By Dr . Tassos Anastasiades

Administrator ' s Corner

weaknesses . This is a reliable yearon-year benchmark and is used at the start and end of the academic year and is ideal for monitoring progress over time .

It is also an indicator of individual / group / whole school patterns . It is an invaluable tool for intervention . Compared against results from the Cognitive Abilities Test : Fourth Edition ( CAT4 ), PTM , PTS and PTE help identify those who are underperforming in comparison to their indicated ability - making it easier to intervene in the most important areas .

With a clear focus on maximizing learning , schools should undertake a thorough review of what they want to assess and how . Assessment should take a holistic view of each student through a combination of internal and external assessments enabling the identification of learning barriers whether it is for SEN or gifted and talented students .

There ought to be a common approach to the assessment of students ’ work across all key stages and subjects , ensuring that all students have regular , accurate feedback on what they have done well and their next steps in learning . The curriculum should be broken up into learning steps so that at any moment in time , teachers can identify whether the students are performing as expected , above or below .

Use a combination of external assessments to measure student potential , progress and attitudes to learning . All of these assessments should come with national benchmarks .

For example , at Ajman Academy teachers use the Cognitive Abilities Test ( CAT4 ) in Years 7 , 9 and 12 .

CAT4 measures the four main types of reasoning ability that are known to make a difference to learning and achievement :

Verbal , Non-verbal , Quantitative and Spatial Ability . The resulting data is then used to identify a student ’ s strengths , weaknesses and learning preferences , providing accurate and reliable information for teaching and learning .

CAT 4 results also include statistically reliable indicators for a student ’ s future results at the end of GCSE or A level , helping teachers to set achievable but challenging targets and identify quickly if learning has halted .

An accurate measure of progress for Maths ( PTM ) English ( PTE ) and Science ( PTS ) aligned to the new national curriculum of the UK and also provides valuable diagnostic information about subject specific strengths and

To provide an insight into general reading progress , the school uses the New Group Reading Test ( NGRT ) – a group reading test that enables the assessment of reading and comprehension in a single test . Progress reports from NGRT show clearly which students have made below average , average or above average progress compared with their peers nationally .

Finally , the Pupil Attitudes to Self and School ( PASS ) psychometric survey is used to provide teachers with an understanding of student attitudes to school and themselves as learners . It offers a different kind of perspective , but one that highlights any issues that might cause disruptive behaviour or prevent students from reaching their potential .

All of this evidence is collected and combined with the internal assessments to give teachers a profile of each student . At a glance , teachers can identify students who have specific learning needs or are gifted / talented . The detailed profile identifies clearly where additional support is needed .

Using the range of assessments means that teachers start the year knowing each student really well and can track progress day to day with students also taking responsibility of their own learning journey . The personalised intervention and support is a motivator which improves self belief , self confidence , and indeed self esteem enabling all students to make above expected progress from their start points whether SEN of gifted .

Class Time

| | Mar - Apr 2017 |

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