a. Assessment of and with ICT
Overview of this strand
This element has a single strand which is concerned with the way in which ICT capability is assessed. There are two contexts for this assessment: one is the context of ICT as a discrete subject and the other is the context of ICT use in other subjects. Note that, in this strand, the assessment in both cases is of ICT capability and this should not be confused with subject assessment. The strand also helps schools to consider whether they are making effective use of ICT to manage the assessment process.
Pupils will make progress only if they and their teachers have a good understanding of their strengths and weaknesses and the standards for which they should be aiming. Reliable assessment procedures coupled with effective dialogue are essential in this respect. The Framework makes no assumptions about the mechanisms which teachers put in place to assess pupils’ work, nor about how assessment should be recorded. What it does do is help define the key characteristics of effective assessment and link this to planning for improvement.
Typical Evidence
- The school’s assessment policy
- The school’s ICT policy
- Evidence from moderation exercises with other schools or within the school
- Evidence from subject leaders or departments about their capacity to assess ICT capability and provide reliable feedback to pupils
- Evidence from pupils about their self-assessment and peer-assessment practice
- Evidence of use of school ICT systems to record and manage assessment
- Evidence drawn from school ICT systems
- Evidence of targets set, tracking processes and the impact of these for individual pupils
NAACE advice on assessment
NC programmes of study
Programmes of Study for ICT
QCA schemes of work (KS1 & 2) QCA schemes of work (KS3)
Guidance on assessment of ICT
1. Reliability
ICT capability should be reliably and consistently assessed and recorded and supported by assessment in other curriculum areas. Moderation within and between schools should be consistent.
Questions schools should ask
- Are coherent and consistent systems in place to enable the school to make reliable assessments of pupils’ ICT capability?
- How does the school ensure that assessment of ICT capability takes account of ICT both as a discrete subject and its application in other subjects?
- What does the school do to ensure consistency of standards when ICT is assessed in many different subject contexts?
- Is there any moderation of assessment processes and outcomes within the school?
- Does the school attempt to moderate standards with other schools in order to test its own standards and practices?
national curriculum action. This site enables a teacher to collect examples of work to produce a portfolio which can be used to discuss with colleagues.
The ICT Portfolio
Many schools develop "portfolios of evidence" in a range of subjects; increasingly these are being offered in electronic from, the ePortfolio. These form a record of teachers' understanding of standards in the subject. They can be used to assist with attributing levels to pupil's work. They can help with planning lessons that target a particular level. Other uses of a portfolio include having evidence of the range of pupil ICT work undertaken in a school (eg for Ofsted, Annual Review); for new members of staff and support staff to familiarise themselves with the ICT work of the school.
Pupil Portfolios
Pupil portfolios should include a range of work in a number of forms. Pupils might be encouraged to review their portfolio termly or at the end of the year. By keeping evidence of different areas, including work from the beginning of the year and the best subsequent work, they will be able to demonstrate progress. This work could include work undertaken at home. The discipline of sorting work is just as important whether the portfolio os elctronic or in paper form, and can be a way of encouraging structured working using folders. There is an expectation that electronic portfolios are the way ahead.
Examples of ICT levels
Spreadsheet for tracking pupil levels
Pupil ICT Profile Spreadsheet
2. Self- and peer- assessment
Pupils should regularly engage in the assessment of their own and others’ ICT work based on criteria they have identified and developed. This contributes to their understanding of what constitutes good quality and helps them to improve.
Questions schools should ask
- To what extent are pupils involved in self-assessment of their ICT capability?
- Is self-assessment limited to basic skills development or are pupils enabled to make judgements about the overall quality of their ICT work, the standards they have achieved and what they need to do to improve further?
- Can pupils define their own criteria for success? Are they sufficiently knowledgeable about ICT to be able to set themselves high standards?
- Are pupils engaged in assessment of others’ work in a constructive and well-informed manner? Can they discuss quality and standards of their own and others’ work in order to improve?
- To what extent do pupils self-assess their use of ICT in work done beyond the school?
Pupil self assessment levels spreadsheet
3. Dialogue
Staff should be confident and competent enough to engage pupils in regular and well-informed discussions about their use of ICT and how to improve.
Questions schools should ask
- Is there sufficient expertise amongst the staff for there to be effective and well-informed dialogue about ICT capability?
- To what extent can all staff assess ICT capability reliably and help pupils improve?
- Is dialogue about ICT capability consistent across the school?
- What is the quality of feedback to pupils about their ICT work?
- Are targets for improvement set and, if so, by whom?
4. Using ICT to support assessment
Staff and pupils should routinely use a range of technologies and practices to enhance assessment and the recording of achievement. They should be aware of the benefits of online storage of pupils’ work. There are several ways this can be achieved:
Questions schools should ask
- To what extent and how often does the school make effective use of ICT to support assessment procedures?
- What proportion of staff are sufficiently confident to make use of assessment systems that are available in the school?
- What opportunities do pupils have to use ICT to record their achievements?
- Is there a range of assessment practice and activities, supported by ICT?
- To what extent are pupils encouraged to record a wide range of electronic evidence to demonstrate their ICT achievements? Is effective use made of this resource?
Resources and work can be in a wide range of multimedia formats:
- audio / podcast.
- video.
- documents.
- animations.
- presentations.
- digital images.
Caution: this is a 5Mb download powerpoint! RM 21st Century assessment
Care should be taken to ensure that the ePortfolio is secure and safe.
KCC eSafety Blog
5. ICT targets for improvement
The school should set and meet challenging whole school and individual ICT targets, with pupil progress routinely tracked.
Questions schools should ask
- Does the school set whole-school and individual targets for ICT attainment?
- Are such targets used to drive improvement for pupils?
- How effective is the tracking of pupils’ progress against targets?
- Are the targets set for the school challenging and understood by all staff?
Related Resources
Assessing & Reporting
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