Marking for outstanding impact

S.I.R Marking with Outstanding Impact

Chalfonts Community College

Tips on How to Create an Impact with your Marking!

Why is feedback so important?

Feedback is the most powerful, yet, most under used motivation tool that we have at our disposal.

Effective feedback allows students to independently make progress and help sign post their next learning steps .

Effective feedback motivates and allows opportunity for 1:1 teacher dialogue with students.

We should be using feedback :

To identify the strengths and development of learning.

To create dialogue between the student, teachers and other adults.

To create an evidence base of learning and progress over time.

To address misconceptions of learning.

To praise and acknowledge good work and effort.

To EMPOWER and MOTIVATE all learners for a successful future!

I have written valuable strengths and improvements in all students’ books using the SIR guidance.

I have used the CCC Literacy Marking Codes to correct spelling, punctuation and grammar.

I have planned opportunities into lessons for students to respond to marking. I have planned opportunities for peer and self assessment into my lessons.

FOCUS: Improvements Purpose:To create a dialogue between teacher, learners and other adults.

Examples of Improvements

Use positive language that is encouraging… i.e. I really like the way you have…… perhaps you could try……I wonder what would happen if…

Be constructive and concise- one development point might be enough for the student.

Set your expectations out in the improvements or in response time – how much do you want them to write? Is one sentence enough to make a difference? Or do students need to extend their ideas further?

Return to the improvement and offer feedback. Have the students met your expectation and are ready for a new challenge? Do they need to complete this again because it hasn’t had an impact?

Strength, Improvement, ResponseMARKING AND

FEEDBACK

Impact of Improvements:Improvements inform the students about what is missing from their work. The improvements should assist students and should impact on the end result in a summative assessment.

FOCUS: Response TimePurpose:To ensure students have sufficient time to respond to improvements in a focused environment. ‘Fix it Time’ or ‘DIRT’ (directed improvement and reflection time).

Examples of Response Time

Allocate 15 – 20 minutes at the start of a lesson every 2 – 3 weeks which is dedicated to responding to improvements. Explain to the task the importance of this task and what impact it can have on their learning.

Set responses for homework and make the expectation clear – how long should they spend on this and how much should they do. Homework should then be checked to ensure the expectations have been fulfilled.

Strength, Improvement, Response

Impact of Response Time:Students understand the importance of quality responses and edits because specific time is allocated to this. Students should complete this in silence so they are able to personally make progress in their learning.

MARKING AND FEEDBACK

FOCUS: Timely FeedbackPurpose:For feedback to be timely, it must be purposeful. Students should receive feedback whilst their learning is still clear in their mind and while there is still time for them to act on it.

Examples of Feedback

Return work the next lesson, with structured SIR feedback. This way the learning is still fresh in their mind and the responses will have more impact.

Immediate verbal feedback to questions of fact or of misunderstanding. (Students could write this into their books i.e. ‘Mr Bloggs said…’ or ‘VF’ and record your comments)

Pickup on a selection of predetermined errors: to include spelling and grammatical errors , as well as correct content - so that misconceptions are dealt with promptly but students aren’t overwhelmed.

Providing post it notes which give immediate feedback during a lesson.

Response time is built into learning for students to comment on marking the day they receive their feedback .


FEEDBACK

Impact of Good Timing :Students are able to use feedback effectively to develop their work, at a point that is relevant to the development of their class or home learning.

FOCUS: AmountPurpose:To give feedback that is succinct and directs students to improve and progress.


Identify one clear improvement that you want the student to focus on. Be clear on what the action will look like and how the student will achieve it. Pick things that will make a difference.

Use questions to get the students to focus on a specific area of learning. Promote high order thinking by modelling the use of high order questions.

Differentiate the amount of feedback you give, ensuring that it is specific to the learning needs of the individual i.e. reading age , level of challenge needed.

Label strengths and improvements clearly and use green highlighters to show student response.


Impact of Sufficient Amounts of Feedback :Students will receive a manageable amount of feedback that they can easily respond to and action.


FOCUS: MethodPurpose:To meet individual student needs through differentiated feedback.


Feedback can be given in a variety of different ways and not just from you the teacher. Try out self and peer assessment methods alongside use of verbal feedback. One idea is to simply place a colour dot by the work you would like developed or corrected. Students then know to develop one specific area before moving on. Use success criteria to support students when peer or self assessing work and label PA or SA clearly.

Model what you want to be done or how something should look so students can clearly see what is expected of them. Use other students’ work rom a parallel classes or within the same class. This “grade gallery” will allow students to visualise what the product will look like.

Use verbal feedback to convey lengthy information, ask the students to distil the information that you give them in written format. This can be first completed on a whiteboard or post it note. Use the symbol VF in books so this feedback is clear.


Impact of Method:Feedback is given in manageable chunks to suit the learning needs of the student i.e. their progress level, reading age etc. This personalising their learning.


FOCUS: AudiencePurpose:To communicate, through feedback, that the student and their learning is valued.

Examples of Good Audience Feedback

Feedback should be specific to individual student and their specific needs. All students in the class should not have the exact same feedback.

Give group feedback when there is a similarity to the amendments that need to be made to student work. You can use target sheets / success criteria to help with this.

Student names should be used in written feedback i.e. ‘Well done Zoe, you have really focused on ….’


Impact of Audience:Feedback reassures the learner that the feedback is specific to them and their needs in order to progress. You have taken time to feedback; they take time to respond.


FOCUS: ContentsPurpose:To address the person, the objectives of the learning, the effort and the solutions to sustain progress.


Feedback about the task or objective e.g. (S) You have achieved our overall objective to… (I) To move forwards you now need to complete the challenge to…

Feedback about the processing of the task e.g. (S) You have understood the content (I) but you have not analysed the evidence.

Feedback about specific actions

Feedback that addresses effort.

Feedback that is solution focused but also offers choice i.e. what would happen if….


Impact of Sufficient Contents:Students clearly understand why they have completed the task, they know what they personally have done well and they understand what they need to do as a next step. Students have sufficient information to enable them to respond to teacher feedback, showing that they understand what they have been asked to do.


FOCUS: ComparisonPurpose:For students to be able to compare their work with curriculum, exam criteria, past performance or with the work with peers.


Compare work to curriculum or exam criteria e.g. modelling, demonstrating, explaining. Students can extend this by peer or self assessing their own work after seeing a exemplar from an exam board.

Encourage a reluctant student who has improved, but may not have reached target to take those extra steps. They can use the model provided as a guide to how to close the gap in their achievement.


Impact of Comparison:Students will have a benchmark for their learning, this will motivate and encourage students to have high expectations of themselves and lead to progress.


FOCUS: FunctionPurpose:To describe the work of the student i.e. what you see, how close to the learning target they are and what you think will help them improve.


Identify strengths and weaknesses.

Explain what you see in the work.

Be specific about what will make a difference e.g. to achieve the learning objective you need to…


FEEDBACK

Impact of Function:Students feel that you have looked at their work thoroughly, they are aware of what they have done well and what they need to do to improve. They understand how much they have learnt during a lesson.

FOCUS: PositivityPurpose:To use positive comments that inspire and empower the learners, describing what has been done well and how they might improve.

Examples of Positive Feedback

Use positive language that will encourage… i.e. ‘I really like the way you have…’, ‘I wonder what would happen if…’

Give helpful insights.

Make suggestions rather than being prescriptive. E.g. To improve this further, perhaps you might want to try…


FEEDBACK

Impact of Positivity:Empowers students to try harder next time, to address areas of weakness and to remain focus on achieving their desired goal. Understanding their strengths should motivate them on to further success.

FOCUS: High ExpectationsPurpose:Have high expectations of students’ first drafts and re-drafts in the SIR process to ensure that students are always handing in their ‘best’ work.

Examples of High Expectations

Set clear guidelines on how much you want the students to complete in a response. Will one sentence have an impact on their achievement?

Set high expectations regarding the environment responses are completed in to ensure students are focused.

Ensure students check and proof read their work before handing it in for feedback. Careless errors and unfinished work should be picked up upon; make the students amend this before you give feedback.


FEEDBACK

Impact of High Expectations:Students complete all tasks to a high standard and rely on themselves to proof read and check work before waiting for feedback from their teacher.

FOCUS: LiteracyPurpose:To ensure all teachers are teachers of Literacy and the students understand the importance of good literacy in all subject areas.

Examples of Literacy Marking

Use the Literacy Marking Code to identify errors and then get students to correct them and highlight changes in green.

Students should correct spelling errors and re-write these three times.

Ensure students check and proof read their work before handing it in for feedback. Careless literacy errors should be changed by the students; remind them of previous literacy targets before they hand work in so progress is evident.


FEEDBACK

Impact of Literacy Marking:Students make progress with their writing abilities which benefits all examination subjects and SPG. Students leave school equipped with the skills required for life.

Inadequate RI Good Outstanding Presentation

Blue/ black ink

Underlining date &

title

Graffiti free

Lines drawn with

rulers

Teachers do not have

sufficiently high or consistent

expectations of pupils resulting

in poor presentation

Teachers do not have sufficiently high

or consistent expectations of pupils

resulting in some students not

presenting their work to an acceptable

standard

Teachers have high expectations of

pupils with regard to presentation.

Work is consistently meeting the

requirements of the CCC presentation

policy.

All adults have consistently high expectations of

all pupils resulting in work being presented to a

very high standard. The presentation of some

work will demonstrate creativity and

individuality whilst still meeting high

expectations.

Marking / Marking code

Every 2 weeks core,

every 3 weeks non-

core

CCC literacy marking

code is used

Work is not marked regularly.

Marking has no impact on

progress.

Marking is regular, but an insufficient

range of codes are used therefore

literacy is not being addressed. Marking

has a limited impact on progress.

Regular marking, using a range of codes

and is having an impact on the progress

of most pupils. Literacy errors are

corrected by the students.

Marking is precise and a range of codes are used

effectively. Marking is frequent and has a

significant impact on the progress pupils make.

Students are clearly making progress in literacy.

Improvement Comments

Relate to LO/ success

criteria / individual

targets

Precise direction for

next steps

Improvement comments are

not evident or not well matched

to pupils’ level of attainment.

Next steps are unrealistic.

Improvement comments are mainly

related to LOs but lack precision. Next

steps are not clear enough for pupils to

understand and act on.

Improvement comments enable most

pupils to know their exact next steps.

Improvements are well matched to

pupils.

Improvement comments are always precise and

very well matched to pupils needs.

Pupil Responses

Regular

Planned

Relevant

Highlighted in green

There is no evidence that pupils

have had the opportunity to

respond to marking and so the

progress is slow.

Pupils have some opportunities to

respond to marking. The pupil

responses are not always relevant to

the comments therefore there is

limited progress over time.

Pupils have regular opportunities to

respond to improvement comments.

Their response is relevant and

demonstrates that they have

understood what is required and made

progress as a result.

There is an on-going regular dialogue between

the adults and pupils that is precisely focused on

next steps. This demonstrates that students

have made significant progress over time.

Range and Appropriateness

of Work

Wide range of work

Differentiation

Appropriate quantity

There is limited variety of work

and activities are not well

matched to student’s individual

needs. The quantity of work is

insufficient.

There is a range of work and activities

are matched to pupil’s needs. The

quantity of work for most of the

students is adequate.

There is a good range of work and

activities that are well matched to all

students in the group. The quantity of

work is good for all pupils.

There is a broad range of work and activities are

exceptionally well matched to the needs of all

pupils. The quantity of work is better than

expected for all students.

Peer and Self-Assessment &

Verbal Feedback

Structured and

supported by the

teacher

Moderated

There is no evidence of

structured peer or self-

assessment or verbal feedback.

Verbal feedback has been used but

there is no evidence of reflection or

impact. Peer or self-assess is evident

but is not used in conjunction with a

structured success criteria so has little

impact. PA or SA is not moderated by

the teacher.

PA, SA and VF is well supported and

structured by the teachers. Students

record their VF and there is evidence

they are responding to this.

PA, SA and VF is planned for and supported and

moderated by the teacher. Students are

successfully equipped to reflect on their own or

other’s work. There is evidence that this

feedback is having an impact of student

progress.

Marking for outstanding impact

Education

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