Assessment in history

Assessment  is a topic which often generates more heat than light, especially at Key Stage 3.  In many ways, for all that has been written on the topic, things haven't improved much over the past two decades. This is certainly true of primary history where it occurs as a weakness in virtually every OFSTED annual report.  The most recent described it as being good in only one-quarter of primary schools!!   At Key Stage 3 assessment remains one of those items on the Subject  Improvement Plan that never seems to be ticked off as done.  QCA has recognized this and is pouring even more resources into projects to create on-line exemplification.  Look out for a detailed critique of the materials on this site once they are published.  It would be easy to be cynical about the likelihood of its success.  Previous attempts to shift department's practice have largely flopped.  Hardly any department I work with still uses any of the exemplification material from 1997, and even the publication of teacher assessment activities for history for Key Stages 1-3, produced by QCA as recently as 2006, is a well-kept secret.  Few schools have even heard of them, let alone bought them.

So, by and large, we are still left to find our own salvation in this area. That is why a significant section of this site is devoted to offering a coherent, practical and, above all, manageable route across this minefield.  What it offers is a very clear, if slightly controversial, view that focuses mainly on the importance of high-quality diagnostic formative tasks which enable you to move the pupils' learning forward. You will find not only helpful guiding principles but also actual examples of tasks, really thoughtful mark schemes and pupils' work from across the ability range.  You just can't get this sort of high quality material anywhere else. Samples of pupils' work all come with an expert commentary, written by myself, which highlights the strengths of each piece of work.   Although the excellent mark schemes bear some begrudging relation to the National Curriculum levels, the main thrust of the work is to show pupils, as clearly as possible, what they need to do to improve their answers.  The tasks are designed to be used for just 20 minutes or so, peer marked by pupils using the detailed mark scheme provided, and then handed back .  Pupils, there and then, make small improvements to their original answers which you then take in and make  further suggestions for improvement without having to do all the marking. At least that bit must sound appealing!!

Last, but by no means least, the final section focuses on the crucial area of assessment for learning( AfL).  Of all the aspects of the National Strategies for both primary and secondary schools that have impacted on teachers' practice, this is the one that has made most difference.  Although still misunderstood  by some, it has nonetheless proved highly influential in opening up to pupils the secret garden of teacher knowledge and expertise.  Applied as Professors Black and Wiliam would want, AfL with its focus on formative assessment has helped to shift the centre of gravity in the classroom from teaching to learning. The site shows the benefits that have accrued and offers advice on how to take this promising work much further.