Scottish Assessment Summit: September 2019
Overview of the Scottish Assessment Summit held on 11 September 2019.
The 2017 to 2018 Scottish National Standardised Assessments (SNSA) User Review, published in August 2018, contained a commitment to holding an assessment summit as part of our response to the first year of the implementation of the SNSA. That commitment was reiterated in the 2019 National Improvement Framework and Improvement Plan.
The Scottish Assessment Summit was held at the University of Edinburgh, John McIntyre Conference Centre, Edinburgh on 11th September 2019.
The purpose of the summit was to reflect on approaches to assessment within the Broad General Education (BGE). Practitioners and academics held workshops and discussion sessions allowing delegates to share good practice in planning curriculum and assessment and consider how approaches could be strengthened further. Around 200 delegates, practitioners, headteachers, local authority staff and regional improvement collaborative leads attended.
The summit was chaired by Professor Sue Ellis from Strathclyde University and there were keynote addresses by:
- John Swinney, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills
- Graeme Logan, Director of Learning, Scottish Government
- Dr Carol Campbell from Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, who is also a member of the International Council of Education Advisers
The event ended with an open Q and A session. Members of the panel were:
- Graeme Logan
- Gayle Gorman, Chief Inspector of Education and Education Scotland Chief Executive
- Dr Carol Campbell
- Professor Geoff Masters, Chief Executive of the Australian Council for Educational Research
You can listen to voice recordings of the keynote addresses and the Q and A session here:
You can also view the presentation slides, where available, on this page.
Various workshops took place throughout the day, led by practitioners, academics, Education Scotland and Scottish Government staff. The workshops gave delegates the opportunity to hear examples of good practice, share experiences and consider and reflect on approaches to assessment. A brief overview of the workshops and copies of the slides presented are provided below.
| Workshop 1 | Refreshed narrative on Scotland's curriculum |
| Led by | Jenny Watson, Education Scotland Malcolm Pentland, Scottish Government |
| Brief description | The Curriculum and Assessment Board has recently overseen work to refresh the narrative on CfE and set it within the current context of Scottish education. This seminar will provide participants with the opportunity to have a preview of the refreshed narrative. |
| Aims of the workshop |
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| Workshop 2 | QAMSO assessment and moderation |
| Led by | Paul Morgan, Education Scotland |
| Brief description | Presentation on how effective practice in assessment and moderation at all levels is being embedded. Evaluating current practice in assessment and moderation and exploring next steps to ensure consistency. |
| Aims of workshop |
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| Workshop 3 | The BGE benchmarking tool and data informed improvement |
| Led by | Jill Pringle, South Lanarkshire Elaine Fitzpatrick, headteacher, St Mary's Primary in Hamilton Martin Hendry, headteacher, St Cuthbert's Primary School |
| Brief description | This workshop will focus on how the BGE benchmarking tool is being used to support collaboration and improvement. |
| Aims of workshop |
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| Workshop 4 | Using insight to inform improvement through data intelligence |
| Led by | Lewis Paterson, Scottish Government |
| Aims of workshop |
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| Workshop 5 | Using SNSA data for individual learners and school improvement |
| Led by | Jaqueline Blair, headteacher, Tarbolton Primary School, South Ayrshire David Leng, Scottish Government |
| Brief description | As part of a whole school assessment model, consider how the SNSA supports learner development, teacher judgement and school improvement. |
| Aims of workshop | Clearly defining the purpose of the SNSA within a whole school assessment model. In particular how the SNSA can:
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| Workshop 6 | Cluster assessment tool |
| Led by | Amanda Hamilton, local authority representative Roddy Graham, practitioner Christine Jones, practitioner |
| Brief description | Sharing practice on cluster moderation, based on the national QAMSO training programme |
| Aims of workshop |
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| Workshop 7 | Response to P1 SNSA: practical support materials and staff development |
| Led by | Professor Sue Ellis Primary practitioners |
| Brief description | Responding to the P1 SNSA. This workshop is for all participants. It will outline practical staff development and support materials for early level literacy |
| Aims of workshop | The P1 practitioner forum advised the development of practical advice on using the SNSA
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Contact
If you have any questions or comments you wish to raise about the Assessment Summit please direct them to the National Improvement Framework Team via nationalimprovementframework@gov.scot
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