Assessing Skills and Knowledge (ASK) in Year 7, 8 7 9.
At The Roseland Academy we assess and measure the progress of students using our own bespoke system called ASK. This assessment system with our updated schemes of learning, enriches the curriculum with GCSE level skills and knowledge from Year 7. It will provide assessments grades that are clearly linked to the level of skill and knowledge developed by the student and shows clearly what the student needs to do to develop further.
On completion of a module of work, a student’s skills and knowledge will be teacher assessed using ASK and awarded one of the following grades : Launching, Developing, Securing or Mastering.
ASK assesses the increasing complexity in a student’s understanding of the subject and is based around the well documented SOLO and Bloom’s taxonomy, both models that describes levels of increasing complexity in student’s understanding of subjects.
Here are some of the ASK descriptors that a teacher may use in determining the grade achieved by a student in a particular module of work:
Each module of learning will have a student friendly ASK document which shows clearly the skills and knowledge required. This also shows what is needed to progress.
All students will continually be encouraged to progress towards Mastering, with these skills and knowledge being on a level with higher GCSE grades.
We track progress through the year using EAPs (Expected Attainment Pathways). Each term students receive an EAP for each subject of ‘on’ ‘above’ or ‘below’. This is an indication of whether the ASK grade received is in line with other students with a similar starting point based on SATs grades.
Examination Week
In addition to ongoing ASK assessments, each year group will have an examination week in which each subject will be formally assessed. The grades from these assessments will allow us to assess overall progress in relation to individual target grades.
Data Sheets
The student data sheets, which previously reported national curriculum levels, have been updated over the Autumn term and from this half term (Spring 1) we will report ASK for each of the subjects studied. The first ASK descriptors are currently being collected and the new data sheet will be released shortly. Behaviour for Learning grades will continue to be reported on the data sheets.
The target for all of our students will be to aim their skills and knowledge towards Mastering. Internally we will track students by comparing their starting point SATs grades to their current ASK grades and therefore determine whether students are progressing in line with their peers of similar starting points. This tracking will direct further intervention or support if necessary.
Examination Week
In addition to ongoing ASK assessments, each year group will have an examination week in which each subject will be formally assessed. The grades from these assessments will allow us to assess overall progress in relation to individual target grades.
Data Sheets
The student data sheets, which previously reported national curriculum levels, have been updated over the Autumn term and from this half term (Spring 1) we will report ASK for each of the subjects studied. The first ASK descriptors are currently being collected and the new data sheet will be released shortly. Behaviour for Learning grades will continue to be reported on the data sheets.
The target for all of our students will be to aim their skills and knowledge towards Mastering. Internally we will track students by comparing their starting point SATs grades to their current ASK grades and therefore determine whether students are progressing in line with their peers of similar starting points. This tracking will direct further intervention or support if necessary.
Interpreting Behaviour for Learning Grades (Cooperation, Effort, Equipment, Independent Study)
Behaviour for Learning is assessed on a 1-3 scale using the following descriptors: