General introduction to National Assessments 5-14
Here you can find answers to the following
questions:
What are National
Assessments?
National Assessments are assessment
materials designed to be used by teachers in Scottish schools to confirm their
judgements about pupils’ levels of attainment in English language (reading and
writing) and mathematics 5-14. They replace National Tests, which are being
discontinued.
National Assessments are designed to
confirm the teacher’s judgement that a pupil:
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has covered the strands and targets at a level
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is consistently producing work at that level in class
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can complete the assessment with the degree of independence required.
National Assessments are based on the
attainment targets and levels set out in the relevant National Guidelines 5-14,
and are available at each of Levels A to F in reading, writing and mathematics
English language
For English language, National Assessments are provided separately for reading
and writing. The other two attainment outcomes in English language, listening
and talking, are not covered by National Assessments. However, all four
outcomes should be assessed and reported by the teacher as part of the school’s
arrangements for assessment and reporting.
It is not necessary to take reading and writing assessments at the same time.
Teachers should decide when it is appropriate to administer National
Assessments in each of these areas.
In reading, a National Assessment at any level comprises two
assessment units. One of these units will present pupils with a piece of
narrative text to read, the other with a piece of information text. Pupils will
be asked to answer a number of questions on each text.
A pupil who answers around two-thirds or more of the questions correctly in
each unit will confirm that s/he is secure at the level. A pupil
who reaches this threshold in one unit but not the other should be given one
additional assessment, based on the genre in which the threshold score has not
been met. Such re-assessment should only take place once difficulties have been
identified and addressed. Reaching the threshold on this re-assessment will
confirm that the pupil is secure at the level. (See Guidance on using English language assessments for more information.)
In writing, a National Assessment comprises three pieces of
writing by the pupil, one piece coming from class work, the other two pieces
based on tasks randomly selected from the assessment bank. In more detail the
arrangements are as follows:
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An extended piece of writing arising from class work - an imaginative story,
for example.
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An extended piece of writing based on a task randomly selected from the
assessment bank and of a genre different from the writing done as part of class
work.
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A writer’s craft task – a shorter, more focused piece of writing – randomly
selected from the assessment bank.
At Level F, both extended pieces of writing
relate to the strand Writing about texts.
The two extended pieces of writing will be assessed using the well-established
national criteria for 5-14 writing. The writer’s craft task will be assessed
using a set of criteria derived from the national criteria.
A pupil who reaches the intended level on all three writing tasks will confirm
that s/he is secure at the level.
A pupil who does not reach the expected level on one of the tasks from the
assessment bank should be given an additional task of the same genre from the
bank. Such re-assessment should only take place once difficulties have been
identified and addressed. (See Guidance on using English language assessments for more information.)
Mathematics
In mathematics, a National Assessment at any level comprises two assessment
units.
Each unit will address all four 5-14 attainment outcomes for
mathematics – Information handling; Number, money and measurement; Shape,
position and movement; and Problem solving.
The strands within the attainment outcomes will be randomly
covered in the assessment units. In any one assessment unit there may be
several tasks relating to a particular strand and no tasks on another strand.
Units will contain between 20 and 30 tasks in total, depending on the level. A
small number of these tasks will be mental calculation tasks, which should be
administered separately from the rest of the unit. (See Guidance on using mathematics assessments for more information.)
Calculators should be used only at Level F.
A pupil who answers at least two-thirds of the questions correctly in each
unit will confirm that s/he is secure at the level. A pupil who
reaches this threshold in one unit but not the other, should be re-assessed by
being given one additional unit. Such re-assessment should only take place once
difficulties have been identified and addressed. Reaching the threshold on this
additional assessment will confirm that the pupil is secure at the level. (See
Guidance on using mathematics assessments for more information.)
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How do schools
obtain National Assessments?
National Assessments are delivered to schools via the National Assessments 5-14
website. Schools go online, select the appropriate curriculum area (eg.
reading) and level (eg. Level B) and download the assessment package. There is
no choice of assessment package beyond the choice of curriculum area and level.
Downloading of National Assessments is password protected. Schools will need to
register before they can access and download National Assessments. Schools may
want to designate one or two people, probably administrative staff, to download
the National Assessments.
Each package contains assessment units, marking schemes and guidance notes for
teachers.
A school will access the assessment bank only when it has a group of pupils
ready to be assessed.
Once a school has downloaded a National Assessment it will need to print off
the required number of copies.
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When should a teacher
use National Assessments?
As part of the overall assessment arrangements, each pupil aged 5-14 should
undertake assessments in key aspects of reading, writing and mathematics
whenever evidence from the teacher’s continuous assessment indicates that the
pupil has attained the targets at a particular level, and is ready to move
towards the next level. The teacher uses the appropriate National Assessment to
confirm the judgement s/he has reached about the pupil’s level of attainment
based on evidence from day-to-day work in class.
Pupils who are absent when National Assessments are being taken should be given
the opportunity to take them at a later date.
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How are National
Assessments marked?
The class teacher will be the person who normally marks the assessments
completed by his/her pupils. Marking schemes will be provided with the
assessments. To show that they are secure at the level pupils will need to:
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In reading, answer correctly two-thirds or more of the questions in each unit.
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In writing, satisfy the criteria for all three pieces of writing.
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In mathematics, answer correctly two-thirds or more of the questions in each
unit.
In reading and mathematics, the following guidance should be followed.
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Pupils who answer two-thirds or more of the questions correctly in each unit.
Such pupils have clearly demonstrated that they are secure at the level.
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Pupils who answer around two-thirds of the questions correctly in each unit.
It is possible that a pupil may be one or even two marks short of the
threshold for one of the units. If the teacher has sound evidence from
classwork that the pupil has been working consistently at the level then this
score can be taken as confirmation that the pupil is secure at the level. If
the evidence from classwork is not entirely sound, the teacher may decide to
re-assess the pupil (see below). If a pupil is one or two marks short of the
threshold in both units then the teacher will probably want to use an
additional unit even if there is sound evidence from classwork that the pupil
has been working consistently at the level. See below for use of additional
units.
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Pupils who do not meet the minimum requirement set out above
Such pupils are not working confidently and consistently at the level.
Some may require only a little more time and support to be considered secure at
the level. However, those who answered fewer than half the questions correctly
will require more teaching and development of their skills before they attempt
another National Assessment.
When a pupil’s performance in the National Assessments does not provide
conclusive evidence that the pupil is working securely at the expected level
(see above), then the teacher may decide to use an additional assessment.
Within the National Assessment bank there is a facility for requesting a single
assessment unit – normally the unit in which the pupil’s performance has been
weakest. If the pupil reaches the minimum requirement in the additional
assessment, this will be taken as evidence that the pupil is secure at the
level.
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How long should a
school retain pupils’ scripts?
Once a pupil has completed a National Assessment, the scripts should be
retained securely by the school as part of that pupil’s record of work until
the end of that school year or until the pupil successfully completes a
National Assessment at the next level. This ensures that scripts are available
for discussion with parents, or if required for monitoring purposes. When
scripts are no longer required for these purposes, they should be disposed of
securely.
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How are the results of
National Assessments reported to parents?
Reports of individual National Assessment results to parents should be set in
the context of the continuous assessment of the pupil’s progress. The level
achieved in the National Assessment should be reported to parents at the same
time as the teacher’s own assessment of the pupil’s work during the school
year. It is expected that in most cases the assessment results will confirm the
teacher’s own judgement about which level has been achieved. Where there is a
discrepancy, the teacher will wish to investigate possible reasons for this, in
consultation with parents and other professionals directly involved in the
pupil’s learning.
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