Assessing Pupils’ Progress in

English

This is what the HIAS English team are saying in relation to

developing Assessing Pupil Progress (APP) in English.
 APP is a teaching and learning tool first and a
summative assessment tool second. Using APP has an
impact on the subject knowledge of teachers, and the
understanding of pupils about what makes a successful
reader and writer. It is crucial, therefore, that schools
facilitate the right amount of professional learning for
teachers before expectations of practice are implemented. A
school needs a year to properly explore and experiment
with the use of APP in English. APP is first and foremost
about understanding progress in English, not tracking
progress in English – the latter is a summative operation,
the former a formative one.

 This is a real opportunity to ensure that planning,

teaching and learning are all adapted to meet the needs of
learners. The clear links between the assessment focuses
and the strands of objectives mean that teachers can
quickly identify objectives that need to be given attention in
subsequent units of work in order to meet learners’ needs –
on a whole-class, guided group or individual basis – and
ensure that the Framework is being used well.

 English is, to a partial but important extent, the

underpinning foundation to the curriculum. APP should be
used as a cross-curricular tool – not one solely used in
English time. This means that evidence of pupils’ learning in
reading and writing can be drawn from across the
curriculum, but also, that other curricular areas are used to
develop reading and writing.

 Teacher assessment, not external tests, should always

be the most influential assessments in pupils’ learning in
English. APP gives us the opportunity to revolutionise and
improve assessment in English at the same time as
ensuring that tests are kept in proper perspective. Teacher
assessment should be driving learning in English – if pupils
are making more progress in this way, then attainment in
tests should follow. APP can help teachers and pupils
achieve two levels of progress within a key stage because it
is a formative process – and it is possible, for example, to

HIAS Assessment website: Position statements APP in English – May 2009 1

 use it as a tool in conjunction with Fischer Family Trust
(FFT) estimates.

 APP is for all pupils not just certain groups. This does
not mean, however, that every pupil must necessarily be
assessed using the full APP process. Schools are currently
developing a range of ways to implement APP, including
using sample groups of pupils (usually between four and
six) in classes that act as the barometer for the teacher to
make judgements about all pupils. This is a process that
can only really be understood and evaluated by doing it –
thus the earlier emphasis on professional learning.

 APP is a periodic assessment tool, but one that will also

impact on day-to-day and week-to-week assessment. It
would be wrong to think of APP only as a periodic
summative or formative tool. Teachers using APP have
quickly found that it impacts on their routine processes and
practice – in English time and across the curriculum.
Conversely, it offers the potential for removing any
diagnostic use of end of key stage test results by supporting
teachers’ professional discussions about pupils’ progress in
English at the main transition points in learners’ lives.

 Moderation using APP should be a regular feature

throughout the school year. This is critical in terms of
ensuring rigour and accuracy, as well as impact.

 Schools do not need to start creating portfolios of pupils’

work. The APP approach requires that teachers adopt a
portfolio mentality but not that actual portfolios are
created and kept. Some teachers are already using APP
as they go through a term, creating a record of evidence
and then looking back over the records of the term to help
support their overall judgements. This is especially true
and useful in relation to assessing reading – an area that
we know is going to be a challenge for many schools.

This is an extract from a full position statement – if you would

like the full statement, please contact Deirdre Wort on:

Tel: 023 8081 6130

E-mail: deirdre.wort@hants.gov.uk .

2 APP in English – May 2009 HIAS Assessment website: Position statements