Assessment is the process of obtaining, analysing and interpreting evidence for use by both students and teachers to enable the review, planning and improvement of learning. It is fully integrated with the delivery of the curriculum and is an essential component of effective classroom practice and should be viewed as a continuous cycle.

Formative Assessment

The purpose of formative assessment is to check student understanding during lessons and to enable teaching that is responsive to the information gained from this. Examples of formative assessment include: regular low-stakes testing, use of questioning in class, interrogative and instructional marking, batch or sample marking, feedback lessons, and ‘starter tasks’ that address common misconceptions or require students to retrieve knowledge.

Summative Assessment and Reporting

Formal assessments will take place twice per academic year and results will be shared with parents/carers in the form of an academic report. The academic report will typically include:

• Attainment Data
• Attitude to Learning Data
• Other contextual data such as attendance

Effective systems of summative assessment at Washington Academy will:

1. Help drive improvement for students and teachers
2. Are closely linked to improving the quality of teaching
3. Ensure feedback to students contributes to improved learning
4. Produce recordable measures which can demonstrate comparison against expected standards and reflect progress over time
5. Give reliable information to parents and carers about how their child, and their child’s school, is performing
6. Provide information which is transferable and easily understood and covers both qualitative and quantitative assessment.

Summative assessment is rigorous and should test the acquisition of knowledge and skills over time. At Washington Academy we therefore adopt a cumulative system of assessment meaning that students are supported in developing long-term memory. Summative assessment at Key Stage 4 mirror or prepare the students for terminal assessments taken at the conclusion of their course.