Tracking Reception - Ensuring Good Baseline Assessments

[KST]

Hi all,

 

Since our ofsted inspection in December when we were graded satisfactory because of the progress children make in foundation stage and the whole school, I have been trying hard to figure this out... my Head (who knows very little about foundation stage) told me that if children's results at end of the profile are in line with national average, then children have made satisfactory progress. But surely this depends on how they were on entry??

 

I am seeking to ask how people track progress in reception? (I have been told to use the profile but this doesn't always show a true reflection of where the children are, sometimes children have demonstrated they can something in adult led but not initiated it themselves, therefore I haven't given it but they can do it.) And how do you ensure you have accurate data (and what sort of data) for your on entry baseline assessments?

 

Do any of you observe the children and highlight the development matters at 30-50 months and 40-60 months to see where they are at? How do you know if children enter as below average, average or above average? I spent time in the summer reading the childrens learning stories from pre-schools but didn't really use this knowledge in the best way.

 

Sorry for all the questions but struggling to make sense of it all!

 

thank you in advance!! KST x

[Guest janstead]

Hi there

 

You're right, you can't show progress unless you have a baseline. If the majority of your children come into F2 at 40-60 months on the CLLD development matters band, and leave at point 6, then you have made satisfactory progress. If the majority come in at 30-50 months on the CLLD development matters band, and leave at point 6, then you have made good progress. Etc, etc, etc...

 

You need to track your cohort (not necessarily individual children in detail) from baseline through to the end of F2. This would enable you to pick up anomalous data in particular areas of learning, as well as gender differences that you might need to take into account in your provision. This is what OFSTED would hope to see - it's about how you use your data to inform your teaching and learning.

 

When I was in the classroom (I'm now an early years advisor) I used development matters age bands to create a baseline, using pre-school info and long observations completed a few weeks after the children's arrival. It doesn't take long, and helps you to get to know your children a lot better than something like PIPs (ugh) would.

 

Hope this helps!

 

J

[Susan]

We have send profile data to our LEA after the first 7 weeks. PSE, CLL, PSRN

[Guest]

I have recently been told by my head (and she was advised previous to this) that to make "outstanding" progress, the children need to make a 6 point progress on the FSP. Therefore if they come in at Scale Point 2 then they should leave at Scale Point 8!!!! I find this very difficult to accept due to the fact that the scale points are not linear and therefore you are not always building on skills.

 

Surely, as we are told the national expectations are to be at scale point 6 - to acheive anything above this is outstanding progress (if meeting national expectations on entry)? Ofsted told us in the summer that progress of 4.5 is outstanding - how can this keep going up?!!

 

One final point.......from September I am expected to give my On Entry results in terms of the development matters doc (so in months bands rather than scale points) so how will she track progress without a Scale Point score on entry?

 

Thanks for any advice!!

[catma]

I have recently been told by my head (and she was advised previous to this) that to make "outstanding" progress, the children need to make a 6 point progress on the FSP. Therefore if they come in at Scale Point 2 then they should leave at Scale Point 8!!!! I find this very difficult to accept due to the fact that the scale points are not linear and therefore you are not always building on skills.

 

I think this is just a made up position. There is no guidance to my knowledge that says this anywhere.

 

EYFSP outcomes measure attainment against national expectations which are currently a child working within the ELGs or 6+ in all scales in an area of learning. Progress/achievement is in relation to the starting point which will be various depending on prior attainment.

 

Cx

[Guest]

Yes I totally agree and have also never seen anything to support her decision regarding my class progress.

 

I don't suppose anybody has any documents that I can show to my head that will help my argument?!!!!

[KST]

Thanks for all your advise! x

[Rufus]

We have been told by our LA that we are to track children in terms of developmental months only. So if they come into F2 40-60 we need to be detailing whether they are low, medium or high in this bracket. I already do this for F1 children, but once they move to F2 we then track them in terms of sclae points.

Our Head wants the data in terms of scale points, so every term we input data on target tracker in terms of scale points - i know we are only supposed to used the EYFSP at the end of the F2 year, but show me a head teacher who is ok with that? So now, every term I will have to assess my class in 2 different ways - trying to please everyone, what a nightmare!

Apparently when OFSTED come in, they will want to see children being measured against developmental months, yet it is pressure from OFSTED that leads head teachers into wanteing data, data, data!

[dreamgirl]

I am very interested in this thread. We use target tracker in reception and Nursery and update it every term with a summative assessment. We look at the DMs but where apprpriate we assess on the FSP scale points towards end of year in nursery. we are told 2 points on entry to reception is average. Reception asssess on the FSP not on the DMs.

[Guest]

HI

 

We have just had ofsted at the beginning of this half term. We got a good and yes they are looking at assessment and how you show progress. We use target tracker and i highlight the sheet with all the profile points on as i keep this by my side so can highlight etc then update target tracker (our on entry points goes to our LEA essex at end of autumn first half term usually and then we send it off june time?). We also fill in a half termly tracker grid for our standards meeting with the head to show progression. We use profile points not development matters. These i thought and the ElG are for your planning short/medium etc. The profile points is what you should be using for assessment. OFSTED were fine with what we do and pleased of how we showed how we tracked data so if they are happy we are!!

[Guest]

So if they come into F2 40-60 we need to be detailing whether they are low, medium or high in this bracket.

 

We are also highlighting low, medium or high to give a more accurate assessment of attainment

[Guest]

Low Middle High sounds like a good idea. I have been trying to figure a way of showing progress in Nursery (I work in F2 but coordinate EYFS) adequately as children are likely to stay within one age band of DM for quite a while. Do you break it down into areas of learning too? I want to be able to identiify areas of weakness on entry and show how our provision is tailored to allow children to make good progress in weak areas. We are struggling to put together an accurate picture of 'on entry' without anything numerical.

 

For F2 we use the profile and target trackers.

[catma]

Apparently when OFSTED come in, they will want to see children being measured against developmental months, yet it is pressure from OFSTED that leads head teachers into wanteing data, data, data!

 

Bit of a myth I think - none of our schools has been asked for this specifically but they are asked where children are on entry to F1 (ie in months) and will then look at attainment in FS2 via EYFSP outcomes which I think is quite acceptable!

 

Cx

[emmajess]

Bit of a myth I think - none of our schools has been asked for this specifically but they are asked where children are on entry to F1 (ie in months) and will then look at attainment in FS2 via EYFSP outcomes which I think is quite acceptable!

 

Cx

How do you advise your schools to show progress through FS2, Catma? I don't find the profile very helpful for this as many of the points need to be observed in a range of contexts (eg the Creative development statements) or contain lots of different statements within them (eg KUW) so are difficult to achieve / observe in many cases before the end of the year. It's more straightforward for the CLL and PSRN ones.

[Guest]

Very interested in this thread- my head has been told by an advisor that I should be tracking progress via dev matters. In the past we have used profile as baseline, looked at points gained xmas, easter, and of course value added once it is finalised in June. Ofsted happy with this, but that was 18 months ago. I thought profile was the only statutory assessment we had to do - dev matters is guidance on what or how to teach and 'develop', not a ticky list of achievement. Our system clearly shows progression, or where not as much progress is being made. We analise it each term. I know points are not hierarchical but they can still achieve points randomly to show how they are learning - and Y1 are meant to use profile, not dev matters as their baseline. (Our poor Y1 staff get a baseline of profile then move to nat curriculum levels, with p scales for those not yet at level1!!!!Horrendous, and now APP)

Why bring in dev matters as an extra assessmnet when we are already stretched keeping profile up to date? Why create extra pointless paper work. I still plan from dev matters but don't (yet) track progress fom it. Here we go again....

[Guest]

...and, I feel a child could come into reception on 40-60 months, make fantastic progress, 18 months worth of progress, and leave reception on 40-60 months showing no value added.

 

dev matters is 'practice guidance', profile is stautory

[KST]

I currently don't have to send my profile points to anyone when they enter. Only the score at the end of the profile so i guess its just an in-school thing I have to have and then show ofsted when they come in? When ofsted came in they had the data for our end of year scored but at no point did they look at the on entry score (oct half term score).

 

So I am drawing from this thread that I should just stick to using the profile to show progress?! What about low acheiving children who come in and are not scoring scale point 1 in an area? Should I then look at the earlier development matters and highlight them as they achieve them until they reach the scale points?

 

Thanks everyone for all your comments!

[Guest]

I am also very concerned that these "outstanding" targets that I am being given (for FS2 children to progress 6 scale points by end of year i.e. if a child enters recpetion on a sclae point 2 they should leave on scale point 8) will simply make teachers focus on getting results (rather like the poor year 2/6 teachers trying to get a certain level in SATs). Especially as we now work on a performance related pay scale!!

 

I still cannot find any evidence to back up what the advisor has told my headteacher. I need to have some evidence to show in september before my ridiculous targets are set!!!!!

[Guest]

I am new to this site but would like to tell you all that at our early years advisory meeting with the authority we were told that children should make a three oint progress on the scale because it depends on where they are at baseline as to how they score at the end of the year. Obviously this depends on the child as some progress more than others but I am talking on a general basis.

[Guest]

hi whch authority is that?

[catma]

How do you advise your schools to show progress through FS2, Catma? I don't find the profile very helpful for this as many of the points need to be observed in a range of contexts (eg the Creative development statements) or contain lots of different statements within them (eg KUW) so are difficult to achieve / observe in many cases before the end of the year. It's more straightforward for the CLL and PSRN ones.

 

No - that is a problem, because it is being used for something it was never developed for.

 

Although we are limited to using the EYFSP scales, I try to emphasise with our schools that it is a measure of current attainment, but that in progress meetings, progress towards scale point security also needs to be addressed as a child may not have done enough yet to show attainment, but it doesn't mean no progress. Emphasising that it is not complete data until the end of the year helps!!

 

I am also very concerned that these "outstanding" targets that I am being given (for FS2 children to progress 6 scale points by end of year i.e. if a child enters recpetion on a sclae point 2 they should leave on scale point 8) will simply make teachers focus on getting results (rather like the poor year 2/6 teachers trying to get a certain level in SATs

 

I think we have to be very clear with those around us that the children do not leave on any scale point. They have a scale point total, the 2 are different things!!

If they are attaining 6+ in all areas of an aspect, that is a god level of attainment. I would prefer to see targets set around 78+ points with 6+in all PSED/CLLD. That threshold is more realistic in that it is linked to a good overall level of attainment and is therefore a reasonable target, but needs to be linked to previous attainment and would be relative to the starting point. I would argue that if, say, 50% of your cohort came into F2 working at age related expectations, then a minimum of 50% should leave with at least age related expectations or better at the end!

 

Cx