East Sussex Teacher Training Partnership
Assignment 2
Title:
How important are monitoring, assessment, record keeping and reporting in the teaching and
learning process?
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Confidence in making formative and summative assessments, together with secure Assessment for Learning (AfL)
practices enable teachers to monitor and assess the attainment and achievement of learners and to plan to meet
their needs effectively. Teachers know that learners will make good progress if they are given regular, constructive
and formative feedback. Teachers also recognise the benefits of self and peer assessment, giving learners
responsibility for assessing their own progress and deciding what and how to improve. They use national and local
pupil performance data to compare the progress and attainment of learners, to set targets, to inform their teaching
and to accelerate learning. A secure knowledge of national assessment requirements helps teachers to prepare
learners well for statutory assessments.
(2) Promote good progress and outcomes by pupils
- guide pupils to reflect on the progress they have made and their emerging needs
(6) Make accurate and productive use of assessment
- know and understand how to assess the relevant subject and curriculum areas, including statutory assessment requirements
- make use of formative and summative assessment to secure pupils’ progress
- use relevant data to monitor progress, set targets, and plan subsequent lessons
- give pupils regular feedback, both orally and through accurate marking, and encourage pupils to respond to the feedback.
Assignment objectives
To enable you to:
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Explain the importance of assessment, record keeping and reporting;
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Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the purposes and practices of assessment, including the
principles and techniques of Assessment for Learning.
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Demonstrate secure knowledge and understanding of the assessment requirements and arrangements relevant
to Key Stage 1 and 2 including assessment requirements for National Curriculum testing
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Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how schools use statistical information and how this relates to the
national picture.
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Demonstrate that you can access and interpret this information to help raise learners’ achievement
Guidance
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Explain the importance of assessment, record keeping and reporting
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the purposes and practices of assessment, including the
principles and techniques of Assessment for Learning, the assessment requirements and arrangements relevant
to Key Stage 1 and 2 including assessment requirements for National Curriculum testing
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how schools use statistical information and how this relates to the
national picture and show that you can access and interpret this information to help raise learners’ achievement
Show evidence of thorough study and related classroom practice
Show awareness of where to find, and how to critically engage with, evidence from sources such as research
and inspection reports
Analyse and evaluate the impact of this on your practice (past, present and future)
Reflect on and improve your practice, and take responsibility for identifying and meeting your developing
professional needs
Demonstrate ability to discuss important general issues in education as well as your own classroom practice
Demonstrate ability to engage in critical debate about current educational issues, drawing on evidence from
theory, research and practice. In particular, consider “Assessment without levels” under the new national
curriculum
“Assessment for Learning (AfL) 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.”
(Assessment Reform Group 2002)
Assessment criteria
In order to achieve a PASS, your work should show:
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Evidence of thorough study and related classroom practice
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Knowledge and understanding of the importance of assessment and its role in teaching and learning
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Sources such as research and inspection reports
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An ability to discuss important general issues in education as well as your own classroom practice
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Achievement of all other assignment objectives
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Coherence and clarity of thought and expression
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Ability to reference in appropriate academic manner
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A high standard of presentation
The criteria for a FAIL are:
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Insufficient knowledge and understanding of the importance of subject knowledge in subjects chosen
Insufficient demonstration of ability to address subject knowledge through personal study
Failure to meet the other assignment objectives
Lack of clear structure and fluency
Poorly or inadequately referenced
Word count
The essay, not including supporting evidence in the form of numbered appendices, should be equivalent to a
minimum of 3,000 words. Please add a bibliography (e.g. including primary strategy material, websites, research and
inspection evidence plus any other reference materials used).
Appendices (not counted in word length)
Your appendices may include, examples of your planning over time which demonstrate your use of assessment,
evidence of your use of targets, record keeping, written evaluations of teaching, case studies and other written
materials, evidence of assessment of class and homework, and logs of discussion of this assessment evidence with
tutors and mentors.
You will not be expected to rewrite or type material included in the appendices.
References
You must include a list of texts referred to in the essay
Presentation
Your essay will be returned if not properly presented.
Submission date:
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Thursday 26 March 2015
Extensions
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The granting of extensions will only be made in exceptional circumstances, such as illness, and is agreed at the
discretion of the Course Tutor.
Technical problems e.g. with computer failure, are not sufficient grounds for an extension or late submission.
Extensions should normally be applied for at least a week before the submission date, in the first instance to the
Course Tutor.
Assignment grading
Requires improvement
50-69%
Must demonstrate all of the
following:
Demonstrates a good level of
understanding of assessment
requirements
Shows understanding of the
school’s approach to
assessment including use of
level descriptors/APP
Demonstrates ability to use
different approaches to
assessment
Demonstrates use of
assessment for learning (AfL)
strategies
Able to articulate the
importance of formative
assessments and knows how
to use these effectively to help
raise the attainment of pupils
Understands the benefits of
involving learners in the
assessment of their own
learning
Able to make use of group and
individual targets, and knows
how these are generated
Shows evidence of monitoring
and recording learners’
progress
Able to evaluate own teaching
accurately
Understands the need to
evaluate the effectiveness of it
through the impact on
learners.
Able to take some
responsibility for own
professional development
using reflection and personal
target-setting
Aware of important general
issues in education related to
assessment
Good
70-89%
Demonstrates all of the criteria for
‘satisfactory’ grading plus:
Shows clear understanding of
and ability to use a range of
assessment strategies
matched well to intended
learning outcomes
Demonstrates ability to use the
school’s approach to
assessment using level
descriptors/APP
Shows understanding of
importance of moderating and
interpreting assessments
Shows clear understanding of
assessment requirements and
how the school goes about
preparing learners for
assessments
Is aware of the available data
sets in school and how these
are used and can set realistic
targets for achievement based
on the data available
Shows evidence of monitoring
and recording learners’
progress and knows how the
outcomes from this are used in
subsequent planning
Understands the need to take
responsibility for own
professional development
through constructively critical
evaluation of own practice and
setting challenging targets
Able to engage with research
and inspection reports and to
discuss important general
issues related to change in
education in relation to own
classroom practice
Implements what has been
learnt, uses review and critical
reflection.
Outstanding
90% and above
Demonstrates all of the criteria for
‘good’ grading plus:
Demonstrates confidence in
using a range of assessment
strategies, reflecting a very
good understanding of the
theory and practice of
assessment.
Demonstrates ability to
monitor learners’ progress to
evaluate quickly how well
things are going to be able to
change the approach during
the lesson, or subsequently if
necessary;
Able to interpret and use the
school’s performance data to
judge starting-points and
target levels of attainment.
Can articulate the value of a
range of assessment
approaches, including
formative assessment and the
contribution that pupil level
data can make to learning and
teaching, and to raising
achievement
Shows evidence of monitoring
and recording learners’
progress and how the
outcomes from this are used in
subsequent planning – with a
clear focus on individuals and
groups
Critical and highly reflective
evaluation of own practice
Able to be proactive in
developing knowledge and
understanding and related
pedagogy
Able to critically appraise own
and others’ practice in the light
of innovation and to develop
own practice as a result
Presentation of work
How work is presented is of great importance, not only because trainees are engaged on an academic course but
also because this is an extremely important aspect of the professionalism of teachers.
These points should be followed when presenting your assignment:
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All work should be clear and legible, and must be word processed.
Paper should be A4 size and printed on one side only.
Margins should be generally 1-1.5 inches and work double spaced.
A cover sheet should clearly indicate your name, title of the piece of work and the date.
Where appropriate, a contents page should be included.
All pages should be numbered and word length observed.
Spelling, punctuation and grammar must be accurate.
References should be accurately presented.
All names of teachers, children and schools should be deleted or appropriate pseudonyms substituted. (This
is standard academic practice.)
Essays should be securely bound, with appendices included. (If appendices need to be removed later, e.g.
extracts from school file or examples of children’s work, they should be enclosed in plastic A4 envelopes
which are bound into the whole.)
Any work which is poorly presented will be returned for re-submission.
References
The reference section in all submissions must be in alphabetical order by author’s last name. It should be doublespaced and all works cited in the text must be listed. No reference should be added for works not cited in the text.
Always avoid abbreviations of journal titles and incomplete information. Follow examples below for content and
punctuation.
Examples - within text
Within the text two things are needed to allow anyone reading the essay to be able to identify the work referred to: the
author’s last name and the date of the publication.
e.g. ‘...an alternative interpretation is offered by Short (1985) who suggests...’ or ‘...such processes (Bruner,
1986) identified in young children help us...’
If specific reference is made or a quote is taken directly from the text, page numbers should also be supplied.
e.g. ‘...in collaboration with more capable peers.” (Vygotsky, 1978, p.86).’
Where a quote is two lines or more, it should be indented and single spaced. If the quote is short, it may be
integrated.
Examples - within reference list
There is a universally acknowledged method of referencing, known as the Harvard system, which is used on
academic courses.
For a book or pamphlet provide author’s last name, followed by initial(s), date, the book’s title (underlined) and lastly
the place of publication and the publisher
e.g. Waterland, L. (1988), Read With Me. Glos., Thimble Press.
For a chapter in a book provide the author’s name, date of book and title of chapter followed by the word ‘in’ and the
full reference of the book (as above, although there is no need to repeat the date).
e.g.
Alexander, R. (1994), ‘The classteacher and the curriculum.’, in, Pollard, A. and Bourne, J. (eds.)
Teaching and Learning in the Primary School. London, Routledge in ass. with The Open University.
For a journal article provide the author’s name, date and title of article followed by the journal title (underlined) and
volume and issue numbers and pages.
e.g.
Harlen, W. and Quarter, A. (1991), ‘Issues in SAT development and the practice of teacher
assessment.’, Cambridge Journal of Education, Vol. 21, No. 2, pp l4l -52.
Footnotes
Notes which refer to the text should be used only when absolutely necessary. If notes are used, they should be
numbered consecutively and placed on a separate page at the end of the essay, headed ‘Footnotes’.
Assessment and marking procedures for written work
Criteria for each assignment are shown in the assignment specifications, and must be used as the basis
for assessing and marking submissions.
Presentation of trainee work
Any submissions which do not fulfil requirements for presentation as set out in the guidance should be
returned to trainees unmarked. The trainee must then resubmit by an agreed date.
Marking
For essay submissions, i.e. Assignments 1 and 2, the following points apply
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Scripts should not be written on except to correct spelling and punctuation errors, to indicate
reference omissions and make other brief comments.
Report Writing
In completing the report forms, markers should:
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Address the assignment criteria and ensure that these have been met;
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Complete the report form giving formative feedback to the trainee.
Moderation
Moderation will be in two stages.
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After marking, the Course Tutor will identify a strong, a weak and an average essay which will then
be second marked.
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At the course moderation meeting:
the criteria for the assignment are reviewed;
identified essays are second marked and the assessments compared in relation to the
assignment criteria;
where necessary, other essays also be second marked.
Failed submissions
The SCITT Course Coordinator should be informed immediately of any submissions identified as
‘failures’. These must be second marked and in the case of an agreed fail the trainee must resubmit by
an agreed date
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