Effective Use of Assessment Systems to impact on Progress

Reading, writing and mathematics combined (RWM) were at 70% this year, and our predictions were in line with our outcomes.

We needed to ensure that our assessment programme worked for us both in terms of summative assessment and gaps analysis, as well as reducing workload.

Our system has been developed to include the following:

• All teachers and teaching assistants now use iPads to support learning, including reinforcing the rewards programme for the school, as well as using the target tracker app to record assessments;
• We use the observation tab to record observations against the national curriculum. This then provides evidence to triangulate on a regular basis;
• The statements then show us the gaps in learning, and at a glance teachers and teaching assistants can see which aspects of the curriculum a child needs to secure;
• The tracker becomes part of our evidence base, not merely a tool to deposit summative assessment, and when monitoring we can see where a child is and their learning need.

Having systems that sit together with classroom practice has enabled us to be more accurate in our assessment, and enables teachers to ‘own’ their data better.