APP in history: where are we now? Some key questions answered

Q1. What is APP? An old idea with a new name?

A1. It is badged as the new national approach to assessment that equips teachers to:

• make periodic judgements on pupils’ progress,
• fine tune their understanding of learners’ needs, and
• tailor their planning and teaching accordingly

Comment: I would not call that ‘new’, would you? Aren’t we doing this already when we assess formatively and summatively? If not, what has all the millions spent on AfL been for? I see the whole APP as an attempt to rationalise what is already there and to bring consistency across subjects.

Q 2. What will APP history materials consist of?

A2. There will be:

 • guidelines for assessing pupils’ work related to national curriculum levels
• standards files that offer annotated collections of pupils’ day-to-day work that exemplify national standards • a handbook to help teachers use the materials and implement the approach.

Comment: Your initial reaction is probably ‘Not more guidelines!’. We have been assessing pupils’ work using national level descriptions (or variants thereof) for over a decade now. I know we have now got new levels which are slightly different, but I think the real reason why we need these is that the old advice was either ignored completely or found to be of limited value. The website ‘nc.action’ was always lauded as the answer to making final end-of-key-stage judgements, but in reality the work displayed there failed to offer the clarity teachers needed. It was always an impossible ‘ask’ anyway, as so much depended on context and the amount of support students were given. Perhaps the new samples will be different. I wonder how the distinction will be made between making formative judgements and then end of key stage judgements? For schools with a 2 –year KS3, in particular, this will be very interesting.

Q3. Will this mean more work?

A3. The APP approach is said to be straightforward. Teachers are expected to periodically review evidence of their pupils’ work using assessment guidelines and then build a profile of their achievements. Their publicity quotes teachers who say “Far from adding another layer of assessment, APP helps to rationalise the current system and focuses planning, teaching and assessment". So there you have it!

Comment: I have yet to find a history department that does not periodically assess. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that in some history departments pupils are over-assessed. The haunting spectre of the next assessment looms large as soon as the last was completed. Periodic assessment does not mean showpiece assessment tasks which take ages to mark. Those are simply not fit for purpose and seriously eat into dwindling teaching time. Short, tightly focused, diagnostic tasks are much more likely to tell you what you need to know especially if coupled with evidence from, as QCA suggest: day-to-day interactions, observations, on-going assessment (whatever that means).

Critically, QCA do acknowledge that judgements should draw on a wide range of evidence that shows what learners can do independently (my emphasis). Far too many assessments are over-prepared in my view and do not give scope for independent thinking. This has been an unfortunate by-product of AfL.

Q.4 So why haven’t we got the material NOW?

A4. The guidelines and handbook are being piloted in schools, which is always a healthy sign. The date they are tentatively suggesting for release of material is mid-2010.

Comment: You may decide that you need to do some work of your own in advance of that. A year is a long time to wait. But please don’t spend too much time re-creating the levels and sub-levels which QCA will do for you.

Q5. How can I find out more?

A5. QCA has published a factsheet called APP: assessment at the heart of teaching and learning. Click here.

Comment: The devil is in the detail. You may have to wait for a few months to see what the draft level descriptors look like. The Primary Group will be producing these for levels 1-3 by September 2009.

Q6. Should I be worried about this?

A6. No. There will be nothing to fear if you already have in place: a. a system for teaching and assessing all the various strands of the attainment target b. planning which helps you to pitch work with the right level of challenge c. a system for formative and diagnostic assessment as well as summative assessment (end of unit tests) d. a way of comparing your standards with national expectations.

Comment: There is no absolute guarantee that the QCA’s APP material will necessarily be any better than yours. So work on your own understanding of progression which can then be compared with the statutory levels, but only when it is a legal requirement.