Reception baseline assessment

By RS Assessment from Hodder Education Comment Closed

In response to the 2017 ‘Primary assessment in England government consultation’, on 11th April 2018 the DfE announced the introduction of a new statutory reception baseline assessment in autumn 2020.

 

New baseline assessments to be introduced from autumn 2020

The test will be administered by schools as soon as children enter reception and will enable schools to measure children’s progress from reception through to KS2.  The DfE will publish the results of these measures for all through primaries in the summer of 2027.

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7 things you need to know about standardised scores and scaled scores

By RS Assessment from Hodder Education Comment Closed

Scaled scores and standardised scores – what’s the difference?

By Cerys Hadwin-Owen, Assessment Publisher

WCerys Hadwin-Owenith so many different assessment measures being used throughout primary schools, we’re often asked to clarify the difference between them. So we’ve gone back to the drawing board to provide some quick facts about two key test outcomes: scaled scores and standardised scores (because while both show performance, they aren’t quite the same thing).

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6 things you need to know about the new 2018 KS2 writing teacher assessment framework: February 2018 update

By RS Assessment from Hodder Education Comment Closed

We asked Shareen Mayers to share her personal views on what the new KS2 writing teacher assessment framework means for schools, and to highlight some of the salient points. Please note that this guidance relates to KS2 writing only.

Please see Shareen’s previous article for a summary of the key changes to writing, including a greater focus on composition.

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Building and boosting vocabulary to improve results in reading and grammar tests

By RS Assessment from Hodder Education Comment Closed

Thanks to Ruth Duckworth  for the following article.

One of the areas that has been identified as a weakness for Year 6 pupils taking end of Key Stage 2 reading tests relates to content domain 2a: ‘give or explain the meaning of words in context’.  This is an ongoing concern for teachers, as 20% of the questions on the 2017 reading SATs paper focused on this domain.

Further reaching than Year 6, teachers from Year 2 and across Key Stage 2 know that the increased pitch of vocabulary in both English reading and grammar, punctuation and spelling test papers is a challenge for many pupils – especially when undertaking more formal SATs type format tests (whether half-termly or at the end of each term).  It is therefore imperative to read widely with all children, plan English lessons around high quality texts, and also explicitly teach new vocabulary in context across wider curriculum subjects. Continue reading →

Multiplication tables check trials to begin in schools

By RS Assessment from Hodder Education Comment Closed

On 14th February 2018, the DfE announced that a small number of schools will be selected to trial the multiplication tables check next month.

The multiplication check follows the introduction of the phonics screening check in 2012, and is designed to ensure children in primary schools know their times tables up to 12 off by heart.

Key information about the multiplication checks:

  • The on screen checks will be sat by 8 and 9 year olds in Year 4 and will last no longer than 5 minutes
  • This year’s trial comes ahead of the mandatory checks in June 2020

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Teacher assessment frameworks at the end of KS1 and KS2

By RS Assessment from Hodder Education Comment Closed

On 14th February 2018, the DfE updated the KS1 and KS2 teacher assessment frameworks for 2017/2018.

Changes to KS1 for 2017-2018

  • Revised teacher assessment frameworks in English writing, which include:
    • A more flexible approach – teachers can now use their discretion to ensure that a particular weakness does not prevent an accurate judgement of a pupil’s attainment overall being made.
    • Revised ‘pupil can’ statements –  a greater emphasis on composition, whilst statements relating to the more ‘technical’ aspects of English writing are less prescriptive.
  • ‘Pupil can’ statements for English reading, maths and science are unchanged. Continue reading →

Teacher assessment moderation – writing moderation

By RS Assessment from Hodder Education Comment Closed

On 29th January 2018, the DfE released updated information for local authorities (LAs) about the process and training for moderators of KS1 and KS2 English writing in 2017/2018.

The standardisation process

The standardisation process is designed to assure schools that LA moderation teams have the required knowledge to moderate KS1 and KS2 English writing assessments, ensuring consistency and accuracy across England.  LAs are required to moderate a least 25% of maintained schools and 25% of academies.

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