Assessment at Wales High School
Key Stage 3 Assessment
At Wales High School, subjects complete baseline assessments with students when they join us. Staff then use continuous assessments through the year to gauge the progress being made by each student in terms of particular subject, topics, knowledge and skills. Three times each academic year, school will report home the progress currently being made by each student, in each subject at that time.
Included in these reports is the following information for each subject:
Attitude to Learning (ATL) grade – This grade is not determined by how well as student is performing academically, but instead by their commitment and attitude towards their studies. Students who have adopted a positive Attitude to Learning (ATL) are awarded grades of 1* or 2. They should be commended for this. Any grade 3’s, show that there is some cause for concern and grade 4’s should be seen as a cause for concern where learning is disrupted.
Assessment Statement – Staff will use the statements ‘Progress Secure’, ‘Making Progress’ and ‘Progress Not Yet Secure’ to give an indication as to the current progress students are making in each subject area. These statements are based on the context of the class, and the selection of work they have completed. Consideration is given to where in the curriculum they are at, and the knowledge and skills they have secured since the last assessment point. If progress is identified as ‘Progress Secure’, students are able to know more and remember more on a variety of topics within the subject. If they are ‘Making Progress’, they are able to know more and remember more in most topics studied in their subject. If progress is identified as ‘Progress Not Secure’, there are gaps in learning which will be addressed and supported in class.
Progress Statement – These, subject specific, statements are designed to provide further detail to support the assessment statements. They will combine areas of strength, along with areas for students to focus on moving forward. Giving the student an area for development either in class or at home. Each progress statement is linked to the curriculum that has been covered, supporting future progress through the next part of the curriculum to secure the knowledge and skills required.
Key Stage 4 Assessment
At Wales High School, At KS4 (Year 10 and Y11), staff then use continuous assessments through the year to gauge the progress being made by each student in terms of particular subject, topics, knowledge and skills. Twice each academic year, school will report home the progress currently being made by each student, along with expected final outcomes in each subject.
Included in these reports is the following information for each subject:
Attitude to Learning (ATL) grade – This grade is not determined by how well as student is performing academically, but instead by their commitment and attitude towards their studies. Students who have adopted a positive Attitude to Learning (ATL) are awarded grades of 1* or 2. They should be commended for this. Any grades of 3 show that there is some cause for concern and grades of 4 should be seen as a cause for concern where learning is disrupted.
Target grade – Targets are set based on the latest national expectations from the DfE, using students prior attainment at KS2. These are shared with students to help support their progress through the keystage.
Current grade – These are the grades that students are achieving at the time as a “snap shot” and are based on the current assessment data available for students in the subject.
Mostly Grade – These are the grades that students are expected to achieve at the end of the course. They are based on their current performance, data, professional judgement and students anticipated progress during the remainder of the course.
Key Stage 5 Assessment
At KS5 (Year 12, Y13 and Y14) staff use continuous assessments through the year to gauge the progress being made by each student in terms of particular subjects, topics and skills. Twice each academic year in Y13 and three times in Y12, school will report home the progress currently being made by each student, along with expected final outcomes in each subject. Included in these reports is the following information for each subject:
Commitment to Learning (CTL) grade – This grade is not determined by how well a student is performing academically, but instead by their commitment and attitude towards their Sixth Form studies. Students who have adopted a positive attitude to their learning will have been awarded grades of 1*, 1 or 2. Grade 3 indicates that there is a cause for concern in relation to the student’s commitment to learning. Grade 4 is awarded where there are multiple, or more serious, concerns.
Target grade – Targets are generated using past National data for each subject and the students’ previous success at GCSE as a baseline. This forecasts a grade for the end of the course.
Current grade – These are the grades that students are achieving at the moment and are based on the current assessment data available for students in the subject
Most Likely Grade – These are the grades that students are expected to achieve at the end of the course. They are based on their current performance, data, professional judgement and students anticipated progress during the remainder of the course.
Go4Schools
Go4Schools is our school data system. This system has the capability to allow students and parents to access assessment data live online. It also provides access to homework.
An app is available to downloaded for mobile devices and is a simple way to keep track of homework, this is recommended for all students. Click on the button below to find out more.
