Summative assessment

[Guest]

Hi All,

I am new to teaching Reception and generally finding it quite tough. I have been a teacher for 6 years but mainly in KS1 with a bit of KS2 experience. My biggest bugbears are planning, observation and assessments. I am used to doing mainly summative assessments alongside formative assessments, but I am confused as to whether there should be any summative assessments at all in Reception? I went on an observation course yesterday and summative assessment wasn't mentioned at all. This is what my school are expecting me to do over the next couple of whole school "assessment weeks";

 

Letters & sounds assessment

Number recognition to 10 then 20

Writing numbers to 10 then 20

Writing name assessment

Writing assessment - writing a sentence linked to a picture

Cutting assessment

Goodenough man assessment (i.e. can they draw a man)

 

And probably another one that I've forgotten about.

 

Is this normal?!? This is more or less the same as what I did in Year 1, but isn't Reception supposed to be based on observations?

 

Please help!

Thanks x

[Guest LornaW]

Hi louhilton I didn't want to read and leave and I am sure you will get lots of advice on here but the main thing for me is to stick to the principals of the EYFS and certainly you are not asked for summative assessment until the end of the EYFS.

 

However....your school will want you to conform so give them the information of where you are planning for these children so what % of children you are planning for in L&S Phase 2 / 3 / 4, DM numeracy, lieteracy etc. Also give then a brief outline of the charachteristics of learning as this will be something you need to report to parents on at the end of the year. I am not sure why they are hung up on cutting and the Goodenough man unless they know what they will do with the information but then I am a bear of very little brain and I know someone will come along soon and be more specific!

 

Good luck

 

Lorna

[Guest]

just been on training this afternoon and under the EYFS, Summative assessment is done only twice. once at the age of two (progress check) and the other time at the end of reception (eyfs profile) . Formative assessments are ongoing.

[Guest]

My school also wanted a summative assessment of this kind just before half term. I completed what they asked for but basically used it as a formative assessment as I used it to then inform my planning for the coming weeks and to set some priorities for the class and groups within it.

[Guest]

Have your school told you in what way they want you to carry out the assessment of these things? I ask because I would be able to arrive at judgements quite easily from all the info I have on the children through obs and learning journeys and the Development matters I have highlighted. The only things which I would struggle to do without a formal obs is the good enough man drawing ( don't see how that would be of benefit to anyone) and the number writing one ( nowhere in the EYFS does it say anything about children writing numbers BTW)

Debx

[Guest]

this is the sort of thing i did in reception more than 10 years ago and is now old-fashioned. someone somewhere has no clue about new frameworks - this and last!!

cutting assessment pointless. only mention of reception recording in 40-60 band is

• Records, using marks that they can interpret and explain

this means no requirement to write numbers at all. may be expectation for more able only if working at year 1 stuff later in year?

i believe our reception do this sort of nonsense too - luckily i'm in nursery!! but if i was in reception i would be arguing against doing it.

 

i think you should just be assessing phase working within for letters and sounds, then where they are within band working in, maybe sept/feb/june for 7 areas of learning. i.e. emerging/consolidating/secure for band - 40-60 or below if came in lower. that way you'll be showing progress through year and assessing against the curriculum you are teaching, rather than random things!!!!!!!!! x

[AnonyMouse_3307]

I generally say that there is no such thing as assessment week in the EYFS, as every day is assessment day!

 

Although it does not say that children must write numerals in the EYFS, frankly I don't believe any reception teacher is going to stop children recording using numerals are they? The dev matters aren't written in tablets of stone and children have always been quite capable of writing numbers as well as letters so I don't see why a new framework will stop them?

 

Re Assessment week "tests": Assessment is about observing progress towards the ELGs. None of the things you are being asked to do are about application of skills or even how well a child is progressing. They may have made progress but your assessments will be a yes/no outcome so you'll know nothing about the children for whom the answer is no, except they can't do something at the level expected at the end of the year yet. Which is no use to anyone.

 

Cx

[Guest]

Thanks everyone. I've decided to conform to the school's wishes for now but I'm planning on having a meeting with my line manager to discuss ways forward. I'm having to do the assessments 1-2-1 which is taking forever!! My TA seems to be caught up in making headbands etc for the Christmas production. It's a complete nightmare to be honest.

 

You're completely right sooty99 that my school don't seem to have a grasp of the EYFS. They are sadly very focused on targets and want to be an outstanding school in our Ofsted (which is due any day). But I can see us actually being criticised for Reception. I've literally been dumped in there and left to get on with it. The 'support' I've had from my line manager is for her to give me her old planning on a memory stick :huh: .... Need I say more?!

[Guest]

save your meeting until after christmas if you can, as this is a stressful time of year. you could find out so much more by simply observing the children..... and what a boring time for your class, not getting the time and attention they need and deserve. we use same costumes from year to year and just smarten them up if needed, only making slight changes. staff take things like this home - me included of course - as it can be done watching telly and time is better spent with class. you are having a bad time of it x