marking & assessment policy
MARKING & ASSESSMENT POLICY October 2016 ADOPTED BY BOARD OF GOVERNORS/DIRECTORS: 06.12.16
MISSION STATEMENT St Thomas More is a Catholic school and, as such, we attempt to follow the example of Jesus Christ in our work, worship and relationships. Our aims are:
To be a prayerful community based on Christian values, notably Love, Justice, Peace, Truth and Tolerance, and to encourage individuals in their commitment to these ideals; To provide a secure, welcoming and ordered environment in which individuals learn to value and respect both themselves and others; To give individuals the opportunities to develop their full potential as human beings, and to encourage and challenge them to do so; To encourage everyone to strive to do their best and to strive for the highest standards in all areas of activity; To help children grow into confident, open, resourceful young people with a sense of responsibility and of service.
RATIONALE: The key aim of this policy is to ensure that:
Every Student knows what they are doing, and understands what they need to do to improve and how to get there. They get the support they need to be motivated, independent learners on an ambitious path to improvement.
Every Teacher is equipped to make well founded judgements about pupil’s attainment, understands the concepts and principles of progression, and knows how to use their assessment judgements to plan ahead, particularly for students who are not fulfilling their potential.
Every parent / carer knows how their child is doing, what they need to do to improve and how they can support their child and their teachers.
Subjects must have the flexibility to devise approaches to marking that are fit for their specific purposes. This is outlined clearly in their departmental Marking and Assessment Policy. The variety of approach does not compromise quality because it is regularly scrutinised. However, departmental policies reflect school policy in order to ensure an element of consistency across curriculum areas.
CONTEXT: This policy is written in the context of the Teachers’ Standards July 2011(introduction updated June 2013) and the school’s own job descriptions.
Standard 1. Set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge pupils •
Set goals that stretch and challenge pupils of all backgrounds, abilities and dispositions
Standard 2. Promote good progress and outcomes by pupils •
Be accountable for pupils’ attainment, progress and outcomes
•
Be aware of pupils’ capabilities and their prior knowledge, and plan teaching to build on these
•
Guide pupils to reflect on the progress they have made and their emerging needs
•
Encourage pupils to take a responsible and conscientious attitude to their own work and study.
Standard 3. Demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge
TEACHER STANDARDS
•
Demonstrate an understanding of and take responsibility for promoting high standards of literacy, articulacy and the correct use of Standard English, whatever the teacher’s specialist subject
Standard 4. Plan and teach well structured lessons •
Set homework and plan other out-of-class activities to consolidate and extend the knowledge and understanding pupils have acquired
Standard 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.
Standard 8. Fulfil wider professional responsibilities •
Communicate effectively with parents with regard to pupils’ achievements and well-being.
STM JOB DESCRIPTIONS – Professional Duties
Teaching –
Teach students assigned to him/her according to their educational needs, including the setting and marking of work to be carried out by the student in school and elsewhere
Assess, record and report on the development, progress and attainment of students
Additional responsibilities - Curriculum Leader
Lead, support, monitor and evaluate the work of the department and the departmental team.
Co-ordinate and monitor assessment, recording, reporting
EXPECTATIONS: STUDENTS Students should strive to produce their neatest work consistently.
All work, classwork, homework, assessments, whether in books or folders, should be dated.
All headings should be underlined and these and all other lines should be drawn with a ruler.
Diagrams and drawings should be done in pencil.
Mistakes should be neatly crossed through.
There should be no doodles in books/folders and no graffiti on covers.
It should be clear in books and folders when improvements have been made.
TEACHERS
Corrections/extension work should be a regular part of lessons.
Students without corrections should be provided with extension/challenge work.
Colloquialisms should not be used in teacher comments.
All homework should be clearly identified as such with the title Homework and any additional title.
Any work that is Self- assessed or Peer-assessed will be identified.
Where significant verbal feedback has taken place, this may be recorded in the margin.
Literacy should be marked using the Super Six and green box procedures outlined in the whole school literacy policy.
HOMEWORK:
Homework can take many forms.
Homework will be set regularly, following departmental policy.
All homework should be clearly identified as such in books or files with the title Homework.
Homework can be self, peer or teacher assessed.
Completion of homework or homework marks should be recorded in teacher planners.
PRINCIPLES OF FEEDBACK: Heads of Department must ensure that there is a schedule for assessment and marking appropriate to their curriculum.
Feedback should be prompt and relevant, and should create an on going dialogue which enables students to take ownership of their learning and support continued progress.
Teachers must mark work regularly according to their departmental Marking and Assessment Policy.
The number of marked pieces of work and homework will depend on how many lessons per week a student has for that subject.
Feedback may be written and verbal.
Feedback must identify the strengths of a students work related to the criteria being used to assess the work.
Feedback must clearly indicate to a student exactly how they can improve the piece of work using the assessment criteria.
Students must be given opportunities to make improvements that have been suggested and teachers should expect students to show improvements in future work.
Marking can take many forms. In order to support the giving of quality feedback at key points in the learning process (milestone pieces) other work may be marked in less detail. (Lighter touch marking.)
MONITORING: It is expected that Heads of Department will monitor the marking and assessment carried out by their staff on a regular basis. This is to ensure that it is being carried out as expected, but should also be an opportunity to identify good practice. In addition to the departmental recording system, information such as homeworks set and completed will be recorded in the teacher planners and these should also be monitored throughout the year.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: In addition to monitoring, opportunities should be given in departments to share good practice.
Sharing practice with regard to marking and feedback should be a collaborative developmental process which allows staff to identify possible improvements to the ways that they work with students on individual topics or pieces of work. This should enable staff to share practice and discuss barriers to effective marking and assessment. Staff should be able to discuss with each other the quality of feedback given to students and the
opportunities to develop this further. It is vital that this is done in a supportive way; departments need to devise a system for this which is beneficial to all.
Exemplar samples of students work at each level should be available in departments to aid professional development
ASSESSMENT & REPORTING: Student reports are issued 3 times per year in Years 7 - 10, and twice in Year 11. At post-16 there is one report. In addition to this there are a number of parents’ evenings. For all of these activities, staff are required to give an accurate record of each student’s academic performance. This judgement will be based on summative assessments plus information from classwork and homework. All staff must use their departmental tracking system to monitor student progress.
APPENDIX: Super Six Marking codes
MISSION STATEMENT St Thomas More is a Catholic school and, as such, we attempt to follow the example of Jesus Christ in our work, worship and relationships. Our aims are:
To be a prayerful community based on Christian values, notably Love, Justice, Peace, Truth and Tolerance, and to encourage individuals in their commitment to these ideals; To provide a secure, welcoming and ordered environment in which individuals learn to value and respect both themselves and others; To give individuals the opportunities to develop their full potential as human beings, and to encourage and challenge them to do so; To encourage everyone to strive to do their best and to strive for the highest standards in all areas of activity; To help children grow into confident, open, resourceful young people with a sense of responsibility and of service.
RATIONALE: The key aim of this policy is to ensure that:
Every Student knows what they are doing, and understands what they need to do to improve and how to get there. They get the support they need to be motivated, independent learners on an ambitious path to improvement.
Every Teacher is equipped to make well founded judgements about pupil’s attainment, understands the concepts and principles of progression, and knows how to use their assessment judgements to plan ahead, particularly for students who are not fulfilling their potential.
Every parent / carer knows how their child is doing, what they need to do to improve and how they can support their child and their teachers.
Subjects must have the flexibility to devise approaches to marking that are fit for their specific purposes. This is outlined clearly in their departmental Marking and Assessment Policy. The variety of approach does not compromise quality because it is regularly scrutinised. However, departmental policies reflect school policy in order to ensure an element of consistency across curriculum areas.
CONTEXT: This policy is written in the context of the Teachers’ Standards July 2011(introduction updated June 2013) and the school’s own job descriptions.
Standard 1. Set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge pupils •
Set goals that stretch and challenge pupils of all backgrounds, abilities and dispositions
Standard 2. Promote good progress and outcomes by pupils •
Be accountable for pupils’ attainment, progress and outcomes
•
Be aware of pupils’ capabilities and their prior knowledge, and plan teaching to build on these
•
Guide pupils to reflect on the progress they have made and their emerging needs
•
Encourage pupils to take a responsible and conscientious attitude to their own work and study.
Standard 3. Demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge
TEACHER STANDARDS
•
Demonstrate an understanding of and take responsibility for promoting high standards of literacy, articulacy and the correct use of Standard English, whatever the teacher’s specialist subject
Standard 4. Plan and teach well structured lessons •
Set homework and plan other out-of-class activities to consolidate and extend the knowledge and understanding pupils have acquired
Standard 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.
Standard 8. Fulfil wider professional responsibilities •
Communicate effectively with parents with regard to pupils’ achievements and well-being.
STM JOB DESCRIPTIONS – Professional Duties
Teaching –
Teach students assigned to him/her according to their educational needs, including the setting and marking of work to be carried out by the student in school and elsewhere
Assess, record and report on the development, progress and attainment of students
Additional responsibilities - Curriculum Leader
Lead, support, monitor and evaluate the work of the department and the departmental team.
Co-ordinate and monitor assessment, recording, reporting
EXPECTATIONS: STUDENTS Students should strive to produce their neatest work consistently.
All work, classwork, homework, assessments, whether in books or folders, should be dated.
All headings should be underlined and these and all other lines should be drawn with a ruler.
Diagrams and drawings should be done in pencil.
Mistakes should be neatly crossed through.
There should be no doodles in books/folders and no graffiti on covers.
It should be clear in books and folders when improvements have been made.
TEACHERS
Corrections/extension work should be a regular part of lessons.
Students without corrections should be provided with extension/challenge work.
Colloquialisms should not be used in teacher comments.
All homework should be clearly identified as such with the title Homework and any additional title.
Any work that is Self- assessed or Peer-assessed will be identified.
Where significant verbal feedback has taken place, this may be recorded in the margin.
Literacy should be marked using the Super Six and green box procedures outlined in the whole school literacy policy.
HOMEWORK:
Homework can take many forms.
Homework will be set regularly, following departmental policy.
All homework should be clearly identified as such in books or files with the title Homework.
Homework can be self, peer or teacher assessed.
Completion of homework or homework marks should be recorded in teacher planners.
PRINCIPLES OF FEEDBACK: Heads of Department must ensure that there is a schedule for assessment and marking appropriate to their curriculum.
Feedback should be prompt and relevant, and should create an on going dialogue which enables students to take ownership of their learning and support continued progress.
Teachers must mark work regularly according to their departmental Marking and Assessment Policy.
The number of marked pieces of work and homework will depend on how many lessons per week a student has for that subject.
Feedback may be written and verbal.
Feedback must identify the strengths of a students work related to the criteria being used to assess the work.
Feedback must clearly indicate to a student exactly how they can improve the piece of work using the assessment criteria.
Students must be given opportunities to make improvements that have been suggested and teachers should expect students to show improvements in future work.
Marking can take many forms. In order to support the giving of quality feedback at key points in the learning process (milestone pieces) other work may be marked in less detail. (Lighter touch marking.)
MONITORING: It is expected that Heads of Department will monitor the marking and assessment carried out by their staff on a regular basis. This is to ensure that it is being carried out as expected, but should also be an opportunity to identify good practice. In addition to the departmental recording system, information such as homeworks set and completed will be recorded in the teacher planners and these should also be monitored throughout the year.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: In addition to monitoring, opportunities should be given in departments to share good practice.
Sharing practice with regard to marking and feedback should be a collaborative developmental process which allows staff to identify possible improvements to the ways that they work with students on individual topics or pieces of work. This should enable staff to share practice and discuss barriers to effective marking and assessment. Staff should be able to discuss with each other the quality of feedback given to students and the
opportunities to develop this further. It is vital that this is done in a supportive way; departments need to devise a system for this which is beneficial to all.
Exemplar samples of students work at each level should be available in departments to aid professional development
ASSESSMENT & REPORTING: Student reports are issued 3 times per year in Years 7 - 10, and twice in Year 11. At post-16 there is one report. In addition to this there are a number of parents’ evenings. For all of these activities, staff are required to give an accurate record of each student’s academic performance. This judgement will be based on summative assessments plus information from classwork and homework. All staff must use their departmental tracking system to monitor student progress.
APPENDIX: Super Six Marking codes
