2. Transforming lives through learning
Working group on tackling bureaucracy
Key message
„……Curriculum for Excellence - is about empowering teachers to improve
outcomes for pupils. This new approach is bringing real benefits. However, in
some cases, too much paperwork and overly complex processes are
getting in the way of teaching and learning.‟
All involved in delivering teaching and learning should:
Ensure that their planning, monitoring and reporting systems are fit-for
purpose. They should be used in a way that maximises time spent on
teaching and learning, supports professional dialogue and avoids
unnecessary workload.
3. Transforming lives through learning
Why monitor and track?
• To improve learning
• To support and provide focus for dialogue with all
• To help learners to understand their learning
• To provide an overview of each learner‟s progress and
achievement
• To support analysis of relative groups of learners
• To ensure evidence from parents/partners is included
• To help staff review their practice to support learners‟
further
• To ensure continued appropriate progress, support and
challenge in learning
4. Transforming lives through learning
What information should be monitored and
tracked?
• planning related to bundles of Es and Os
• progress in significant aspects of learning in relation to progression
framework statements
• evidence of breadth, challenge and application
• professional judgements about progress and achievement
• summary of learners‟ progress relating to personal goals and
achievements
• progress and achievement through Curriculum for Excellence levels
A holistic approach should be taken when making professional
judgements.
6. Transforming lives through learning
Involving the Learners
• It is important to plan the learning with the learners.
• Learners need to develop the language of learning in
order to take increasing responsibility for their learning.
• When learners understand their learning they are able to
support the monitoring and tracking of their progress
within the classroom.
• Their understanding of their learning supports (and is
supported by) a meaningful profiling process.
• Achieving the above requires practitioners to scaffold the
appropriate skills for learners.
7. Transforming lives through learning
Learner and Teacher Dialogue
This may relate to:
• ongoing classwork
• learning goals or targets
• key pieces of evidence or assessment tasks that relate to agreed
learning intentions and success criteria
• evidence of learning linked to significant aspects of learning and
core learning
• holistic judgements, based on evidence which shows that a learner
has achieved a level in a curriculum area
8. Transforming lives through learning
Learner and teacher dialogue
Profiling process
• pupil friendly language
• what the learner knows, understands and can do
• how well they are progressing in their learning relating to success
criteria for learning goals or targets
• quality and pace of learning
• identifying and recognising learners‟ personal achievements both
within and outside of school
• Evidence of latest and best
9. Transforming lives through learning
Professional dialogue on learners’ progress
This includes discussion within levels, with stage partners or
departmental colleagues and takes account of prior achievements
and influences future learning.
Approaches should reflect quality assurance and moderation as
outlined in BtC5.
Practitioners:
• develop a shared understanding of what progress looks like
• develop confidence and trust in professional judgements about
learners‟ progress
This process is illustrated in the NAR flowchart.
11. Transforming lives through learning
Moderation
• Staff work together to develop a shared understanding of what good
progress and achievement look like
• Improves validity and reliability of information collated and tracked
• Develops confidence and trust in teachers‟ professional judgements
For information to be worth tracking it needs to be based on
agreed standards resulting from participation in a range of
moderation activities.
12. Transforming lives through learning
Professional dialogue at department/stage
and whole school/establishment level
Dialogue can:
• lead to decisions about support for individuals or groups of learners
• help identify patterns and trends
• allow comparisons of progress over time and in relation to previous
groups of learners
• provide concise information on a learner‟s progress at a moment in
time
Dialogue at this level is based on information that is summary in
nature.
13. Transforming lives through learning
Developing, Consolidating and Secure
Many establishments and education authorities have tried tracking
using the terms developing, consolidating and secure and have
moved away from such an approach since it did not support on-
going dialogue with learners or because of concerns about
the reliability and complexity of such information. The
interconnected nature of these categories needs to be stressed and
it is, therefore, important to avoid an approach which uses these
terms in a way which emphasises linear progression. For this
reason, the use of developing, consolidating and secure is not suited
for use in monitoring and tracking at whole school/establishment
level and should be used with care in reporting the progress of
individual learners to parents.
Monitoring and Tracking progress and achievement in the BGE December
2013
14. Transforming lives through learning
Information to support monitoring and
tracking
Information to support
monitoring and tracking.
Day- to day planners
Medium and long
term plans
Class records of
additional support
needs, interventions
or support
Learning
goals/targets for
individuals and
groups
Evidence of learners
work
15. Transforming lives through learning
Evidence of learning
Where do you
find evidence
of learning?
professional
judgement
jotters
planning
written
feedback
summative
assessment
learning
logspersonal
learning
plans
peer
assessment
self
assessment
plenary
learning
conversations
observation
16. Transforming lives through learning
All involved in delivering teaching and
learning should:
• ensure that their planning, monitoring and reporting systems are fit-for-
purpose. They should be used in a way that maximises the time spent on
teaching and learning, supports professional dialogue and avoids
unnecessary workload.
• ensure that reporting formats reflect CfE in that they revolve around
narrative reporting rather than “tick box” approaches and that their approach
is essentially holistic.
Curriculum for Excellence Working Group on Tackling Bureaucracy
November 2013
Notas do Editor
Dialogue with learners, other practitioners, SMT/HT, parents and partnersIf they understand = raise achievement/ownership, inform profiling activitiesOver time and to share the info (parents) to promote improvements in learningLooking at trends - Across a school, stage, dept, eg gender, asn, low/high achievers/attainmentProviding opportunity and recording where appropriateProfessional dialogueSupport (closing the gap) and challenge
Relates to entitlement to BGE. Should not be driven by coverageBased on a range of evidence suitable for supporting discussions with L, T, parents, staff across classes, stages, depts., whole school/establishmentIn order to provide an overview of progress within a levelThis includes personal achievements, to dev skills, attributes, and capabilities of 4 capacities within diff contexts of learningIn all curriculum areas and in literacy, numeracy, H&WB. (R.O.A)Progress within and through levels – using experiences and outcomes to plan/significant aspects of learning important so not just coverage.Holistic picture of learner throughAre the learners meeting the success criteria?Not – tests, coverageNot a complex bureaucratic process
GSIllustrating how time needed, ethos is important where dialogue and process is valued and T/staff take genuine interest
Needs to involve the learner in partnership with T as part of ongoing learning conversationsIncreased involvement in reflective dialogue means learners are developing the necessary skills required to support their own learning
Key to bringing this process together is the learner’s relationship with a member of staff who knows them well and helps them reflect upon and understand their learning.The quality and on-going nature of these discussions with this member of staff are critical in securing effective engagement with learners and supporting the profiling process.
This dialogue is fundamental to tracking learners’ progress and achievement.
As illustrated in the NAR flow chart the process begins with the learner and allows staff to plan together for learning, teaching and assessment agree learning intentions setting out standards and expectations generate clear and measurable success criteriadesign rich learning experiencesdiscuss a range of appropriate evidenceselect suitable assessment approachesevaluate learningidentify next steps and suitable feedbackReport
The focus needs to be on what is important in learning and being clear about how current learning relates to the ‘big picture’ of progression within and through levels in different curriculum areas. (ie S.A.L)
The focus of M and T at this level is to generate dialogue about the progress of learners so that HTs/DHTs/PTs can work with and support practitioners to improve learning further. Info from discussions needs to be sufficient to give confidence in the progress of learners across the school/establishment, but should be summary in nature. It is underpinned by the detail held by teachers for individual learners or groups of learners.
Information that is up-to-date, manageable and appropriatemay come from:Large folios of evidence are not necessary to support this. Recording/ retaining evidence in a variety of forms must be manageable and sustainable.