This book has been designed to provide guidance for special and mainstream schools in the assessment of pupils' learning from Level P1 up to and including National Curriculum Level 1A. It contains exemplification of the descriptions of attainment for reading, writing and the three strands of mathematics identified in Planning, Teaching and Assessing the Curriculum forPupils with Learning Difficulties produced by the QCA. The book provides clarification of the performance criteria, through illustrative examples, and supports accurate and consistent teacher assessment of pupils working at these levels. It enables effective monitoring of attainment and progression, which will support the target setting process, and demonstrates how assessments can be used to inform next steps in learning. The authors include examples from special and mainstream schools on reading, writing and mathematics. The book also contains photocopiable proformas for your own use. SENCOs and teachers in special and mainstream schools should find this book helps them to chart the progress of their pupils' learning very effectively.

Education is a hot topic. From the stage of presidential debates to tonight's dinner table, it is an issue that most Americans are deeply concerned about. While there are many strategies for improving the educational process, we need a way to find out what works and what doesn't work as well. Educational assessment seeks to determine just how well students are learning and is an integral part of our quest for improved education. The nation is pinning greater expectations on educational assessment than ever before. We look to these assessment tools when documenting whether students and institutions are truly meeting education goals. But we must stop and ask a crucial question: What kind of assessment is most effective? At a time when traditional testing is subject to increasing criticism, research suggests that new, exciting approaches to assessment may be on the horizon. Advances in the sciences of how people learn and how to measure such learning offer the hope of developing new kinds of assessments-assessments that help students succeed in school by making as clear as possible the nature of their accomplishments and the progress of their learning. Knowing What Students Know essentially explains how expanding knowledge in the scientific fields of human learning and educational measurement can form the foundations of an improved approach to assessment. These advances suggest ways that the targets of assessment-what students know and how well they know it-as well as the methods used to make inferences about student learning can be made more valid and instructionally useful. Principles for designing and using these new kinds of assessments are presented, and examples are used to illustrate the principles. Implications for policy, practice, and research are also explored. With the promise of a productive research-based approach to assessment of student learning, Knowing What Students Know will be important to education administrators, assessment designers, teachers and teacher educators, and education advocates.

Testing and Assessment : Third report of session 2007-08, Vol. 2: Oral and written Evidence

Understanding assessment and being able to use it effectively is at the heart of successful primary teaching. Aware of current policy and research, this book looks at the role and purpose of assessment within education, as well as providing detailed practical guidance on the main types of classroom assessment, including formative, summative, formal and informal methods. Real classroom examples and activities illustrate the practical uses, benefits, and limitations of each form of assessment, enabling you to feel confident about implementing these strategies in your own teaching. Coverage includes: The assessment planning cycle Innovative forms of assessment, including portfolios, debates, role play and mind mapping Assessment of learners with diverse needs, including SEN and EAL The use of technology in assessment Engaging children through self-assessment and peer-assessment This is essential reading for all primary initial teacher education courses, including university-based (PGCE, PGDE, BA QTS, BEd), school-based (SCITT, School Direct, Teach First) and employment-based routes into teaching, and beginning teachers. Sue Faragher is Head of Al Basma British School, a large private school in Abu Dhabi.

This is the first book devoted to the P scales; there has been no published research on the P scales. There is no documentation of the benefits that schools have derived from using the P scales, and no account has been given of how easy or otherwise teachers have found it to use the P scales in the assessment of their pupils. The book introduces the P scales and their application to teachers, describes the various subject areas of the scales and how to apply them in the assessment of pupils attainment levels. The book also describes how schools can use the assessment data collected in self-evaluation and setting of improvement targets for their pupils. It also discusses the P scales in terms of the validity and reliability of data collected and investigates the extent to which the scales measure what they were designed to measure. Head teachers have recounted their experiences of using the P scales, outlining the difficulties they have had in their schools using the scales and the benefits the schools have derived.

With downloadable electronic resources Are you a new or trainee SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) looking for guidance? Do you have responsibility for your school's special educational needs (SEN) provision? Leading and co-ordinating SEN provision within a whole school is a mammoth task, and this book is your ultimate guide to getting it right. By breaking down the detailed information into manageable chunks, this book sets out the responsibilities of the SENCO and helps you make sure you are meeting the requirements of the SENCO Regulations. It is an invaluable guide for those working with children and young people from Birth to 19 in any setting. Chapters cover: - SEN, disability and Every Child Matters (ECM) legislation and policy - key elements of the National Award for SEN Coordination - coordinating SEN provision - planning and deploying the SEN budget - working in partnership with young people, parents and other professionals - leading, developing and supporting colleagues - record keeping and information management - provision mapping and management. Visit www.sagepub.co.uk/ritacheminais for downloadable materials to support the chapters in this book, which include templates, activities, a PowerPoint presentation, staff surveys and training plans. Suitable for new SENCOs and anyone responsible for SEN provision in their setting, this handbook will also be of interest to everyone involved with delivering the national SENCO training.

According to the most recent SEND Code of Practice, every teacher is a teacher of children with special educational needs and disabilities, and yet teachers often receive little or no training in this area. Despite their best intentions they are therefore often ill-equipped to rise to the challenge of helping their students achieve the best possible educational outcomes. This comprehensive resource will equip primary and secondary teachers and SENDCos with the training and skills they need to fully support children with SEND in mainstream classrooms. Cherryl Drabble draws on her vast experience as a CPD leader, NQT mentor and her many years of working with SEND to share guidance, practical activities and strategies for evaluating and strengthening your practice and that of your colleagues. The book provides a set of ready-to-use training plans, accompanied by PowerPoint slides available to download online for free, so you can train your colleagues in this essential area and ensure the best support possible for students with SEND across your school. In total, the book offers over 50 hours of CPD, equating to a cost of less than 50p per hour of training!

Written with the busy practitioner in mind, the author draws on his extensive specialist knowledge to offer a sensible, workable and practical approach for any teacher who wishes to understand and promote effective classroom inclusion for children with learning difficulties. Concentrating on the realities of teaching and learning, this book: places learning difficulties in the context of policy and law examines and explains the relevant terms and definitions puts forward suggestions for provision looks at ways of assessing and raising achievement offers strategies to develop an inclusive, responsive environment.

The Routledge Companion to Severe, Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties is a timely and rich resource with contributions from writing teams of acknowledged experts providing a balance of both academic and practitioner perspectives. The book covers a myriad of topics and themes and has the core purpose of informing and supporting everyone who is interested in improving the quality of education and support for children and young adults with severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties and their families. Each chapter contains careful presentations and analyses of the findings from influential research and its practical applications and the book is a treasure chest of experiences, suggestions and ideas from practitioners that will be invaluable for many years to come. The chapters include many vignettes gathered from practitioners in the field and are written specifically to be rigorous yet accessible. The contributors cover topics related to the rights and needs of children and young adults from 0-25 years, crucial features of high quality education, characteristics of integrated provision and effective and sensitive working with families to ensure the best possible outcomes for their children. Crucially, the voice of the learners themselves shines through. Historical provision that has had an impact on developing services and modern legislation aimed at improving provision and services are also discussed. The contributed chapters are organised into six themed parts: Provision for learners with SLD/PMLD. Involving stakeholders. Priorities for meeting the personal and social needs of learners. Developing the curriculum. Strategies for supporting teaching and learning. Towards a new understanding of education for learners with SLD/PMLD. This text is an essential read for students on courses and staff working in and with the whole range of educational settings catering for children and young adults with severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties, not just for teachers but also for support staff, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists, nurses, social workers and other specialists.

This book sets out to help teachers assess pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties, multisensory impairments and other complex needs in a relevant and meaningful way. It offers teachers structure, guidance and a holistic approach to assessment, target setting, planning, recording, attainment and pupil progress throughout his or her life at school.