Assessment for Learning

 

Overview

In its simplest form, ‘Assessment for Learning’ is about encouraging students to take an active interest in their own learning and to take more responsibility for achieving their potential.  Much more than that, it also empowers the students to be able to make a difference and helps parents, teachers and tutors to support the students in a focused and effective way.

 

The Learning Profile

The College has created a huge centralised database of assessment information that is extremely detailed and comprehensive. OFSTED judged it to be the most impressive they had ever seen.  With this information we are able to supply students, parents and tutors with a Learning Profile approximately each half-term.

The Learning Profile will have five main elements for each subject:

• Grades about effort and attitude, behaviour and homework
• A starting level
• A realistic end of year target level
• A record of progress towards the target level
• Optional comments from the teachers

Parents are provided with a guide which contains a description of each of the grades used for effort etc. and it also explains the following for each subject:

• How the start levels were determined
• What forms of assessment take place during the year and how these are used to make an overall judgement for each Learning Profile
• A calendar for assessment, which means you will know when your child needs to be revising and when your child will be getting feedback
• The support materials in place to enable the students to understand how they will be assessed.  This is really important for the students and it is about empowering them to make a real difference to their own education

The target levels are all set based on different rates of progress with the most able expected to learn at the fastest rate.  The key thing to be clear on with the target levels is that they give the students a focus to aim for.  Many students decide that they will beat their target level and this sort of positive determination should be heartily encouraged as it is often a key contributor to success!