Key Stage 3 Assessment  

Our principles for assessment are: 

• Summative assessment should sample the whole domain, not just what has most recently been taught. 

•  The curriculum is the progression model. Pupils have made progress if they have learnt the curriculum. Teachers ought therefore to be teaching to the curriculum not to the test. 

• Specific, secure substantive knowledge plays a much larger part in achieving secure and long-term progress than previously recognised. 

• Assessment design should respect structural subject differences (e.g. distinctive weightings and blends of substantive vs disciplinary knowledge). 

The breadth of specific, and the security in, underlying components turn the curriculum into a progression model. 

Assessment Model 

Our model for assessment is: 

What are we not trying to do? 

1. It is not trying to predict GCSE attainment from Key Stage 3 data. The data produced by our Key Stage 3 assessments is not designed for this purpose.
2. It is not trying to predict attainment in our Key Stage 3 assessments from baseline data. The data produced by our Key Stage 3 assessments are not designed for purposes such as these. 
3. It is not intending the structure of formative assessment to anticipate the summative assessment, i.e. practising standard or formulaic questions in lessons. Teachers do not confuse mastering the curriculum with prepping pupils for the types of questions that might come up in a test. This would constitute an emphasis on short-term performance over long-term proficiency.