prowlerchick Posted February 18, 2016 Posted February 18, 2016 Hi all After receiving an email from my head today (which really put me in a bad mood!!) and having been ill for most of half term I have started back with the work and data analysis for Spring mid half term today. I am getting such a headache about where the children should be in order to be on track for achieving ELG expected by end of year now. According to Pupil Asset they are on track if they are at 40-60 months embedded now (we use a three step system - beginning, developing, embedded across each age band) but this seems quite high for mid Spring term - it means each half term so far they have moved one step and if they continue at this rate they will be at ELG exceeding by end of year! I'm thinking perhaps 40-60 developing is on track too for this time of year? As long as they do make one step or more progress from now on that is. What does anyone else say is on track now to achieve ELG expected by the end of year? We're due ofsted any time and I don't get any support with data and finding it really hard! Really appreciate any help or others ideas, thank you!!
Guest Posted February 18, 2016 Posted February 18, 2016 We use target tracker which has beginning, working within and secure, and has 6 steps in each dm stage, so children are expected to make one of these steps in a half-term on average. I look for children being 40-60 working within across the GLD curriculum areas in our February assessments, but find that those 40-60 beginners often make a spurt and surprise me in May. I focus on checking for dips in attainment with the Feb assessments - it's no use having children reaching ELG exceeding in May if their PSED is not developing too - and then we focus our 'next steps' work on 'weaker' areas. I also check that we are covering all areas of the curriculum and this is showing through the assessments. I hope this helps -it's just what we do and it seems to work for us - but there is no right or wrong as far as I can see. Ofsted are interested in children's progress from their starting points and how they are being supported to make good progress I think. Hope you feel better and enjoy the rest of the half-term
catma Posted February 18, 2016 Posted February 18, 2016 An inspector will generally be looking to see how you close gaps and how well children do from their relative starting points. They would also be looking to see how the match between quality of teaching and how well children do is aligned. Re progress - all children are different and some will plateau for while and consolidate their skills so it can be unhelpful to expect every child to make the (invented) arbitrary steps. Having said that you could reasonably expect a child to be working well within the 40 - 60+ skill sets by now (half way through the year with 4 months left to complete EYFSP) in order to be able to demonstrate the skill sets of the ELGs by 1st July. Cx
Guest Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 Hi I have just done a prediction for my class of whether i think they are on track for GLD in all the areas. I did it based on gut instinct and- if you've been teaching a few years in EYFS I think you have a pretty good idea of who will achieve GLD and who will be a child on the cusp and who won't get GLD. It took me about half an hour to do but I didn't refer to target tracker to do it. (in certain areas that can be problematic due to the differing amount of statements in each and whether we have covered the content this term) I have to do a prediction each half term for my head starting from Christmas, it is useful to do to see where we need to direct our focus for the following term. That said children who I feel are making good progress and are on track tend to be working within 40-60 so in target tracker speak W or W+. I feel your pain re data every half term i have to complete target tracker, analyse data, prepare and present a report to smt in pupil progress meetings and also provide a plan for intervention groups for the following term to close gaps grrrr deb
catma Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 (edited) It took me about half an hour to do but I didn't refer to target tracker to do it. (in certain areas that can be problematic due to the differing amount of statements in each and whether we have covered the content this term) deb Thats the whole problem I think with assessment tools that assume the contents of Dev matters is the actual curriculum, which it just isn't! If only we had the confidence to teach according to the statutory educational programmes in the statutory framework and assess according to the statutory assessment arrangements (2 yr old check and EYFSP) re how well a child is progressing towards the statutory ELGs!!! In some respects the whole 3 steps progress etc use of Dev matters has just tied everyone up in nonsensical knots. Cx Edited February 20, 2016 by catma 3
Froglet Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 For the last few years at every data submission throughout the year I gave predictions about how likely children were (in my opinion!) to get each ELG. Felt a bit odd at first but actually it really helped focus my teaching and any extra support or conversations with parents I needed to have. It also quite clearly showed progression - at the start of the year the percentage of children getting a GLD was really low but gradually increased. I'd mark individual children as yes, no or possible and you'd see their individual predictions change over the year too. I'm sorry, that's probably not much help for the original poster and apologies if I sound a little ranty but I have been so frustrated at many EY cluster meetings by the incredibly complicated assessments and tick lists that other schools were using and the way several of them would look at what I was doing in a slightly sceptical way. My children had fun, made progress and attained (and I was moderated more times than I can count) and I didn't have a ticklist! 2
prowlerchick Posted February 20, 2016 Author Posted February 20, 2016 Thanks for your replies. I agree it isn't right to split age bands into chunks and development matters should be used as a guide not ticklist however when you have a head who knows nothing about early years and expects you to follow similar data analysis to rest of school what can you do?? I'm going with gut instinct on how many children I think will achieve ELG and I'll tell him why! 1
Froglet Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 I'm going with gut instinct on how many children I think will achieve ELG and I'll tell him why! Gut instinct is good!
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