Additional Guidance On Completing Fsp Assessments

[Steve]

Hi all -

I've just been sent a very useful document from the National Assessment Agency (NAA) giving guidance to local authorities, FSP moderators and FS teachers. It includes details on how practitioners should use evidence when arriving at judgements and when such evidence need and need not be recorded. Hope you find it useful.

 

Non-subscribers and guests can find it and download it from the NAA website by clicking here.

FSP_factsheet.pdf

[JacquieL]

I've just skimmed it quickly but what a useful document. I know one or two HT's who will get their knickers in a twist after reading this ..hmmm no other assessments needed...child initiated....

I will print if off later.

[Guest]

Thanks Steve. Very useful, will pass it on to our receiving school too. I did giggle when I looked at the attachment title. At first glance I was sure it said ESP!!!

[Lorna]

Thanks for that Steve....

I have printed it ready to read.

 

L

[Marion]

Thank you Steve

[hali]

owww thank you will have a look

[Guest]

Thank you I have just printed it off for some more bedtime reading.

[Susan]

thanks Steve!

[Guest]

Thanks Steve.

[Lorna]

Have printed and now read.

 

I feel that some of it will help us make sense of the FSP points and some of it is still written in complete jargon.... hopeless why can't it be in simple terms so we can all make the same judgments.

 

L

[Guest]

Thanks Steve, That looks rally good

[Guest]

Thanks Steve - downloaded ready to read.

[Steve]

You're welcome chaps.

 

Lorna - what are you finding tough? I'm sure between us we can pick apart the ambiguity - and anything that's left I'll see if I can get a response from the NAA on.

[Guest]

thank you for the additional guidance sheets, any help is always welcome

Carmad

[Lorna]

We were looking at in school today.... The Cll point 8 about punctuation is ridiculous..... A lot of the year 2 children don't do it so how can year R children.

 

The PSED ED 6 and also KUW 6 - still seems impossible to us..... most young children don't notice cultural differences..... we are in a very white area with only 3 children in the school from a different background.

 

Sorry may be me- but I feel this is far to much to expect of children who are 4 and 5..... I also have a horrible cold.... so may not be taking this in a s well as I could be.

 

L

[Guest]

I'm with you on that one Lorna - about cultural differences - we are quite a 'melting pot' at my school (which is lovely) and the other really lovely thing about my class is that they just all get along together and they really don't see differences between each other as we adults do - at times I'm not even that sure that they know whether they are boys or girls (if you know what I mean!) they just all are so accepting . If they do make any comment (again this is my experience) they tend to make completely objective/innocent comments.

[Helen]

There does seem to be ambiguity around the writing ELG

"writes own name ....is beginning to form simple sentences, sometimes using punctuation"

 

and the guidance statement,

"the punctuation required is the confident use of full stops and capital letters at the beginning of sentences"

 

 

[Susan]

The more I do this the disillusioned Im becoming!

[Guest]

Hi All

 

At my moderation meeting last week our wonderful and incredibly sensible early years team said "remember that they are only FIVE"

 

Wish the powers that be rembered it

 

Jo

[SmileyPR]

Oh, Lorna... I agree with you. For example, expecting our children to write stories. I mean, they are not saying one or two lines. A story is a story!

 

Oh, Steve... sorry... forgot to say "Thanks!"

Edited May 17, 2007 by SmileyPR

[Guest]

Thank you, just what I was looking for!

[Marion]

Anyone else more confused than they were before or is it just me?

[Guest]

But some do write stories. Albeit very short ones. I agree that this is the exceptional few, but the profile has to account for all the children. Our advisor said that it is really only the T&G that should be getting 9 points, which would like with the goals being so hard to acheive.

[Guest]

Thanks Steve. How would we ever keep up to date without this wonderful forum! Have also always found the points on culture and views difficult. I often do the register in different languages and try to include any new ones that may have direct relevance for members of the class. I noticed when I started to do this in the early stages children might laugh if the word sounded amusing, after it has been explained usually they come to accept its presence and then to begin incorporating it into their own vocabulary. I feel this is a sign of what we are looking for. This year I have a boy with Downs Syndrome and one of the favoured ways of answering the register now is to say and sign either Good Morning Teacher or Good Afternoon Teacher. Virtually everyone in the class has had a go at this now. It has been brilliant for the Downs Syndrome child as he now signs both much more clearly and says all the words which he couldn't do at the start of the year. Would the rest of you count the other class members reactions for something in this case or not?

AOB

[tuffspot]

Let's face it there are many parts of the FSP that are a load of ol' bobbins and trying to apply them to a 4/5 year old is even more mind boggling.

 

How on earth do we assess and show evidence of some of the points?

 

I know many an adult who'd struggle to achieve some of the aspects let alone a child. For me, the FSP is another chore in my end of year day.

 

I REFUSE to agonise over the finer points of whether Claudia has "cultural awareness", or if Imran "sustains involvement and perseveres particularly when trying to solve a problem or reach a satisfactory conclusion", and as for whether Bob "understands that there need to be agreed values and codes of behaviour for groups of people, including adults and children to work together harmoniously" I don't give a monkey's.

 

 

My job, the one that I'm paid for- is to TEACH these children. My job is to teach each child MORE than they knew when I first met them. Whether that is to TEACH the child how to share, or how to hold a pencil correctly, or how to do long flamin' multiplication is neither here nor there. I will teach them what they NEED to know and what they WANT to know.

 

My responsibility is to the child. The one that sits in front of me every day and looks at me with excitement and eagerness. The one that sits and looks at me as if I'm a monster from the depths of hell. The one that looks at me and dares me to get him to try and hold a pencil.

 

They are the one's who need my time and energies.

 

QCA and the FSP? I'll fill it in and I'll send it back, but I am NOT spending mine or the children's time worrying about whether I have the evidence to prove it.

[Guest]

So good to hear some common sense. I have spent all afternoon trying to tick boxes and fit my children into the profile. My school insist I use the profile report t parents. It seems so inpersonal and does not reflect the progress they all made this year. I am NQT so do not really have an alternative format to put forward. any ideas? I am adding a long personal statement at the end as well as a photo to try to personalise it. I hope my parents will value this above all the repeptitive statements in the body of report. Any ideas would help.

[Susan]

Hi Kitten and welcome.

Dont complain that you are using the profile as your report, Im only glad that I can and that I have some structure to work with. Personalise it as you have already indicated.

[Guest]

Well said Tuffspot! I am really NOT a fan of the FSP. Now I've had more time to consider the additional guidance I really think it is as clear as mud and not that helpful - in the column entitled "Notes" against MD (calculating) point 6 it says 'This scale point refers to addition and subtraction.' Well, blow me down with a feather, I never realised that!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought it was about knitting! There are too many subjective, sweeping statements for one thing. I am sure it was very well-intentioned but instead of it being changed or modified to make it work, the 'powers that be' seem to just be making a bigger mess of it. (My opinion anyway)

 

Now that we have been told a score of '6' is a good average child, I have started to wonder whether if you just considered every child in your class against the numbers 1 through to 9 (knowing that 9 is exceptional and 6 is the good average) and then just gave them a number accordingly - would your scores differ that much than if you took a year and a day to go through all their observations, etc and consider each statement and then give them the appropriate number?

 

I just wonder....

[Guest]

Bungalow, I know that I don't have evidence for all my children, but I do KNOW my class. I can say list of my children and say without looking the statements what they will score. My high ability will get 8 or 9. My average 6 or 7 and my low 3 or 4.

[Marion]

Hi Kitten welcome to the forum.