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Assessment & Impact
Included in this scheme are various assessments, all of which have been designed to minimise teacher workload.
It is widely accepted that the intricacies of word knowledge make vocabulary assessment difficult. Vocabulary and comprehension are multi-dimensional, incremental, context dependent and develop across a lifetime. As a result, they simply do not lend themselves to simplistic, singular measures. (NICHD, 2000)
However, we understand that schools need to demonstrate progress and impact. Therefore, we have embraced the research, taken best practices and embedded this within the scheme.
There are four main elements of assessment in this scheme:
1. Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS)
The Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS) is a self-report assessment that aligns with Dale’s incremental stages of word learning. While this assessment isn’t intended to test a student’s nuanced understanding of a word across various contexts, it effectively measures vocabulary knowledge. Research indicates that a well-designed VKS is both efficient and sensitive in quantifying word knowledge gains. Moreover, VKS assessments empower students by enabling them to track their progress and boost their confidence in word acquisition.
2. Have you cracked the code?
At the end of every unit, students complete a lesson entitled “Have You Cracked the Code?” These lessons serve as disguised assessments. Innovative puzzles, quizzes, knowledge organizers, and Bingo are just some of the ways we revisit prior learning, consolidate understanding, and provide students of all abilities with the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned. These tasks can be self- or peer-assessed. For speed and ease, all answers are included in the teaching presentations.
3. End-of-unit assessment
Our end-of-unit assessments consist of ten multiple-choice questions. These assessments have been meticulously designed to evaluate students’ depth of understanding related to the taught vocabulary. Beck et al.'s (2013) recommended test formats, which incorporate nuanced sentences, definitions, examples, non-examples, synonym recognition, antonym identification, and contextual responses, are integrated into these assessments. Students can quickly self-assess or peer-assess their performance. Additionally, scores can be effortlessly collected and recorded using programs like SIMS to track progress across the entire school, a specific cohort, or a targeted group.
4. Retrieval
Every new lesson begins with a few moments of retrieval. Embracing Rosenshine’s principles, and looking back at prior learning before new learning takes place, these quick and interactive multiple-choice questions assess students’ progress on a regular basis, allowing teachers to see any gaps in knowledge and provide additional clarification and explanation.