Assessing the new curriculum

One of the questions at training events I led recently was about how to assess the National Curriculum.
Earlier this year, levels were removed from the new curriculum, and disapplied for the existing one for the time being, and there were several posts relating to the issue.
Tom Bennett wondered 'what do we pretend now' ?

There were suggestions that there would be:
a) exemplars of best practice from the DfE - I'm not aware that they've been released, and they really need to be published soon if people are going to build those into their planning - assessment should after all be thought about fairly near the start of the planning process...
b) 'solutions' from some of the big publishers, who may tie this in with textbooks which they publish - although it may be that they are focussing more on exam courses than on KS3, I expect there are new versions of the popular KS3 series primed and ready for publication in 2014...
c) school based solutions, which may be connected across local or regional networks or clusters of schools so that there is some sense of collaboration and continuity...
d) recommendations from organisations like the Geographical Association (remember Eleanor Rawling's excellent book from the previous curriculum change) or the RGS-IBG.

A recent contribution from the Hunting English blog in December provided some interesting food for thought

Whatever it is that schools use, they will need to start using them fairly promptly to get used to them, and have something in place for the new academic year, and to show to 'visitors'....

The DfE launched an appeal for schools or other organisations who have ideas for how to assess student work during the last few weeks, and publicised this via the TES website. Some of you may have missed this. This is called the ASSESSMENT INNOVATION FUND.

The deadline for applying is February the 14th....

The proposals will be supported with up to £10 000
One condition is that the proposed scheme is shared, and available to download by all...
Over to you :)

Comments