National tests to go online with individuality in focus
Numeracy and reading tests are under way for children in Years 2 to 9. However, pupils should not be revising. Education editor Abbie Wightwick reports
PUPILS aged seven to 14 across Wales are taking national tests in numeracy and reading from now until May 9, but the Welsh Government says they should not be revising for them.
This set of tests will also be the last taken solely on paper, with a move to a unique online system next year.
The national tests, taken by children in Years 2 to 9, are aimed at assessing how pupils are progressing based on what they are learning in class.
Results are used to gauge individual achievement and are used to measure school performance, the Welsh Government said.
The three tests are in reading, procedural numeracy and numerical reasoning, with reading lasting one hour and the other two tests 30 minutes each.
The Welsh Government said the aim is to assess individual pupil progress to find out where they need more help and where their strengths and weaknesses lie.
For that reason schools are advised not to give up class time to prepare pupils, who should also not revise for them.
Parents and carers will be told their child’s individual results for each of the three tests by the end of this term.
From next year all the tests will start going online, with a national testing system tailor-made to individual pupils being developed by the Welsh Government with consortium-led assessment design specialist firm AlphaPlus Consultancy.
Like the current paper tests, the new online versions will be available in Welsh and English to assess reading and numeracy skills covered in the school curriculum.
New personalised online assessments are being developed which will better map individual progress rather than comparisons with peers.
Schools and teachers across Wales have been working with the Welsh Government to trial and review assessment materials, with expert advice including academics from Durham University’s CEM assessment research centre, and digital assessment experts from Denmark and the Netherlands.
In future pupils will take the tests on screen, with procedural numeracy taken online by pupils from next school year, followed by reading in 2019-20 and numerical reasoning in 2020-21.
The Welsh Government says having the tests online means parents and teachers will get more detailed information on progress and the tests can be more tailored to the individual pupils taking them.
A vast bank of questions will be inputted and an algorithm will adjust the questions to the learner depending on how they answer each question.
Questions will become harder or easier depending on the level they are at, until the system has gathered enough information about their skills.
The programme for the whole suite of assessments including numerical reasoning will be unique to Wales, but similar computer programmes for national tests which change with the pupils’ answers already operate in countries including Australia, Denmark, Ireland and Scotland – but not England.
A Welsh Government spokesman said: “The purpose of the national tests is to provide schools with information on the reading and numeracy skills of their learners. The tests are based on the curriculum in Wales and the skills set out in the National Literacy and Numeracy Framework.
“Schools have always used a variety of tests to check how well children are doing, but the national tests provide consistent information on learners’ development and progress. This information will add to what your child’s teacher knows about their reading and numeracy from their work every day in the classroom and can be used to help plan next steps in teaching and learning.”
Tests online means teachers get more detailed information on progress WELSH GOVERNMENT