May 2018

When learning how to write and interpret stories, knowledge of story structure is key. If a reader or writer has a deep knowledge of these basic plots, they’ll be much better equipped to understand and construct their own. One cannot write a great mystery story without a sound knowledge of the structure of a mystery story!

Parallels can be drawn to the subject of maths where there are several basic underlying structures that are based on the idea of the relationship between a whole and its parts. Two or more parts, when combined, make a whole. Basic structures begin with additive reasoning and then progress through to multiplicative reasoning. Once you know the structure, you can solve the problem! Read more »

Following the DfE’s response to the assessment consultation this September, we asked  English and assessment adviser Shareen Mayers to share her thoughts on the changes to the teacher assessment framework for writing at key stages 1 and 2.

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Thanks to Shareen Mayers for this article.

Shareen has been a KS1 moderator for a decade and a KS2 writing moderator for 6 years.  She is the lead moderator and moderation manager for a London LA.

Following the DfE's response to the assessment consultation this September, we asked Shareen Mayers to share her thoughts on the changes to the teacher assessment framework for writing at key stages 1 and 2. If you'd like to share your thoughts, get in touch with us on @rsassessment.

• A more flexible approach to the assessment of writing.

It is important to clarify that the more flexible approach to writing does not apply to reading, mathematics or science. They are still assessed as a secure-fit and pupils need to secure all the statements. The more flexible approach also needs to be interpreted with caution. The DfE states, ‘A pupil’s writing should meet all the statements within the standard at which they are judged. However, teachers can use their discretion to ensure that, on occasion, a particular weakness does not prevent an accurate judgement being made of a pupil’s attainment overall. A teacher’s professional judgement about whether the pupil has met the standard overall takes precedence. This approach applies to English writing only.’ This flexibility has been welcomed by many teachers within the profession and has been seen as a sensible approach to writing assessment.

 

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Thanks to Siobhan Skeffington  for the following article.

Siobhan Skeffington is an education consultant, author and reviewer also involved in test development and Primary Teacher for 26 years including SLT and Leading teacher.

Formative and summative assessments are very different.  Summative assessment gives a picture of how the child is progressing at any given point and enables teachers and schools to gauge the overall attainment; this can also be used for accountability purposes. Formative assessment needs to be part of everyday practice and lesson planning, as it focuses on improving learning.

Assessment is often seen as a tool to be planned for in the form of a spelling or mental maths test. Teachers and senior leaders can often feel pressurised to do constant mini summative tests believing these give a clear indication of how pupils are performing. These tests can be informative but the best formative assessment or ‘assessment for learning’ is through the conversations between the children and the teachers during the normal course of the day.  Through carefully planned questioning, open ended activities and marking that allows children to review their own work, formative assessment can give teachers a wealth of information to use when planning the next steps for learning.  If used appropriately, they will have identified any misconceptions or gaps in knowledge and will be better-able to determine what the children actually know.

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Part two of our poetry week activities. This time we're having fun with animal poems and spooky poems!

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Celebrate National Poetry Day on the 28th September with activities perfect for KS1 children.

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Thanks to Cerys Hadwin-Owen, Assessment Publisher for RS Assessment for Hodder Education, for the following article.

On the face of it, training for a marathon and preparing for SATs might seem like completely different experiences. However many assessment experts have recognised the similarities between sport and assessment in the past (including Daisy Christodoulou in her latest book). Here at RS Assessment from Hodder Education, we find it really helpful when explaining to schools and teachers how our wide range of assessment resources work together, and amidst the very valid concerns around over-testing that face both primary and secondary schools in the current climate, we feel it’s an analogy worth sharing.

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Our website will be offline on Sunday 24th September for an essential maintenance update.

We appreciate your patience while we carry out this work, and apologise for any inconvenience.

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A variety of different activities for the classroom.

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