C: Questions about assessment

The Opening Worlds programme has three types of assessment:

i) Routine, embedded, informal formative assessment.

This happens all the time. It is built into every lesson. You are constantly checking that knowledge is secure and that pupils are learning to think historically or geographically with their new knowledge. The regular quizzing and short tasks are always giving you ongoing information about how well your pupils have remembered and understood, so that you can adapt and/or re-teach immediately, or at least in the next lesson, ensuring no pupil ever gets left behind.

ii) End of unit synoptic tasks

After the sixth lesson of each unit, pupils do an extended, synoptic task. This is often a piece of extended writing. It might also be an annotated diagram or a more creative outcome such as a story about the past or a little problem to solve using their historical or geographical knowledge. These extended tasks allow pupils both to further develop and to demonstrate, their new knowledge, both substantive and disciplinary, from all six lessons. We will supply guidance on assessing these extended tasks. Normally, you would do these in a seventh lesson. Older pupils may be able to do some tasks as a homework or extended project.

iii) End of term multiple choice tests

At the end of each term, we will supply schools with a short, simple-to-administer multiple choice test that randomly samples pupils’ history and geography knowledge (and RE knowledge if you have chosen to use that part of the programme) from across the whole term (two units in each subject).

These are termly summative tests, giving you data about how well your pupils are mastering the curriculum. Each test has 12 questions (H&G) or 18 questions (H,G and R) questions. With thorough teaching, all pupils should gain at least 10 (H&G) or 15 (H, G and R) every time.

If their marks are constant at this level, they are making excellent progress. You will have clear evidence that they are mastering the curriculum.