Assessment of Trainees


Assessment in secondary schools

2. A consistent message of Ofsted reports over several years has been the indifferent quality of assessment compared with other aspects of teaching in secondary schools. The Annual Report 2000/01 shows the quality and use of ongoing assessment to be good or better in only 37% of schools inspected. By contrast, teachers’ general professional knowledge and understanding are good in 90% of the schools, with teachers’ planning of a similar quality in 74%.

3. One problem is that marking to inform pupils of their progress is inconsistent, with teachers often giving insufficient guidance to pupils about how to improve their work and providing few opportunities for pupils to reflect on comments. Another problem is that reports to parents are sometimes weakened by bland writing that fails to describe strengths and weaknesses clearly enough or by a lack of information that shows how pupils are achieving in relation to national standards. Their usefulness can also be affected by varied formats that make comparisons between subjects difficult.

HMI (2003) Good assessment in secondary schools HMI462 p1

Can assessment raise standards? Recent research has shown that the answer to this question is an unequivocal ‘yes’. Assessment is one of the most powerful educational tools for promoting effective learning. But it must be used in the right way. There is no evidence that increasing the amount of testing will enhance learning. Instead the focus needs to be on helping teachers use assessment, as part of teaching and learning, in ways that will raise pupils’ achievement.

Assessment Reform Group (1999), Assessment for Learning: Beyond the Black Box. University of Cambridge School of Education. 

When working with trainees we are dealing with assessment at 3 levels: firstly we need to teach them about the assessment process and procedures so that they can implement and develop their own knowledge, understanding and skills with their own learners. Secondly, we need to provide a framework for assessing the trainees against the current standards for QTS (some of which relate to the first item above). Whilst finally, on many courses there is a need to assess the trainees in a formal academic manner. In the last two it is important that we model good practice in the context of the first item.

Academic assessment
Most institutes of Higher Education will have a teaching, learning and assessment policy and strategy. This is key to any tutors understanding of how their institution works and needs to be understood and adopted, along with the assessment regulations of the institute.

Just as when working with younger learners we need to be very clear about our expectations and what will be needed to achieve success at the academic level being attempted, be it level 1, 2 or M level. Generic and programme/course level descriptors probably exist and need to be considered when setting and assessing assignments and other assessed tasks.

If you have access to a Learning and Teaching Coordinator then they will probably be the best person to provide advice and direction in your institution. The Higher Education Academy probably provides the best focus for development work in this area. All HE tutors can register as membership is paid for from an institutional 'top-slice'.

Teaching about assessment in Schools
The seminal item on this is Black, P. J. & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box: raising standards through classroom assessment London, UK: King's College London School of Education (Blackbox is essential reading for all involved in assessment).

Ofsted have produced subject specific guidance Good assessment practice in information and communication technology (2003 HMI 1476)
The QCA Assessment for Learning site is a useful link for downloads of resources and includes much of the work of the Assessment Reform Group; most notably through their 10 principles of assessment.

Many useful resources can be found via The Association for Achievement and Improvement through Assessment

The Secondary Strategy also deals with this issue both generically in the Foundation Subjects training materials Module 1: Assessment for learning in everyday lessons and more specifically for ICT in the Standards and Assessment Pack (DfES 0057/2003). Further subject specific support is pending.

At KS4 and beyond assessment support is currently mostly via the Examination boards and their training sessions.

Most books to support initial teacher training include sections on assessment and a useful text is Brooks, V. (2002) Assessment in Secondary Schools Buckingham: OUP

If only because of the development of the online tests for KS3 ICT there is also a need to consider developments in eAssessment. Nesta Futurelab have produced a literature review.

Assessing Professional Competence
In order to progress towards QTS the trainees must evidence that they have met the standards for QTS – currently QTS standards and ITT requirements .
Initial audits of experience, knowledge and understanding –Training Entry Profile – form, in many cases the foundation of a Portfolio of Professional Development that links the standards in coherent groups and against the structure of the programme being delivered. Click here to see an example

The TDA commissioned a report on What is known about successful models of formative assessment for trainee teachers during school experiences and what constitutes effective practice

One particularly effective resource in the support of subject mentor development is to create video case studies of trainees in the classroom and the following mentor debrief. If these are then put on to CD and used with small groups on a mentor training session they can pause and rewind under their own control. They can then focus on particular aspects of the lesson. Unfortunately there are no case studies available centrally (a permission to use issue) so it would be necessary for a department to author their own.


author: Neil Stanley