Here we have materials to support professional development and training related to Assessment for Learning, a key aspect of effective learning and teaching. Schools can adapt these resources to suit their own context and needs.

Resources which can be used are:

• Guidance on Assessment for Learning Version 1a
  • This guidance can be used as an aid to support embedding formative assessment in schools.  It consists of:
    • explanations and examples of various aspects of AfL, including Learning Intentions, Success Criteria, Feedback, etc.
    • checklists which can be used for learning walks and peer observations
    • a brief list of suggestions for embedding these strategies in schools.

• PowerPoints for training on:
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Feedback
  • Self and Peer Assessment
  • Prior Learning
  • Talk Partners
  • Effective Questioning

• A self-evaluation resource for staff which could be used as part of an audit before using these training materials, created and kindly shared by Karen Wheatley at Lochgoilhead Primary School.
• A presentation on Making Thinking Visible, a series of questioning strategies which could be used to support AfL, created and kindly shared by Ross Stewart at Hermitage Academy.

Materials being used in schools include:

• Advice on Learning Intentions and Success Criteria.

Here we have some materials to support in implementing and using SNSAs.

• Some helpful Q and As
• Authority guidance for schools
• Scottish government advice for parents and carers
• A summary of case studies about the SNSA experience
• Notes from training on analysing SNSA data

Please find in this section resources related specifically to the creation and moderation of holistic assessment tasks in literacy and numeracy.

What is a Holistic Task?

Authority guidance on Holistic Assessment Tasks

Advice from Education Scotland on what holistic tasks are:

Creating Holistic Assessments

Creating Effective Holistic Assessment Tasks Primary– Powerpoint presentation to be used for training purposes
Creating Effective Holistic Assessment Tasks Secondary– Powerpoint presentation to be used for training purposes

Holistic Assessment Examples Designed for Training Purposes by Argyll and Bute AMFs Numeracy– Exemplar holistic assessment tasks for numeracy, Early-Fourth level.  These were created by groups of practitioners on training days, moderated by a second group and received good feedback.

Holistic Assessment Examples Designed for Training Purposes by Argyll and Bute AMFs Writing– Exemplar holistic assessment tasks for writing, Early-Fourth level.  These were created by groups of practitioners on training days, moderated by a second group and received good feedback.

Examples of Holistic Tasks being used in schools

Here are examples of Holistic Tasks created by practitioners in the authority and being used in schools. These can be used as exemplars and adapted by schools to suit their contexts.

Numeracy:

• Early and First Level Shape Holistic Task
• Panto Maths Problem Level 1 – 2 (adapted from a similar third level task)
• Teacher Party Maths Problem (used for pupils working at first and second level)
• Georgia Exchange Holistic Task (usually used for pupils working at third level)
• Shortbread Holistic Task (usually used for pupils working at third level)
• Snow White Holistic Task (usually used for pupils working at third level)
• Garden Design Holistic Task (usually used for pupils working at third level)

Resources taken from the AMF pack to support training:

Resource-22-Moderating-Holistic-Assessment-Tasks

Resource-21-Creating-Holistic-Assessment-Tasks

Resource-20-Writing-Third-Level-Holistic-Assessment-RAG-Traffic-Light-Task

Resource-19-Writing-Second-Level-Holistic-Assessment-RAG-Traffic-Light-Task

Resource-18-Writing-Fourth-Level-Holistic-Assessment-RAG-Traffic-Light-Task

Resource-17-Writing-First-Level-Holistic-Assessment-RAG-Traffic-Light-Task

Resource-16-Writing-Early-Level-Holistic-Assessment-RAG-Traffic-Light-Task

Resource-15-Numeracy-Fourth-Level-Holistic-Assessment-RAG-Traffic-Light-Task

Resource-14-Numeracy-Third-Level-Holistic-Assessment-RAG-Traffic-Light-Task

Resource-13-Numeracy-Second-Level-Holistic-Assessment-RAG-Traffic-Light-Task

Resource-12-Numeracy-First-Level-Holistic-Assessment-RAG-Traffic-Light-Task

Resource-11-Numeracy-Early-Level-Holistic-Assessment-RAG-Traffic-Light-Task

Reading Fourth Level – Holistic Assessment RAG Traffic Light Task

Reading Third Level – Holistic Assessment RAG Traffic Light Task

Reading Second Level – Holistic Assessment RAG Traffic Light Task

Reading First Level – Holistic Assessment RAG Traffic Light Task

Reading Early Level – Holistic Assessment RAG Traffic Light

At the most recent national moderation events we have been made aware of these two documents and schools have been encouraged to ensure that they are engaging with these:

Reporting to Parents Carers Guidance Schools and ELC
NIF School Improvement Guidance 201718

Some useful videos:

A training webinar on analysing GL assessments can be found here: https://ttfdomain.sharepoint.com/:f:/s/CASM/EoVy5yEUokVPvifWA_joU8YBcDor9h6ffGWGU5CaGv_bBQ?e=mBJca4

The videos below have been taken from the National Improvement Hub.  They may be useful to inform collegiate discussions and/or as tools for staff development.

Please note, some of the videos may require a GLOW login.

Effective planning, assessment and moderation practices/making effective use of the benchmarks

Dylan Wiliam – Assessment Strategies

Dylan Wiliam – Formative Assessment

Dylan Wiliam – Self- and Peer-Assessment

Dylan Wiliam – Hinge Questions

Dylan Wiliam – Feedback on Learning

Using the benchmarks in science as part of collegiate planning, assessment and moderation processes

Here you will find examples of planning documents being used in schools.

Primary Planning Exemplars

These are examples of planners that have been created as part of effective planning, assessment and moderation processes in primary schools.  They include all elements of the Moderation Cycle and should be used to inform professional dialogue around planning in your own establishments.

Literacy Planner             Numeracy Planner

Planning term 3 Money        Non fiction writing planning P1

Example IDL Planner Whole School

Examples of Whole School IDL Planning adapted for individual classes: P2/3, P4/5 and P6/7

Planning in ELC Settings

This is an example of a planner that was used to ensure that an ELC setting was providing breadth and depth across CfE as well as planning for the developmental milestones and key skills.

‘In consideration of our children’s identified next steps, their current interests and our breadth tracker we look for an appropriate theme for learning.  When the theme has been decided, staff work together to identify a bundle of pertinent Es and Os coming from a range of curricular areas but always including numeracy and literacy.  We choose one wellbeing indicator to be the focus for the theme and select key skills from Argyll and Bute’s skills framework.  This is then all broken down into key learning intentions for the block and we decide what our stimulus will be for our children.  At this point we go back to the children with the stimulus and gather information on their prior learning and what they want to find out about.  We record their initial ideas, gather staff initial ideas and then send plans home to parents to gather their ideas.  At our planning meeting the following week we combine all ideas together to identify key areas for learning and plan ideas for the coming week.  The following weekly meetings are then used for moderation discussions and to plan the coming week of learning, ensuring that we are building on the children’s experiences each week.  We try to ensure that key learning can be observed in several areas of the setting.  Themes of learning can last for different periods of time depending on our evaluations of learning.’

Planning exemplar ELC

‘Planned learning is then assessed using an observation sheet.  This is completed following professional dialogue, using the literacy and numeracy trackers as support.’

Observation Sheet Space

Secondary Planning Exemplars

Example Planner Research skills

Example Planner Geography

Progression Planner Exemplars

These are examples of progression planners put together following whole school moderation of a key skill or theme.  They show the value added at each stage, from early level through to second level and beyond.

Assessment-and-moderation-food-chains

Presentation-SC-progression-Jan-April

Beyond-Number-Term-3-Planner-Assessment-and-Moderation

Reading-Term-2-Planner-Assessment-and-Moderation

Reading-Term-4-Planner-Assessment-and-Moderation-Synthesising

Report-Writing-Progression-Planner

Below are the resources that have been used on training and recall days for our AMFs and Head Teachers.  These can be downloaded and edited when delivering training in schools.

Assessment and Moderation Support Pack – this resource outlines the key role Assessment and Moderation have in both local and national contexts, and gives advice on how AMFs and other practitioners can support moderation in their schools, using the resources below.

AMF Pack – Updated for 2018/19

• Appendix A – Context
• Appendix B – AMF Training Mod Cycle
• Appendix C – Guidance on Assessment is for Learning Version 1a
• Appendix D – Planning for Numeracy in a Primary School
• Appendix Dii – Planning for Literacy in a Secondary School
• Appendix E – Moderating Feedback
• Appendix Eii – Feedback To Moderate
• Appendix F – HGIOS Moderation
• Appendix G – Rolling this out in different settings – Primary (Ardrishaig)
• Appendix G – Rolling this out in different settings – Primary (St Columba’s)
• Appendix Gii – Rolling this out in different settings – Secondary (Oban High)
• Appendix H – Creating Effective Holistic Tasks
• Appendix I – Range of Evidence Contributing to Achievement of a Level
• Appendix J – People who can help

AMF Recall Day – 18th April 2019

• AMF Recall Day April 18 PowerPoint, including:
  • Update of national messages
  • Revisiting holistic tasks
  • Introduction to Assessment for Learning Guidance
  • Moderation of reporting
• A possible model and timeline for cluster moderation, based on Dalintober Primary’s cluster work.
• Sharing good practice – Kilcreggan Primary and ELC Planning and Moderation presentation

Other Resources

• Hinge Questions – what are they and examples
• Advice from Head Teachers about introducing and embedding moderation