On 1 November 2004 the response to a consultation on assessment, testing and reporting was published as Assessment, Testing and Reporting 3-14: Our Response.
The consultation sought views on important aspects of a proposed new system: Personal Learning Planning and Annual Progress Plans; National Tests; and ways of monitoring national attainment. The results of the consultation showed clearly that people wanted a well-balanced assessment system that put due emphasis on supporting children's learning, as well as providing accurate information about national standards of achievement.
Included in the steps set out in the response document was the commitment to introduce from 2005 a sample-based survey - the Scottish Survey of Achievement - to provide an overview of attainment levels in each education authority and at national level.
It is important for Scottish Ministers to have accurate information about overall levels of attainment, especially in literacy and numeracy, so that they can see how effective education policy has been, and what needs to be done to improve standards for all children.
Until the introduction of SSA, the Scottish Executive (now Scottish Government) gathered information about levels of attainment from local authorities, who in turn gathered it from their schools. The information published by the Executive about local authorities' performance was therefore an aggregate of all the different levels for individual children made by teachers.
That use of attainment information was perceived as putting pressure on teachers to concentrate on a narrow range of skills and 'get children through the tests'. That was not good practice.
The new arrangement introduced in 2005 separated national monitoring from classroom-based assessment of individual pupils' work.
In SSA the Scottish Executive (now Scottish Government) created a robust national monitoring system that provides accurate information about overall standards and trends in achievement. The system is intended to avoid overburdening schools or distorting classroom practice. Other parts of the Assessment is for Learning programme focus on ways of improving pupils’ learning.
See SEED Circular No. 02, June 2005 for a full description.