SBL Marking, Assessment and Homework Policy
SBL Marking, Assessment and Homework Policy This policy contains the principles upon which marking and assessment of students’ work in all subjects should be based, along with homework provision. Curriculum Leaders are responsible for ensuring that this policy is implemented.
1.
Junior and Senior Academies
Marking, Assessment and Feedback
While the purpose of marking varies according to the nature of the work set, it should normally serve one or more of the following functions: o To ensure that work has been completed according to instructions o To ensure that the student has understood the work, and to correct errors and misunderstandings o To set targets for improving future work o To assess the student’s level of achievement o To praise and reinforce achievement o To provide data and comments for Progress Update Reports, and to allow Academic Mentors to target weaknesses and areas for development.
Marking should be formative and comment-based. Comments should be separated into ‘what went well’ (WWW) and ‘even better if’ (EBI). WWW comments should specify what success or examination criteria have been met and what has been achieved over and above the criteria. EBI comments should make suggestions about how the student can make progress, or pose a question, or series of questions, that challenge students to deepen their responses. Opportunities for peer and self-assessment, through the practice of Critique, should be based on student understanding of success criteria and be checked by the class teacher. The norms of Critique for peer-assessment should be applied consistently across Curriculum Areas. Grades, levels or marks should be given alongside formative marking where appropriate, and where it is likely to enhance student learning and progress. Marking should be regular and in accordance with the agreed policy of the school and the individual. Marking should be carried out with the following best practice in mind: o o
Effective formative comments specify WWW and provide EBI suggestions Student Response Time should be given at the beginning of each lesson following the return of marked work for students to record their reflections and responses. Student Response should be carried out using green pens. Where work cannot be physically annotated
1
SBL Marking, Assessment and Homework Policy o
(eg performance, final draft work etc) an alternative departmental recording system must be agreed and published. All marked work should be recorded either online, in markbooks, or both.
Frequency of marking
Students should have their work marked once a fortnight (or once every cycle of 6 lessons). Teachers should use a colour other than green. Work may be marked online, using an agreed format of online commentary. Marked work should be returned to students quickly enough for them to apply any necessary corrections to subsequent tasks.
Common annotation for Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG)
This approach offers each student a simplified code to understand the corrections that have been made through the marking process. It is essential that students, at least once every three weeks, respond to these corrections by re-writing incorrectly spelt words, sentences, paragraphs and, where necessary, whole pieces of work if the student's submission is deemed unacceptable. In order for this approach to have the right impact all colleagues must adhere to the following common format when correcting student work (nb: subjects such as MFL may use their own marking codes to accommodate the target language):
2
SBL Marking, Assessment and Homework Policy Presentation of written work
Students should take visible pride in their work and this should be demonstrated in the presentation of their written work. All written work should be done in blue or black ink or biro (where appropriate), and not in pencil. Presentation rules, targets, marking codes and classroom/lab rules should be clearly stuck into the front of exercise books. All written pieces of work completed should: o Have a title underlined with a ruler at the top of the page o Have a date underlined o Have any errors crossed out with a single horizontal line o Be tidy and neat o Leave no blank pages o Have no unfinished work
NB: Comment on presentation of written work does not constitute formative marking and should not be used in place of it Parental Engagement Parents can expect books and folders to be sent home once a fortnight. This will provide parents with the opportunity to share students’ targets and support their learning, celebrate success and raise concerns with the school. Homework Aims and Rationale Homework must be recorded in student planners by the student, and will be shared by the class teacher via Show My Homework. Parents should sign the student planner each week to check that work set, including via Show My Homework, has been completed and to raise any concerns with the school over the nature, frequency or appropriateness of homework. Planners will be monitored weekly by tutors and parents contacted if planners have not been signed. Directors and Deans of the academies will ensure that this is carried out consistently. Homework will be collected in by the teacher on the due date unless there is a signed parental note regarding non completion of homework. Homework should:
Consolidate and extend work covered in class or prepare for new learning activities Introduce learning for new topics Develop research skills Create opportunities for independent work Show progress and understanding Enhance study skills 3
SBL Marking, Assessment and Homework Policy
Enable students to take responsibility for their learning Enable students to exercise choice in their selection of homework task Be differentiated according to students’ learning requirements Provide the teacher with assessment and feedback opportunities Create channels for home-school dialogue
SBL Homework Policy Requires all curriculum areas to conform to the expectations herein regarding:
Frequency Amount Type Monitoring and assessment
of homework and the application of sanctions for unsatisfactory work or non completion of homework (according to the school Behaviour Policy). Expectations Junior Academy Subject English and Humanities Maths Science MFL ICT (from Sept 2014) Creative and Media Design and Technology TOTALS: Senior Academy Subject English Maths Science MFL ICT Humanities Creative and Media
Time per Week Year 7 60+ mins (to include personal reading) 30 mins 30 mins 30 Mins 30 minutes a fortnight 30 mins a fortnight per discipline 20-30 minutes 3.5 hours per week
Year 9 45-60 minutes 60 minutes 60 minutes 30-45 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 mins a fortnight per discipline
Year 8 60 + mins (to include personal reading time) 30 mins 30 mins 30 minutes 30 minutes a fortnight 30 mins a fortnight per discipline 20-30 minutes 3.5 hours per week
Time per Week Year 10 90 minutes 45-60 minutes 45 mins (Double Sci) 60 mins (Triple Sci) Up to 60 minutes 60 minutes 60 minutes
Year 11 90 minutes 45-60 minutes 45 mins (Double Sci) 60 mins (Triple Sci) Up to 60 minutes 60 minutes 120 minutes
60 minutes (Additional Learning) 120 minutes (Principal Learning)
60 minutes (Additional Learning) 120 minutes (Principal Learning)
4
SBL Marking, Assessment and Homework Policy PE and Sport
N/A
120 minutes
120 minutes
Design and Technology
30 minutes 5½ hours per week
45-60 minutes 7 hours + per week
60 + minutes 8 hours + per week
TOTALS:
2.
Post-16 Academy
Marking, Assessment and Feedback Marking of work is a major component of assessment. The marking of written work in Post-16 Academy will conform to the following points. Marking of written work Marking and feedback of students’ written work should involve specific comments on:
Aspects of work that have either been omitted or not completed Errors of fact, understanding, or calculation. These should be corrected in writing on the student’s work itself and where appropriate also through follow-up work in class The strengths and weaknesses of students’ work through use of WWW/EBI Appropriate guidance for improvement Wherever possible, encouragement for achievement should be prominent Opportunities for self and peer-assessment through the practice of Critique should be frequent but always checked by the class teacher. Time for Student Response should be built in to each session following the return of marked work
Marks and Grades
Each Curriculum Area should adopt agreed conventions and practices for grading and assessment, as appropriate to the skills and examination formats of that subject as communicated by the relevant Awarding Body. It is expected that teachers within a Curriculum Area will adopt consistent practices and that students understand the basis upon which marks and grades are awarded in each subject. Work scrutiny and monitoring within each Curriculum Area is the responsibility of the Curriculum Leader and must ensure that consistent standards and conventions are applied by all teachers. Teachers are required to keep a record of marking and assessment for all students. Information about student progress and assessments should be shared with the Curriculum Leader, among members of the Curriculum Team and with the Post 16 team.
5
SBL Marking, Assessment and Homework Policy Assessment Frequent, regular and consistent assessment strategies are essential components of effective student learning in Post-16 Academy. Assessment at Post-16 should serve one or more of the following purposes:
Formative assessment to ensure the student has understood the work and to correct errors and misunderstandings to give advice on improving future work and to develop skills to shape future teaching plans and activities Summative assessment to assess student’s level of attainment against objective criteria; to provide an exam grade; when marking mocks, etc. To provide data and comment for the ROPs, and to allow Academic Mentors to target weaknesses and areas for development
Monitoring All Curriculum Areas must adhere to the school policy for monitoring assessment to ensure that the agreed practices are being carried out by all teachers within the team. Work scrutiny must be carried out at fortnightly intervals to ensure students are making appropriate progress and to ensure consistency of practice. Such monitoring is the responsibility of the Curriculum Leader. The Associate and Deputy Headteachers will ensure whole school compliance with the policy. Presentation of work
All written work should be neatly presented in blue or black ink or biro Where folders are used, clear dividers should identify different sections of the course, and should contain all marked work and assessments Where an electronic folder is used, this should be divided into identifiable sub-folders and contain all marked work and assessments All hand-written work should be submitted on A4 lined paper with margins, from an A4 pad, not torn out of exercise books. Printed work must conform to the individual Subject requirement (font size, spacing, word count etc)
Extended Work at P16 At Post-16, we believe that extended work should serve the following functions:
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SBL Marking, Assessment and Homework Policy
To consolidate and build on classwork by means of extension exercises, practice tasks or revision To cover new material by research, note-taking or guided learning from books and other appropriate sources To develop skills, both of general academic benefit and specific to examination demands To encourage the independent learning developed in Senior Academy To facilitate differentiation, including extension tasks for A*/A/Distinction students To test attainment levels of students against examination criteria
Frequency and Amount Extended Work should be set regularly and should generally amount to 9 hours per fortnight per subject in Year 12 and in Year 13.
Administration and Monitoring of Extended Work In Post-16 students will be required to take more personal responsibility for the recording and organisation of their extended work. However, it is expected that Academic Mentors will assist students in organising their weekly private study programmes and will monitor them during Skills. Non-production of extended work will be reported by subject teachers to Curriculum Leaders, then to the Director of Post-16, who will take further action to ensure that extended work is completed.
7
1.
Junior and Senior Academies
Marking, Assessment and Feedback
While the purpose of marking varies according to the nature of the work set, it should normally serve one or more of the following functions: o To ensure that work has been completed according to instructions o To ensure that the student has understood the work, and to correct errors and misunderstandings o To set targets for improving future work o To assess the student’s level of achievement o To praise and reinforce achievement o To provide data and comments for Progress Update Reports, and to allow Academic Mentors to target weaknesses and areas for development.
Marking should be formative and comment-based. Comments should be separated into ‘what went well’ (WWW) and ‘even better if’ (EBI). WWW comments should specify what success or examination criteria have been met and what has been achieved over and above the criteria. EBI comments should make suggestions about how the student can make progress, or pose a question, or series of questions, that challenge students to deepen their responses. Opportunities for peer and self-assessment, through the practice of Critique, should be based on student understanding of success criteria and be checked by the class teacher. The norms of Critique for peer-assessment should be applied consistently across Curriculum Areas. Grades, levels or marks should be given alongside formative marking where appropriate, and where it is likely to enhance student learning and progress. Marking should be regular and in accordance with the agreed policy of the school and the individual. Marking should be carried out with the following best practice in mind: o o
Effective formative comments specify WWW and provide EBI suggestions Student Response Time should be given at the beginning of each lesson following the return of marked work for students to record their reflections and responses. Student Response should be carried out using green pens. Where work cannot be physically annotated
1
SBL Marking, Assessment and Homework Policy o
(eg performance, final draft work etc) an alternative departmental recording system must be agreed and published. All marked work should be recorded either online, in markbooks, or both.
Frequency of marking
Students should have their work marked once a fortnight (or once every cycle of 6 lessons). Teachers should use a colour other than green. Work may be marked online, using an agreed format of online commentary. Marked work should be returned to students quickly enough for them to apply any necessary corrections to subsequent tasks.
Common annotation for Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG)
This approach offers each student a simplified code to understand the corrections that have been made through the marking process. It is essential that students, at least once every three weeks, respond to these corrections by re-writing incorrectly spelt words, sentences, paragraphs and, where necessary, whole pieces of work if the student's submission is deemed unacceptable. In order for this approach to have the right impact all colleagues must adhere to the following common format when correcting student work (nb: subjects such as MFL may use their own marking codes to accommodate the target language):
2
SBL Marking, Assessment and Homework Policy Presentation of written work
Students should take visible pride in their work and this should be demonstrated in the presentation of their written work. All written work should be done in blue or black ink or biro (where appropriate), and not in pencil. Presentation rules, targets, marking codes and classroom/lab rules should be clearly stuck into the front of exercise books. All written pieces of work completed should: o Have a title underlined with a ruler at the top of the page o Have a date underlined o Have any errors crossed out with a single horizontal line o Be tidy and neat o Leave no blank pages o Have no unfinished work
NB: Comment on presentation of written work does not constitute formative marking and should not be used in place of it Parental Engagement Parents can expect books and folders to be sent home once a fortnight. This will provide parents with the opportunity to share students’ targets and support their learning, celebrate success and raise concerns with the school. Homework Aims and Rationale Homework must be recorded in student planners by the student, and will be shared by the class teacher via Show My Homework. Parents should sign the student planner each week to check that work set, including via Show My Homework, has been completed and to raise any concerns with the school over the nature, frequency or appropriateness of homework. Planners will be monitored weekly by tutors and parents contacted if planners have not been signed. Directors and Deans of the academies will ensure that this is carried out consistently. Homework will be collected in by the teacher on the due date unless there is a signed parental note regarding non completion of homework. Homework should:
Consolidate and extend work covered in class or prepare for new learning activities Introduce learning for new topics Develop research skills Create opportunities for independent work Show progress and understanding Enhance study skills 3
SBL Marking, Assessment and Homework Policy
Enable students to take responsibility for their learning Enable students to exercise choice in their selection of homework task Be differentiated according to students’ learning requirements Provide the teacher with assessment and feedback opportunities Create channels for home-school dialogue
SBL Homework Policy Requires all curriculum areas to conform to the expectations herein regarding:
Frequency Amount Type Monitoring and assessment
of homework and the application of sanctions for unsatisfactory work or non completion of homework (according to the school Behaviour Policy). Expectations Junior Academy Subject English and Humanities Maths Science MFL ICT (from Sept 2014) Creative and Media Design and Technology TOTALS: Senior Academy Subject English Maths Science MFL ICT Humanities Creative and Media
Time per Week Year 7 60+ mins (to include personal reading) 30 mins 30 mins 30 Mins 30 minutes a fortnight 30 mins a fortnight per discipline 20-30 minutes 3.5 hours per week
Year 9 45-60 minutes 60 minutes 60 minutes 30-45 minutes 30 minutes 30 minutes 30 mins a fortnight per discipline
Year 8 60 + mins (to include personal reading time) 30 mins 30 mins 30 minutes 30 minutes a fortnight 30 mins a fortnight per discipline 20-30 minutes 3.5 hours per week
Time per Week Year 10 90 minutes 45-60 minutes 45 mins (Double Sci) 60 mins (Triple Sci) Up to 60 minutes 60 minutes 60 minutes
Year 11 90 minutes 45-60 minutes 45 mins (Double Sci) 60 mins (Triple Sci) Up to 60 minutes 60 minutes 120 minutes
60 minutes (Additional Learning) 120 minutes (Principal Learning)
60 minutes (Additional Learning) 120 minutes (Principal Learning)
4
SBL Marking, Assessment and Homework Policy PE and Sport
N/A
120 minutes
120 minutes
Design and Technology
30 minutes 5½ hours per week
45-60 minutes 7 hours + per week
60 + minutes 8 hours + per week
TOTALS:
2.
Post-16 Academy
Marking, Assessment and Feedback Marking of work is a major component of assessment. The marking of written work in Post-16 Academy will conform to the following points. Marking of written work Marking and feedback of students’ written work should involve specific comments on:
Aspects of work that have either been omitted or not completed Errors of fact, understanding, or calculation. These should be corrected in writing on the student’s work itself and where appropriate also through follow-up work in class The strengths and weaknesses of students’ work through use of WWW/EBI Appropriate guidance for improvement Wherever possible, encouragement for achievement should be prominent Opportunities for self and peer-assessment through the practice of Critique should be frequent but always checked by the class teacher. Time for Student Response should be built in to each session following the return of marked work
Marks and Grades
Each Curriculum Area should adopt agreed conventions and practices for grading and assessment, as appropriate to the skills and examination formats of that subject as communicated by the relevant Awarding Body. It is expected that teachers within a Curriculum Area will adopt consistent practices and that students understand the basis upon which marks and grades are awarded in each subject. Work scrutiny and monitoring within each Curriculum Area is the responsibility of the Curriculum Leader and must ensure that consistent standards and conventions are applied by all teachers. Teachers are required to keep a record of marking and assessment for all students. Information about student progress and assessments should be shared with the Curriculum Leader, among members of the Curriculum Team and with the Post 16 team.
5
SBL Marking, Assessment and Homework Policy Assessment Frequent, regular and consistent assessment strategies are essential components of effective student learning in Post-16 Academy. Assessment at Post-16 should serve one or more of the following purposes:
Formative assessment to ensure the student has understood the work and to correct errors and misunderstandings to give advice on improving future work and to develop skills to shape future teaching plans and activities Summative assessment to assess student’s level of attainment against objective criteria; to provide an exam grade; when marking mocks, etc. To provide data and comment for the ROPs, and to allow Academic Mentors to target weaknesses and areas for development
Monitoring All Curriculum Areas must adhere to the school policy for monitoring assessment to ensure that the agreed practices are being carried out by all teachers within the team. Work scrutiny must be carried out at fortnightly intervals to ensure students are making appropriate progress and to ensure consistency of practice. Such monitoring is the responsibility of the Curriculum Leader. The Associate and Deputy Headteachers will ensure whole school compliance with the policy. Presentation of work
All written work should be neatly presented in blue or black ink or biro Where folders are used, clear dividers should identify different sections of the course, and should contain all marked work and assessments Where an electronic folder is used, this should be divided into identifiable sub-folders and contain all marked work and assessments All hand-written work should be submitted on A4 lined paper with margins, from an A4 pad, not torn out of exercise books. Printed work must conform to the individual Subject requirement (font size, spacing, word count etc)
Extended Work at P16 At Post-16, we believe that extended work should serve the following functions:
6
SBL Marking, Assessment and Homework Policy
To consolidate and build on classwork by means of extension exercises, practice tasks or revision To cover new material by research, note-taking or guided learning from books and other appropriate sources To develop skills, both of general academic benefit and specific to examination demands To encourage the independent learning developed in Senior Academy To facilitate differentiation, including extension tasks for A*/A/Distinction students To test attainment levels of students against examination criteria
Frequency and Amount Extended Work should be set regularly and should generally amount to 9 hours per fortnight per subject in Year 12 and in Year 13.
Administration and Monitoring of Extended Work In Post-16 students will be required to take more personal responsibility for the recording and organisation of their extended work. However, it is expected that Academic Mentors will assist students in organising their weekly private study programmes and will monitor them during Skills. Non-production of extended work will be reported by subject teachers to Curriculum Leaders, then to the Director of Post-16, who will take further action to ensure that extended work is completed.
7
