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Assessment using the P scales: best fit – fit for the purpose?
Author(s) -
Martin Andrew
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
british journal of special education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.349
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1467-8578
pISSN - 0952-3383
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8578.2006.00417.x
Subject(s) - curriculum , consistency (knowledge bases) , scale (ratio) , psychology , mathematics education , moderation , statutory law , foundation stage , data collection , computer science , pedagogy , sociology , social psychology , artificial intelligence , political science , geography , cartography , law , social science
In this article, Andrew Martin, deputy headteacher at Greenside School in Stevenage, provides an outline of the development of the P scales as an assessment tool for pupils working below Level 1 of the National Curriculum. He recounts the difficulties his school found in using P scales to track pupil progress from year to year and describes and evaluates a computer package which he devised in order to fulfil this function. He goes on to discuss current issues in the use of P scales, many of which were highlighted through use of the computer package. These issues include inconsistency in the use of the P scales; variations in pupil profiles; difficulties over making ‘best fit’ judgements; the need for moderation; and relationships with other curriculum and assessment systems in the school years and in the Foundation Stage. Andrew Martin closes his article with a call for consistency in approaches to assessment, particularly in view of the fact that P scale assessments are to be collected as part of statutory end of key stage data collection arrangements in future.