Classroom Monitor - March Update

Do you often feel like there's not enough hours in the day? You're not alone. The DfE's survey on teacher workload last year found that 3/4 of teachers feel this way, and the department has just published an action plan to address these workload concerns. Lightening the load is something that Classroom Monitor was invented for, so you could be a step ahead. This month's newsletter brings you tips for more efficient assessment, and advice for subject leaders.

Ease your workload

At the end of last month, the DfE published their Action Plan on Workload. This included a reminder that ‘there is no intrinsic value in recording formative assessment; what matters is that it is acted on’ and to follow the principle of ‘collect once, use many times’.

So how can Classroom Monitor help the ? teachers who said they are dissatisfied with the hours they work? Our latest blog entry looks at how to embed assessment into the actual process of learning, so it has a direct and immediate impact. See how Classroom Monitor can streamline your assessment workload here.

2Eskimos bonus for CM Users

One way to manage workload more efficiently is to bring assessment into the classroom. This is why we’ve teamed up with 2Eskimos to give Classroom Monitor users a special deal: you can get a free pack of over 50 books when you order the 2Eskimos Reading Assessment app.

The 2Eskimos Reading Assessment Scheme is an app and website that gives you a faster, more detailed way to assess pupil progress. It’s supported by a collection of texts that have been specially written by a renowned children’s author.

Everything is aligned to the new age-related expectations to guide your judgements through emerging, expected and exceeding. You’ll save loads of time, and you can even generate automatic reports and print outs for parents, children and staff.

Get a free Topic Pack worth ￡200 when you order the 2Eskimos app. The pack includes over 50 books across 9 topics. See full details and place your order here.

Focus on subject management

Classroom Monitor can be a great tool for subject leaders, as it can provide a wealth of intelligence about what’s happening in your subject across the school. Here’s our top 5 tips:

1. Monitor standards: Group trackin?g gives you graphs and tables of current attainment in the subject for any year group. You can also break this down by sub-groups (e.g. Pupil Premium).                                                    
2. Spot curriculum strengths and weaknesses: The curriculum tracking add-on can help you get under the skin of areas that certain year groups are struggling with (or are doing particularly well in!) This can inform decisions about resourcing or supporting teachers.                                                    
3. Ensure progression between years: Using an assessment framework will really help to ensure skills progression through the school, and avoid the trap of repeating the same skills year on year. If your subject isn’t being assessed in Classroom Monitor, you’ll likely find there’s already a framework that can be used in your account (e.g. Rising Stars Progression Framework covers all subjects for KS1-3). For non-specialists, a progression framework is particularly useful to inform planning.                                                              
4. Ensure your assessment framework matches your curriculum: All frameworks within Classroom Monitor are fully customisable. Objectives can be added, deleted and edited to make sure that your teachers are assessing what’s needed, rather than things that aren’t important. Relevant resources can also be shared via the markbook to save time.                                                          
5. Store evidence of learning and progression: Learning doesn’t always lend itself to recording on paper and Classroom Monitor allows teachers to attach photos, videos and audio clips to their assessments for this reason.

If your subject is not currently being assessed in Classroom Monitor, then it's time to consider the benefit in starting to do so. An assessment framework which supports planning and doesn’t feel like a burden to teachers is crucial, as is having shared and realistic expectations of how the subject will be assessed. If Classroom Monitor is used for reporting to parents, then a huge benefit is that existing assessments can be fed directly into reports rather than starting with a blank piece of paper at report writing time.