Well my SMT role this year was to ensure robust tracking, assessment and intervention! What have I learnt so far?
OK - Here goes...
Robust assessment -this involves looking at the syllabus and going back to the weightings and assessment objectives - become familiar with these.
Use these weightings and assessment objectives, where possible, to write your assessments to fit in with the same weightings/objectives.
If this is not entirely possible use scale factors to allow for this.If you have a coursework element - build in practice of this and assess these skills as soon as possible.
Tracking - excel is your best tool here.Design spreadsheets that track these assessments - provide grades (working at grades) and can be allowed to forecast forward to predicted grades.
These spreadsheets can then be used to identify the students that are not making the required progress - more in depth analysis can also be done here, you can see if it is a particular topic, skill, subject, teacher.
(You can buy into software SISRA for example that will also work out the residuals for you...what is a students performance in your subject like in relation to their other subjects.)
From this data tracking you can then plan targeted intervention.
Intervention - Target specific students, make it measurable and time focused.
For example I have targeted the students who are currently forecast 1 grade down on expected progress for GCSE - they are having 6x 20 min revision lessons (in tutor time) in the 6 weeks to their exams, with 6x 20min assertive mentoring sessions with SMT.
During these sessions they are looking at the hardest topics, but using the medium of the 6 mark extended writing questions - yes, a lot of logistical work - worth it... I think so.
(I also have 15yr 10's on a lighter touch intervention, 3x 20 min revision sessions, 3x 20 min drop in sessions but no assertive mentoring and a BTEC group on a similar timetable to the other yr11's but they are targeting incomplete assignments.)
Subject critical students - Know who these are - the data guru in the school should be able to help you here or head of year?
Have lead teachers of groups keep a subject critical list of students to track the in class intervention they are doing - this is much more effective in class and can often get things on track before the "big guns" like the one above are needed.
These should be regularly updated and would allow you to have the overview without having to bombard people with e-mails or track down tired teachers.You could consider a student action plan (to be written with the teachers and students as a proactive intervention partnership document) for these students identified on this list.
OK... so in a nutshell....
1 - Robust assessment that links directly with the syllabus assessment objectives and weightings (For KS3 I would use SAT's and the KS4 weightings/objectives as this is what you are building towards anyway.)
2 - Clear data tracking - allowing to see performance in skills, subjects and with specific teachers.
3 - Timely focused targeted intervention, which is based on 1 and 2 being in place.
4 - In class intervention, with subject/class critical lists being updated after each reporting sequence.
5 - Reporting to parents as per schools policy, but always be prepared to ask in parents for those students who are "off track" to have a 1:1 meeting if a personal intervention plan has not succeeded.
These are just my thoughts on what I have learnt so far this year - I would be really interested in feedback/comments.
Comments:
From: @GeekPeter @TeachingTricks already read! Don't forget about SIMS for tracking, I find it invaluable for my work.
OK - Here goes...
Robust assessment -this involves looking at the syllabus and going back to the weightings and assessment objectives - become familiar with these.
Use these weightings and assessment objectives, where possible, to write your assessments to fit in with the same weightings/objectives.
If this is not entirely possible use scale factors to allow for this.If you have a coursework element - build in practice of this and assess these skills as soon as possible.
Tracking - excel is your best tool here.Design spreadsheets that track these assessments - provide grades (working at grades) and can be allowed to forecast forward to predicted grades.
These spreadsheets can then be used to identify the students that are not making the required progress - more in depth analysis can also be done here, you can see if it is a particular topic, skill, subject, teacher.
(You can buy into software SISRA for example that will also work out the residuals for you...what is a students performance in your subject like in relation to their other subjects.)
From this data tracking you can then plan targeted intervention.
Intervention - Target specific students, make it measurable and time focused.
For example I have targeted the students who are currently forecast 1 grade down on expected progress for GCSE - they are having 6x 20 min revision lessons (in tutor time) in the 6 weeks to their exams, with 6x 20min assertive mentoring sessions with SMT.
During these sessions they are looking at the hardest topics, but using the medium of the 6 mark extended writing questions - yes, a lot of logistical work - worth it... I think so.
(I also have 15yr 10's on a lighter touch intervention, 3x 20 min revision sessions, 3x 20 min drop in sessions but no assertive mentoring and a BTEC group on a similar timetable to the other yr11's but they are targeting incomplete assignments.)
Subject critical students - Know who these are - the data guru in the school should be able to help you here or head of year?
Have lead teachers of groups keep a subject critical list of students to track the in class intervention they are doing - this is much more effective in class and can often get things on track before the "big guns" like the one above are needed.
These should be regularly updated and would allow you to have the overview without having to bombard people with e-mails or track down tired teachers.You could consider a student action plan (to be written with the teachers and students as a proactive intervention partnership document) for these students identified on this list.
OK... so in a nutshell....
1 - Robust assessment that links directly with the syllabus assessment objectives and weightings (For KS3 I would use SAT's and the KS4 weightings/objectives as this is what you are building towards anyway.)
2 - Clear data tracking - allowing to see performance in skills, subjects and with specific teachers.
3 - Timely focused targeted intervention, which is based on 1 and 2 being in place.
4 - In class intervention, with subject/class critical lists being updated after each reporting sequence.
5 - Reporting to parents as per schools policy, but always be prepared to ask in parents for those students who are "off track" to have a 1:1 meeting if a personal intervention plan has not succeeded.
These are just my thoughts on what I have learnt so far this year - I would be really interested in feedback/comments.
Comments:
From: @GeekPeter @TeachingTricks already read! Don't forget about SIMS for tracking, I find it invaluable for my work.
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