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What is Assessment?
Assessment is a way of supporting learning. It helps teachers, learners, parents and others to understand the depth and breadth of learning undertaken.

Assessment at Parkwood
At Parkwood we use two forms of assessment that help to guide the teaching and learning efficiently and accurately. We use these systems to help us build up a picture of your child's learning and progress. Summative assessment sums up what a child can do at the end of a unit work. Formative assessment is used to evaluate how children are learning as they work day to day.
 
Summative Assessment
We use summative assessments from companies such as White Rose Maths to build up an accurate picture of the children's learning in a precise way. This helps teachers pinpoint areas of learning which need to be addressed and also helps show if the children are on track to achieve all they can and are making good progress. Regular testing, using an age-appropriate approach, is carried out three times a year at regular intervals.  
 

As a school, we use Insight to track children's progress and attainment over their time at Parkwood. It is used by teachers to look at progress over time and identify children who are in need of additional intervention to move their learning forward. We also use the system to track interventions a child has participated in so we can see what intervention a child has been part of. 


Formative Assessment
We also use formative assessment in our day-to-day practice. This gives children an opportunity to reflect on their learning and leads to meaningful and purposeful feedback from the teachers on a lesson by lesson basis. We believe that the children should be at the centre of their own learning and know what they need to do to get better.



Assessment in the Foundation Subjects

At Parkwood, we identify key performance indicators (KPIs) per year group for each subject. As the children move through their sequence of learning, teachers use the evidence available to them to decide if the child has achieved the key performance indicator or not. This form of assessment also allows teachers in the following year group to look back over a child's learning before they decide on the first step forward to be taken.

Assessment in Maths

There are three main assessments carried out throughout the year in both arithmetic and reasoning. Alongside this, teachers use much shorter end of unit assessments when work is completed in one area, such as place value or measures. This informs the children's next steps.

Assessment in Reading

Phonics

There is regular assessment of phonics at the end of every short term, approximately every six weeks. This up to date information is used to re-group the children so they are working at their challenge point during the next term. 

Fluency and Reading Comprehension

Starting part way through Year 2, the children's reading fluency is assessed during the three main assessment points during the academic year. This is accompanied by a reading comprehension assessment to ensure every child is reading with understanding. Teachers use this data to plan if a child needs further support with this.

Assessment in Writing

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are identified for writing for every year group. Teachers use writing evidence throughout the term to decide whether a child has achieved a particular aspect of their writing development. Teachers will use this data to inform a child's next step with their writing journey.

Assessment in Science

As the children begin each new unit, they answer a series of questions. The children are then exposed to new learning. After the sequence of learning has been completed, the children will revisit the same series of questions. This approach allows children and teachers to see progress at a glance.