Shapla Primary School

Assessment for Learning and Feedback Policy (AfL) February 2012

Definition:

‘Assessment for Learning is the process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learners and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go and how best to get there.’

Assessment Reform Group 2002

Rationale:

Assessment for learning (AfL) is one of the most important purposes of assessment. Current thinking about learning acknowledges that children must ultimately be responsible for their learning since no one else can do it for them. AfL must involve children as an active part of the learning & assessment process. It should provide them with information about how well they are doing and guide their subsequent learning. This policy sets out the tactics that teachers at Shapla Primary School will use in the assessment for learning process and also incorporates the feedback policy.

Aims:

At Shapla we use assessment as a means of identifying the achievements of our pupils and of indicating ways to further support them. Therefore, assessment at Shapla School informs future planning for groups of children and/or individuals in order to meet identified learning needs. In our school, AfL is used as a tool to raise standards.

Principles & tactics:

Our use of AfL tactics are firmly rooted in the principles outlined by the Assessment Reform Group 2002 (see appendix 1), following research by Professors Paul Black and Dylan William (Inside the Black Box 1998).

At Shapla we use a variety of tactics throughout the school to ensure consistent application of these principles.

Principle / Tactics
1.  focuses on how children learn / At Shapla we discuss learning (as opposed to doing) regularly with children so that they are as aware of ‘how’ they learn as they are of ‘what’ they learn. We aim that children are able to explain what has improved in their learning and how they can further progress. Evaluation of learning is at the heart of effective assessment for both children and adults. All KS2 children cover an IPC unit about the brain and learning through the IPC.
2.  is central to classroom practice / AfL is an integral part of teaching and learning rather than a ‘bolt on’. Teachers make ongoing assessments of knowledge, understanding and skills through observation and questioning. Judgements are then made about how learning can be improved and these are regularly discussed with children. Teachers and learners will be involved in reflection, dialogue and decision making throughout the day and in all areas of the curriculum.
3.  is a key professional skill / At Shapla we develop our professional skills through INSET, staff meetings, Looking for Learning collaborative action research, lesson observations, work survey feedback, sharing what works well and strategies to improve learning, IPC AfL review and whole school AfL performance review targets. Support staff also attends AfL INSET to ensure a consistent approach.
4.  is sensitive and constructive / We are aware of the impact that feedback and ‘marking’ work can have on confidence and enthusiasm. We use the term ‘feedback’ as this is implicitly constructive as oppose to corrective. At Shapla we do not compare children to others in a negative way as this inhibits learning. Comments should focus on the quality of the work and endeavour rather than the person. Verbal or written feedback about learning should be specific and directed to the learning intention.
5.  fosters motivation / AfL fosters motivation by focussing on progress and achievement as opposed to levels. At Shapla the approach is the same for all children regardless of their ability, and is therefore highly inclusive. When children are involved in making assessments about their own progress and how they can improve, they grow in confidence and learning becomes more autonomous and self directed.
6.  is part of effective planning / Weekly planning formats for Literacy, Maths and International Primary Curriculum have been revised to include Learning Intentions, Success Criteria and key questions. There is also space to plan for specific assessments during the week, and to evaluate learning at the end of the week to include next steps. This should inform activities / group work and individual learning for the following week. In this way planning and assessment form a cycle, leading to improvement. Weekly plans should be flexible to adapt to needs identified through ongoing assessment. Therefore we plan for the first 2 or 3 days of the week and then can respond to learning needs towards the end of the week. Care should be taken to ensure that there is still pace, and that an overview of the whole unit is kept to make sure that there is appropriate coverage without major gaps in learning.
7.  promotes understanding of goals and criteria / At Shapla we use the terms Learning Intention and ‘What makes good….?’.
Learning Intentions (LIs) enable children to understand what they will be learning and, often, how to go about the task. Explaining why children are learning something also helps to inform their understanding of the bigger picture and set a context. LIs should be shared for every lesson, either on the board or verbally. LIs should be clear and in child language, broken down from the curriculum objectives to be covered. They should not be complex or include too many aspects of an objective as this can confuse learning and assessment. Teachers should separate the task from the LI, in other words the context for learning is not part of the LI. LIs should be written in all books, either pre printed for younger children, or by older children themselves. This ensures that children and other adults know what the learning intention is, and crucially can review progress against it.
‘What makes good….?’ (WMG) is used as a tactic across the curriculum to define and share success criteria. Children should have lots of opportunities to share ideas about what makes a good 3d shape, for example, so they understand what everyone will be looking for when making an assessment of it. This will help children to succeed, as the criteria are shared, not arbitrary.
Exemplars are also very effective in showing children what a successful piece of work looks like and should be used for evaluation by the children wherever possible (anonymous). Involving the children in this process is a much more challenging learning experience than just being given the SC.
WGM are most frequently used to support writing, but will also be visible in all books linked to a specific outcome, such as a diary entry, what makes good measuring or a good map. They should be used by children and teachers to highlight success, and to provide improvement prompts. WMG will also be shared on whole class posters for ongoing learning, such as What makes a good friend? or What makes a good sentence?
8.  helps learners to know how to improve; feedback / Effective feedback will pinpoint the learners’ successes and strengths, and explain how to extend and develop these in further work. It will also clearly identify any weaknesses and constructively advise learners how to address them for improvement.
Feedback should link to the Learning Intention and Success Criteria and be specific. It will be in both verbal and written form. It should show children where they have met the LI / SC and include an improvement prompt such as an evaluative comment/target/reminder or question. Research shows that children’s achievement is greater if teacher feedback focuses on the Learning Intention of the task. Feedback should not, therefore, focus on the secretarial aspects of work as children can address this themselves through editing, which we expect children to increasingly do for themselves as they get older. We do not correct spellings, but encourage the children to find words for themselves using dictionaries, books and word lists in their classroom.
In writing teachers highlight 3 places where the child has successfully met the LI / SC. We give an improvement prompt which, when acted upon, will extend the learning. It should close the gap between the child’s errors / omissions and the success criteria. It is crucial that this is followed for every child. In this way each child receives proportionately positive feedback in relation to ideas for development (3:1). This will be the same for every child, therefore we set clear expectations that all children can achieve and all need to make improvements. We also follow a specific feedback code for writing (see appendix 1).
In maths feedback is most likely to take the form of a question and the modelling of a method to correct a misunderstanding. Opportunity should then be given for the child to respond and work through the method independently to consolidate new learning and secure the method.
In other subjects written feedback will be less frequent, and verbal feedback will be ongoing, linked to the LI / SC. Written feedback will be most effective when a child is recording their learning, and a written prompt will either extend the learning, or challenge a misconception.
Wherever possible it is good practice to discuss written feedback with a child as it is written so that they really understand it. This is especially important for younger children if it is to be meaningful. Guided group sessions are a good opportunity for teachers to do this with children in the lesson.
Time must always be given in order for children to make an improvement to their work in response to the prompt. In this way they can clearly see an extension to their learning and they will make progress.
(see Shirley Clarke: ‘Unlocking Formative Assessment’ and ‘Enriching Feedback’)
9.  develops the capacity for self assessment; next steps / At Shapla we use success criteria (WMG) to help children self assess. They are encouraged to regularly review their learning against criteria to consider:
§  how well they have achieved
§  what they need to learn / practice next
This happens throughout lessons and is part of a self reflective process. We aim to equip children with the desire and capacity to take charge of their own learning.
Children need to learn how to explain their learning and this happens through effective modelling of the language of learning.
They are also taught how to sensitively assess their peers against agreed criteria so they can support one another in learning. This can only take place in an environment where children trust each other and are confident to accept advice.
At Shapla the learning environment plays a significant part in aiding the independent learner to help themselves ie word banks, dictionaries, editing prompts, displays, number lines etc.
Children from Yr 1 – 6 use criteria on self assessment sheets for reading,
writing and maths. Skills are regularly evaluated together with teachers.
In addition, children use IPC rubrics to assess their own key skills, and
to extend learning through next steps. These should be annotated by the
child (Yr 2 – 6) to show evidence for their own assessment and personal
goals.
10.  recognises all educational achievement / The aim of AfL at Shapla is to acknowledge success and build confidence for all learners. It is rooted in the belief that every child can achieve when there is an appropriate context for learning. Progress happens at different rates across the curriculum; small or large steps towards a goal should be equally valued. AfL should enable all learners to achieve their best and to have their efforts recognised.

The role of questioning

At Shapla we extend learning in the following ways:

• Providing a high proportion of open questions

• Providing time for children to think about and discuss their responses to questions

• Providing supplementary questions to extend understanding

• Providing questions that encourage children to reflect on their thinking

• Providing opportunities for children to generate questions

Children will be given the opportunity to explain, clarify and discuss their ideas and to question and support their peers in all areas of the curriculum.

Policy review date: Spring term 2015

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