APP
David Taylor
talks Assessing Pupils’ Progress in mathematics
with Jackie Fairchild, an assistant head in Oxfordshire
T
HE NATIONAL Strategies define Assessing Pupils’ Progress (APP) as a “structured approach to periodically assessing mathematics and reading and writing so teachers can track pupils’ progress and use diagnostic information about pupils’ strengths
and weaknesses”. Jackie Fairchild is assistant headteacher at Gosford
Hill School in Oxfordshire, which has specialist status in mathematics and computing. From talking to her, it is clear that they have achieved
a highly successful approach to APP in maths. Ms Fairchild shares her experience of discussing, tracking and monitoring pupil progress, developing tasks to promote understanding and enhancing mathematical skills. Gosford Hill’s GCSE A* to C results in
mathematics have risen from 52 per cent in 2007, to 57 per cent in 2008 and then to 65 per cent in 2009. Ms Fairchild puts this down to a close working relationship between staff who collaborate, share ideas and strive to make maths engaging, accessible and meaningful. She explained: “It is very important to understand
how learning and teaching can adapt to incorporate APP. APP was not designed to constrict learning and teaching or be used to assess in a fragmentary fashion. Teachers need the freedom to work across the attainment targets on central mathematical themes. “The new national curriculum puts increasing
emphasis on teaching for conceptual understanding rather than on procedural fluency. The key concepts and processes cut across the content, so we have worked to deliver lessons which promote mathematical creativity, thinking and an appreciation of mathematics as an interconnected ‘web’ of concepts. “This is a significant shift in emphasis from the
Getting to grips with APP
fragmentary interpretation of the original national curriculum. APP facilitates the introduction of tasks which provide both assessment opportunities as well as engaging and motivating learning opportunities,” she added. Ms Fairchild explained that within a lesson, good
quality dialogue, coupled with probing questions, enables the teacher to develop students’ understanding. In this sense, a lesson is like a conversation, a mathematical dialogue enabling understanding to be shared and developed instead of being masked behind routine exercises. She continued: “For APP to be effective a teacher
must draw evidence from this dialogue and a range of tasks, rather than from just one activity. This is an important aspect of the APP approach as it gives a student the opportunity to contribute, and be assessed, in different ways.” Creating a new range of appropriate discussions and
activities against which evidence can be drawn, can be a time consuming process. Ms Fairchild and Margaret Tettey have written task
and teacher assessment guidance for four books, covering levels 3 to 5, 4 to 6, 5 to 7 and 6 to 8. The resources, published by Rising Stars, are designed to promote best practice assessment in the classroom, through tasks which assess as well as develop understanding, providing opportunities for students to be creative mathematically. A number of images from the real world are
used to promote mathematical thinking. The tasks provide students with opportunities to select appropriate mathematics and to move from one form of representation to another, such as between a graph and numerical results or a formula and a diagram, in order to develop a reasoned argument. Ms Fairchild said: “APP promotes Assessment for
Learning (AfL) in that it encourages teachers to question and to check pupils’ understanding, and then to diagnose misconceptions and to plan for progression. Using this more liberated approach to assessment ensures that both pupils and teachers have a clearer understanding of the next steps in their learning pathway.” Good assessment opportunities arise out of good
teaching and learning opportunities. An example of a task that has proved particularly effective with year 9 students from Gosford Hill School was half a day on an enrichment activity which combined mathematics, history and ICT. Ms Fairchild explained: “They were given images
of floor tiles, from San Clemente in Rome, designed by the Cosmati in about the 12th century. Tiling patterns offer a timeless expression of mathematical relationships in historical and cultural contexts. “Students discussed these images and used a set of
templates from which such floor tiles can be made to design their own. They used the internet to research Roman floor patterns and used images to add further
detail to the designs they had made using the templates. Learners then described their patterns mathematically; some began by focusing on the symmetries within their designs. “They then investigated the relationships between
the individual templates to find missing lengths and areas based on both numeric and algebraic side lengths. Students convinced each other about areas in different ways, with some comparing two shapes and others using the algebraic or numeric side lengths they had assigned to each piece, to calculate the area. It was important that they were careful that their dimensions and areas were consistent within their patterns.” “Gaining functional skills and building a deeper
understanding of mathematical structure are both vital components in developing confident students who recognise mathematics in a wide variety of situations.”
Further information
National Strategies APP support (look under “assessment”): http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf. gov.uk/secondary To download the government’s Getting to Grips with
APP booklet, visit: http://nationalstrategies.standards. dcsf.gov.uk/node/160703
What is APP
According to the National Strategies, APP is a structured approach to in-school assessment which aims to: • Enable teachers to make judgements about their pupils’ attainment, keyed into national standards.
• Develop and refine teachers’ understanding of progression in their subject.
• Provide diagnostic information about the strengths and weaknesses of individual pupils and groups of pupils.
• Enable teachers to track pupils’ progress over time.
• Inform curriculum planning. • Facilitate the setting of meaningful curricular targets that can be shared with pupils and parents.
• Promote teaching that is matched to pupils’ needs.
Tailor-made solutions Corporate Profile
X
MA HAS been a leading provider of managed services, solutions and products to schools, further and higher education for over 20 years. ICT partner
to 20 Academies, the company works with over 2,000 schools, over 90 per cent of universities and 50 per cent of colleges across the UK to Becta’s FITS (Framework for ICT Technical Support) best practice processes. XMA also works with over 50 UK prisons to
provide them with a secure solution for offender learning in conjunction with Ufi and LearnDirect. XMA believes that every teaching institution is
unique. With dedicated staff specialising in meeting the needs of an ever-changing education sector, the company tailors individual technology solutions to each school, college or university for a perfect fit. In addition, XMA’s sponsorship of NAACE (National Association of Advisors for Computers in Education) enables the company to keep abreast of the national strategies for ICT in schools and colleges. Whether the requirement is for wireless
solutions – a “classroom in a box” – and interactive whiteboards, frontline techniques to deliver the curriculum, or managing back office admin, XMA systems can work within the existing infrastructure or a whole new infrastructure can be built. Once
Fact file
Company name: XMA Limited UK Headquarters: Nottingham Established: 1984 Managing Director: Simon Perret
Contact: XMA, Wilford Industrial Estate, Ruddington Lane, Wilford, Nottingham, NG11 7EP Call: 0115 846 4000 Visit: www.xma4education.co.uk
systems are in place, teachers have peace of mind that they will not have to act as technicians should any headaches arise. Ongoing support is always available – ensuring a seamless service. XMA has been a contracted supplier to the
higher education sector for many years and in addition to their sales capabilities, have invested in pre-sales and engineering expertise in specific technology areas, such as networking, mobility and printing, to enable them to assist with “roadmap” developments. XMA worked with initiatives such as Computers
for Pupils (CfP) and continues to work closely with educational organisations such as the e-Learning Foundation and Ufi. XMA is a contracted supplier for the majority of educational frameworks such as Buying Solutions, CBC, ESPO, YPO, NDNA, NEPA and is also a Becta Infrastructure Services Framework Supplier. XMA is an approved supplier for the national
roll-out of the government-backed Home Access programme managed by Becta. This nationwide programme aims to give children learning in school years 3 to 9 in England equal access to a computer and internet access at home. XMA’s award follows a successful six-month
pilot across Oldham and Suffolk, where XMA supplied over 5,500 laptops to eligible families across the regions. The company beat off competition from around the UK to become one of only six approved suppliers to the Home Access scheme. Over recent years, XMA has developed a niche
in print management solutions and can guarantee savings of up to 40 per cent on an organisation’s overall printing costs following a print audit and the implementation of a tailored print management system. Recently, this has led to the launch of a new limited company, XMA Print Solutions. The new
Peace of mind:
XMA’s headquarters in Nottingham and managing director Simon Perret
company is a joint venture with Ergo Group in Ireland and will be dedicated to providing bespoke print solutions designed to cut costs and reduce carbon footprint among educational establishments. Rapid advancements in print technologies mean
an efficiently managed print system can be proven to save an average of 20 to 30 per cent on costs while providing a 35 to 40 per cent reduction in carbon. XMA Print Solutions is not tied to one supplier
so can offer products from a range of leading manufacturers. A range of flexible finance partners also mean that customers have even more choice and flexibility.
XMA’s “The Next Bill Gates” competition is open to students starting university in 2010 and is being sponsored by Toshiba. Entrants have to explain why they are the next
Bill Gates in 100 words or with a one-minute video and stand to win £3,500 worth of tuition fees, a Toshiba laptop, a mentor for their first year at university, and a summer internship in the IT sector. Entries will be whittled down to a shortlist by a panel of technology gurus, including former BBC Dragon Doug Richard. The three finalists will then be invited to XMA headquarters for an “Apprentice-style” final. For details, visit www.thenextbillgates.co.uk
SecEd • March 25 2010
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