St. Patrick’s N.S Assessment Policy
INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT
This policy was drawn up with the full
collaboration of all staff. It was approved by the Board of Management on
October 23rd 2019.
RELATIONSHIP TO SCHOOL ETHOS
At St. Patrick’s N.S, our aim is to
have high standards of teaching and learning, and to enable each child to
attain the highest level of his/her ability at every stage. We consider
assessment to be an integral part of teaching and learning. Assessment enables
teachers to know at what level to pitch work, and how to move forward in
teaching. It allows parents and children to have feedback on how well their
child is doing in learning, and to understand what they can improve upon, and
how they can do this.
RATIONALE
This policy sets out to formalise our
existing practice within this school, and is our response to the Department of circular
(0056/2011) which requires a review of school’s assessment policies to ensure
that it is fully informed by the NCCA publication (Assessment in the Primary School:
Guidelines for Schools 2007) and the requirements of the National Literacy and
Numeracy Strategy.
AIMS
Our aims in introducing this policy
are:
·
To benefit pupil
learning
·
To monitor
learning processes
·
To generate
base-line data that can be used to monitor achievement over time
·
To involve
parents and pupils in identifying and managing learning strengths or
difficulties
·
To assist our
teachers’ long & short term planning
·
To co-ordinate
assessment procedures on a whole school basis
FORMS OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment can be described in the
following terms:
Formative:
Helping the child in the process of learning.
Evaluative:
Helping the teacher to evaluate the learning opportunities provided. We can
carefully plan activities taking into account the needs of the child so that
their skills, knowledge and understanding are fully developed. Children will
also be involved in assessing their own work.
Summative:
Providing information for reports and school records. We can then write a summary
report based on evidence of what a child knows, understands and can do.
Informative: This provides information for parents &
the child’s next teacher. We can then communicate to parents & teachers how
the child is performing.
As of October 2019 the class groupings
are as follows:
Junior Infants to 1st class
(Ms. Keane)
2nd & 3rd
class: Ms. Maguire
4th to 6th
class: Mr. Larke
SET: Ms. Kilrane (Ms. Maher shared SET
– one day)
Each form of assessment will enable teachers:
·
To inform
planning for, and coverage of, all areas of the curriculum
·
To gather and
interpret data at individual, class and whole-school level, and in relation to
class and national norms
·
To identify the
particular learning needs of pupils or groups of pupils, including the exceptionally
able
·
To monitor pupil
progress and attainment
·
To modify their
programmes in order to ensure that the particular learning needs of individual
pupils/groups are being addressed
·
To facilitate the
involvement of pupils in assessment of their own work
·
To enable
teachers to monitor their own approaches and methodologies.
ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT FOR
LEARNING
We recognise the four functions of
assessment as being formative, summative, evaluative and diagnostic. Our approach to assessment focuses on the two
principle, interrelated and complementary approaches namely, Assessment for
Learning (AfL) and Assessment of Learning (AoL) at all class levels. This means
that evidence is used on an ongoing basis to inform for the purpose of
reporting (AoL). The school acknowledges the importance of a concentrated focus
on Assessment for Learning, the key characteristics of which we identify as
follows:
·
the sharing of
learning intentions with pupils through WALT and WILF
·
assisting pupils
in identifying and recognising the standards being aimed for
·
involving pupils
in self-assessment and peer assessment
·
providing pupils
with feedback which will lead them to recognise the next steps in their
learning and how to take them
·
the promotion of
confidence in pupils
Every child who enters school from
Junior Infants onwards is given a portfolio in the class teacher’s assessment folder. Teachers add samples of work to these folders
in all curriculum areas. Standardised testing and screening assessment results
are recorded in the whole school assessment folder.
At least one piece of work should be added
each month as follows:
|
|
Infants
|
1st/2nd
|
3rd/4th
|
5th/6th
|
|
Sept
|
Cutting/pencil grip/scissor grip
|
NLC: Writing sample in English
|
||
|
Capitals, full stops, spaces, letter formation
|
As previous, and grammar and punctuation
|
As previous, and paragraphs, extended vocab e.g. adjectives
|
||
|
Oct
|
Sounds Assessment
|
NLC: Reading observations in English and Irish
*Schonell results in school assessment folder*
|
||
|
Nov
|
NLC: Oral Lang. observations/recordings in English and Irish to
include poems
|
|||
|
Dec
|
End of term Maths tests
|
|||
|
Jan
|
NLC: Writing Sample in English (to compare with September) and
Irish as follows:
|
|||
|
Mark making and engagement with language
|
Word identification and cloze procedure
|
As previous, and syntax
|
As previous, and use of adjectives and correct grammar
|
|
|
Feb
|
Fine and Gross Motor Skills Checklists
*MIST with Snrs in school assessment folder*
|
|||
|
Mar
|
Visual Art: Free Drawing-Peer Assessment (Two Stars and a Wish)
|
|||
|
April
|
SESE Self-Assessment: favourite thing we’ve covered so far and
why
|
|||
|
May
|
Maths Trail
*BIAP (Jnrs)-school assessment folder*
|
Maths Trail
*SIGMA-T and MICRA-T – school assessment folder*
|
||
|
June
|
End of Year Assessments
|
|||
Some of the samples of work will be
accompanied by a self-assessment sheet filled out by the pupil. The portfolio folders will be kept up to date
by the class teacher and passed on to the next class teacher as the pupils move
through the school.
TECHNIQUES OF ASSESSMENT
·
Focused
Observations - observing a child or a group of children at an activity.
·
Random
Observations - monitoring what is happening i.e. works better in a group,
alone, tires easily, responds to visual promptings etc.
·
Structured
Observations - observing one particular child each day at set intervals. Discussion,
conferencing - talking to and questioning the children about their work, setting
targets for future work.
·
Presentations -
evaluating with the child the outcome or end product - writing, drawing,
diagram, model chart etc.
·
Monitoring
spelling and tables tests.
·
Teacher designed
tests.
·
Staged
assessments at the end of blocks of work, particularly in Maths.
·
Behaviour and
attendance monitored where necessary
STANDARDISED TESTS
Within the school, the Micra &
Sigma Tests (Reading & Maths) are administered to all classes from 1st to
6th at the end of May of each year.
The Raw Score, Standard Score,
Percentile Rank and STEN are recorded manually in our Assessment Folder kept in
the office.
Principal and staff are involved in
the analysis of standardised test results for an individual pupil, class and
whole school level.
It is our policy to offer learning
support to children with a Percentile Ranking of twelve or below as a priority.
Results are communicated to parents on
the end of year report cards in June of each year.
STEN scores are used to communicate
results to parents (including an information sheet for parents on STEN scores)
SCREENING
The Belfield Infant Assessment Profile
will be administered in Junior Infants for all children in May.
The MIST will be carried out on all pupils
in Term 2 of Senior Infants.
DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT
After Stage 1 (Classroom Support) and
consultation with the class teacher and with the consent of parents, the SET will
administer diagnostic assessment.
The school purchased the WIAT 111 (Wechsler
Individual Achievement Test) which is a comprehensive, individually
administered test in June 2019 following recommendation from Department inspector
in February ’19 WSE
PROCEDURES FOR FURTHER ASSESSMENT
After diagnostic assessment, each
child’s plan (Stage 2) will be reviewed. If there are serious concerns
expressed by the parents, support teacher and class teacher, further
psychological assessment will be explored. The Principal will seek the advice
of the NEPS psychologist and discuss the test results and concerns about the
pupil. Based on the advice received, the application for a full assessment, if
required, will be completed by the Principal & SET.
Psychological Reports are kept in a child's
file in the lockable filing cabinet in the school office.
RECORDING RESULTS OF ASSESSMENT
The results of standardised tests will
be carefully maintained in the school (locked in Principal's Office) and will
be made available to Department officials for inspection.
Aggregated results of standardised
tests will be reported to the Board of Management and the DES once annually.
At the end and/or the beginning of
each academic year each teacher will, where possible, be given the opportunity
to have a meeting with the previous class teacher who will brief him/her on the
strengths and weaknesses of each pupil, and confirm the content of the
curriculum covered in the previous year and handover portfolios of pupils.
Teachers are advised to ensure that their comments are based on objective
evidence.
Children’s records are held in the
school for a period up to the child’s 18th birthday
SUCCESS CRITERIA
This policy will be successful when:
·
A range of
informal and formal assessment modes are used to place assessment as an
integral part of teaching and learning
·
Procedures run
smoothly and efficiently because there is clarity about what is expected and
who is responsible for different aspects
·
The transfer of
information from class teacher to class teacher happens efficiently at the
beginning/end of school year.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITY
The Principal, Class Teachers and the
Special Education Teachers will have responsibility for the coordination and
implementation of this policy.
RATIFICATION AND COMMUNICATION
This policy was ratified by the Board
of Management on October 23rd 2019. It will be reviewed as & when the need
arises.
Signed by: ______________________
Dean Paul Bogle
Chairperson
