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MONITORING REPORT ON EQUALITIES -

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ASSESSMENT RECORDING AND REPORTING POLICY

(including Marking Policy and Year 7-9 Homework Policy)

Contents

1 AIMS

Formative

1. To recognise and reward the achievement of all pupils.
2. To help develop self-esteem and improve motivation.
3. To help the teacher in planning the next stage in the pupil’s learning.
4. To give pupils feedback about their achievements and help them set targets for future work.
5. To diagnose learning difficulties so that appropriate help and guidance can be given.
6. To give pupils the opportunity and responsibility to assess and monitor their work.
7. To help raise future performance.

Informative

1. To provide evidence for the record of a pupil’s achievement.
2. To provide parents with useful information concerning their child’s achievement and progress.
3. To provide parents, pupils and others with a complete record of progress and achievement both in the formal and extra curriculum.

Evaluative

1. To help the school evaluate the curriculum, the teaching and the organisation.
2. To help the teacher (and subject department) reflect upon their work as a basis for improvement and development.
3. To help track progress (individual, class, subject, school and other groupings), measure value added and set targets.

2 CURRICULUM PLANNING

Heads of Department should ensure that:

• Schemes of Work exist within the department, copies of which to be held by the Deputy Head (Curriculum); that reflect continuity through Key Stages 3 and 4.
• Schemes are divided into modules which provide all pupils, through differentiation, with attainable short-term targets.
• Pupils are made aware of the learning outcomes (targets) before each module starts.
• Schemes of work reflect the National Curriculum Programmes of Study and state clear learning outcomes expected from each module of work.
• Schemes identify key opportunities for assessment to be made using a range of methods.
• Internal moderation takes place to ensure common departmental understanding of the criteria for student attainment.
  

3 ASSESSMENT

3.1 Teacher Assessment
The frequency and nature of assessment will vary according to the subject, but all subject areas must have a coherent system for record keeping. This will help to ensure informed progression for each student throughout the Programme of Study or Specification.

Informal assessment will occur frequently with whole class, groups or individuals as an ongoing dialogue of progress. More objective judgements measured against National Curriculum and other departmental criteria will need to be made to inform departmental and central records. The amount of targeted work needs to be what is manageable.

Mark books should be used to record those attainments which link to the annual reporting requirements.

Departments should use the A-F grading system^[1] and comments to indicate attitude.

¹ See appendix 1

It is possible for students to attain a low level for a piece of work but a high attitude grade.

3.12 Marking Policy
Regular marking of students’ work is essential in providing systematic feedback which will inform future work.

Generic requirements for the setting out of classwork and for marking are set out in the school’s Marking Policy.^[2]

² See appendix 2

Staff should ensure that the pupils understand the effort and achievement grading system, as set out in the marking policy. Staff should also ensure that pupils are aware of the targets that have been set for them for each year of KS3 and for their KS4 courses. This can be done by inserting an information leaflet similar to that in appendix 3 into pupils’ books/portfolios at the start of each year.

3.13 Homework Policy
Homework will be given on a regular basis in accordance with the current homework timetable. See separate Homework Policy for Years 7-9. (Appendix 4).

3.14 Key Stage 3 Levels
For targeted work the following needs to be applied:

1. Appropriate National Curriculum levels should be used to reflect attainment in both core and foundation subjects. Adopting the National Curriculum Levels allow staff to make full use of KS2 transfer information and for translation of classwork into whole subject scores for teacher assessment both during and at the end of the Key Stage.
2. Levels will be internally recorded on the school’s tracking system as 4.2, 4.5, 4.8 etc, to reflect ‘strength’ of level.

3.15 Key Stage 4 Grades
For targeted work the following needs to be applied:
A*-G should be used for GCSE courses with appropriate gradings for other courses.

3.2 Pupil Self Assessment

3.21 Performance Reviews (PR)
At the end of each module of work the pupil has an opportunity to reflect on their progress and achievement. The pupil completes a self-assessment, assisted by the teacher as to how well they have achieved the learning outcomes (targets). The pupil will set new individual targets which are carried forward to the next module of work. Heads of Department should ensure that each ‘PR’ contains; the initial targets, any additional targets, the pupil assessment, classwork and homework marks, test marks and the teacher’s validation.

3.22 Termly Reviews
At the end of each term pupils have the opportunity to reflect on their overall progress and achievement in the formal and extra curriculum. This takes place with form tutors during two form periods. Pupils make a self-assessment of their overall progress highlighting strengths and weaknesses and setting future targets. Pupils are asked to comment on their extra curricular activities and their involvement in school life generally.

3.23 Annual Reviews
These replace Termly reviews following examinations (Year 10 and 11 mocks) or at the end of the school year (Year 7-9). The review forms part of the Summative Record of Achievement for Year 11. The principle is the same as that for Termly Reviews.

4 RECORDING ASSESSMENTS

Departments must keep a record of assessments made for each pupil which can inform parents, current and future teachers and future schools.

4.1 National Curriculum End of Key Stage 3 Assessment
Arrangements require us to summarise teacher assessment at the end of Key Stage 3 for each pupil as follows:
In English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Design and Technology, Information and Communication Technology and Modern Foreign Languages:
- a level for each attainment target;
- an overall subject level, calculated using a prescribed aggregating system;
In Religious Education:
- an overall subject level;
In Art, Music and Physical Education:
- a judgement of a pupil’s attainment in relation to the end of key stage description for each attainment target (the single AT in PE);
- an overall judgement of the pupil’s attainment in the subject.

4.2 Tracking
The school will maintain a system which tracks pupils’ progress so that all concerned are able to tell, at important times, what level of attainment they have made. School will use this information to monitor individual, class, group, subject and whole school performance. School will also use this information to enable statutory targets to be made.

At KS4 attainment against subject agreed criteria will be based on the A-G GCSE Grading system. This will be updated twice a year in Year 10 and three times in year 11^[3].

At KS3 the school’s tracking system will include collection and analysis of National Curriculum levels at the end of Year 7 and 8 and during Year 9, in addition to the statutory requirements at the end of Year 9^[4].

Data to assist staff in setting targets and assessing end-of-year attainment is issued in accordance with the overview/schedule set out in the document Assessment Data for Teaching Staff^[5]. Attitude grades A-F^[6] are recorded at the same time as the attainment levels/grades in both key stages.

³ See appendix 6; ⁴ See appendix 6; ⁵ See appendix 5; ⁶ See appendix 1

4.3 Pupils’ Records of Attainment
Heads of Department should ensure that:
- each pupil’s records are kept up to date. This is particularly important as groups/pupils transfer from one member of staff to another.
- attainment against each AT at KS3 be updated annually and be available within 15 days notice to meet parental and/or transfer requests.
Class teacher’s judgements of pupil attainment at KS3 should depend on the department agreed criteria for teacher assessment at which National Curriculum Level best corresponds to the pupil’s performance as a whole.

Professional judgement will be used as a matter of course.

5 REPORTING

5.1 Timetable

5.2 Format of Annual Reports
The Annual Report system aims to inform pupils, parents and other interested parties of the course content and the individuals strengths and future needs. There is a clear and common format which includes:
- a cover sheet containing personal details, a list of subjects studied, attendance record and a form tutors summary.
- one A4 Subject Review for each curriculum area.
- a covering letter written by the Curriculum Deputy indicating a point of contact.

Subject reviews follow a standard format and include:

- Brief course details.
- Narrative comment on the pupil’s achievements
- Narrative comment on the pupil’s attitude
- An attitude grade (A-F) for all Years
- An achievement grade (A-G) in Years 10 and 11
- A National Curriculum attainment level in Year 9.

Appendix 1 – A-F Grading System for Attitude

ATTITUDE GRADES

When awarding attitude grades (A-F) staff should base the grade awarded on the following descriptors. Copies of the following table can be found in the staff handbook.

The following descriptors are used to summarise the above when sending out progress checks/reports.

Appendix 2 – Marking Policy

1. Generic requirements for the setting out of all classwork in all lessons.

All work should contain

• Date
• Title
• Lesson Objective

All of the above to be underlined with a ruler.
Homework to be labelled and underlined.

2. Generic marking requirements for all staff

All work will be marked regularly, in most cases at least every fortnight.
Constructive feedback should be given along the lines of:

• If it is ‘good’ what is and why?
• If it is ‘poor’ why is it and how can it be improved?

Such feedback should be on a ‘regular’ basis as far as is ‘do-able’ and consistent with sanity.

3. Marking annotation

P : punctuation error		Sp : spelling error
uc : upper case		lc : lower case
NP/[ : new paragraph		mw/ : missing word/insertion
ur : underline with a ruler		: run on
ww: wrong word used (e.g. there instead of their, its instead of it’s)

4. Grades and Marking to Targets

All pupils will, by the end of October, have a target level/grade entered in the front of their exercise book. For KS3 this will be an end of year target (NC level), for KS4 this will be a GCSE grade target.

Whilst individual colleagues/departments will record achievement in class and homework through %, marks, grades etc, when appropriate, feedback should be given based upon the above mentioned targets.

Feedback on progress towards targets will be in the form of + / = / - based upon a pupil’s individual target grades. This should occur at least once each half term.

5. Attitude

A grade A-F in line with present descriptors. (See Appendix 1 of Assessment, Recording and Reporting Policy)

Appendix 3 – Sample leaflet setting out effort/achievement and target grades/levels

Appendix 4 – Homework Policy (Years 7-9)

This policy is meant to support and extend the existing strategies for ensuring that homework is completed by all pupils at Mount St Mary’s.

Policy

• Departments set homework regularly in accordance with the current homework timetable.
• Each subject teacher keeps an up to date record, as at present, of the marks for the homework and of those pupils who did not complete homework.
• Each subject tutor consistently applies the departmental policy with regards to the strategies that already exist, to ensure all pupils attempt the work which has been set. These may include:
• Break and/or lunchtime detentions
• After school detention (with 24 hours notice)
• Referral to the Head of Department
• Contact with parents.
• On Monday of the penultimate week of each half term each subject tutor submits to their HOD a list of those pupils in each teaching group who have failed to attempt two or more homeworks in that half term.
• The HOD collates these (using LIG time) and passes the department summary for Years 7, 8 & 9 to the main office by Wednesday of the same week.
• Admin support staff collate the summaries from each department to produce a summary for each year group across all departments.
• The worst offenders (calculated by total number of homeworks missed across all subjects) are detained every night after school during the final week of each half term. (Parents informed by letter or telephone on the previous Friday).
• These detainees are seated in 3 classrooms, each supervised by two members of staff (HODs, LDG, HOY).
• The remainder of the year group have the final week as “homework free”.

NB:

1. This is in no way intended to replace the current departmental policy with regards dealing with pupils who do not hand in homework. Individual subject teachers are best placed to record and apply sanctions when homework is not done. Failure to do this will undermine all other strategies.
2. This extra support relies on subject tutors passing on class lists of defaulters to HODs on the Monday of the penultimate week. A delay here means HODs cannot get summaries to the office in time for parents to be informed that their son/daughter will be detained the following week.
3. A schedule of ‘supervisors’ for the final week of each half term will need to be drawn up and a system of either
   • collecting the relevant pupils from Period 5 for each day, or
   • deciding on a sanction for those who fail to attend ‘compulsory homework club’
will need to be devised.
4. Departments will need to make available appropriate work for completion by detainees.

Appendix 5 – Assessment Data for Teaching Staff

Appendix 6 – Tracking Grades

Key Stage 4
When updating the tracking data, staff will base their assessments on the A*-G GCSE Grading system. This will be updated twice a year in Year 10 and three times in year 11.

For attainment at KS4, GCSE tracking grades are awarded by considering “what grade the student will achieve at the end of the course, based on their current effort”.

Examples

1. A student might have a target of Grade C, and might be awarded an achievement grade of D in October of year 10. This means that, based on current effort, the teacher expects this student to achieve a grade D at the end of their GCSE course, even though their target is a grade C.
2. A student might have a target of Grade D, and might be awarded an achievement grade of C in January of year 11. This means that, based on current effort, the teacher expects this student to achieve a grade C at the end of their GCSE course, even though their target is a grade D.

Key Stage 3
At KS3 the school’s tracking system will include collection and analysis of National Curriculum levels at the end of Years 7 8 and 9.

For attainment at KS3, attainment levels are awarded based on “what level the teacher assesses the pupil to have reached at the end of that year”.

An additional check on progress towards Key Stage 3 targets will take place in November of year 9. Attainment levels for this progress check will be based on “what level the teacher assesses the pupil will be on at the end of year 9/KS3”.

In all cases, sub-levels of .2, .5 and .8 are used to indicate the “strength” of the level being awarded.

Examples

1. At the end of year 8 a pupil might be assessed as being on Level 5.8 (“strongly” attaining level 5; heading towards level 6 –but not there yet!)
2. A pupil might have an end of KS3 target of 4.8 (a “strong” level 4) and might be assessed as being on level 5.2 (“just” attaining level 5) in November of Year 9. This means that the teacher expects the pupil to reach level 5 by the end of year 9/KS3.
3. A pupil might have an end of KS3 target of 6.2 (“just” attaining level 6) and might be assessed as being on level 5.8 (a “strong” level 5) in November of Year 9. This means that the teacher expects the pupil to reach level 5 by the end of year 9/KS3.