Making the grade: using data to support teacher-led assessment

This year, exams have been cancelled for thousands of 16-18 year-olds in schools and colleges across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Many students (and their families) will now be concerned about how they will be assessed.

After it was announced that exams would be cancelled, not postponed, qualifications agencies started looking at various models, including teacher assessment and prior attainment in order to issue grades for their GCSE, A Level and Nationals students.

Both Ofqual in England and SQA in Scotland have now confirmed they want schools and colleges to issue grades based on evidence such as progress review data, classwork, coursework and mock exams. Ofqual are also looking to apply similar prior attainment models for technical and vocational qualifications (VQs) taken by students in schools and colleges or with training providers.

Having easy access to accurate student data to help calculate grades will be vital for schools and colleges, not just for certification but for progression to further learning, including higher education admissions.

Many of these students have the burden of their results determining whether they will secure their chosen A Levels or Highers and make it into their chosen university or career path. For teachers too, the burden of exercising professional judgement to ensure the students they have been supporting all year get the grades they deserve will be challenging.

Schools and colleges generate and collect vast amounts of data - everything from test results and timetables to logging important health and behavioural information. However, the real challenge schools and colleges will now face is how to get actionable insights from the data that can benefit educator and learner alike.

By making the most of software that logs students’ progress - recording homework, coursework, assignments, assessment and exam results - teachers will have high quality data and a holistic understanding of how their students have progressed.

With many staff working remotely, having secure, auditable systems for data management is essential for keeping learners’ data safe and accurate. Over the coming weeks, student information systems like SIMS and UNIT-e will help schools and colleges record, streamline and - most importantly - make sense of the vast amounts of data at their disposal, so teachers have everything they need to ensure every student is fairly recognised for their hard work this year.

If you would like to find out more about how we could help your school or college during this time, message me directly and I’ll put you in touch with one of our expert Account Managers. Alternatively visit our website.