Document Status

Date of Policy Adoption by Governing Body: January 2006

Reviewed December 2011
Next Review December 2014
Signed (Chair of Governors)
Eskdale School
Assessment Policy
Eskdale School aims:

To develop as a vibrant, dynamic community committed to the principles of Every Child Matters so
that all of our students
! are safe and healthy
! enjoy and achieve
! make a positive contribution
! experience success so that they are equipped to make their way in the world of work.

Rationale

The purpose of this document is to establish clear guidelines and recommendations for
assessment within Eskdale School. It is expected that teachers should read it and act
accordingly regarding the assessment of pupil work. Individual departmental policies should
relate to assessment and reflect the guidelines contained in this document.

Assessment is the process of obtaining, analysing and interpreting evidence for use by both
pupils and teachers to enable the review, planning and improvement of learning. It is fully
integrated with the delivery of the curriculum and is an essential component of effective
classroom practice.

Assessment in Eskdale supports each pupil in the achievement of his or her full learning
potential and fosters the development of self esteem and personal responsibility. It takes
place in a self reflective context and encourages the involvement of all staff, pupils and
parents.

Definitions

Summative assessment is Assessment OF Learning. It is used mainly to measure
performance and clearly identifies a standard of pupil attainment. It is carried out at the
end of a period of learning, eg:
! External examinations
! Internal school examinations
! End of topic/unit tests and assessments

Summative Assessment
! happens after the learning
! proves learning has taken place
! assists in measuring learning
! is done to learners
! is externally referenced
! is focused on the outcome

Formative assessment is Assessment FOR Learning. It is ongoing and provides evidence of
and for progression in learning. It supports learning through identifying difficulties,
providing feedback and diagnosing future learning priorities.

Formative Assessment
! happens during the learning
! helps to improve learning
! assists in growing learning
! is done with learners
! is personally referenced
! is focused on the process

Purpose of Assessment Aims and Objectives

Purposes
! to encourage pupils to recognise their strengths and weaknesses
! to provide feedback to students and to look for a way forward to improve learning
! to highlight achievement across the curriculum
! to inform pupils, parents, staff and governors of the progress of pupils.
Aims

! Assessment should help pupils to develop fully their academic abilities and self-
confidence, to develop skills which they need for reflective and independent study
and to establish shared understanding by pupils and teachers of clear and explicit
study goals. In other words to help all pupils become more effective learners.
! Assessment, both formal and informal, should complement and reinforce the delivery
of the curriculum.

Objectives

! To use suitable forms of assessment, based on expectations which are clear,
realistic, and understood by the pupils;
! To ensure that all pupils experience challenge and a measure of success
! To recognise the whole range of pupils experiences and achievement
! To enable pupils to develop skills that are needed if they are to become effective
learners
! To provide constructive feedback to pupils, discuss weaknesses in pupils learning
and offer a remedial strategy.


Assessment for Learning

Teachers should be encouraged to integrate the following Assessment for Learning
strategies into their teaching and learning.
! Learning Intentions - Clearly communicated at start of lesson/task on the board
! Success Criteria - set of criteria, agreed with pupils, determining exactly what is
required for a particular task or assignment:
! Effective Questioning
- More thinking time for student: eg: Think/pair/Share
- Asking questions better and asking better questions
! Formative Assessment
- Set against success criteria
- self assessment/peer assessment/teacher assessment
Feedback given to pupils should be about the particular qualities of his or her work, with
advice on what he or she can do to improve, and should avoid comparison with other pupils.

Homework policy

The purpose of homework is to extend learning beyond the classroom and to diagnose the
effectiveness of teaching and learning and to develop the skills of pupils as independent
learners;

Homework can take many different forms such as:

! Continuing or completing class work,
! Reviewing /learning new work done in class
! Reading for specified purposes
! Researching a given topic
! Writing: answering questions or extended pieces of writing
! Revision /preparation for tests / exams


Homework should:

! be set regularly
! be relevant
! be clearly explained to pupils in terms of expected outcomes
! always be recorded in pupils diaries;
! be completed for the date set, otherwise appropriate sanctions will be enforced
! be assessed effectively, with feedback given, either verbal or written
! be differentiated according to age and ability.

Marking

The marking of pupils work is essential for both progression in pupil learning and effective
teaching. Good practice is promoted through regular, accurate and consistent marking by all
teachers. Positive marking and feedback which recognises pupil achievement, highlights
both strengths and shortcomings and provides clear guidance for improvement are
encouraged.

Feedback to any pupil should be about the particular qualities of his or her work, with advice
on what she or he can do to improve, and should avoid comparisons with other pupils.
(Black, P. 1998)

Effective Marking helps to:
! recognise pupil achievement
! monitor pupil progress
! provide feedback and guidance for improvement and progression
! motivate and encourage pupils
! record and report pupil attainment

It is essential that work is marked:
! regularly and consistently
! according to agreed and shared assessment criteria /outcomes
! using both quantitative and qualitative criteria
! for improvement, using constructive comments

It is not a requirement to mark every piece of work. In some instances oral feedback during
a lesson or peer assessment could replace marking.

It is not usually appropriate to level every piece of work. Recent research suggests that
comment-only marking is the best way to help learners improve and that comment only
marking leads to a 30% improvement in students work.
(Research findings, Black & Wiliam,1998)

It is suggested that teachers mark after every third contact/lesson with students. This
method should allow for more worthwhile feedback and less superficial tick marking.
However, it is recognised that various subjects will have their own requirements.

There has been a recent Government emphasis on the importance of literacy. Eskdale is
committed to improving literacy and all departments are currently addressing this issue
(Nov/Dec 2011). It is generally agreed, across the school, that spellings should be corrected
(this could be a limited number of spellings and/or subject specific spellings). All subjects
should promote punctuation and the use of paragraphs.

In order to standardise the marking of literature, the following symbols should be used.



*


* The teacher may wish to write the correct spelling or encourage students to find
correct spellings.

The literacy marking symbols are available in display form for all classrooms.

There is a general consensus that red pen should be avoided when marking. A wash of red
pen across a piece of work can appear negative.

GCSEs

As a Key Stage 3 school, Eskdales primary focus for assessment and progress relies on the
use of levels. However, all subject departments liaise with Caedmon School and Whitby
Community College to ensure a smooth transition from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 4. All
subjects teach part of the relevant GCSE in Year 9. Additionally, there are other
opportunities for Year 9 students to work on GCSEs. For example, the Maths department
offer GCSE Statistics. There are also various option choices open to Year 9 students which
are timetabled throughout the academic year.

Record Keeping and Target Setting

It is the responsibility of each teacher to keep records of students levels, progress and
targets.

The eportal system requires all teachers to record levels, application to learning grades and
a measure of whether each student is achieving targets.

Following an analysis of student progress by Learning Managers, teachers are expected to
detail interventions which will promote progress.

Reporting to Parents

There are regular measures to report to parents through Progress Reports and Parents
Evenings. A full Record of Achievement is issued at the end of Year 9.

Responsibilities

The Assessment Policy and its implementation across departments is monitored by the
Headteacher, Assistant Heads and Learning Managers. A further tool to evaluate
assessment processes is through Performance Management and the judgements made by
Team Leaders.



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P punctuation error
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Subject Teachers

It is the responsibility of Subject Teachers to implement departmental/whole School policies
on assessment, to mark in accordance with departmental policy in a positive, accurate,
meaningful and formative manner, to compile and maintain individual pupil records, report
to pupils, parents and staff on pupil progress and liaise with the relevant Learning Manager,
regarding individual pupil concerns or support.

Learning Managers

It is the responsibility of the Learning Managers to collate assessment information, analyse
the data and encourage good practice across the school.

Pupils

Pupils should be encouraged to participate in a process of self assessment in an attempt to
reflect upon their own learning with the objective of improving their own learning. Pupil self
assessment involves:
! Taking responsibility for the organisation of their work
! Keeping records of activities and achievements
! Setting attainable targets and implementing strategies to meet these targets

Parents /Guardians

Parents/guardians should be encouraged to support their children as much as possible, in
particular ensuring that appropriate time is dedicated to study at home, whether in
preparation for examinations or for the completion of homework.