Ongoing assessment is a key feature of everyday learning and teaching. With ongoing assessment, teachers should use success criteria in order to determine if the learner has overtaken the learning intention(s). Learners should not feel like an ongoing assessment is a formal/summative assessment. Ongoing assessment should be used in a formative manner.
When discussing formative assessment Dylan William says
“What formative assessment does is it encourages teachers to take constant readings about where students are… The reason why I think that formative assessment is the right focus is because assessment is the right bridge between teaching and learning. It’s only through assessment of some kind that you know whether what has been taught has been learned.”
Like all assessments, all planning should begin with the Experiences and Outcomes.(Es and Os) The experience is the context, and the outcome is what should be learned. The latter is what the learning intention should be focussed on. You may have more than one learning intention for an ongoing assessment. If you are bundling Es and Os (using more than one for an ongoing assessment), please ensure you are doing so coherently.
Bundling Experiences and Outcomes
Practitioners are encouraged to bundle Experiences and Outcomes together where it is relevant and meaningful to do so. This can promote a more holistic approach to planning learning, teaching and assessment and can help learners make connections between different concepts, knowledge and skills. Practitioners are also encouraged to consider how learning, teaching and assessment in the one curricular area can be enhanced through interdisciplinary links to other areas of the curriculum. Please see below exemplars where Es and Os have been bundled together.
Using Benchmarks
In order to create the success criteria, practitioners should make use of the Benchmark statements. The Benchmarks that complement the Experiences and Outcomes, and indeed the learning intention(s), should be used to produce the success criteria, and should also be co-constructed with the learners. The Learning, Teaching and Assessment Cycle (previously known as the Moderation Cycle) indicates that the success criteria should be clear, relevant and measurable. Please see below exemplars where benchmarks have been used to form the Success Criteria complimenting the learning intentions.
For more information on creating Learning Intentions and Success Criteria please watch the following informative clip here.
Each ongoing assessment that is carried out need not cover the experience and outcome in its entirety, nor does it need to cover all of the benchmarks, or indeed each aspect of one benchmark. In your planning, you should highlight what part of the E and O is being used, and what part/what benchmarks are being used. This can allow for future planning and smoother transitions. For examples of experiences and outcomes/benchmarks being partly covered, please see the exemplars below.
As ongoing assessments are part of everyday learning and teaching, they can take many forms. An ongoing assessment could be jotter work, poster work, a recording of a talk, a performance, drawings, a PowerPoint presentation etc.
We should use ongoing assessments in our everyday learning and teaching. Establishments may want to identify key ongoing assessments for tracking and monitoring purposes.
Ongoing assessments provide opportunities to allow children and young people to demonstrate breadth, challenge and application of their learning on a day-to-day basis.
All learners are different. Some perform positively in high-stake assessment environments, but others do not. If learner progress is heavily focussed on one-off assessments (such as end-of-topic tests), a learner has had an “off day”/is dealing with an external factor at that moment, and judgements on progress could be skewed. Education Scotland says “A variety of assessment approaches can be used to allow children and young people to demonstrate knowledge and understanding, skills, attributes and capabilities in different contexts across the curriculum.” (Assessment in the BGE 2020/21 Update. Click here for the Gaelic version).
Context: learners will be working in their groups to discuss emotions and learn how each other are feeling.
As I listen and take part in conversations and discussions, I discover new words and phrases which I use to help me express my ideas, thoughts and feelings. LIT 0-10a
I listen or watch for useful or interesting information and I use this to make choices or learn new things. LIT 0-04a
We are learning to:
Differentiation Ideas
Context: learners are exploring the world of work and different career paths that may be explored. They will learn about the benefits of having a job, jobs available to people in their local area, and discuss what type of job they might want to do when they grow up.
I can describe some of the kinds of work that people do and I am finding out about the wider world of work. HWB 0-20a
As I listen and talk in different situations, I am learning to take turns and am developing my awareness of when to talk and when to listen. LIT 0-02a
We are learning to:
Differentiation Ideas
Context: learners have been studying world religions, and will now focus on Islam. In this lesson they will be exploring where Islam comes from and key features of the religion, including the importance of the Quran. They will also be looking at what some of the key messages in the Quran are. From this, learners will then write a short summary of what they have learned.
Through exploring stories from world religions, I can describe some of their key beliefs. RME 1-04a
Throughout the writing process, I can check that my writing makes sense. LIT 1-23a
We are learning to:
Differentiation Ideas
Learners will be examining the work of a range of artists who regularly use pattern and texture. They will then select one artist and present their thoughts and feelings on their work to their group
I can create and present work using the visual elements of line, shape, form, colour, tone, pattern and texture. EXA 1-03a
I can communicate clearly when engaging with others within and beyond my place of learning, using selected resources as required. LIT 1-10a
We are learning to:
Recognise artwork using patterns and textures
Present artwork to my group
Communicate clearly with others
Recognises and names most of the visual elements: line, shape, form, colour, tone, pattern, texture.
Shares thoughts and feelings by expressing personal views in response to the work of at least one artist and one designer.
Engages with others for a range of purposes, communicating clearly and audibly.
I can recognise and name pattern and texture in different pieces of artwork.
Select one artist that uses pattern and texture and share my thoughts and feelings on their work.
Present my thoughts and feelings clearly, allowing my group to hear me.
Differentiation Ideas
Additional adult support
More than one artist to be discussed
Only present on pattern or texture
Present to a bigger/smaller group
Key word bank provided
Context: learners have been studying racism in the United Kingdom, and are now going to research the issue independently by reading recent news stories surrounding this. They will then be able to discuss how racism impacts people from BAME backgrounds. They will do this using either Word or PowerPoint.
I can use evidence selectively to research current social, political or economic issues. SOC 2-15a
I can gather and use information about forms of discrimination against people in societies and consider the impact this has on people’s lives. SOC 2-16b
I can make notes, organise them under suitable headings and use them to understand information, develop my thinking, explore problems and create new texts, using my own words as appropriate. LIT 2-15a
We are learning to:
Differentiation Ideas
The class have been reading ‘The Power Cut’ from the Biff, Chip and Kipper collection. They will use this lesson to select the key ideas from the text, answer questions and create their own for their peers to answer.
To show my understanding across different areas of learning, I can identify and consider the purpose and main ideas of a text and use supporting detail. LIT 2-16a
To show my understanding, I can respond to literal, inferential and evaluative questions and other close reading tasks and can create different kinds of questions of my own. ENG 2-17a
We are learning to:
Identifies the key ideas of a text with appropriate detail.
Responds to literal, inferential and evaluative questions to demonstrate understanding of texts.
Creates different types of questions to show understanding of texts.
I can identify the key ideas from the book ‘The Power Cut’.
I can give detail about why I have chosen these key ideas.
I can answer questions about ‘The Power Cut’.
I can create my own set of question on ‘The Power Cut’ for my desk neighbour.
Differentiation Ideas
Additional adult support
Key word bank provided
More detail in answers expected
Fewer questions to answer/create
More questions to answer/create
Separate text suitable for the reading age
Context: learners are studying distance, speed and time and will be using this information to problem-solve in new contexts. They will be calculating how long it will take to travel from their location to Edinburgh, and to and from two locations of their choice.
Using simple time periods, I can work out how long a journey will take, the speed travelled at or distance covered, using my knowledge of the link between time, speed and distance. MNU 3-10a
We are learning to:
Work out how long a journey will take using distance, speed and time.
Differentiation Ideas
Context: learners have been studying vocabulary based on hobbies prior to this lesson. Now learners will plan and deliver a presentation where they will discuss their hobbies in Spanish paying particular attention to pronunciation.
I can deliver an individual presentation in the language I am learning, using a variety of media including ICT where appropriate. MLAN 3-06b
I can budget effectively, making use of technology and other methods, to manage money and plan for future expenses. MNU 3-09b
We are learning to:
Differentiation Ideas
Context: leaners have been exploring disease. In this lesson, learners will study how the body can defend itself, and why we need vaccines to help with this. They will focus on the polio vaccine and examine data on the impact this has had, focusing in individuals and the United Kingdom.
I have explored how the body defends itself against disease and can describe how vaccines can provide protection. SCN 3-13c
I can work collaboratively, making appropriate use of technology, to source information presented in a range of ways, interpret what it conveys and discuss whether I believe the information to be robust, vague or misleading. MNU 3-20a
We are learning to:
Differentiation Ideas
Learners have been exploring building materials and will now focus on sandstone. They will study the use of sandstone and how this impacts the environment, society and the economy. Learners will then use this information to create a report on sandstone and make a decision regarding its future use, justifying their answer.
I can examine a range of materials, processes or designs in my local community to consider their environmental, social and economic impact. TCH 4-06a
By considering the type of text I am creating, I can independently select ideas and relevant information for different purposes, and organise essential information or ideas and any supporting detail in a logical order. I can use suitable vocabulary to communicate effectively with my audience. LIT 4-26a
We are learning to:
Differentiation Ideas
Have you used an Ongoing Assessment you’d like to share? Do you have any questions about Ongoing assessments?
If you’re interested in future Ongoing Assessment seminars, please get in touch below: