Baseline Assessments

At Trentham Academy we measure progress from the time students start in Year 7 until they finish in Year 11.

When students arrive with us in Year 7 we complete a baseline line assessment using an adaptive assessment called MidYIS. For students arriving at other times in Years 7-9, they also complete the MidYIS assessment. When students reach the end of Year 9, they complete the Yellis assessment to update their proposed targets for GCSE and equivalent courses. Students joining Trentham Academy in Year 10 or 11 will also complete this baseline Yellis assessment written for the older age group. These baseline assessments tell us how your child should progress in each subject.

The Parent/Student Support Hub for these adaptive assessments can be accessed here: https://www.cem.org/parent-student-support-hub if you would like to read about them or watch a video about them.

Target Setting

The baseline assessments give an indication of likely outcomes for students at the end of Year 11. We do not share these with students in Years 7 and 8 but teachers use them to judge whether students are making the expected progress needed in Years 7 and 8 to secure a strong foundation for their KS4 studies and outcomes.

From Year 9, students are given a target called a Personal Student Expectation (PSE) for each subject. This is based on the Yellis baseline test and is a target for the end of the course in Year 11. It can be increased by the subject teacher if a student makes exceptional progress, but it will not be decreased. It is shown on all reports to parents/carers.

Measuring Progress

We measure the progress of all students each term. In most subjects, we do this by giving written assessments to the students that cover all work taught in a subject prior to the assessment. This means they include more topics as the year progresses. For PE, Dance, and Performing Arts, Year 7 and 8 students are assessed in practical lessons against a list of skills they have learnt.

For Years 7 and 8, subject teachers judge whether students are progressing at the expected rate. They award the letters as follows:

A	Working above the expected rate of progress	+ / = / – indicates how securely how this rate is met
O	Working at the expected rate of progress
T	Working towards the expected rate of progress

For years 9,10 and 11, subject teachers predict a grade for the end of the course. The grade given indicates the likely outcome in Year 11 if they continue working as they are at the time of the report.

Student Progress Reports

Parents/Carers receive a Student Progress Report for their child after each Assessment Update; this is usually towards the end of each term. These reports contain all the information described above and inform parents/carers of the progress of their child in all their subjects.