment training and guidance to schools with Key Stage 2 children

·  provide support and guidance as a service sold to schools for cross-phase groups of schools undertaking assessment and moderation activities

·  continue the practice of moderating standards annually with other LAs to ensure consistency of judgements

·  ensure the end of Key Stage 1 moderation arrangements are evaluated annually, consulting all stakeholders and using the findings to inform planning for subsequent years

·  monitor the code of practice in all schools involved.

The headteacher (infant/primary) on behalf of the school

will:

·  ensure the statutory requirements for end of Key Stage 1 assessment (as set out in the ARA) are fully met

·  ensure that all Year 2 teachers have appropriate training to meet the demands of end of Key Stage 1 assessment

·  ensure that all relevant information and materials (from STA, DfE and the LA) are made available to Year 2 teachers

·  encourage regular moderation of children’s work involving all teachers, through a programme focussed on the school’s needs

·  undertake to liaise regularly with Key Stage 2 receiving schools and in particular to provide opportunities for Year 2 and Year 3 teachers to work together to develop common approaches and understandings of assessment

·  provide at least one formal opportunity in the summer term, before the submission of end of Key Stage 1 results, for samples of the work of children to be discussed with receiving schools/Year 3 teachers

The headteacher (infant and junior schools) will:

·  liaise to support and encourage cross school moderation activities (eg Year 2/3 training provided by the LA)

The Hampshire code of practice for KS1 assessment and moderation - updated 2016_(HF000013686136) 3