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CEM and other forms of assessment help to personalise teaching and learning
At Wendover Online School, our small class sizes of up to six pupils means we can tailor our teaching to meet the needs of the individual students. In addition, we use a range of assessments across the school year to find out how we can support each student’s individual learning needs, and to measure progress so that we can focus our help.
In many cases, students will not be aware of these assessments or will take them easily in their stride. There is no pressure to perform, because the assessments are designed to help students learn – in contrast to formal examinations.
To help you understand the various types of assessment that we use across a school year, here’s a quick guide.
Initial assessment
Before students start at our online school, we carry out an initial assessment as part of our admissions process. This assessment gives us important insights which help us to understand how we can engage effectively with the student to help them learn:
Identifying any special educational needs
Initial assessments help to identify any learning or special educational needs at an early stage. We can then work together to find the best way to support these needs throughout the student’s time with us.
Discovering the student’s interests
This initial assessment also gives us insights into the student’s interests. With small class sizes, our teachers can build lessons around ideas or hobbies that interest specific individuals, giving each child opportunities to engage, ask questions and grow in confidence.
Diagnostic assessments
‘Diagnostic’ assessments are used by teachers at the start of a course or unit to identify what a student knows, or can do, at the outset. There is no pressure on students to ‘perform’, as the assessment simply helps us to spot gaps in knowledge and skills so that we can plan lessons appropriately.
One of the key advantages of Wendover’s small class sizes is that our teachers get to know students as individuals and can pitch lessons at the right level – allowing students to catch up with core topics, or to forge ahead when they are secure in their understanding.
CEM baseline assessment
Learning is most effective when teachers have good insight into the learning needs and capabilities of each student. At Wendover, our expert teachers have selected the CEM baseline assessment as the best baseline assessment tool to help us support students in Years 7-13 (secondary school and A-level students).
What is CEM?
The Cambridge Centre for Evaluating and Monitoring (Cambridge CEM) provides baseline assessments and accompanying data to benchmark student potential. It provides a huge quantity of information about the level each student might achieve in formal examinations at the end of their study, in a wide range of different subjects.
When do students take the Cambridge CEM?
Students take this benchmark assessment within the first few weeks of starting at Wendover. The CEM matches results against national statistics to provide insights into the ability of the student (instead of looking at attainment, for example in past exams).
What does the Cambridge CEM cover?
CEM covers areas such as verbal and non-verbal reasoning and maths patterns, helping the student and teacher understand the level at which a student is operating in relation to national standards.
Students do not need to worry about or prepare for the CEM assessment, because it looks at ability rather than what the student has learned. The online test is adaptive, so follows up with different questions according to the student’s responses. Once the assessments have been completed, the results will be shared with you.
Ongoing ‘formative’ assessment
‘Formative’ assessment is simply the process of continual evaluation during learning, used to improve both teaching and learning. This informal style of assessment continues throughout the online schooling year, as our expert teachers keep track of whether students are learning, and provide feedback to help them improve.
As an online school with small class sizes, we can easily adapt lessons to give students more time on a subject, or take a different approach to explaining a concept according to the students’ individual learning needs.
(In contrast, ‘summative assessment’ is the more formal type of testing that takes place at the end of a course or unit to evaluate what a student has learned in comparison to national benchmarks. Examples of summative assessments are year-end, GCSE and A-level exams.)
How we use assessments to improve learning
Online schooling at Wendover gives pupils the benefits of freedom from the classroom, combined with personalised learning. Our expert staff work throughout the academic year to understand each student and find their motivation, adapting their live lessons to deliver a full and rounded curriculum that inspires each child.
Assessments are a key tool, providing information and insights that help us tailor our teaching to get the best from every pupil. CEM and our internal assessments are used to inform teachers about the strengths and development areas of each student. We then rely on our teaching experience and expert understanding of the online learning environment to develop strategies that work for each of them.
Looking at the whole picture
To get the full picture of how a student is progressing and how we might be able to help them do better, we look at their learning from every angle. This includes checking:
- How the student has performed in the past
- What we know about the student’s previous school experience
- What we know of any additional needs
- CEM predictions as to their affinity for certain subjects, and how they are likely to perform if encouraged in such subjects
- Evaluation of how the student is actually performing.
Building a learning strategy for each student
Looking at all the evidence, together with our practical insights from online lessons and communications with parents, we put together a strategy to help each child do their best through our online schooling. This includes:
- Identifying any issues or barriers to learning
- Supporting students to overcome any such issues
- Working out how we can support the student to become a confident learner
- Helping them to choose subjects to study in the future.
Working in partnership with parents
Whether your family has chosen online schooling or a bricks and mortar school, your child’s education benefits from a supportive relationship between parents or carers and teachers.
Sharing information
We share information about CEM assessments with our students and their parents, so that everyone is aware of the aims and how the assessments are useful – and we are always happy to talk to students and their parents about any aspect of their education.
We also share with parents the insights and strategies we are putting in place to support their child – perhaps helping them to overcome anxiety about a particular subject due to previous experiences, and explain what they can do to help.
Parents also helpfully share any relevant information such as changes in their child’s mental, physical or emotional health. In a school where we get to know our students well, we can make sure that our team are quickly aware of any challenges and support the student in finding coping mechanisms.
Helping our students to fulfil their potential – and enjoy their education!
At Wendover, our online schooling is based on every child having a personalised learning experience. We put the student first, using a range of tools to build a learning strategy to support every child in reaching their full potential.
Our assessments and insights all help us personalise the learning experience, nurturing the ability of every student whilst ensuring they have access to personal tutors who will look out for both their educational and personal welfare.
Best of all, we also hope that this detailed understanding of each student will help us inspire a curiosity and confidence that will last them a lifetime.
Learn more about our tailored approach by visiting how small class sizes and expert online teaching are a winning formula.
