Assessing Communication at Key Stage 3: Guidance What are the Requirements for Communication?

Across the curriculum, at a level appropriate to their ability, pupils should be enabled to develop skills in:

Talking and Listening

• listen to and take part in discussions, explanations, role plays and presentations; • contribute comments, ask questions and respond to others’ points of view; • communicate information, ideas, opinions, feelings and imaginings using an expanding vocabulary; • structure talk so that ideas can be understood by others; • speak clearly and adapt ways of speaking to audience and situation; • use non­verbal methods to express ideas and engage with the listener.

Reading

• read a range of texts* for information, ideas and enjoyment; • use a range of strategies to read with increasing independence; • find, select and use information from a range of sources; • understand and explore ideas, events and features in texts*; • use evidence from texts* to explain opinions.

Writing

• talk about, plan and edit work; • communicate information, meaning, feelings, imaginings and ideas in a clear and organised way; • develop, express and present ideas in a variety of forms and formats, using traditional and digital resources, for different audiences and purposes; • write with increasing accuracy and proficiency.

* Note on texts: Texts refer to ideas that are organised to communicate and present a message in written, spoken, visual, digital and symbolic forms.

Activity

List activities in your subject which involve Communication.

Map an activity in your subject to the requirements for Communication.

(For detail, see Facilitators’ Notes and Appendix 4)

1 What are the Statutory Requirements in connection with Communication?

Within the NI Curriculum, there is a requirement for pupils to be assessed annually in the cross­ curricular skills of Communication, Using Mathematics and Using ICT. In Years 3 to 10, (from 2009­10) this assessment will be with reference to levels of progression.

There is also a requirement for pupils to acquire and develop their cross­curricular skills within the context of the areas of learning.

What is the relationship between Literacy and Communication? How will pupils acquire and develop their skills?

Within Literacy, pupils will acquire and develop knowledge, understanding and skills. There is flexibility, within and beyond the statutory minimum content, for learning and teaching in relation to literacy to be tailored to the needs of the pupil and the context of the school.

Communication encompasses those core aspects which are common to all schools in Northern Ireland and which form consistent standards for assessment and reporting. There is a focus on using the skill in a range of contexts across the curriculum. Pupils should therefore be given opportunities to demonstrate, apply and transfer their knowledge, understanding and skills in a variety of contexts across the curriculum.

Development

Acquisition Assessment Promoting Demonstrating Applying Reporting Transferring

Acquisition

Pupils need to be taught both the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of Communication before they can demonstrate their learning in a wide range of different situations. This acquisition may naturally occur within English, but can also be acquired in other relevant contexts across the curriculum. For example, pupils may learn how to ‘understand and explore ideas, events and features in texts’ within Environment and Society, through investigating a range of evidence in a History context. 2 Development

Pupils should be given opportunities to demonstrate, apply and transfer their Communication knowledge, understanding and skills in a variety of contexts across the curriculum.

All subjects potentially have a role to play in developing pupils’ Communication skills by providing opportunities for them to demonstrate, practise, apply and transfer these skills. Teachers will already be engaged in this process via the delivery of the Learning Outcomes.

All subjects can also contribute to the ongoing formative assessment of Communication, e.g. through feedback to pupils, peer and self­assessment and on a day­to­day basis.

Assessment and Reporting

In the academic year 09/10 there is a requirement to formally assess Communication each year with reference to the levels of progression.

This formal assessment should build on the acquisition and development that is taking place across the curriculum. However, while all subjects are required through their Learning Outcomes to contribute, as appropriate, to the acquisition and development of Communication, not all are expected to contribute to the formal assessment or reporting. Schools, therefore, have the flexibility to create a model of coordination for assessment and reporting which is manageable and meaningful within their own particular school context.

Proposal

Assessment evidence for Communication should be drawn from at least two Areas of Learning across the Key Stage.

Each pupil’s progress in Communication will be reported annually in the Pupil Profile. Customisable comment banks, referenced to the levels of progression, are available as part of the Profiles 7 report writing software package. These comment banks provide points of reference for teachers’ own comments on individual pupil progress. Use of these comment banks is optional.

3 What are the Levels of Progression for Communication?

It should be noted that, at the time of writing (April 08), the Levels of Progression are draft. The Levels of Progression form the standards which will be used make annual judgements about pupils’ progress. There are seven levels which provide consistent standards across Key Stages 1, 2 and 3:

• At Key Stage 1 (Years 3&4), pupils will be working up to and including Level 3. • At Key Stage 2 (Years 5­7), pupils will be working up to and including Level 5. • At Key Stage 3 (Years 8­10), pupils will be working up to and including Level 7.

The Levels of Progression include: • the requirements for Communication; • context statements (straplines) at each level; • the expected standard at each level, expressed as competence­based ‘Pupils can…’ statements.

The requirements for Communication can be found at the left of the Levels of Progression document. They are colour coded so that progression in the requirements can be tracked throughout the levels.

Expected standard at a level Requirements ‘Pupils can…’

Context statements

Three strands of Communication: Talking and Listening; Reading; Writing. .

Progression in the Requirements

4 Progression

Progression in the requirements for Communication can be tracked by using the colour coding.

Activity

Track one of the Communication requirements (i.e. one colour strip) from Level 1 to Level 7, looking at progression.

Read down all level descriptions for Level 4 and 5, annotating key words in the context statements and in the bullet points which pinpoint progression.

(For detail, see Facilitators’ notes)

Progression can also be seen in the context statements at each level (for example, Level 4 Reading: ‘In a range of texts of varying lengths for a variety of purposes….’. These indicate the contexts and nature of activities at each level. When identifying and designing assessment opportunities, you should look carefully at the context statement to consider whether the activity allows pupils to achieve at the appropriate level.

From… (Level 1) To… (Level 7) Context familiar unfamiliar informal formal

Nature of activity structured free response closed open­ended simple complex

Independence demonstrate transfer supported independent

Activity

Look at the context statements at each level. Think of an activity for Communication within your subject. How do the context statements impact on an assessment activity planned for pupils?

5 Assessment

In Years 3 to 10, pupils’ progress in Communication will be assessed with reference to the Levels of Progression.

How will pupils be assessed? The Process…

Pupils can be assigned a level on the completion of a Communication task. Any one assessment can only provide a snapshot of pupil progress. At the end of each year, teachers will make a holistic, ‘best fit’ judgement about the level which best describes the pupil’s progress and performance. This judgement is likely to be based on ongoing assessments and observations throughout the year. In order to build up a broader picture over time, you will need to carry out a number of assessments which together cover the three strands of Communication. These assessments will include planned activities across a range of contexts and using a variety of assessment methods.

Some assessments may be based on observation of day­to­day work within the classroom. However, activities to assess Communication should ideally include opportunities for pupils to demonstrate their ability to use their communication skills appropriately for specific purposes across the curriculum.

To build up a picture over time it is good practice to retain evidence of pupils’ achievement in their learning. Evidence could include a combination of: • teacher observation of groups and individuals (planned and incidental) recorded as brief, concise notes; • teacher interaction with groups and individuals recorded as brief, concise notes; • practical, oral and written work (including evidence of work in progress to illustrate process); • digital evidence (e.g. video, computer or wider ICT based assessments); • observation/evidence of peer and self­assessment (including pupil records, notes, self and peer assessment sheets etc).

How do I make a summative judgement about the level at which a pupil is working?

It is necessary to determine a level in Communication for each pupil, each year. When making a summative judgement, the following should be kept in mind: • The level awarded will be a ‘best fit’, holistic Communication level. • No one assessment will look at the entire range of Communication. Therefore, evidence for the ‘best fit’ to a level will be drawn from a range of activities and tasks over the year.

In practical terms: Has the pupil achieved a ‘best fit’ at the level across all three areas of Talking and Listening, Reading and Writing, across a range of activities/tasks and in a range of contexts?

6 Planning for Assessment

In the light of the information given so far, there is a clear need for planning in order to ensure that pupils have opportunities to demonstrate a wide range of Communication skills in a variety of meaningful contexts.

Activity • What range of opportunities will pupils need to have in order to demonstrate achievement at a level? • Which departments are involved in the statutory assessment of Communication in relation to a particular year group? • How can the departments involved ensure that pupils can demonstrate achievement at a level through a range of opportunities?

Creating Assessment Activities

Effective assessment activities: • fall naturally out of teaching and learning within the curriculum and enrich the learning experience for the pupils; • encourage the demonstration, application and transferability of skills; • are authentic and based on real and relevant contexts; • are open­ended and flexible; o allowing for a range of approaches; o encouraging independent thinking; • are accessible while also being challenging; • allow for differentiation across the levels; • are manageable for both teachers and pupils.

Activity Identify an assessment opportunity in a departmental scheme of work and consider how it can be developed into an assessment task that encompasses all three strands of Communication (Talking & Listening, Reading and Writing).

(For detail see Facilitators’ Notes and Appendix 5 for an overview, Appendix 6 to make notes on your chosen assessment task and Appendix 8 if you wish to use the CCEA exemplar task template.)

7 What will support me in assessing Communication?

There will be a range of support available for assessing Communication. This includes:

• CCEA exemplar tasks. These are optional tasks to provide opportunities for Communication, to support teacher judgement and to illustrate approaches. They are available for download at http://www.nicurriculum.org.uk/key_stage_3/assessment_and_reporting/ind ex.asp.

• Guidance on the Level descriptors in Communication. These provide further detail to assist teachers in understanding the requirements of each level and in helping them make a judgement. This guidance will become available for download at http://www.nicurriculum.org.uk

The following support is under development and will also be available:

• Assessment microsite and online support; • additional CCEA exemplar tasks; • exemplification of standards through pupils’ work with commentaries to illustrate performance at a level; • quality assurance and moderation.

8 Appendices

9 Appendix 1 Aims

1. To consider the extent to which Communication is naturally­occurring across the curriculum;

2. to become familiar with the document “Draft Levels of Progression in COMMUNICATION across the curriculum: Key Stage 3” ;

3. to understand and become familiar with one approach to assessing Communication.

10 Appendix 2 Communication to date

Consider the following questions:

1. In what ways has your school successfully disseminated ideas about assessment?

2. How have departments in your school begun to address the assessment of Communication?

3. As a classroom teacher, what would you say about the benefits and challenges of helping pupils to acquire and develop the skills of Communication?

11 Appendix 3

COMMUNICATION

Communication is central to the whole curriculum. Pupils should be able to communicate in order to express themselves socially, emotionally and physically, to develop as individuals, engage with others and contribute as members of society.

Pupils should be given opportunities to engage with and demonstrate the skill of communication and to transfer their knowledge about communication concepts and skills to real life, meaningful contexts across the curriculum.

The modes of communication include Talking and Listening, Reading and Writing. However, effective communication also includes non­verbal modes of communication, wider literacy and the use of multimedia and ICT technologies which may combine different modes. Pupils are therefore encouraged to become effective communicators by using a using a range of techniques, forms and media to convey information and ideas creatively and appropriately.

Across the curriculum, at a level appropriate to their ability, pupils should be enabled to develop skills in:

Talking and Listening

Pupils should be enabled to:

• listen to and take part in discussions, explanations, role plays and presentations; • contribute comments, ask questions and respond to others' points of view; • communicate information, ideas, opinions, feelings and imaginings, using an expanding vocabulary; • structure talk so that ideas can be understood by others; • speak clearly and adapt ways of speaking to audience and situation; • use non­verbal methods to express ideas and engage with the listener.

Reading

Pupils should be enabled to:

• read a range of texts* for information, ideas and enjoyment; • use a range of strategies to read with increasing independence; • find, select and use information from a range of sources; • understand and explore ideas, events and features in texts*; • use evidence from texts* to explain opinions.

*Note on texts: Texts refer to ideas that are organised to communicate and present a message in written, spoken, visual, digital and symbolic forms.

Writing

Pupils should be enabled to:

• talk about, plan and edit work; • communicate information, meaning, feelings, imaginings and ideas in a clear and organised way; • develop, express and present ideas in a variety of forms and formats, using traditional and digital resources, for different audiences and purposes; • write with increasing accuracy and proficiency. 12 Appendix 4

Relating activities to the Requirements for Communication

Requirements for Communication 2. Choose another type of 1. Think about a Across the curriculum, at a level Communication activity and presentation activity and appropriate to their ability, pupils should be enabled to develop skills in: draw arrows to the draw arrows to Requirements that it the Requirements Talking and Listening addresses. that it addresses. Pupils should be enabled to: • listen to and take part in discussions, explanations, role plays and presentations; • contribute comments, ask questions and respond to others' points of view; • communicate information, ideas, opinions, feelings and imaginings, using an expanding vocabulary; • structure talk so that ideas can be understood by others; • speak clearly and adapt ways of speaking to audience and situation; • use non­verbal methods to express ideas and engage with the listener.

Reading Pupils should be enabled to: • read a range of texts* for information, ideas and enjoyment; • use a range of strategies to read with increasing independence; • find, select and use information from a range of sources; • understand and explore ideas, events and features in texts*; • use evidence from texts* to explain opinions. *Note on texts: Texts refer to ideas that are organised to communicate and present a message in written, spoken, visual and symbolic forms.

Writing Pupils should be enabled to: • talk about, plan and edit work; • communicate information, meaning, feelings, imaginings and ideas in a clear and organised way; • develop, express and present ideas in a variety of forms and formats, using traditional and digital resources, for different audiences and purposes; • write with increasing accuracy and proficiency.

13 Appendix 5 Thinking through your own task

Identify appropriate assessment opportunities within the subject/across the curriculum

Decide on the assessment focus

Match assessment opportunity to the requirement central to the task

Consider how subject context and resource can enable pupils

Decide on the specific nature of the assessment activity

Identify the prior learning required

Identify the process and sequence of the activity (including pupil involvement)

Identify what you will be looking for by way of evidence of achievement and how you will obtain this

Use the levels of progression to make a judgement

14 Appendix 6

Planning an Assessment Activity

Planning and carrying out the activity

What is the activity?

What is the curricular context for the activity?

What skills in Communication will pupils demonstrate?

What is the strand focus?

What is requirement central to the task?

What prior knowledge will pupils need to complete the activity?

How and when will pupils acquire this prior knowledge?

What do pupils have to do?

What are the stages?

How will pupil performance be observed/recorded?

What’s the evidence?

15 Appendix 7 Communication Task Outline: Cross­Curricular Skill: Communication Assessment Focus: Select one of three strands of Communication. Assessment Task What do pupils do?

Requirement central to task Select one of requirements from the left hand side of the document “Draft Levels of Progression in This statement comes from the document Draft Levels of COMMUNICATION across the curriculum: Key Stage 3”. Progression in Communication across the curriculum: Key Stage 3

Task Outline

• Talking and Listening – What activities do pupils engage in for each of the three strands of Communication? • Reading – • Writing –

Approach How do the activities noted above complement each other?

16 Sequence of Task

Focus Process of Task

Which strand of Communication? Stage 1 What will pupils do at this point? Talking & Listening, Reading or Writing?

Prior Learning What is it useful for pupils to know / have done to get the most out of the Communication activity? How can you determine pupils’ prior learning? Who do you need to talk to in school to determine this?

Encourage pupils to consider questions Think about questions which might help pupils succeed in this activity. such as:

Connecting the Communication How do the activities complement / inform / draw on each other? activities

Which strand of Communication? Stage 2 What will pupils do at this point? Talking & Listening, Reading or Writing?

Prior Learning: What is it useful for pupils to know / have done to get the most out of the Communication activity? How can you determine pupils’ prior learning? Who do you need to talk to in school to determine this?

Encourage pupils to consider questions Think about questions which might help pupils succeed in this activity. such as:

Connecting the Communication How do the activities complement / inform / draw on each other? activities

17 Which strand of Communication? Stage 3 What will pupils do at this point? Talking & Listening, Reading or Writing?

Prior Learning What is it useful for pupils to know / have done to get the most out of the Communication activity? How can you determine pupils’ prior learning? Who do you need to talk to in school to determine this?

Encourage pupils to consider questions Think about questions which might help pupils succeed in this activity. such as:

A Communication level is assigned on the completion of the three activities.

18 Making a Judgement

A Communication level for this task is assigned with reference to the statutory level descriptions for (insert one of the three Communication strands) All of the bullets for any given (insert one of the three Communication strands) level should be considered when assigning a level. The statutory level descriptions which are central to this task are printed below in bold. Additional non­statutory guidance for these level descriptions follows beneath.

Requirement Statutory Level Descriptions The pupil can: Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6 Insert requirement selected as being • insert level description(s) • insert level description(s) • insert level description(s) • insert level central to task which fall out of which fall out of requirement which fall out of description(s) which requirement in first in first column requirement in first fall out of requirement column column in first column

Non­Statutory Guidance Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6 • insert statement from non­ • insert statement from non­ • insert statement from non­ • insert statement from statutory guidance which statutory guidance which statutory guidance which non­statutory guidance relates to the Level relates to the Level relates to the Level which relates to the description above description above description above Level description above

19 Appendix 8 Communication Task Outline: Cross­Curricular Skill: Communication Assessment Focus: Assessment Task

Requirement central to task This statement comes from the document Draft Levels of Progression in Communication across the curriculum: Key Stage 3

Task Outline

• Talking and Listening – • Reading – • Writing –

Approach

20 Sequence of Task

Focus Process of Task

Stage 1

Prior Learning

Encourage pupils to consider questions such as:

Connecting the Communication activities

Stage 2

Prior Learning:

Encourage pupils to consider questions such as:

Connecting the Communication activities

21 Stage 3

Prior Learning

Encourage pupils to consider questions such as:

A Communication level is assigned on the completion of the three activities.

22 Making a Judgement

A Communication level for this task is assigned with reference to the statutory level descriptions for All of the bullets for any given level should be considered when assigning a level. The statutory level descriptions which are central to this task are printed below in bold. Additional non­statutory guidance for these level descriptions follows beneath.

Requirement Statutory Level Descriptions The pupil can: Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6 • • • •

Non­Statutory Guidance Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6

23 Appendix 9 Teacher Observation of Pupils

Assessment Focus Assessment Task Requirement central to Task

Pupil Name Comments Level Assigned

24 Appendix 10 Possible departmental audit/ planning template for Communication

Area of Learning/Subject: Year group:

The Requirements for Communication Task Task Task Task Talking and Listening Title Title Title Title Across the curriculum, at a level appropriate to their ability, pupils should be enabled to:

• listen to and take part in discussions, explanations, role plays and presentations

• contribute comments, ask questions and respond to others’ points of view

• communicate information, ideas, opinions, feelings and imaginings using am expanding vocabulary

• structure talk so that ideas can be understood by others

• speak clearly and adapt ways of speaking to audience and situation

• use non­verbal methods to express ideas and engage with the listener

25 Appendix 10 continued

Area of Learning/Subject: Year group:

The Requirements for Communication in Task Task Task Task Reading Title Title Title Title Across the curriculum, at a level appropriate to their ability, pupils should be enabled to:

• read a range of texts for information, ideas and enjoyment

• use a range of strategies to read with increasing independence

• find, select and use information from a range of sources

• understand and explore ideas, events and features in texts

• use evidence from texts to explain opinions

26 Appendix 10 continued

Area of Learning/Subject: Year group:

The Requirements for Communication in Task Task Task Task Writing Title Title Title Title Across the curriculum, at a level appropriate to their ability, pupils should be enabled to:

• talk about, plan and edit work

• communicate information, meaning, feelings, imaginings and ideas in a clear and organised way

• develop, express and present ideas in a variety of forms and formats, using traditional and digital resources, for different audiences and purposes

• write with increasing accuracy and proficiency

27