The East Kilbride and Strathaven BGE Moderation Collaborative

1. The East Kilbride and Strathaven BGE Moderation Collaborative Duncanrig Secondary, Calderglen High, St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High and Strathaven Academy

2. Why? • Assessment is a key driver to improve learning and teaching, and hence attainment and achievement. • Learning, teaching and assessment in the BGE – a new and very ambitious vision for Scotland • Validity and reliability of CfE BGE assessment data – need for agreed standards and expectations. • Tracking in the BGE- so what? • Workload relating to Senior Phase has prevented a sustained focus on the BGE. • Inspection feedback clearly emphasised need for moderation.

3. Moderation at National and Local Level • Quality Assurance and Moderation Support Officers (QAMSOs) appointed in all authorities to generate assessment evidence in literacy and numeracy for national moderation events. • Regional Collaborative arranging events in partnership with Education Scotland. • Moderation of Literacy in SLC. Ongoing work in PE.

4. The Challenges of Moderation in the Secondary Sector • Support only been offered nationally and locally for Literacy and Numeracy. • Focus on content rather than skills. • Verification rather than moderation. • Isolated departments and staff. • Complex landscape of the benchmarks.

5. The Big Questions… • Are teachers in your department familiar with the CfE Benchmarks and using them to plan for assessment and progression in learning? • Do all staff in your department share the same assessment standards / expectations of pupils in the BGE? How do you know? Do staff have regular opportunities to moderate their assessment judgements? • Are you confident that assessment is valid and reliable and attainment data accurate and robust? Does your CfE data broadly align with your SQA data? • Can you provide information on the progress young people(individuals and groups) in the BGE are making during the session? • Can all pupils in your department talk confidently and in detail about the progress they are making in their learning including about their strengths and next steps in learning?

6. What did we hope to achieve? • Improved planning • Improved consistency in quality of learning and teaching • Improved assessments • Improved reliability of teacher professional judgements • Improved pathways into the senior phase • Improved attainment • Reduced workload

7. The Vision… • Principal Teachers will be able to lead their departments to understand: • The distinction between moderation and verification • The principles of effective assessment practice in the BGE • How to ensure that assessment is valid and reliable • How to plan over different timescales • How to involve learners in all aspects of planning learning • How to develop effective learning intentions and success criteria • How to assess achievement of a level

8. Establishing the East Kilbride and Strathaven BGE Moderation Collaborative • Established steering group with DHT from each school to plan and lead collaborative and ensure clear links with national picture. • Clear vision of how this will drive improvements in teaching and learning. • Commitment for HTs key to success. • Key focus of improvement plan. • High value attached to programme. • Time allocated for staff training and development work.

10. National Benchmarks per Subject

11. Creating a Culture of Empowerment • Empower middle leaders to lead learning. • Build capacity with PTs and lead teachers to lead moderation activities within departments. • To facilitate meaningful opportunities for collaborative working and professional dialogue. • To develop a shared understanding of standards. • To develop a shared understanding of sound assessment practice and ensure assessments are valid and reliable. • To engage every member of staff in every school in professional learning to drive improvements in teaching and learning.

12. Session 2018-2019 • Series of training sessions on aspects of the moderation cycle delivered to whole staff groups in each school by DHTs. • 2 full days training for every PT and supporting lead teachers on assessment practice and moderation. • 2 further full days for subject teams to collaborate and plan for May 2019 event. • Time allocated for moderation activities in CAT sessions and in-service days. • May 2019 event: all subject teachers from across the four schools come together to moderate identified areas of priority. • All events evaluated and process adapted to meet needs of staff.

13. May Moderation Event

14. Range of Moderation Activities

15. Developing Visual Success Criteria

17. Staff Evaluations • “Best in-service day ever” • “This was very useful. The focus was exactly right, addressing elements of planning on which I definitely needed revision. I am keen to see how we can take this forward together, for the greater good. This must lead to us sharing good practice, avoiding duplication of work – to make life better for us and the kids.”

18. Impact • Subject networks established. • Collaborative planning across four schools. • Improved understanding of learning intentions and success criteria. • Common success criteria. • Improvements in validity of assessments. • Key skills identified and prioritised. • Shared understanding of standards developing. • Increased, meaningful engagement with the benchmarks. • Raised standards/expectations. • SLT develop much better understanding of the whole curriculum and how best to support staff.

19. Role of the DHT • Clear vision of key aims and strategic overview. • Leading by example and inspiring others. • Working closely with middle leaders on an individual basis to support their leadership development and understanding of learning, teaching, assessment and moderation. • Key role to both challenge and support wider staff. • Flexibility to respond to the evolving needs of staff and ensure programme adapts accordingly. • Keep calm in face of challenges!!

20. The Challenges… • HUGE range of knowledge and skills and across four schools. • People don’t know what they don’t know! • Capacity issues: was the PT the best person to lead? • Pace - too fast for many yet too slow for others. • Time! Commitment to this from ALL the HTs was crucial. • Attaching high value to this in midst of the many other priorities staff perceive in schools. • Maintaining the BIG picture (folio time, Prelims, SQA etc.)

21. Plans for session 2019 -2020 • Steering group will continue to meet regularly to review progress and staff feedback. • Further whole staff training to be delivered on other aspects of the moderation cycle including feedback, tracking, monitoring and reporting. • Training to support PTs to lead these aspects within their own departments. • Further time given to staff for collaborative working across the four schools and within departments. • May 2020: staff from four schools moderate achievement of a level in subject groups. Every department contributes planning materials and exemplification for this event.

22. Future Plans • Further development of shared success criteria to ensure shared understanding of standards. • Focus on level 4. • Clear links made to effective tracking, monitoring and reporting using new SEEMIS Progress and Achievement Module • Developing pupil profiling. • Increased focus on progression, pace and challenge in BGE and how we are developing skills for senior phase. • Moderating with our primary colleagues. • PTs offered opportunities to lead training and share good practice. • The process is constantly evolving to meet the needs of staff.

23. How can we support other schools? • Within South Lanarkshire • Training for DHTs to lead this within their own school (29th May and 11th June). • Training for PTs to lead this within their own school. • Sharing of presentations and resources developed during our work. • 7 schools across 2 learning communities now adopting similar model. • Ongoing advice and support on a range of issues including: • planning for moderation work and ensuring it becomes embedded in practice of school. • adapting process to meet the needs of your own school and learning community. • challenges of process and how best to support staff. • Nationally • Sharing interesting practice at BOCSH conference and Learning Festival. • Working with colleagues within RIC West Partnership.

24. Finally… • No quick fix. Ongoing, long term process to improve teaching and learning and build confidence in own professional judgement on achievement of a level. • Needs time commitment. • Needs to be planned and to be a key priority for school and departmental improvement planning. • Most impact when working collaboratively with other schools. • Universal engagement key to success. • Middle leaders need opportunities to lead learning! Enabling this is key.

25. Any questions? School Visit June 7th 2019 Scottish Learning Festival Sept 2019 Tracey.McDermott@southlanarkshire.gov.uk gw07mcdermottracey@glow.sch.uk