Assessment and reporting requirements for ICT

Exemplification of national curriculum levels

How to get involved in the 2005 ICT onscreen test pilot

Assessment is an integral part of effective teaching and learning. One of QCA's main aims is to support teachers' professionalism in making helpful and accurate assessments. In particular, our National Curriculum in Action website uses examples of pupils' work to illustrate standards in the national curriculum.

What is required at key stages 1 and 2?

At key stages 1 and 2 schools must deliver the programme of study for ICT. This can be found on the national curriculum website.

One way to help deliver the programme of study for ICT is by using the QCA primary scheme of work.

Every year, schools must send a report to parents describing their child's progress in ICT. The report must contain comments on the child's progress, achievement, strengths, weaknesses and next steps.

Teachers must use their professional judgement to determine the most effective method of gathering evidence of pupils' progress. Progress in ICT must be reported as a separate subject, not only as a statement within other subject reports.

Level descriptions provide the basis for making judgements about pupils' performance at the end of key stages 1 and 2. Whilst there is no statutory obligation to report children's attainment in the form of a national curriculum level, an increasing number of schools find it a helpful way to describe attainment and progress.

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What is required at key stage 3?

At key stage 3 schools must deliver the programme of study for ICT. This can be found on the national curriculum website.

One way to help deliver the programme of study for ICT is by using the QCA scheme of work for key stage 3.

Every year, schools must send a report to parents describing their child's progress in ICT. The report must contain comments on the pupil's progress, achievement, strengths, weaknesses and next steps. In addition, at the end of year 9, teachers must assess pupils and award an appropriate national curriculum level. Parents should be notified of the teacher assessment results by the end of the summer term, along with comparative results for all year 9 pupils and national averages for the previous year. The report for ICT must be separate, even if the pupil's entitlement is being met by cross-curricular delivery.

The expected level of attainment for the majority of pupils at the end of key stage 3 is level 5/6. Guidance on making a judgement can be found on the National Curriculum in Action website.

The government has published national targets for ICT at key stage 3. These state that 85% of pupils will be expected to achieve level 5 or above by 2007. There is an interim target of 75% achieving level 5 or above by 2004.

As part of this initiative QCA conducted a feasibility study into electronic testing of ICT at key stage 3. We reported the findings to the Department for Education and Skills.

In September 2002, a framework for teaching ICT at key stage 3 was introduced as part of the national key stage 3 strategy. This builds on the key stage 3 programme of study for ICT and the scheme of work.

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What is required at key stage 4?

At key stage 4, schools must deliver the programme of study for ICT. This can be found on the national curriculum website.

Every year, schools must send a report to parents describing their child's progress. The report must contain comments on the pupil's progress, achievement, strengths, weaknesses and next steps.

At the end of key stage 4, national qualifications are the main means of assessing attainment in national curriculum subjects, although there is no statutory requirement to formally assess pupils at the end of key stage 4.

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Exemplification of national curriculum levels

In order to support teachers' professionalism in making helpful and accurate assessments, QCA has worked with teachers and schools across the country to collect examples of pupils' work to illustrate standards in the national curriculum. You can find this exemplar material on the National Curriculum in Action website.

This website uses pupils' work and case study material to show what the national curriculum looks like in practice.

The examples given on the site show:

the standard of pupils' work at different levels and key stages
how the programmes of study translate into real activities

The website has been designed to assist teachers in coming to a shared understanding of national expectations and each piece of pupils' work is supported with an associated activity description, objectives and a commentary. In addition, you can find guidance on making a judgement. Teachers are able to download and save the examples of pupils' work to create a personalised portfolio, either on-line or for printing.

The National Curriculum in Action site is updated regularly so we recommend that you return to it regularly to see what's new.

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Developments at key stage 3

Ministers have asked QCA to develop a test to provide an independent measure of pupils' attainment in information and communication technology (ICT) at key stage 3.

This innovative new test will be on-screen and will need to undergo extensive trialling and development. A limited pilot, involving 2 per cent of schools, will take place in 2004. There will be further pilots in 2005 and 2006.

The test is for use during year 9. The test will be on-screen and will assess pupils' ICT capability across levels 3 to 8 of the national curriculum. The test will be marked automatically and verified by human markers. It will provide summative information in the form of a national curriculum level for each pupil, as well as detailed feedback about pupil performance that could be used formatively to inform future teaching and learning.

The test session

Before the test session, teachers will indicate the level at which they think a pupil is working. Pupils will begin a session by answering a number of questions to determine whether this level is appropriate.

The ICT test will be adaptive. This means that as pupils work through the session, the questions and tasks they are given will depend on how they have responded previously, with the computer adjusting the level of difficulty accordingly.

Once an approximate level has been determined, pupils will be presented with a task set in a range of scenarios. The scenarios have been chosen to be of interest to year 9 pupils e.g. a sports shop and school. The task will be more or less open-ended, and directed to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the level a pupil is working at.

The task will be supported by a 'walled garden' of assets, for example text, pictures, data, to enable pupils to complete the task without needing access to the internet. Pupils will also be given a toolkit of applications to enable them to complete the tasks.

Tracking performance

As pupils work through the test session, everything they do will be tracked by the computer and mapped against the capabilities that they are expected to demonstrate at each level of the national curriculum.

The processes demonstrated are integral to the work pupils undertake normally, such as finding things out, developing ideas and exchanging and sharing information. All the information collected about a pupil's performance will then allow a level to be awarded, along with a profile of individual strengths and weaknesses.

Frequently asked questions

Q1 When will the test be available?

There will be a limited pilot in 2004, involving 81 schools, with materials available for practice and familiarisation for the pilot schools from 2003. Further pilots will take place in 2005 and 2006 (supporting practice materials will be available from autumn 2004).

Q2 Will the test be statutory?

The test is still in early stages of development. No decision has been made as to whether or not the test might become statutory in the future.

Q3 How will schools use the test?

The test is intended to be used as a summative assessment of attainment at the end of key stage 3. Schools will also be provided with practice materials designed to help pupils prepare for the tests, as well as providing analyses of pupil performance that can be used on a formative basis.

Q4 What kind of equipment will be needed to run the test?

The intention is for the tests to run on as wide a range of school equipment as possible. Advice on the hardware and software needed to run the test was provided in the Standards Fund Guidance published by DfES in January 2003.

Q5 How will the test contribute to measuring progress against targets for ICT?

If schools choose to use the test, the feedback provided would help to inform the teacher's own assessment of pupil performance against targets.

Q6 How will the practice materials support teaching and learning?

Because the practice materials will provide feedback about pupil strengths and weaknesses, they can be used formatively by teachers and will, therefore, complement and support the work of the Key Stage 3 Strategy and, in particular, the ICT Framework for Teaching, to drive up standards of teaching and learning by helping to raise the skills and confidence of teachers and pupils.

Q7 Will the results of the test be published?

DfES will use the results of the test as an independent check on attainment against overall national targets, alongside the information already available from teacher assessment. Results will only be published when there is evidence that the test is operating reliably on a national basis.

Q8 Will any funding be available to schools to support the introduction of the test?

Funding for ICT infrastructure in schools is available through the Standards Fund. Training and guidance and practice materials will be available from QCA to help schools to help prepare for and administer the test.

Any enquiries about the test should be directed to ks3ict@qca.org.uk

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How to get involved in the 2005 ICT onscreen test pilot

QCA would like to invite schools to take part in the 2005 pilot for the new onscreen test of ICT at KS3. Details of how to register interest can be found in the attached letter which QCA has sent to headteachers and LEAs.

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