Maths Department Assessment Policy 2019-2021

Updated May 2020 for Covid-19 Situation

 

The Importance of Feedback and Learning Outside of the Classroom – ‘50/50’

Learning may not happen instantly and can take time. Attending lessons only forms a part of this learning.  You also need to be working outside of class, to revise topics and consolidate classwork.  In the process, you will make mistakes.  The more mistakes you make the more progress you will make. Feedback is essential for your learning and will consist of verbal or written (teacher marking) and self (where you assess yourself).

 

Your commitment 

Each week you should aim to spend 4.5-6 hours on Maths outside the classroom (for further mathematicians this should be 9-12 hours).  This may sound like a lot but get into the habit straight away and you will get used to it.  I cannot overemphasise how important this is in order for you to be successful.

 

Weekly homework

You will be set one pure homework and one applied homework each week (double for furthers).  These will each consist of a 'consolidation of previous topics' section and a 'review of current topic' section.  Both sections of each homework should be completed.  Homework does not necessarily need to be completed at home!  You can use free periods during the day to complete these tasks outside of lessons.  To keep a good work/life balance, you might like to treat College as an 08:45 to 16:15 day and use your free periods in the library completing tasks.  This will minimise the work you need to complete at home and might make you more productive! If the homework only takes you 2 hours then you should aim to spend a further 2.5-4 hours consolidating previous topics or reading ahead.  Start the homework early and then if you struggle with any questions you will have time to ask your teacher or to attend one of the daily drop in session. 

 

Benchmark Assessments

Throughout each of the two years, there will be 4 benchmark assessments.  These will all consist of exam style questions.

• WRITTEN FEEDBACK: Each benchmark assessment will be marked by your teacher and will be returned to you with a cover sheet that relates directly to your individual strengths and areas for development. You will be set some targets work based on these. 
• VERBAL FEEDBACK: 1-2-1’s will also occur in November and March after the benchmarks have been marked.  These benchmark assessments will then feed directly into the student review (‘report’) which gets sent home to your parents. 
• REFLECTION AND TARGET SETTING: After each assessment, students will be expected to reflect on the written feedback from their teacher and set themselves targets for improvement in the period in question.   

Benchmarks are extremely important and should be treated like an actual exam.  They are an ideal opportunity for you to measure how you are progressing and to get valuable feedback from your teacher.  You will make mistakes in the benchmarks and so the follow up work is to test whether you have learned from those mistakes to become better at the subject and exam technique. The benchmarks in the first year will provide the main source of evidence for the Annual review grade and the predicted grade. 

The Final Assessment

All Maths courses are assessed through written exams. 

A-Level Maths	A-Level Further Maths
Pure Maths 1: 2 hours Pure Maths 2: 2 hours Applied Maths: 2 hours All exams are at the end of the year	Core Pure Maths 1:  2 hours Core Pure Maths 2:  2 hours Further Applied: 2 hours

 

Tracking your Progress: Student Reviews, Action Plans and Parents Evenings

The College’s policy is to deal with the student first but we also report to your parents at regular intervals to let them know how you are progressing and to inform them of what our expectations are through four Student Reviews (Reports) spread throughout the two years at College and also four parents evenings. 

If the department feel you are under-performing based on evidence such as benchmark grades and your approach to learning in between these periods, then your main teacher may place you onto a Formal Department Action Plan and we will formally write to your parents after a 1-2-1 with yourself and to try and get you back on track in a supportive way

 

Student Review 2, the ARG and Predicted Grades

At the end of the first year (June 2020), your main teacher will have a 1-2-1 to discuss your Annual Review Grade or ARG and also finalise your Predicted Grade which might be used for UCAS applications for University and other destinations. 

The ARG is determined by your main teacher in communication with your other teacher (if you have two) and will rely on the following evidence base:

1. Benchmark Checkpoints Performance Grades (1 to 4).  Benchmark 4 would normally carry more weight than 1-3 but since it has been carried out remotely, it will be taken into consideration alongside other factors like your ‘Approach to Learning’ before and after lockdown to signal your academic potential.
2. Approach to Learning (before 20^th March 2020): How you are engaging in your learning, evidenced by attendance, punctuality, ability to meet weekly deadlines with quality work, how you have sought out extra support via workshops and your overall communication with your teachers.
3. Approach to Learning (after 20^th March 2020): How you were engaging in your learning remotely, evidenced by the ability to meet weekly deadlines with quality work, attendance at any remote lessons (unless previously communicated to state your unavailability) and communication with your teachers via Email and/or Microsoft Teams.

 

The ARG plays a key part in determining the context in which you progress to the second year.   Students who receive an A*-D grade (A-level) are encouraged to continue with their studies into the 2nd year.  However for students who receive a U or E Grade (A-level) as their ARG, it suggests that for whatever reason they have struggled with the transition from Level 2 Courses (GCSE) to Level 3 Courses (A-level/BTEC).  This will be evidenced by poor performances throughout their benchmarks and an inconsistent or poor approach to learning in their student reviews and via formal Action Plans.  Students who receive a U Grade we would not recommend to continue with the course and they would need to speak to a Senior Tutor about alternative pathways.

The College adopts a consistent and optimistic approach to predicting grades to ensure that they are both aspirational and achievable.  A predicted grade is what we believe a student is likely to achieve by the conclusion of their course in positive circumstances and the predicted grade provides universities and colleges with some understanding of a student’s academic potential alongside their Personal Statement and a written Reference from their Personal Tutor.

The ARG is important in forming the basis for the predicted grade as well but the predicted grade will also be aspirational for the students’ ambitions although it must remain realistic and cannot be based on the idea that only now will the student start to work harder in the second year!

 

Other Considerations

• LATE POLICY: In line with the ‘College Assessment Policy’, the department are under no obligation to provide feedback to a student who does not meet the internal deadlines for homeworks.  Students who fail to prepare adequately for the lesson as requested, maybe excluded for part of the lesson and asked to work independently in the library.  A continued failure to meet homework requirements will result in a reference to the pastoral team and a phone call home to parents.
• RETURNED WORK: If homework is submitted it will be assessed and returned within 10 working days.