Today, we have a visit from someone who wanted to check that our assessments of Year 6 writing are accurate. This is important because there is no formal SAT-style test which assesses writing – the Department for Education, Ofsted and the Local Authority rely on teachers’ assessments. Whilst teachers assess according to criteria, this can be quite subjective – some teachers might be generous whilst others may be very cautious. To be useful, the data from writing assessment needs to be as reliable as possible.
Over the course of the afternoon, the moderator looked at the writing and Mr Owen’s assessments of a sample of pupils. Here is the feedback given to Mr Owen…
Thank you for your time and for letting me look through your children’s work. I was hugely impressed by the writing produced this year in your class. This is in no small part due to your hard work and diligent, effective approach to marking and feedback. The books were full of signs which told the children what to do next and what had worked well. Progress was evident throughout. Children seemed to really engage in the self-assessment/redrafting process and this again will have impacted positively on their writing. Congratulations on a very productive and successful year.
We briefly discussed the range of tasks and genres available to the children. Perhaps you could extend this a little and incorporate some further work on poetry which may help with their stylistic choices.
…And here is the feedback to me…
Thanks you for making me feel so welcome and the organisation and preparation which has gone into today. I was very impressed by the professionalism of your Year 6 teacher and the books speak for themselves in terms of his dedication to the teaching of writing at Moortown. Congratulations!
I would strongly recommend your Year 6 teacher offering his skills in the teaching of writing in a wider capacity.
Well done, Mr Owen. Well done, Year 6.
The report also contains notes the writing of the various children. A set of notes for one child are as follows:
Composition & Effect: Clear purpose and seeks to engage reader. Genre appropriate features maintained throughout. Vocabulary a little unaspirational and imprecise and use of stylistic features limited. Safe writing.
Text structure & Organisation: Clear organisation and sequencing of events, paragraphs linked (sometimes in a basic manner), chronological links used effectively.
Sentence Structure & Punctuation: Good variety of sentences used with some excellent complex sentences attempted (usually successfully) for effect. Subordinating connectives used appropriately. Verb tenses show occasional disagreement but this is rare. Punctuation nearly always accurate and a wider range evident, particularly towards the end of the collection.
Next steps: After a good discussion, we felt that the writer showed enough consistency of level 5 criteria to merit awarding a level 5. The writer lacked ‘flair’ and it was evident that he was not an avid reader. Wide reading would certainly bring this child on quickly as technically he is very competent.
The moderator’s notes and ‘next steps’ suggestions for all the children looked at were useful and interesting. This one is especially important for all parents / carers as it shows the importance reading has for someone’s ability to write.