Views please....assessments, ATLs etc...

[whizzmum]

Just interested to know what people's opinions are regarding the continual assessment at secondary schools now... level ladders, attitude to learning scores, levels for everything, etc, etc. Please don't think I am adverse to occasional assessments - whilst at school we would have a test at the end of term and homework would get a comment on it, i.e. maybe you could have added ...../perhaps you could improve it by.....etc, but now they seem to handn in homework and it has to be assessed on a level ladder. Do you think it puts pressure on children, having to put a number against everything/constantly being compared against their peers etc. or do you think it's a good thing? Thanks.

I don't like it.

Thanks, Corn, could I please ask you your reasons for not liking it? Thanks.

(just namechanged!)
I think assessments should be meaningful and have a purpose. They should help children to move on in their learning. Less often and with a clear purpose would be more effective IMO.

Yes, I have to agree with you there. Thanks. There is such pressure on children today IMO.

As a secondary school teacher (English) ...
and a parent of two teenagers ...
continual assessment, as with everything, has its negatives and positives. A lot of it is down to how the classroom teacher manages the process (and how engaged/in favour of the process s/he is in the first place!). I was somewhat sceptical about everything, but in practice, my mind has been changed. Pupils now expect to see what level they have ach. for everything, they know what their end of year target is and they know after each assessment what they need to do to move on towards it. Mark schemes are shared with the pupils and they have a really positive attitude towards managing their own progress. Of course, there are exceptions; lower ability pupils need to have differentiated material/mark schemes so that the whole thing doesn't work against them - they must feel that they are able to progress etc etc.
The best thing you can do is talk to teachers at your children's school. We are human. (well most of the time).

DD has target grades for everything based on predicted grades at GCSE alongside the grades she is actually attaining.

So as parents we can see in which subjects she is exceeding her potential, reaching her potential or not reaching her potential.

I think this is absolutely great because we can investigate where things are going slightly adrift (RE and PE) and be reassured that she is on track for getting the sort of grades she will need to get in order to get into a good university.

She is only 11 and in her first year at secondary school, but she doesn't look to be under any pressure at all. And I think it's helpful for children to be focussed and know what is needed right at the outset.

Thanks, Whirlwind, you sound like a very good teacher! Luckily, my son has an excellent form tutor so is very easy to talk to, if need be. Yes, I am sure there are negatives and positives, as with everything! Thanks for comments, Harried, that's great for your DD but some children, inc my own DS do feel pressured by it all. He is very able but also quite hard on himself and we obviously encourage him etc and do not put any pressure on at all, just say try your best (he always does) but he's very sensitive and the system does not work well for ALL children, although having said that, he is getting more relaxed as he goes through, so maybe is getting desensitized! Sorry about multiple commas!!! Thanks for comments.

At ds1's school they have at least one piece of 'levelled' work per subject per half term. But more frequently than this whenever work is marked they get a 'marking sticker'.

This is a simple grid with 3 rows:
Above Target
On Target
Below Target
(In KS3 it refers to their end of yr9 target).
Then the 4 columns are for their 'effort' with the piece of work. [They then get merit points based on which column they are in, ie depending on their effort.]
Then the teacher ticks one square in the gried, and puts a comment, next step for improvement, that sort of thing.

This grid doesn't actually give them a grade or a mark for their work (though they should know their yr9 target), which means they don't just go comparing with everyone else in the class. It also values effort very highly, not just focusing on attainment.

Whizz, reading your posts again more carefully, it sounds as though your DS is being measured against other children. The really good thing about DD's continual assessment thing is that she is only ever being measured against what she herself is capable of. Which makes it much less stressful and less competitive. I'm sure some informal comparisons happen, but it's not part of the formal process.

Thanks, Roison - that's a very encouraging post - great to see that effort is valued as well as attainment. sound comments, as usual! Harried - thanks for post - I am sure as time goes on it will get easier - I have always said to my DS that we will always be there for him, no matter what and that he does have an excellent form tutor, and that he doesn't always have to get top marks for everything - not sure where it's come from because both myself and DH don't put any undue pressure on him and always encourage him and his form tutor always speaks highly of him - good manners, behaviour etc., which I value just as much. Thanks everyone.

The only info I get from schools is a comment on their target, not a number or grade (eg - to use more scientific language, to check over work for accuracy), and then end-of-year examination results (including an average for the year group). I get an attainment and effort grade, relative to their own aptitude rather than an absolute standard.

I know that my kids had baseline testing when they started in their senior schools (IQ type), and then have end of topic tests in their various subjects every month or so. They also get their homework marked every week.

I think it's a shame that a really good piece of work (for any particular child) can't just be celebrated with a really big pat on the back.

We use this WWW (what went well) and EBI( even better if) at our school. Why does there always have to be a BUT!

I do a levelled or graded piece of work with every child every half term. I betwee as I mark I may say this is a level 6 skill which is above where i expect you tu be well done. In a subject like mine, which could be very woolly it is useful for the children to have assessmet levels they can grade their progress by.

I agree with the poster above that a strength of the levels is that allows the child to watch their own progress measured against previous performace.

I never ( or I hope never ) use the word but in my marking.