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The OTLA (English and Maths) programme was delivered by ccConsultancy in partnership with That Reading Thing and Skills Digital. This was the 7th phase of OTLA projects we delivered on behalf of the Education and Training Foundation and funded by the Department for Education. This was the 4th OTLA phase that we were involved in as delivery partners.

Fifteen clusters researched new approaches for teaching maths and English in the post-16 sector and focused upon driving professional development for staff through encouraging practitioners to use action research to explore and integrate those approaches into teaching, learning and assessment.

Read the project mailouts from the year alongside the final event curated programme.

You can download the full programme anthology (fondly known as the 'Big Rainbow Book') with all reports and editorials on the Excellence Gateway's Practitioner Research + Evidence Portal (PREP).

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The OTLA (English and Maths) programme was delivered by ccConsultancy in partnership with That Reading Thing and Skills Digital . This was the 7th phase of OTLA projects we delivered on behalf of the Education and Training Foundation and funded by the Department for Education.

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I must admit, I still get confused between initial and diagnostic assessment. If diagnostic assessment is carried out at the beginning of a programme or session, then why is it not classed as initial assessment?
I'll attempt here to differentiate between the two from my perspective. I see initial assessment as finding out about the learner as an individual, and diagnostic assessment as finding out their current level of skills, knowledge and understanding towards a particular subject.

I've added a few useful weblinks at the end of the article.

Initial assessment

Initial assessments can be used to help you to find out about your learners as individuals, and to identify any particular aspects which might otherwise go unnoticed. It's best to do this prior to the programme commencing. This will allow time to deal with any issues that might arise, or to guide learners to a different, more appropriate programme if necessary.
Initial assessment can:

allow for differentiation and individual requirements to be planned for and met

ascertain why your learner wants to take the programme along with their capability to achieve

find out the expectations and motivations of your learner

give your learner the confidence to negotiate suitable targets

identify any information which needs to be shared with colleagues

identify any specific additional support needs.

Diagnostic assessment

Diagnostic assessments can be used to evaluate a learner's skills, knowledge, strengths and areas for development in a particular subject area. It could be that your learner feels they are capable of achieving at a higher level than the diagnostic assessments determine. The results will give a thorough indication of not only the level at which your learner needs to be placed for their subject, but also which specific aspects they need to improve on. Skills tests can be used for learners to demonstrate what they can do, whereas knowledge tests can be used for learners to demonstrate what they know and understand.

Diagnostic tests can also be used to ascertain information regarding English, maths, and information and communication technology (ICT) skills. Information gained from the results of these tests will help you plan to meet any individual needs and/or to arrange further training and support if necessary. Diagnostic assessments can be used as part of the information, advice and guidance (IAG) service if applicable at your organisation.
Diagnostic assessment can:

ascertain learning preferences e.g. visual, aural, read/write and kinaesthetic (VARK)

enable learners to demonstrate their current level of skills, knowledge and understanding

ensure learners can access appropriate support

identify an appropriate starting point and level for each learner

identify gaps in skills, knowledge and understanding to highlight areas to work on

identify previous experience, knowledge, achievements and transferable skills

identify specific requirements: for example, English, maths and ICT skills.

Tests

There are many different types of initial and diagnostic tests available. Some organisations design and use their own, others purchase and use widely available tests, for example, the system called Basic Key Skills Builder (BKSB) to diagnose English, maths and information and ICT skills. There are some websites listed at the end of this article which you might like to look at.

How you implement the tests will be according to your organisation's procedures. However, you don't want to frighten your learners with too many formal tests before they even start with you. Perhaps some could be carried out online prior to the learner commencing, for example, in their own home using their own device.

There's a great online learning preference test which only takes about five minutes at www.vark-learn.com - you could try it yourself first to see how easy it is to use.

You don't always have to use tests, you can just ask questions when it's appropriate. For example, at the beginning of a new topic during a session, you could ask 'does anyone have any experience of this?' This could then promote a discussion to ascertain prior skills, knowledge and understanding.

Using the results

There's no point using a test if you are not going to analyse and use the results to good effect.

The results of initial and diagnostic assessments should help you negotiate appropriate individual training and assessment plans, or action plans, with your learners. This should ensure they are on the right programme at the right level with the right support they need to succeed.
Recommended Websites: Ann Gravells is an author, creator of teacher training resources and an education consultant
This text has been adapted from Gravells A, Principles and Practices of Assessment, London Learning Matters SAGE Publications Ltd. Copyright © 2018 Ann Gravells

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Differentiating between Initial and Diagnostic Assessment | FE News

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I must admit, I still get confused between initial and diagnostic assessment. If diagnostic assessment is carried out at the beginning of a programme or session, then why is it not classed as initial assessment? I'll attempt here to differentiate between the two from my perspective.

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DevelopEBP

This project aimed to empower students by rewriting the familiar system of failure. Students were encouraged to take a more active role in their learning, specifically through developing an understanding of what is being assessed and how.

You can download a PDF of this report on the Excellence Gateway.

Summary

To achieve this, teachers removed the traditional grading system and focused on explicit and targeted feedback that students were encouraged to reflect and focus on, shifting the focus from attainment to skills development.

Through such refocusing, students were expected to take greater responsibility for their own learning and develop an improved relationship between students and teachers, as well as improved attendance.

Rationale

As the name suggests, DevelopEBP focuses on helping students grow, with a particular focus on high needs students aged 14-19 who have struggled in mainstream schooling.

As a result of students having had a negative experience in mainstream schooling, many students come to resit GCSE English with a preconceived idea that their skills and ability should be seen simply as a number with little value beyond whether or not they passed or failed.

Students are repeatedly told they need to achieve a 'grade 4', with little understanding of the skills and knowledge involved. Having failed previously, they come to DevelopEBP convinced they are unable to achieve success in their GCSE English.

When students are assessed, they look to the teacher to tell them how well they have achieved, fixating only on the number, with no sense of how evaluation happens or the relationship between skills and assessment. With a grade-based system, they often struggle to see any significant improvement in their work and become increasingly despondent. This can create a strained relationship between teachers and students, as well as poor attendance.

To counter this, the project set out to explore the benefits of supporting learners to take a more active role in the process of assessment through removing the grading system and replacing it with specific, targeted feedback for the students to use later to reflect on and set targets.

Approach

The project leader used her role as the college-wide English leader to select tutors teaching one GCSE resit group in each of the three centres participating in the project. An initial presentation outlining the project was received positively by staff, and subsequently also by the learners.

Each of the three centres focused on a different aspect of the project outcomes: Bedford looked at changing attitudes towards English learning and attendance, Dunstable looked at student/teacher rapport and progress made in skill objectives, and Norwich looked at student engagement and teaching and learning approaches.

Across the course of the project the students completed 2 assessments focusing on AQA Paper 1 and the skills required to succeed on questions (AO1, AO2 and AO4). After the initial assessment, each student was encouraged to select a specific skill to focus on and develop. This was tracked on an assessment feedback form and also through their ongoing reflective blogs.

Each week the tutor focused on a specific skill and the related question, after which the students sat another paper. The results from this assessment were used to illustrate to students the change in their responses, which enabled them to identify where they had improved and which skills they had developed.

The tutor participants communicated regularly through email, sharing data, student feedback and different approaches used. Tutors also met face-to-face towards the end of the project to discuss how things had gone, reflect on the process and select students for the case studies, to show who had fully engaged and experienced success as well as those who had not.

Professional Learning: Evidence of changes in teaching, learning and assessment practices

The focus of this action research was on assessment in terms of measurement and development, using one to inform the other. Moving away from a fixation on grading allowed students to break the cycle of failure and the subsequent associated despondency. This was the starting point for all three Develop centres: Bedford, Dunstable and Norwich; although all three looked at a specific knock-on effect from this system of failure.

The tutor leading this programme in Bedford, in line with the focus on changing attitudes towards English learning and attendance, observed the following changes in her students as well as in her own practice:

"I gave them 100% certificates for termly attendance and most of them really appreciated these to take home and show them off. I do show the register on the board for them all to see. I do think that spending some time to focus and reward good attendance has had a positive impact. Also, along the way, I have reflected on my lessons including: starting with a game, a riddle and discussing the news and other topics e.g. anxiety etc. I have sat myself amongst them for some of these activities and discussions, so there are no barriers. This has brought them together as a team and perhaps heightened their enjoyment of the lesson. We have had a trip to London, role plays, samosas and songs!!

Because of this they have a very focused attitude to work and rarely waste time ..."

The tutor leading the research programme in Dunstable, in line with a focus on student/teacher rapport and progress made in skill objectives, noticed that students were struggling with how hard they found English. She adapted her practice to allow students time to reflect on how they felt, often starting with activities around unstructured writing, after which she noticed an increased engagement from the students, as well as their becoming more open about their struggles.

The tutor leading the programme in Norwich, in line with the focus on student engagement and teaching and learning approaches, observed that reflecting on student assessment was particularly useful in informing teaching and subsequently student learning.

Through developing self-reflection within the students, as well as reflecting on the lessons, it was felt that students responded well to repeating areas of success and continued to break down the areas of struggle they had identified. This enabled the students to receive tangible positive reinforcement and support.

Evidence of improved collaboration and changes in organisation practices

Across all three centres, it was initially noted that there seemed to be a disconnect in communication and the tutors often felt unsure about what was expected. This was largely because of a significant upheaval in staffing. Once staffing was stabilised and the three tutors involved were able to start sharing information, the situation improved significantly. Although every effort was made to meet face-to-face, this was not always possible because of geographical location. However, email trails and Google chats have enabled participants to remain in contact and share their thoughts.

Since the beginning of the project, the project lead in Dunstable has taken over the co-ordination of English across all of Develop. She has already scheduled standardisation meetings for all English tutors to attend and has planned an end-of-year debrief for all involved, to reflect on what is working in each centre and what is not. Moving forward, English across all centres will be addressed more collaboratively.

Evidence of improvement in learners' achievements, retention and progression

Most students across all three centres saw an increase in attainment from their first assessment to their second approximately 6 weeks later. This is largely shown in the overall results (Figure 1b-1).

Some students struggled to engage. Four students across all three centres missed the initial assessment: three were late starters and one has a history of poor attendance because of health issues. Two students saw a decrease in attainment. One had patchy attendance; the other, as illustrated in the case study, lacked engagement. The remaining 13 students saw a significant improvement in results, improving by between 3 marks and 26 marks, which is simply astounding.

Bedford centre reported significant improvement in attendance and in the relationships between peers, as well as with the tutor. It was noted that students were developing a sense of pride and taking their certificates of attendance home to 'show them off': this showed a significant investment from the students. To address the focus on 'getting along with each other' the tutor incorporated games, activities and team building, including herself, noting that her class is 'more of a team now'. Attendance at this centre, specific to English, has been excellent with 5 students achieving 100% attendance across all terms to date; 1 learner receiving 100% attendance to date for the 2nd term, and 2 learners with significantly increased attendance since September.

The Norwich centre, with a focus on student engagement and approaches to teaching and learning, observed that students initially seemed to be of the mindset of 'just get it done' rather than 'take the time to do it right'. The greatest obstacle seems to be the fact that students feel they are 'bad' at English, label themselves as 'stupid', and frequently express how 'impossible' everything feels. Withholding grades and focusing on skills has mitigated this to some extent but the habit is deeply ingrained.
Another pertinent observation is that although students are now able to complete tasks and have improved their skills, timing remains a concern.

"Students struggle to complete tasks to time, and the longer they have to concentrate the more they struggle. This poses a problem for written exams as they need to focus for at least 2 hours. Focusing on exam strategy and how to use time will be invaluable for them."

Learning from this project

Withholding grades was effective across all three centres as students had no choice but to begin to develop an understanding of the skills they are learning and how to achieve them; this is the only way they have of measuring progress. Students were receptive to this approach and there was a degree of relief at not receiving the same 'not good enough' grade over and over again. It allowed them to shift focus and begin to see improvements. However, it was also established that the system of failure has left a deep scar on most students' sense of themselves and their own abilities. Most students still respond with surprise at evidence of improvement, and remain fearful of more failure. It was established that although focusing on skills instead of grades is a step in the right direction, in and of itself it is not enough.

Attendance was another key area of this research project. The Bedford centre in particular reported increased attendance across the course of the programme. It was established, however, that this would have been easier to monitor and assess with centralised access to records of attendance instead of relying on feedback from different people. While specific people at different centres have access to the individual breakdown, this is not generally known by staff. The centralised attendance looks at the students' attendance across all courses - not just English. It was noted also that it is difficult to ascertain reasons for poor attendance, or to draw direct links between their improved relationships with regards to English with taking ownership of their own learning. Norwich in particular recorded that most absences were connected to sickness or external factors influencing students.

As most students have failed English GCSE in the mainstream school system, most students have reflected a more positive experience in the English classroom across the course of the project. This is primarily seen in terms of their daily engagement in class and activities in spite of their feeling 'tired' or of things being 'harder than they expect'.

One student reported:

"I didn't want to come to college today but I decided to because it is important".

Such comments may be seen as evidence that DevelopEBP really does achieve its aim of empowering students by rewriting the familiar system of failure, now as a system of success.

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DevelopEBP This project aimed to empower students by rewriting the familiar system of failure. Students were encouraged to take a more active role in their learning, specifically through developing an understanding of what is being assessed and how. You can download a PDF of this report on the Excellence Gateway.

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The research evidence shows us that effective feedback is one of the most powerful tools that a teacher can have in their 'toolbox'. But it also offers some cautionary notes...
In more than a third of well-designed studies, feedback actively made students' performance worse. Not all feedback is good feedback! Facial expressions, verbal or written comments, even silence can constitute some form of feedback. It is so integral to communication that it's happening all the time. Feedback, in its many forms, is a key part of this complex act of teaching and it is worth investing time to reflect on.

In this podcast episode we talk to teacher, senior leader and author, Michael Chiles, about the key concepts in his book, The Feedback Pendulum. We discuss the purpose and power of feedback interactions both in the classroom, with parents and with colleagues. We discuss:

The issues and opportunities with feedback

Investing time to prime feedback

Whole-class feedback

The importance of meaningful teacher feedback

Feedback to parents for a collaborative approach to learning

For more on feedback, you can access our free eBook, A short guide to delivering effective feedback, from our resource library and you can find out more about Michael's book here.

All of our previous podcast episodes can be found in our podcast archive or by searching 'The Evidence Based Education Podcast' in your podcast app.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:34 - 20.6MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

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Not all feedback is good feedback! Tune in to our latest podcast with Michael Chiles as we discuss effective feedback.

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'Marking has evolved into an unhelpful burden for teachers, when the time it takes is not repaid in positive impact on pupils' progress' - Ofsted, 2016

With teacher workload a constant topic of discussion, and 'unpaid overtime' seemingly continuing to rise (up to 12.5 hours according to a last year), it's time to focus on smarter ways to tackle marking.

Some marking and feedback strategies appear to fly in the face of not just research, but common sense as well (triple marking anyone? 3 - 5 different coloured pens?). With this in mind, it's important to remember that the most important aspect of marking is how it helps students. As is neatly summarised by the Education Endowment Foundation: 'it is essential to ensure that marking is as efficient and impactful as possible.'

Below are some of the most effective and easily implemented strategies for getting the most out of marking.

Highlighting If you want a quick and accessible way to show learners their strengths and areas for development (note: 'weaknesses'), this could be the strategy for you. By creating a simple proforma for each question, task or success criteria, marking a full set of books can be completed in a fraction of the usual time.

The example below is for a GCSE English Language question and a teacher assesses learner work by using highlighters to show how well a learner has hit each of the success criteria. The more green, the better a learner has done. Students can quickly identify their main area of development through the amount of red/ pink. Having done this, learners then complete an extension activity.

Instead of spending hour after hour writing comments underneath student work, why not try smart marking? This approach only requires a couple of letters after each piece of work and instead shares the workload with students.

To complete smart marking, a teacher reads through student work and leave letters which correspond to pre-defined targets. A smart marking grid is either circulated or displayed at the beginning of the following lesson and students write down the corresponding feedback.

The beauty of this approach is that once you have created a bank of feedback comments using the assessment criteria, they will only ever need slight alterations.

Students can also use smart marking when completing...

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'Marking has evolved into an unhelpful burden for teachers, when the time it takes is not repaid in positive impact on pupils' progress' - Ofsted, 2016 With teacher workload a constant topic of discussion, and 'unpaid overtime' seemingly continuing to rise (up to 12.5 hours according to a TUC survey last year), it's time to focus on smarter ways to tackle marking.

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Austin's Butterfly-the power of feedback

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Austin's Butterfly: Models, Critique, and Descriptive Feedback

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Carol Dweck's The Power of Not-Yet

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Developing a Growth Mindset with Carol Dweck

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Didau's breakdown of the top 20 psychology principles for teaching & learning

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Didau's breakdown of the top 20 psychology principles for teaching & learning

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The Coalition for Psychology for Schools and Education haves released a new report detailing what, in their opinion, are the most important and useful psychological principles teachers ought to be aware of.
They break these principles in five areas:
How Do Students Think and Learn?

1. Students' beliefs or perceptions about intelligence and ability affect their cognitive functioning and learning.
2. What students already know affects their learning.
3. Students' cognitive development and learning are not limited by general stages of development.
4. Learning is based on context, so generalizing learning to new contexts is not spontaneous but instead needs to be facilitated.
5. Acquiring long-term knowledge and skill is largely dependent on practice.
6. Clear, explanatory, and timely feedback to students is important for learning.
7. Students' self-regulation assists learning, and self-regulatory skills can be taught.
8. Student creativity can be fostered.

What Motivates Students?

9. Students tend to enjoy learning and perform better when they are more intrinsically than extrinsically motivated to achieve.
10. Students persist in the face of challenging tasks and process information more deeply when they adopt mastery goals rather than performance goals.
11. Teachers' expectations about their students affect students' opportunities to learn, their motivation, and their learning outcomes.
12. Setting goals that are short term (proximal), specific, and moderately challenging enhances motivation more than establishing goals that are long term (distal), general, and overly challenging.

Why Are Social Context, Interpersonal Relationships, and Emotional Well-Being Important to Student Learning?

13. Learning is situated within multiple social contexts.
14. Interpersonal relationships and communication are critical to both the teaching- learning process and the social-emotional development of students.
15. Emotional well-being influences educational performance, learning, and development.

How Can the Classroom Best Be Managed?

16. Expectations for classroom conduct and social interaction are learned and can be taught using proven principles of behavior and effective classroom instruction.
17. Effective classroom management is based on (a) setting and communicating high expectations, (b) consistently nurturing positive relationships, and (c) providing a high level of student support.

How to Assess Student Progress?

18. Formative and summative assessments are both important and useful but require different approaches and interpretations.
19. Students' skills, knowledge, and abilities are best measured with assessment processes grounded in psychological science with well-defined standards for quality and fairness.
20. Making sense of assessment data depends on clear, appropriate, and fair interpretation.

Some of this is surprising, some dubious, but most is in danger of falling into the ' How Obvious' camp. Before embracing or dismissing any of these principles do please read the report and following the links to my analyses of each principle. Then read Greg Ashman's post, I do that already.
Many thanks to Pedro De Bruyckere (@thebandb) for sharing the report.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock

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Top 20 principles from psychology for teaching & learning

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The Coalition for Psychology for Schools and Education haves released a new report detailing what, in their opinion, are the most important and useful psychological principles teachers ought to be aware of. They break these principles in five areas: How Do Students Think and Learn? 1.

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EEF report on metacognition & self-regulation

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EEF report on metacognition & self-regulation

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Metacognition and self-regulation approaches to teaching support pupils to think about their own learning