Assessment at KLA
The aim of assessment at KLA is to ascertain how well a student is remembering, understanding and applying their knowledge. It shows whether progress is being made in each subject and can act as a diagnostic tool to help identify areas that students may have mastered or might be finding difficult by identifying misconceptions. Assessment over time can give an overview of how a student is performing, and act as a guide to what further tutorial support or intervention might be required.
Assessment can take a number of forms, ranging from oral assessments in class, often hinged around key questions and answers, to low stakes quizzes and tests. Departments will also run their own assessments through end of topic tests and essays. Alongside these subject specific assessments, students also complete termly reading tests to provide an overview of their reading age. This allows teachers to provide appropriate texts in lessons and offer any reading catch-up that may be required.
Parents will receive a Current Assessment Grade (CAG) 4 times a year. CAG A (in Term 1) and C (in Term 2 or 3) are teacher assessed grades that are founded on the assessments in class and give an indicator of attainment and progress in the first and end of second terms. CAG B (January) and D (July) are mid-year and end of year exams, indicating progress in higher controlled assessment conditions. The end of year exams are synoptic and are designed to give an overview of progress throughout the year and the course of study.
Many subjects will conduct assessments in the first few weeks of year 7 to get an overview of prior learning. These are referred to as “bench mark tests”, and supplement the attainment information received from primary school.
At Key Stage 3 students are assessed using Age Related Expectancy ARE. Teachers will review work to make judgements as to whether students are working at a level that would be expected for someone of their age. Alternatively, students may be attaining above or below that level. This is referred to as ARE + or ARE - .
At the end of Year 9 and in Key stage 4 attainment is measured in GCSE grades from 1 to 9, where 4 is a “pass” and 5 is a “strong pass”. This will often be compared to a target grade which is derived from past performance.
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ARE (AGE RELATED EXPECTATIONS) |
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ARE + At Depth
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The pupil is working at the highest level, and in great depth in this subject area. The pupil’s attainment is considered to be above-average |
Pupils working ‘At Depth’ are currently on a pathway to attain Grade 7,8 or 9 if this performance is sustained through to GCSE |
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ARE= Meeting ARE
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The pupil is working at the level generally expected in the subject for a pupil of their age. The pupil’s attainment is considered to be broadly average |
Pupils working at ‘ARE’ are currently on a pathway to attain Grade 4,5 or 6 if this performance is sustained through to GCSE |
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ARE- Working toward ARE |
The pupil is working below the level generally expected for a pupil of their age. The pupil’s attainment is considered to be below average |
Pupils ‘working toward ARE’ are currently on a pathway to attain Grade 2 or 3 if this performance is sustained through to GCSE |
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ARE— Working at a Basic Level |
The pupil is working at a level significantly lower than that expected for a pupil of their age. Their attainment is considered to be well-below average |
Pupils working at a ‘basic level’ are currently on a pathway to attain Grade U or 1 if this performance is sustained through to GCSE |