Assessment is for Learning
Glossary
This glossary explains terms used in AifL - Assessment is for Learning. It is not intended to be exhaustive in educational terms, nor does it include an explanation of every word used in the case study extracts. Instead, it seeks to clarify meanings in order to remove potential barriers to understanding and help the reader to appreciate the messages intended more fully.
Keyword search
| National Assessments 5-14 | Assessment materials designed to support the 5-14 curriculum. Developed in collaboration with AifL - Assessment is for Learning, these are intended as one element of a range of evidence to be used by teachers in Scottish schools to confirm their judgements about pupils' levels of attainment in English language (reading and writing) and mathematics. These assessments have replaced the former National Tests. |
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| National Priorities in Education | The 2000 Act identifies Scottish Ministers' five national priorities in education: Achievement and Attainment; Framework for Learning; Inclusion and Equality; Values and Citizenship; and Learning for Life. Local education authorities and schools set out their own targets and objectives around the broad headings. Achievement and Attainment is focused principally on the core skills of literacy and numeracy and in examination results. A Framework for Learning surrounds both teachers and pupils, with the aim of enhancing the school and learning environment. There are also commitments to Inclusion and Equality, encompassing issues such as disability and special educational needs, and to Gaelic and other minority languages. Attention is also paid to Values and Citizenship, and to the promotion of a culture of lifelong learning, ambition and creativity. |
| National Tests | In mathematics and in the reading and writing outcomes of the English language curriculum, these were part of the overall assessment strategy introduced in 1991. They have now been superseded by National Assessments 5-14. |
| New Community School | A school whose doors are open to those of all ages living within its surrounding area. Facilities and resources are made available to meet the learning and social needs of the community. Many such schools are now called Integrated Community Schools and facilitate collaboration among various agencies working in education, social work and health. |
| Next steps | Assessment advice aimed at bridging the gap between present performance and desired goal. Advice on next steps should point to the most immediate action to be taken to bring about improvement. In Assessment is for Learning next steps apply to learners of all ages. |
| No hands up | A questioning strategy where pupils are not allowed to raise their hands if they know the answer. By establishing a rule of 'no hands up' in a question-and-answer session, distractions are reduced and pupils have more time to think. Because of this, everyone is expected to be able to offer an answer. |
| No marks homework | Work carried out outside class and assessed without awarding grades or marks. Pupils may self-assess by using traffic lighting, which involves assigning red, amber or green traffic lights to indicate levels of confidence; or teachers may advise in the form of comments, as a method of bridging the gap between present performance and desired goal. |
| Norm | A rule or a pattern that conforms to an authoritative or accepted standard. It also has statistical relevance – a norm-referenced test or examination, for instance, is one in which participants' grades depend on their position in the distribution of scores around the mean. In one version of this, a C grade would be achieved by those scoring around the mean, an A by those whose score is one standard deviation or more above the mean and an E by those one standard deviation or more below it. |
| NQ (National Qualifications) | A single unified system of National Qualifications replacing the separate systems of academic and vocational qualifications which operated in Scotland until 1999. This system, which is managed by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), ensures that learners receive recognised awards for their achievements. National Qualifications are available at five levels: Access, Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2, Higher and Advanced Higher. |
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