As a national system of monitoring performance, the SSA offers a number of benefits.

• SSA provides reliable data about pupils’ learning.
  SSA is a robust national monitoring system that provides reliable information about overall standards and trends in achievement, without overburdening schools or distorting classroom practice. The findings of surveys are of value to Ministers, education authorities, schools, teachers and the wider public.

• SSA measures differences.
  SSA shows the differences in learning between girls and boys, and between age groups. In each survey some of the assessments from previous years are repeated to allow direct comparisons to be made from survey to survey. Over time, it shows how learning in Scotland is changing. All this provides valuable information that would not otherwise be available.

• SSA shows strengths and weakness in learning.
  SSA provides more than headline figures about performance.  Because of the scale of surveys, SSA is able to highlight those aspects of their learning where pupils perform well, and those where they are weaker. This information is helpful in planning teaching programmes and targeting resources.

• SSA provides valuable information about approaches to learning and teaching.
  Each survey includes questionnaires for teachers and pupils, focusing mainly on their classroom experience.  The information gathered provides information about teaching methodologies and how teachers and pupils spend their time in class. The questionnaires also gather information about how pupils spend their leisure time by asking questions about, for example, sport and hobbies.

• SSA can help schools and authorities with their improvement planning.
  The findings of surveys are reported at a national level and at authority level for authorities who choose this.  These findings provide a sound basis for comparison. For example, schools can compare the performance of their pupils, based on the evidence they have collected from classwork, with what is happening in Scotland as a whole. They can then reflect on the results of this comparison and plan accordingly.

• SSA provides development opportunities for teachers.
  In most surveys there are opportunities for teachers to work as field officers (carrying out practical assessments) or moderators (moderating examples of pupils’ writing). For each survey local authorities are asked to nominate teachers as field officers and moderators. The teachers are trained to carry out these tasks and encouraged to share their experiences with colleagues following the survey. They make a valuable contribution to the survey and in turn gain valuable experience in terms of continuing professional development.