Schools aren't sure how to assess their pupils' progress under Wales' new curriculum as old-style testing takes a back seat. A report from education inspectorate Estyn says: "Many school leaders express some uncertainty about how to approach assessment in the context of the Curriculum for Wales."
Some schools are also worried that "there will be ‘something coming around the corner’ with regards to assessment and its role in accountability”, inspectors found. But Chief Inspector Owen Evans said tests aren't everything and won't be used as a way to hold schools to account.
"In weaker schools, leaders continue to view assessment primarily as a system for providing external accountability, " Estyn's report says. The document suggests best practice for assessment under the new curriculum which began in all primaries and half of secondaries this term.
Read more: Less emphasis on written exams in plans for Welsh GCSEs being put out to consultation
Inspectors visited schools they said are known for their high teaching standards and wrote the report to help teachers assess pupils to help their progress. These are some alternative ways to assess pupils' progress they said:
- Multiple choice quizzes
- Pupil self-review
- Feedback from classmates
Using key points when teachers must check that pupils have understood before they continue learning.
The report, "The Changing Approach to Assessment" aims to help schools move towards assessment that helps pupils’ learning, the inspectorate said. "Schools should approach assessment in a way that deepens teachers’ understanding of pupils’ learning and how they can progress," the document adds.
Owen Evans, Chief Inspector, said: "‘Getting assessment right is a priority for the Curriculum for Wales. We know that tests are only part of the story when evaluating how well pupils learn.
"Assessment in the classroom should respond to the needs of individual pupils and be an ongoing and natural part of teaching, not a method of accountability."
"Today’s report can help schools to plan how they assess pupils’ work and develop their approaches to reflect the Curriculum for Wales. It identifies good practice from a wide range of primary, secondary, all-age and special schools. "
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