Assessment and Marking Policy – Junior School

Related Pages: Junior School - Overview | Early Years | Key Stage 1 | Key Stage 2

1. Rationale 

Assessment lies at the heart of the process of promoting children’s learning. It provides a framework within which educational targets may be set and children’s progress expressed and monitored. This should be done in partnership with the children to ensure they become reflective learners and encourage them to set high expectations for their own future achievements. 

Assessment should be incorporated systematically into teaching strategies in order to diagnose any problems and chart progress accurately. It supports the school to strengthen learning across the curriculum and helps teachers enhance their skills and judgements and provides clear guidance on next steps of learning.

Our assessment procedures are free from bias, stereotyping and generalization in respect of gender, class, race and disability. 

2. Aims and Objectives

Assessment is only worthwhile if it makes a difference, therefore it must inform planning and lead to target setting. Effective assessment, and consequently effective planning and target setting, will raise standards. Assessment strategies should complement rather than interrupt normal teaching and take place in a familiar and supportive atmosphere, being appropriate to the knowledge, skills and qualities being assessed. They should allow children to demonstrate what they know, understand and can do and should raise expectations of success rather than failure. Reasons to assess include: 

a)     To provide information to support progression in learning through planning.

b)     To provide information for target setting for individuals, groups and cohorts.

c)      To share learning goals with children.

d)     To involve all children with self-assessment.

e)     To help pupils know and recognise the standards they are aiming for.

f)       To identify children for intervention.

g)     To inform parents and other interested parties of children’s progress.

h)     To effectively assess, track and monitor EAL pupils. 

 3. Planning for Assessment

Focusing on learning at the planning stage means:

 a)     We use our school’s curriculum plan to guide our teaching and to give details of what is to be taught to each year group. In our school curriculum plan we also identify opportunities for assessment within each broad unit of work.

b)     WCIT uses relevant National Curriculum documents, related strategies and schemes of work to guide and support our teaching. We use the assessment guidance in these strategies to help us identify each child’s level of attainment.

c)      We are clear about the learning and teaching objectives in planning and sharing them with the children, their parents and carers.

d)     Planning the key focus points for the teaching and the learning and a clear understanding of the success criteria.

e)     Being confident to adapt the planning and teaching at any time if the learning objective, based on assessment in the lesson, is not being fulfilled. 

4. Formative Assessment – Assessment for Learning (AfL)

“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.” (Primary Framework, 2007)

In order to achieve this at WCIT we will:

 a)     Evaluate pupils learning to identify those pupils with particular needs (including those with EAL and the more able) so that any issues can be addressed in subsequent lessons.

b)     Adjust plans to meet the needs of the pupils, differentiating objectives where appropriate.

c)      Ensure pupils are aware of the learning objective and encourage them to evaluate their progress so that they understand the next steps they need to make.

d)     Set individual, challenging targets in numeracy and literacy on a regular basis and discuss these with the pupils so that they are involved in the process.

e)     Regularly share these targets with parents to include them in supporting their child’s learning.

f)       Encourage pupils to evaluate their own work against success criteria based upon specific, key learning objectives.

g)     Mark work so that it is constructive and informative in accordance with the marking policy.

h)     Incorporate both formative and summative assessment opportunities in medium and short term planning.

i)       Pass on assessment data to the next class teacher so children can be tracked as they progress through the school.

j)       Use Assessment for learning strategies such as: 

Observing e.g. watching children and listening to their discussions to

           assess their learning as it is happening, making planned observations of particular children to support their learning in the classroom.

           Discussing e.g. holding brief impromptu discussions with children to

follow up any surprises at their responses during the lesson, discussing misunderstandings or misconceptions, holding informed discussions to follow up on earlier assessments.

Analyzing e.g. marking and assessing written work with children.

          Checking children’s understanding e.g. conducting recall tests,

           introducing brief review checks that draw upon what has been taught previously.

           Engaging children in reviewing progress e.g. developing self and peer

assessment, review lessons during which teachers carry out sustained feedback with individuals or groups of children in order to identify the progress that has been made, targets achieved and to plan future learning.

Working walls displays in the classroom identifying success criteria or examples of marked/leveled work.

Targets e.g ensuring the children know what they need to do to improve. 

5. Summative Assessment

At WCIT we acknowledge that there is a place for more formalised assessments as these provide valuable information to teachers, pupils and parents/carers on what knowledge and skills have been attained at a given time. 

Early Years

a)     Daily and weekly assessment to focus on shape, colours, number recognition and letter sounds.

b)     Introduction and completion of ASPECTS and BASELINE assessments at cessation of academic year for nursery and reception. 

Key Stage 1

a)     Weekly spelling assessment linked to NLS.

b)     Weekly mental maths assessments linked to Wigan.

c)      End of unit Wigan Assessments to be undertaken termly (Maths).

d)     Writing assessment termly to be levelled using NC level descriptors. Writing assessment books to follow students through Junior School.

e)     Reading assessment is on going and part of guided reading linked to ORT and NC levels.

f)       End of unit/topic assessments for Science, Art, DT, ICT and Topic.

g)     Completion of statutory end of key stage assessment tests for Y2.

h)     Completion of InCAS assessments at cessation of academic year for Y1 and Y2. 

Key Stage 2 

a)     Weekly spelling assessment linked to NLS.

b)     Weekly mental maths assessments linked to Wigan.

c)      End of unit Wigan Assessments to be undertaken termly (Maths).

d)     Writing assessment termly to be levelled using NC level descriptors. Writing assessment books to follow students through Junior School.

e)     Reading assessment is on going and part of guided reading linked to ORT and NC levels.

f)       End of unit/topic assessments for Science, Art, DT, ICT and Topic.

g)     Completion of statutory end of key stage assessment tests for Y6.

h)     Completion of optional end of year assessment tests for Y3-Y5.

i)       Completion of InCAS assessments at cessation of academic year for Y3-Y6. 

6. Timetable for Summative Assessment 

Year   Group	Michaelmas	Lent	Summer
Nursery/Reception
Y1	Wigan end of term maths assessment End of term writing assessment.	Wigan end of term maths assessment End of term writing assessment.	Wigan end of term maths assessment End of term writing assessment. End of year InCAS assessments.
Y2	Wigan end of term maths assessment End of term writing assessment.	Wigan end of term maths assessment End of term writing assessment.	SAT’s test for maths, reading and writing – May. Wigan end of term maths assessment End of term writing assessment. End of year InCAS assessments.
Y3	Wigan end of term maths assessment End of term writing assessment.	Wigan end of term maths assessment End of term writing assessment.	Optional SAT’s test for maths, reading and writing – May. Wigan end of term maths assessment End of term writing assessment. End of year InCAS assessments.
Y4	Wigan end of term maths assessment End of term writing assessment.	Wigan end of term maths assessment End of term writing assessment.	Optional SAT’s test for maths, reading and writing – May. Wigan end of term maths assessment End of term writing assessment. End of year InCAS assessments.
Y5	Wigan end of term maths assessment End of term writing assessment.	Wigan end of term maths assessment End of term writing assessment.	Optional SAT’s test for maths, reading and writing – May. Wigan end of term maths assessment End of term writing assessment. End of year InCAS assessments.
Y6	Wigan end of term maths assessment End of term writing assessment.	Wigan end of term maths assessment End of term writing assessment.	SAT’s test for maths, reading and writing – May. Wigan end of term maths assessment End of term writing assessment. End of year InCAS assessments.

7. Assessment of other subject (not literacy/numeracy)

The other subjects for non-specialist classroom teachers, ICT, science, history, geography, art and DT should be assessed in line the QCA schemes of work learning outcomes.

Teachers should devise pre and post assessments for each unit and use these to assess.

Specialist teachers should also assess pupils using the learning outcomes found in the QCA schemes of work. 

8. Pupil Self-Assessment, target setting and conferencing

Involving pupils in the assessment process is vital as it enables them to own their learning.  A child who is aware of both their strengths and weaknesses is in a position to focus on those areas that need extra time and application.  

Where possible children should be given the opportunity to assess their own progress in an individual lesson, over a series of lessons and towards their targets.  All teachers will carry out individual pupil and teacher conferences at the start of the academic year to discuss where the children are at, where they need to move to and to give the children the opportunity to identify their own areas of development.  These will then be followed up by further meetings throughout the academic year to coincide with the formulation of targets agreed with pupils termly.

From August 2012 all pupils will have individual targets for Maths and Writing.

These targets are set by the class teacher and informed by their assessment of the pupil’s progress including against NC levels.

Good practice is to involve the children in the setting, monitoring and evaluation of their targets.

These targets are recorded in the appropriate books and monitored by the class teacher.  When they have been achieved on three separate occasions a new target is set.  Targets should be small and achievable.

It is suggested that each pupil should have a minimum of two targets per half term. 

9. EAL and Assessment

EAL pupils entering WCIT will be assessed using the University of Cambridge ESOL assessments. The Cambridge tests are designed for pupils aged 6-12 years and are aligned to the Common European Framework of Reference. Assessments will be differentiated for younger/less able pupils where appropriate by the EAL department.

The assessments for the Junior School link directly to assessment for the Senior School. This common assessment strategy will also be employed by the English Academy.

Half termly formal assessments will be carried out by the EAL department using the ESOL criteria. Pupil progress will be tracked and the data will be updated half termly. The data will be stored centrally on the Z drive. 

10. Marking

Marking is an essential part of formative Assessment and the learning process. It is one way     of informing children of teacher satisfaction and expectations. It is hoped that marking will encourage the child to look at errors in a positive manner, this is in line with the school’s positive approach on self-assessment, and it should be seen as a dialogue between child and teacher.  Marking is an effective way of keeping the child focused on agreed targets and can be the ‘path’ through which a child makes sense of the curriculum.

a)     Marking must be linked to the learning objective so that it is an assessment of the child’s learning within that lesson and/or their individual pupil target.

b)     Work should be marked promptly and if possible with the child concerned and where verbal feedback is given this should be indicated on the work.

c)      Constructive comments should aim to ‘close the gap’ or to extend the child’s learning, written in appropriate language for the individual child’s age and ability.

d)     Pupils should be given time to respond to teacher’s comments at the beginning of every new lesson. Pupil’s response can and should be verbal when appropriate.

e)     This should be seen as a learning dialogue and children should be aware that they are required to respond to any comments made.

f)       Where a child is unable to access written comments such as in KS1, teachers can use faces to show progress towards the learning objectives as long as these are followed up verbally either by the class teacher or teaching assistant.

g)     Children should be encouraged to mark their own work where possible, as self-assessment has an important role to play in the school’s practice.

h)     Comments made in EAL student’s books should be translated into the native tongue when appropriate to do so.

i)       Stickers are encouraged and seen as a sign of achievement as are House Points – these are awarded for excellent work done in and outside of the classroom/or work that demonstrates effort or achieved targets.

It is appreciated that quality, constructive marking is more time-consuming but it has far more of an impact on a pupil’s progress than a ‘tick’ and ‘good’.  While it is not expected that every piece of work should be marked with this level of detail it is expected that more work in pupil’s books will be marked in this way than not. 

11. Moderation

Moderation is important to ensure a consistent approach in assessment throughout the school. It is important that when teacher assessments are carried out, there is evidence recorded to justify judgements made.

At WCIT we will:

a)     Meet regularly to moderate writing assessments.

b)     Moderate work through planning and book scrutiny, feeding findings back to members of staff.

c)      Collate evidence to back up teacher assessments. 

Created January 2012 

Review June 2013

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