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Baseline in the (not so distant)future.


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OK - this is what I know about the baseline in the future. (Not the actual assessments but the timeline).

  • The DFE published their criteria for the development of the baselines last summer.
  • Companies who wish to become accredited are now trialling and developing their assessments. Some are contacting schools to ask if they can try them out
  • One of the criteria is that the assessment must be an indicator of future outcomes at KS1/2. Difficult given we don't really know what that will look like at the moment but also NB it will therefore focus predictably on Literacy and Mathematics as they are the only matched areas of learning.
  • The companies must submit their assessments by 15th Dec to DFE.
  • DFE will announce the lucky winners in Spring (ie late Spring) 2015.
  • Companies will then have to recruit at least 10% of all schools.
  • The baseline is NON STATUTORY. Therefore there will be no central funding or training or anything from your LA. You will be making your own choices as professionals ( ;) ) Any support etc will have to come from your selected accredited provider. They would also be the moderators and training providers.
  • Schools will probably feel pressurised into making a budgetary decision at the end of the financial year, for a product they may not have budgeted for or thought about much. They may think cheap is better.
  • You can use your selected baseline from SEPT 2015. However you will still have to complete the current EYFSP in Summer 2016. If you do your 2022 Yr 6 will be judged on their progress from on entry.
  • From 2016 it's up to you to do baseline or not. However you will be judged in 2023 on the attainment of your cohort alone if you don't. Better hope they are a high performing lot.
  • Although there will be no EYFSP, the DfE is at pains to keep pointing out that the EYFS framework is statutory, therefore you would presumably have to still meet the Assessment requirements, observing and looking at children's progress in Reception towards the ELGs, report to Yr1 and parents. Just not the LA. There would have to be some revision of the framework I guess though. Time will tell.
  • Now, different companies will have different pedagogical ways to assess. Some will look to the world of IT and click/point/record styles and others may root their assessments in observations and knowledge of the child's deeper learning.

I would urge you to think carefully and examine all the finally selected assessments. Think about what the point of this assessment will be. What information will you get from it that you can actually use to plan and deliver an appropriate curriculum?

The simplest may not be the best.

Cx

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Thanks for that update Catma, I was thinking I wasnt that up to speed on this.

I wonder how much the 'approved' systems will look like those that are already used in some schools. Also what body of evidence will be used to indicate their strength of the prediction to future KS1/2 outcomes.

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Thanks for the summary Catma - really helpful to see it like that. My HT is off to a briefing for headteachers about EY assessment tomorrow morning. I'm interested to see what he comes back with. Am going to make sure I have read the current handbook/ARA tonight as he tends to come back and launch straight into a conversation about things!

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  • 3 months later...

Hi Catma. This is really useful. Thank you so much for sharing. I am doing my masters dissertation on the profile and wondered where you got your info from so that I can use it. Don't think they will allow me to say it is right as Catma says so! Ha. Your pointer will be much appreciated.

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  • 2 months later...

May I suggest that you have a look at

http://www.earlyexcellence.com/reception_baseline_overview.html

This is being endorsed by the Early Years team in our local authority, based on the principle that is child centered teacher assessment in the classroom, rather than testing via a tablet or computer outside of the classroom. It has been written by Early Years Specialists not publishers or speech therapists.

If in any doubt then undertake a complete review of all providers using

http://tactyc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Summary-Baseline-Assessment-Guidance.pdf

Hope that helps.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I also went to the Baseline Briefing given by the wonderful Jan Dubiel from Early Excellence - this is by far the most principled approach to the baseline offered and reflects how we already use observation to find out what our little people know, their interests and how we as knowledgeable professionals can actually use this information to support learning and development - not box ticking!!!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've not even been given a say! My head has signed up for hodder! A written phamplet test that is completed each term awful! No understanding of early years at all!

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I've not even been given a say! My head has signed up for hodder! A written phamplet test that is completed each term awful! No understanding of early years at all!

Oh Joanne that's awful that you didn't get a say. Keep your fingers crossed the Hodder baseline hasn't had enough schools sign up to it, then you will be able to choose a different one. Our LA invited heads and Reception teachers to look at all the baselines and we all agreed the Early Excellence was the best by far.

Bev

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I've not even been given a say! My head has signed up for hodder! A written phamplet test that is completed each term awful! No understanding of early years at all!

 

Mmm ... looks like we're signed up for Hodder, too!

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Early Excellence seems like the best one, but surely all teachers do similar things anyway? I see no reason to sign up for any of the Baseline Assessments, and it is strongly opposed by the Too Much Too Soon Campaign for a wide variety of reasons. Please follow the link to see who agrees and why:

http://www.toomuchtoosoon.org/say-no-to-baseline-assessment.html

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Early Excellence seems like the best one, but surely all teachers do similar things anyway? I see no reason to sign up for any of the Baseline Assessments, and it is strongly opposed by the Too Much Too Soon Campaign for a wide variety of reasons. Please follow the link to see who agrees and why:

http://www.toomuchtoosoon.org/say-no-to-baseline-assessment.html

 

But as Catma says above (and in various other places too!) if your school doesn't do a baseline in 2022/23 your Y6 outcomes will be measured on attainment alone not progress and you would have to be pretty certain of getting a consistently high attaining cohort in order to meet floor targets. At least I think I've summarised that accurately!

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Unfortunately whether or not the Teachers in Reception classes agree with the baseline or not, the senior leaders are always going to have the final say. I'm sure The reason Early Excellence is getting such good reviews is that it is the closest to what most teachers already do.

 

In my case, my HT agrees with me about the changes to assessment in reception. I was given free rein to choose the one I liked best but we have more than just my class to think about. I agree about Early Excellence - pretty much what I do now just that I'm actually reporting it to someone.

Edited by Froglet
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Have you any info on Hodder? Did you choose it or your management team (part of the furniture)

 

Sorry, nothing much - it was chosen by the headteacher.

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Thank you for the info., but I still oppose its introduction. I don't see why we should sacrifice our own views on effective pedagogical practice in order to meet the needs of the government. Surely we should be focusing on what is good for our children, rather than what is good for politics? Moreover, I am not convinced that the progress it will show will accurately represent the learning all those children will have achieved.

We already have a draconian education system and this is just another step in the wrong direction.

I do see how it may be difficult to oppose the introduction of the Baseline Assessment, but if you have any grievances with it please make sure they are heard.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

I went to a network meeting today where it was discussed that it looks like the majority of schools are choosing the one provider that the Government don't really want. (I don't think it's one they don't like more a case of how the baseline is done) (I hope that makes sense). I am not in Reception so a lot of what they were talking about wasn't clear to me but the lady from the LA was saying that it may all change before it comes in!!

 

Apparently there was an article in Nursery World this week - http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/nursery-world/news/1151726/baseline-approval-process-falters

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Does anyone have a link to the letter it mentions that was sent out on the 22nd May from DfE saying that it would be referred to new ministers. Not that I'm expecting it to say anything earth shattering - just that I have various alerts etc on the DfE website but haven't seen anything and wondered if I'd got them set up oddly! Will wait and see what happens...

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