How do Assessments work in Juniors?

Did you know last week was assessment week for Juniors? Have you ever wondered about the differences between the way of assessing in the Spanish system and the English National Curriculum?

Assessment data in Alegra Prep School is done as it is in all British schools that follow the English National Curriculum, it is done in two ways: summative assessment and formative assessment. But, what does this mean?

Summative Assessment

Summative assessment is completed by the teachers daily in every lesson. It is continuous to ensure the children all achieve their goals and no child gets left behind. It is done using a range of techniques: marking work; peer and self-assessment (for example: including thumbs up or down or a traffic light system), continuous questioning from the teacher, and the teacher walking around assessing work throughout the lesson. These techniques result in the teacher knowing the level of each girl by the end of each lesson.

Formative Assessment

The formative assessment ensures the learning has been embedded. This is done via assessments –or what you’ll think of as “traditional” exams– to check how much learning has been retained over time by each girl. Assessments are completed twice per term to monitor each girl is making progress at regular intervals throughout the year. Through these assessment results, teachers plan targets for the next steps of learning for both the whole class and individual children.