Assessment

 BASELINE ASSESSMENT

BALFOUR INFANT SCHOOL

PRINCIPLES FOR ASSESSMENT

Definition of Assessment

Assessment is the process of forming a judgement about a pupil’s attainment of knowledge, skills and understanding and identifying what the pupil can do and the appropriate next steps and support to progress learning and achieve goals.

At Balfour Infant School, assessment is central to teaching, learning and the curriculum. Our assessment policy is underpinned by the following principles:

 1. Assessment puts the child at the centre of the process

 2. Assessment is robust, fair, accurate and without bias

 3. Assessment raises standards and aspirations

 4. Assessment is transparent and informative

1. Assessment puts the child at the centre of the process

a. Involves interaction and dialogue around learning between teacher, pupil and peers.

b.Involves interaction and dialogue between home and school.

c. Facilitates self- assessment and reflection, talking about what they can achieve.

d.Clarifies to the child what they can do and what their next learning goals are.

e. Promotes learning communities.

2. Assessment is robust, fair, accurate and without bias

a. Assessment is inclusive of all abilities.

b. Enables pupils to demonstrate their learning and achievements in various ways.

c. Draws on a range of evidence in a range of contexts.

d.Promotes breadth and depth of learning.

e. Is meaningful, relevant, appropriate and understood by the child.

f. Assessment approaches are regularly reviewed to evaluate their effectiveness and appropriateness.

3. Assessment raises standards and aspirations

a. Delivers high quality feedback that celebrates achievement and enables children to self-correct.

b.Improves the quality of teaching – shapes and guides teaching and approaches based on the needs, prior learning, interests and experiences of the  children.

c. Improves children’s learning – closes the gap between current and desired performance without putting a ceiling on children’s abilities.

d.Promotes independence, collaboration, responsibility and raises self-esteem. 

e.Identifies resources needed to support teaching and learning, including electronic resources, practical resources, interventions for children and CPD for staff.

4. Assessment is transparent and informative

a.Uses a shared language that is understood by teachers, children, parents, governors, school leaders and other stakeholders.

b.Is based and moderated against national criteria as well as teacher’s knowledge of the child and how they learn.

c. Is collected and recorded in a way that is manageable, transferable and purposeful because it informs planning for future learning.

The purposes and goals of assessment should be shared with everyone and inspire all to reach their potential.

A printable version of this document can be found Here