Assessment in Primary Languages

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Assessment in Primary Languages

• Thursday 1st November
• Karen Keeling

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Aim

• The aim of this session is to investigate various
  methods of assessment of primary languages.

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By the end of the session we will have considered

• How to begin to plan assessment for learning
  opportunities with the Framework
• How to record childrens development across the
  strands
• How to use can do statements
• How schools use the European Languages Portfolio
• The DfES Languages Ladder

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Section 1 Assessment for Learning

• Key point 1 Assessment for learning is a key
  element of the core principles for learning and
  teaching.

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Assessment for Learning a reminder

• Assessment of learning (summative assessment)
• Any assessment which summarises where learners
  are at a given point in time it provides a
  snapshot of what has been learned (in terms of
  both attainment and achievement)

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Assessment for Learning a reminder

• Assessment for learning (formative assessment)
• Any assessment activity which informs the next
  steps to learning. The key message is that AfL
  depends crucially on actually using the
  information gained. AfL means using evidence and
  dialogue to identify where pupils are in their
  learning, where they need to go and how best to
  get there. In practice, this means clear
  evidence about how to improve individual
  attainment clear feedback for and from pupils so
  there is clarity on what they need to work on and
  how best they can do so and a clear link between
  the childrens learning and lesson planning.

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Key point 1 Day to day assessment is an
essential aspect of effective teaching

• Pause for thought
• Take a couple of minutes to re-familiarise
  yourself with the expectations and outcomes for
  each of the three core strands for the overviews
  in the Framework. Reflect on how useful these
  statements would be
• as a basis for setting assessment tasks
• for self-evaluation by the children
• for day to day assessment

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Key point 2 Peer and self-assessment are ways of
engaging children in understanding their progress
in learning

• Examples of peer and self-assessment in use in
  the Primary Languages classroom are
• Supported self and peer assessment, in which
  pairs or small groups of children determine what
  they know and can do, what they still find
  challenging and the next steps for them
• Independent self and peer assessment, in which
  the children identify their own achievements and
  progress and think about what they need to do
  next to improve
• Carrying out sustained feedback with individuals
  or groups of children to identify the progress
  that has been made and to plan future learning

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Can do statements

• Attainable and unthreatening steps
• Looked at with the class or individuals
• Language elements broken down in terms of I can

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Early Start Can do statements

• In pairs
• Decide how you will use the sheet as a paired
  self-assessment activity
• Assess (pretend you are a pupil) time
• Note down advantages, disadvantages,
  difficulties, how these statements could be used.

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Assessment for transition

• The questions are categorised according to
  frequency of use over years 3/4, 5/6
• The Transition Language would be expected to
  cover all these structures
• These structures would be expected to be covered
  appropriately in Oracy and Literacy
• Transfer levels via pupil register

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Section 2 European Language Portfolio
Key point 1 The ELP is an open-ended record of
linguistic achievement.
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The European Languages Portfolio

• The ELP seeks to promote the aims of the Council
  of Europe. These include the development of
  democratic citizenship in Europe through
• The deepening of mutual understanding and
  tolerance among citizens in Europe
• The protection and promotion of linguistic and
  cultural diversity
• The promotion of lifelong language and
  intercultural learning for plurilingualism
  through the development of learner responsibility
  and learner autonomy
• The clear and transparent description of
  competences and qualifications to facilitate
  coherence in language provision and mobility in
  Europe

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Key point 2 The ELP is a tool for learning

• The ELP is the property of the learner and using
  it helps to give children a commitment to and
  ownership of their learning.
• The ELP is also a tool for assessing and
  recording.
• The ELP contains a description of
  language-learning objectives and Language Ladder
  levels and thereby supports both the teacher and
  the learner.

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Key point 3 The ELP contains a biography, a
dossier and a passport

• The ELP has three sections
• My language biography (pages 3 15)
• My dossier (page 17)
• My language passport (pages 21 33)

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Session 2 Activity

• In groups or pairs
• Discuss how and when the ELP might be used
• How might you integrate work in the ELP with
  other work in languages on a regular basis?
• What might be the disadvantages or drawbacks of
  the ELP?

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Section 3 The Languages Ladder

• Key point 1 Children should have the opportunity
  to reach a recognised level of competence.

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(National Languages Strategy Languages for All
Languages for Life, DfES, 2002)

• Every child should have the opportunity
  throughout Key Stage 2 to study a foreign
  language and develop their interest in the
  culture of other nations. They should have access
  to high quality teaching and learning
  opportunities, making use of native speakers and
  e-learning. By age 11 they should have the
  opportunity to reach a recognised level of
  competence on the Common European Framework and
  for that achievement to be recognised through a
  national scheme.

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Stages in the Languages Ladder

• Mastery Grades 16-17
• Proficiency Grades 13-15
• Advanced Grades 10-12
• Intermediate Grades 7-9
• Preliminary Grades 4-6
• Breakthrough Grades 1-3

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How do the stages fit in?
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Key features of the Languages Ladder are

• Can do statements for each grade in each skill
• Discrete assessment for each of the four skills
• Students/learners may wish to be assessed
  progress in just one skill in any one language
• External assessment at the interface between
  stages
• Development of online just-in-time testing for
  some of the assessments
• Possibilities for teacher assessment within each
  stage of grades
• Equivalence to existing qualification levels
• Several external assessment opportunities during
  the year

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Key point 2 The Ladder enables children and
teachers to assess achievements using can do
statements
The first three can do statements in Stage 1
Breakthrough for listening are
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Asset languages

• Further information is available on
• www.dfes.gov.uk/languages/
• www.assetlanguages.org.uk/teachers/primary.aspx

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Session 3 Activity

• Read The Language Ladder Stages 1 2
• Work in pairs or groups to match the Grades on
  the Languages Ladder with the end of year
  outcomes for Oracy and Literacy from the KS2
  Framework for Languages.

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Recording achievement

• Recording achievement is a way of celebrating
  success and an important means of ensuring that
  early success in language learning is recognised
  and built upon by pupils, parents and teachers