The Smart Science Knowledge and Skills Assessment Model The Smart Science Knowledge and Skills Assessment Model is fully embedded throughout the resources in Teacher s Handbook 1 and 2. You will find the Assessment Model used in various ways, and in particular as the foundation for all Marking guides, and also the Structured Questions (see Introduction to Teacher s Handbook 1: Planning and teaching on the CD-ROM). Introducing the Assessment Model The Assessment Model has been carefully developed with a team of experts to offer a flexible approach to assessment at Key Stage 3. The introduction of the NC 2014 Programme of Study has brought about many changes at all levels, not least to assessment. A key change by the government is the removal of the system of levels that has been used to report on attainment and progress over recent years. Instead, schools are now at liberty to introduce their own assessment and progress tracking arrangements. In developing our Assessment Model we have drawn from the hands-on experience of both practising teachers and assessment experts. It is clear that a range of approaches to assessment is likely to be adopted and, indeed, that some of these approaches are already in use. These approaches include the continued use of the old National Curriculum levels, the use of equivalent GCSE grades and Bloom s taxonomy. The intention behind our Assessment Model, then, is to provide you with a framework that you can fit to the approach your school decides to take, and to enable you to track the attainment of individual students and whole classes across the school. The Smart Science Knowledge and Skills Assessment Model, which underpins all of the progress criteria and assessment materials in the Smart Science suite of resources, is shown on the following page. Understanding the Smart Science Knowledge and Skills Assessment Model Attainment bands To keep things simple, we have created three attainment bands to help you tailor your teaching to best meet the needs of your students and to make sure that all students are motivated to progress. The attainment bands build on the All / Most / Some approach we know is popular in many schools. The bands work together with our Progress escalator (see below), grouping levels as follows: Learning (levels 3 and 4) where students can recall the knowledge, can describe its importance and demonstrate how to use it (but they may not always make use of their knowledge reliably or consistently); Mastering (levels 5 and 6) where students can apply their knowledge reliably, and exhibit some confidence in their own abilities to navigate through both concrete and abstract concepts; Expanding (levels 7 and 8) where students consistently show interest and ability in synthesising their knowledge and its application across topics, science disciplines and the rest of the curriculum. Smart Learning Ltd 2014 Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. SMART SCIENCE 1
Attainment bands Learning Mastering Expanding Progress escalator Old NC level equivalent GCSE grade equivalent 3 E 4 D 5 C 6 B 7 A 8 A* Bloom s taxonomy Remembering and Developing understanding Applying and Analysing Evaluating and Creating The Smart Science Knowledge and Skills Assessment Model You will see the attainment bands used in the following Smart Science resources: Term introductions Lesson maps Practicals and Investigations Teacher s guides Assessment sheets. Progress escalator and old National Curriculum level equivalent The Progress escalator builds on the old National Curriculum levels and helps you and your students to share in setting targets and recording progress. Each Progress escalator level has its own icon and descriptor; the icons are intended to provide you and your students with an at-a-glance guide to progress. (Note that the icons are available as JPEG files on the CD-ROM, in both greyscale and in colour.) Students recall key words and their scientific use, and describe similarities, differences and changes in the phenomena they observe. They use simple scientific ideas with evidence to link cause and effect. They recognise and explain the purpose of a variety of scientific developments in their everyday lives. Students describe some phenomena related to the topic being studied, drawing on scientific knowledge and understanding, using appropriate terminology. They recognise that evidence can support or refute scientific ideas. They recognise some applications and implications of science. 2 TEACHER S HANDBOOK 1 Smart Learning Ltd 2014 Copying permitted for purchasing institution only.
Students describe processes and phenomena related to the topic being studied, drawing on more abstract ideas and using appropriate scientific terminology. They explain processes and phenomena in more than one step or using a model. They recognise the roles of evidence and creative thinking in the development of scientific ideas, and describe applications and implications of science. Students describe processes and phenomena related to the topic being studied, using abstract ideas and appropriate terminology. They take account of a number of factors in their explanations, and use abstract ideas or models to support an argument. They apply and use knowledge and understanding in different or unfamiliar contexts. They explain the importance of some applications and implications of science. Students describe a wide range of processes and phenomena both related to the topic being studied and drawn from other areas of the curriculum. They make links between different areas of science in their explanations. They apply and use more abstract knowledge and understanding in a range of contexts. They link areas of science and ideas in a creative or innovative fashion to produce a hypothesis or explanation. Students demonstrate extensive knowledge and understanding. They interpret, evaluate and synthesise data and concrete and abstract concepts from a range of sources and in a range of contexts, and show creative thinking in how they apply their knowledge. They are prepared to challenge ideas presented to them as facts, and they apply the scientific method consistently in developing and testing their own hypotheses, including recognising the need continually to re-evaluate and improve theories and experiments. They describe and explain the importance of a wide range of applications and implications of science. You will see the Progress escalator used in the following Smart Science resources: Structured Questions and Marking guides End-of-term tests and Marking guides End-of-year tests and Marking guides Assessment sheets Progress tracker. GCSE grade equivalent Some schools use GCSE grade equivalents to measure attainment at Key Stage 3. To aid schools that take this approach, we have mapped our Progress escalator levels to estimated GCSE grade equivalents, using the GCSE grading system current at the time of writing. Note that these GCSE grades are estimated equivalents only; in no way do we suggest that attainment at a certain level at Key Stage 3 guarantees a particular GCSE grade. Smart Learning Ltd 2014 Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. SMART SCIENCE 3
Bloom s taxonomy To offer further flexibility we have also matched our attainment bands and Progress escalator to Bloom s taxonomy for thinking skills (Anderson and Krathwohl s [2001] revision of the original Bloom s taxonomy [Bloom & Krathwohl, 1956]). Indeed, you will recognise many of the key thinking skills and progression from Bloom s taxonomy within the Progress escalator and level descriptors. Please note, however, that while the Progress escalator draws on Bloom s taxonomy it should not be taken as an exhaustive guide to the application of Bloom s taxonomy in science. The Assessment Model and Marking guides Each Smart Science test and Structured Question (see Introduction to Teacher s Handbook 1: Planning and teaching on the CD-ROM) comes with a Marking guide. These Marking guides use the Progress escalator levels, represented by their icons (see above), to give a suggested level for each question or part question. The levels suggested are intended to reflect the types of thinking and learning skills needed to answer the question, in a similar pattern to Bloom s Taxonomy. The level icons are a guide to the level a student will attain if they consistently answer questions of that level correctly. As a student answers more parts of each question, they will demonstrate progression up the Progress escalator. These level guides are intended to be as simple and quick to use as possible, rather than providing detailed level descriptors unique to every topic or question. The exam-style control word in each question part is a good guide to the nature of the answer expected. Preparation for GCSE Smart Science is intended for Key Stage 3 as a lead-in to all GCSE specifications (rather than to any one awarding body). From 2016, new GCSE examinations will be taught; at the time of writing, however, the structure and content of these new examinations have yet to be finalised. In Smart Science, therefore, we have taken care to provide support for and practice in those elements of the current GCSEs whose relevance, in our view, is key now and also seems likely to continue; for example, the requirement for extended written responses and for these responses to demonstrate an ability to write in coherent, well-structured and correct English. It is for this reason that you will find references to and support for structured six-mark questions and the Quality of Written Communication (QWC) in many of the Smart Science resources. Indeed, at the time of writing, a hot topic in science is how to prepare students so they can answer structured six-mark questions in GCSE examinations with confidence. There are several aspects to these types of questions that present a challenge to students of all abilities: Recognising control words such as state, describe, explain, use and compare, and adjusting the type of answer given accordingly. The Smart Science materials use the full gamut of control words, allowing you to explore their meaning with your students. Thinking through and developing a structure to answers. The Structured Questions are specifically designed to address this challenge. In order to develop confidence in structuring answers, students first need to experience questions with a high degree of structure. In preparing answers to the different parts of each question, over time the habit of delivering structured answers will become ingrained. As they progress through the Scheme of Work, you may well find students anticipate the question styles and pick up exactly what type of answer is expected at each stage. 4 TEACHER S HANDBOOK 1 Smart Learning Ltd 2014 Copying permitted for purchasing institution only.
Practising answering and understanding the marking criteria for six-mark questions. The End-of-term and End-of-year tests contain six-mark questions designed to test the content of Key Stage 3, but in a style that closely mirrors the GCSE six-mark question format. QWC is an integral part of the assessment by awarding bodies of these six-mark questions at GCSE. The End-of-term and End-of-year tests presented in this handbook are accompanied by detailed Marking guides that explain the level of scientific knowledge and the quality of written communication required to achieve marks. These Marking guides are closely modelled on the information provided by GCSE awarding bodies in relation to the current examinations. For more about how the Smart Science resources help to prepare students for GCSE, read about the End-of-term and End-of-year tests below, and about the Structured Questions (see Introduction to Teacher s Handbook 1: Planning and teaching on the CD-ROM). Assessment and progress tracking Assessment sheets The Assessment sheets are intended to support formative self, peer and teacher assessment on a termly basis and by science discipline. The content is linked to the Scheme of Work. How the Assessment sheets work There is an Assessment sheet for each science discipline and each term in the Scheme of Work. Each Assessment sheet comprises a number of assessment focuses, which link back to the NC 2014 Programme of Study. For each assessment focus, you will find a statement for each attainment band in the Assessment Model: Learning (levels 3 and 4) Mastering (levels 5 and 6) Expanding (levels 7 and 8). Each student should complete an Assessment sheet per discipline per term. When an assessment focus has been addressed, the student, one of their peers and you should check the relevant box to indicate the level achieved. Boxes are provided at the end of the sheet for your comments on the term s work, and also for the student to reflect on what they need to do to improve. Note that the Assessment sheets could be completed electronically if you supply students with the Word file versions of these resources. You will find the Assessment sheets both in the printed handbook and on the CD-ROM. Mark book The Mark book (a Microsoft Excel file) is a template that has been especially designed to take the strain out of progress tracking. When in regular use, the Mark book will highlight for you the topics individual students or whole classes found challenging; it will also flag up high attainment so you know who needs more challenging material. Smart Learning Ltd 2014 Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. SMART SCIENCE 5
The Mark book template covers a full year of teaching (three terms) across the three science disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics, and is fully customisable. The Excel workbook comprises the following worksheets: For each science: Marks This is where you enter your students work and test marks. The headings are matched to the terms and lessons of the Scheme of Work. You can enter the target attainment level for the term for each student, according to your agreed decisions using the Progress Escalator. You can also record student data such as their Ever-6 FSM and any special needs codes. Percentages This is all calculated automatically for you. Every student s mark in every piece of work is converted to a percentage, compared against the target attainment level for that student, and a handy colour is applied to show you whether a student s performance is under or over target. More green means further over target, more red means further under target. Each student s progress against their target level is recorded for each half term, for ease of reference. This sheet also provides class averages for every piece of work, and for each term. Also: Report by science discipline for the year This is a handy summary report that gathers all the total term marks and performance against target level for each science discipline into one ready reference. There is also a column for inserting the End-of-year test results. You will find the Mark book on the CD-ROM. Progress tracker The Progress tracker is a tool intended to support you and your students in agreeing, setting and tracking progress targets. The template uses the Progress escalator in the Assessment Model and can be used to cover one academic year for a single science discipline or to cover one term of all three disciplines. Fields are mapped to the Scheme of Work, being divided into terms, lessons and End-of-term tests. There is a separate field that allows the student to record their achievement in the End-of-year test. How to use the template 1. With each student, agree a target level for the term and relevant science discipline; the student then colours in the relevant target arrow. 2. After each lesson or piece of work, ask students to colour in the box next to the level achieved. 3. Encourage students to look at feedback you have given them to help them meet or exceed their target level in their End-of-term test. Note that the colouring of relevant fields in the template could be done electronically if you supply students with the Word file version of this resource. You will find the Progress tracker both in the printed handbook and on the CD-ROM. 6 TEACHER S HANDBOOK 1 Smart Learning Ltd 2014 Copying permitted for purchasing institution only.
End-of-term tests (and Marking guides) You will find one End-of-term test for every science discipline for each term of the Scheme of Work. The purpose of these tests is to provide a summative assessment of students knowledge and understanding in a particular area at the end of a term s sequence of lessons. For each End-of-term test, you will find a student test paper as well as a Marking guide. The format of these tests mirrors a section of a typical GCSE examination paper, with shorter questions gradually increasing in difficulty, followed by a six-mark question. The tests also contain a degree of synopticity, encouraging students to demonstrate their breadth and depth of knowledge and application. Students who sit a number of these tests should gain confidence in their approach to GCSE papers, and you will find the Marking guides provide pointers on assessing and developing important GCSE skills such as explaining science in context and developing a higher quality of written communication. You will find the End-of-term tests both in the printed handbook and on the CD-ROM; their Marking guides can be found on the CD-ROM. End-of-term test papers The End-of-term test papers all start with a short warm-up whose primary purpose is to get students ready and prepared for the test. As with the main section of the test, available marks are given as a guide to the nature of the response expected. The main test that follows comprises a series of questions that have been carefully sequenced to increase in difficulty: the more questions a student answers, the higher the level at which they are working. This section of the End-of-term test uses the Progress escalator levels from the Assessment Model as a guiding principle, allowing students to track their own progress through the test. A synoptic, GCSE-style six-mark question concludes each test paper. Here, students are challenged to explain a concept or context that is likely to be unfamiliar; to gain full marks, they should demonstrate not only an ability to recall key scientific concepts but also the application of logic in drawing parallels with familiar models, the synthesis of knowledge across topics or disciplines and the ability to write coherent, well-structured and correct English. Note that the test papers are designed so that a student may fill in the answers on the paper. End-of-term test: Marking guides Like the test papers themselves, the Marking guides use the Progress escalator levels from the Assessment Model as a guiding principle, giving you a guide as to the level a student will attain if they consistently answer questions of that level correctly. As with the Structured Questions (see Introduction to Teacher s Handbook 1: Planning and teaching on the CD-ROM), the Marking guides feature model answers. Note that these model answers are not intended to be prescriptive. The Marking guide to the six-mark question provides some detailed support in assessing both scientific knowledge and the quality of written communication. Smart Learning Ltd 2014 Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. SMART SCIENCE 7
End-of-year test (and Marking guide) To conclude the learning for Year 1 of the two-year Scheme of Work as presented in Teacher s Handbook 1, you will find a synoptic End-of-year test whose purpose is to assess students knowledge and understanding across the three science disciplines. The End-of-year test comprises a student test paper and a Marking guide. The format of this test is modelled on a full GCSE examination paper, with three sections that each comprise shorter questions gradually increasing in difficulty followed by a six-mark question. The test contains a high degree of synopticity, thereby encouraging students to demonstrate their breadth and depth of knowledge and application across all science disciplines and topics. The Marking guide provides pointers on assessing and developing important GCSE skills such as explaining science in context and developing a higher quality of written communication. You will find the End-of-year test both in the printed handbook and on the CD-ROM; its Marking guide can be found on the CD-ROM. End-of-year test paper Like the End-of-term test papers, the End-of-year test paper starts with a short warm-up whose purpose is to get students ready and prepared for the test. As with the main section of the test, available marks are given as a guide to the nature of the response expected. The main test that follows comprises three sections. Each section contains a series of questions that have been carefully sequenced to increase in difficulty: the more questions a student answers, the higher the level at which they are working. This section of the End-of-year test uses the Progress escalator levels from the Assessment Model as a guiding principle, allowing students to track their own progress through the test. Each section concludes with a GCSE-style six-mark question designed to challenge students to explain a concept or context that may be unfamiliar, and to do so in a way that demonstrates their skills in written communication. Roughly speaking, each section of the text covers one of the three science disciplines; however, in this test every opportunity is taken to link ideas across disciplines, and to challenge students to synthesise their knowledge. Note that the test papers are designed so that a student may fill-in the answers on the paper. End-of-year test: Marking guide Like the test paper, the Marking guide uses the Progress escalator levels from the Assessment Model as a guiding principle, giving you a guide as to the level a student will attain if they consistently answer questions of that level correctly. As with the Structured Questions (see Introduction to Teacher s Handbook 1: Planning and teaching on the CD-ROM), the Marking guide features model answers; note that these model answers are not intended to be prescriptive. The Marking guides to the six-mark questions provide some detailed support in assessing both scientific knowledge and the quality of written communication. 8 TEACHER S HANDBOOK 1 Smart Learning Ltd 2014 Copying permitted for purchasing institution only.