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Key Stage 3 Mid Term Assessment Report (MTA)

Key Stage 3 Progress Review

How We Assess Your Child's Progress

This page explains how we will track, assess and report on the progress your child is making on their learning journey through Braunton Academy.

 

Rationale

Braunton Academy is an effort driven school where we firmly believe that all students can achieve their potential through hard work, 100% effort every day and an aspirational mindset. Here at Braunton Academy we assess each student at three points throughout the year and report back to parents in November, March and June. Information will be provided on Engagement in Learning, Presentation & Organisation, Homework & Independent Learning and a progress indicator.

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Key Stage 3 'Mastery' of Knowledge, Skills and Understanding

Each subject across the curriculum has identified key learning objectives relating to the fundamental aspects of knowledge, skills and understanding that students need to grasp within their programme of study for each year. Working towards ‘mastery’ of these key concepts helps students to continue to make good progress over time.

 

By continuous assessment of class and home learning, teachers are able to assess how their students are progressing in relation to each of these elements and will make judgements using the following terms:

 

Key Stage 3 Mastery Target (Starting Profile)

The KS3 Mastery Target (Starting Profile) is the ‘Minimum’ target that your child is expected to achieve by the end of key stage 3 in all of their subjects. This target is produced based on the results of your child's SATs or CATs tests in year 6 or 7 and is the same process for allocating KS4 starting profiles for GCSE.

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‘Mastering’ as a term is interpreted as being a state of knowledge, skill or understanding whereby the student can independently and convincingly explain the ‘how’ or ‘why’ aspects of their learning or that they can apply their learning comfortably in new contexts. The KS3 targets of ‘extending’, ‘securing’, ‘developing’ and ‘emerging’ would indicate how far the student has come in terms of their mastery of the required elements for each subject.  

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Mastery Targets are:-

 

Emerging

Description: The student must demonstrate some understanding of skills, concepts and knowledge in each subject.

Broad GCSE Range for years 10 & 11: Grade 1

 

Developing 

Description: The student must demonstrate a broader understanding and some application of skills, concepts and knowledge in each subject.

Broad GCSE Range for years 10 & 11: Grade 2-3

 

Securing 

Description: The student must demonstrate consistent understanding and application of skills, concepts and knowledge in each subject.

Broad GCSE Range for years 10 & 11: Grade 4-5

 

Extending

Description: The student must demonstrate application and understanding of skills, concepts and knowledge in contexts beyond those taught in each subject.

Broad GCSE Range for years 10 & 11: Grade 6-7

 

Mastering

Description: Can independently and convincingly explain the 'how and 'why' aspects of their learning and can apply their learning comfortably in new contexts in each subject.

Broad GCSE Range for years 10 & 11: Grade 8-9

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Measuring Progress

When students join Braunton Academy they arrive with knowledge, skills and understanding developed throughout their primary school education. Using the data information from their CATs or SATs results, students will be assigned a ‘Key Stage 3 Mastery Target'. From this starting point, we can then chart a likely progress path at GCSE. Throughout Key Stages 3 and 4 we can then track and monitor their progress towards this likely progress. This ‘Key Stage 3 Mastery Target' applies to ALL subjects.

 

 

Rapid progress is being made if the student assessment outcomes increase in Year 7, 8 and 9.  This is likely to lead to the students MTA having an 'Above Target' progress indicator if it is above their KS3 Mastery Target.

 

For example:

Year 7 assessments = Securing

Year 8  assessments = Extending

Year 9  assessments = Mastering

 

Good progress is being made if the student achieves the same assessment outcomes in Year 7, 8 and 9 because the standard needed to achieve that outcome gets progressively more challenging. This is likely to lead to the students MTA having a 'On Target' progress indicator if it is in line with their KS3 Mastery Target.​

For example:

Year 7 assessments =  Extending

Year 8  assessments =  Extending

Year 9  assessments =  Extending

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Insufficient progress is being made if the student assessment outcomes fall during Key Stage 3. This is likely to lead to the students MTA having a 'Below Target' progress indicator.

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For example:

Year 7 assessments = Extending

Year 8  assessments = Securing

Year 9  assessments = Developing

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Engagement in Learning, Presentation & Organisation and Homework & Independent Learning

All students are awarded Engagement in Learning, Presentation & Organisation, Homework & Independent Learning grades on a scale of 1-4 for most subjects at every assessment point. Students are awarded the Engagement in Learning, Presentation & Organisation, Homework & Independent Learning grades which best describes their characteristics as a learner. This is monitored closely throughout the year with intervention support available if this falls below Braunton Academy expectations.

 

 

Criteria

 

Engagement in Learning Descriptors

 

Grade 1 – Excellent

  • You always engage in your learning with interest and enthusiasm.

  • You always complete learning tasks to the best of your ability.

  • You participate actively in paired or group tasks.

  • You work very effectively when given independent tasks.

  • You use your knowledge, skills and understanding of the subject to help you to find solutions to problems and ways forward with your learning.

  • You respond thoughtfully to teacher or peer feedback.

 

Grade 2 – Good

  • You usually engage in your learning with interest and enthusiasm.

  • Most of your learning tasks are completed to the best of your ability.

  • You participate actively in paired or group tasks.

  • You work effectively when given independent tasks.

  • You usually use your knowledge, skills and understanding of the subject to help you to find solutions to problems and ways forward with your learning.

  • You respond actively to teacher or peer feedback.

 

Grade 3 – Cause for Concern

  • You need to engage in your learning with more interest and enthusiasm.

  • Not all of your work is completed to the best of your ability.

  • You sometimes work well in paired or group activities.

  • You sometimes work effectively when given independent tasks.

  • You need to think more about how you can best use your knowledge, skills and understanding of the subject to help you to find solutions to problems and ways forward with your learning.

  • You need to respond more actively to teacher or peer feedback.

 

Grade 4 – Serious Cause for Concern

  • Your engagement in your learning is inconsistent and is affecting your progress.

  • You are not yet working to the best of your ability in the subject.

  • You need to consider how you can make positive contributions to pair or group work.

  • Independent tasks are not yet completed effectively.

  • You need to consider how you can build on your knowledge, skills and understanding of the subject to help you to find solutions to problems and ways forward with your learning.

  • You need to respond to teacher or peer feedback.

 

Presentation and Organisation Descriptors

 

Grade 1 – Excellent

  • You are always organised for your lessons.

  • You always have the correct equipment so that you are ready to learn.

  • You meet your classwork and homework deadlines.

  • Work in your exercise books /folders etc. is always well-presented.

 

Grade 2 – Good

  • You are nearly always organised for your lessons.

  • You nearly always have the correct equipment so that you are ready to learn.

  • You usually meet your classwork and homework deadlines.

  • Work in your exercise books / folders etc. is mostly well-presented.

 

Grade 3 – Cause for Concern

  • There are some occasions when you are not organised for your lessons.

  • You do not always have the necessary equipment and so are not always ready to learn.

  • You sometimes do not meet your classwork and homework deadlines.

  • You do not always follow the Academy’s guidelines on presentation and so some work is untidy.

 

Grade 4 – Serious Cause for Concern

  • You are frequently not organised for your lessons.

  • You often fail to bring the correct equipment and so you are often not ready to learn.

  • You often fail to meet your classwork and homework deadlines.

  • Your work is presented untidily.

 

Homework/Independent Learning

 

Grade 1 – Excellent

  • You self-manage your independent tasks extremely well.

  • You plan, organise and complete tasks to the best of your ability.

  • You always meet your deadlines.

  • Your independent work shows that you are making excellent progress in your learning towards developing the knowledge, skills and understanding you need for the subject.

 

Grade 2 – Good

  • You usually self-manage your independent tasks well.

  • You usually plan, organise and complete tasks to the best of your ability.

  • You usually meet your deadlines.

  • Your independent work shows that you are making good progress in your learning towards developing the knowledge, skills and understanding you need for the subject.

 

Grade 3 – Cause for Concern

  • You need to focus more on self-managing your independent tasks.

  • You need to consider the way that you plan, organise and complete tasks.

  • You sometimes fail to meet your deadlines.

  • Your independent work shows that you are making some progress in your learning towards developing the knowledge, skills and understanding you need for the subject.

 

Grade 4 – Serious Cause for Concern

  • You have not yet established how to work independently.

  • You need to work hard to plan, organise and complete tasks seeking help where necessary.

  • You regularly fail to meet your deadlines.

  • Your independent work does not yet reflect your progress towards developing the knowledge, skills and understanding you need for the subject.

 

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Progress Indicator

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Above Target  – Likely to achieve higher than their KS3 Mastery Target if continued to the end of year 9.

 

On Target – Likely to achieve their KS3 Mastery Target if continued to the end of year 9.

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Below Target – Likely to achieve below or significantly below their KS3 Mastery Target if continued to the end of year 9.

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Click here to download the Key Stage 3 Learning Journey to find out what opportunities are available to our students and when they take place.

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Click here to download a Mid Term Assessments (MTAs) Progress Report Explanation

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Click here to download Mid Term Assessment Reports Information

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Below is the Braunton Academy assessment timetable for this academic year (2023 - 2024).  This will be useful to know when to expect to receive your child's Mid Term Assessment Report (MTA).  

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  • MTAs are produced three times a year by the Academy and is where subject teachers report on your child's progress.

  • What to expect - students will bring a paper copy of this home to their parents/carers on the specific dates detailed below.

  • Academy Website - all information regarding the key stage 3 Mid Term Assessment Reports can be found below.

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