Why is assessment at KS3 so tricky?

One of the odd things about assessment is that we think it should be easier than it actually is!

When we start to unpack assessment, we find there are so many layers.

For example, the fact that assessment can be both formative and summative.

Then there’s the seductive simplicity of numbers, levels, grades and progression matrices. They’re seductive because they provide a sense of security in that they are an indicator of standards and progress.

Yet they are fraught with difficulty.

One of the misconceptions is to think that the data generated internally within a school has the same validity and reliability as externally generated data.

It doesn’t, so we’ve got to stop kidding ourselves that it does.

When we stop trying to shoehorn all subjects into the same boxes to show how pupils are making progress, or not, in KS3, we can focus on the distinct characteristics of each subject.

I explore these tensions in the first part of Assessment at KS3 ‘Challenges and Opportunities’ and I talk about some of the opportunities here.