What makes Connecting Steps such a powerful system is its ability to be flexible depending upon the school or situation. Connecting Steps gives teachers the tools to monitor and track progress in the tiniest of increments. Pupil achievemtns can then be summarised in a number of ways for different people.

Formative vs Summative

Summative assessment is summarising the learning at the end. This could be the end of a topic, end of the term or the end of the year. You summarise what was learnt by the pupil in the time frame. The assessment is generally broader in nature and due to this has less to offer.

Formative assessments is ongoing assessment and can show the path of learning and the individual steps. As it is ongoing, you can show when skills were learnt and the pattern, this can help shape future learning.

Once a pupil is assessed in either method, the information can be used formatively to plan the next steps, but as the summative assessment is more of a summary of learning and contains less detail, it is less useful in looking into the pupils learning.

Connecting Steps can be used either formatively or summatively, but is most effective when used for formative assessment. The small steps in Connecting Steps lend themselves to being looked at and updated on a regular basis, recording the small steps achieved and then using the different screens to summarise the data.

Teachers find it easier using Connecting Steps on an ongoing basis, updating their assessments daily, weekly or fortnightly. Little and often makes the process easier and by looking at the next steps, allows teachers to use the previous achievements to plan the next steps (Assessment for Learning) and then allows the teachers to track the steps made.

By only assessing once or twice a year with a detailed assessment system increases the teachers workload. The teacher needs to record a lot of data and generally doesn't enter all the details, just a summary of the pupils learning to date. They may miss out the steps involved in achieving an assessment point, they may miss out skills learned earlier on that may of been forgotten. By contrast using a less detailed assessment system or just giving a level at the end of the year is easier for teachers, but does not give any information about pupil learning, not the steps made, next steps, pupils strengths or pupils weaknesses. This brief summary cannot be used to track the pupils learning and progression cannot be shown within a level. Unless a pupil achieves a levels progression in a year, no progression can be shown.

Connecting Steps is an easy to use, easy to update assessment system designed to show individual pupil learning, show the progression made and give information back to teachers, parents and senior management.

Recording and viewing Achievements

Connecting Steps is generally used just on the computer, printing out reports when needed. Entering data directly into the software is the quickest and easiest way of using the assessment system. The software can be used in different ways in different schools. Some teachers may prefer to work by printing out the assessment sheets and recording on paper in the classroom, the data can be entered back into the software at a later date.

SENCOs in mainstream schools or inclusion units may find it easier to print out sheets and give them to the class teachers for planning and to record the achievements. The SENCO can then input the data before printing out new sheets. The individual assessment sheets are a great tool for understanding how a level is made up of different skills and by looking at the breakdown, allows teachers who aren't familiiar with the level to plan

The software can be used on a network, on standalone machines or a combination of the two. The software can be installed on the school network and be accessed throughout the school, information entered on one computer is instantly visible to all computers. Teachers unbelievably aren't always in school, so the software can also be installed on their laptops. Teachers can then transfer data between their laptop and the school network. Teachers can work on the software in school and on the software at home on their laptop, the data is merged when brought back into school.

Connecting Steps is designed to be as flexible as possible to fit into the way you work within your school.

Entering Pupil Achievements

Pupils may learn new skills quickly or it may take going over new skills repeatedly for a pupil to become confident with the new skill they have learnt, teachers can show tihs by recording different achievements. Using the different levels of achievement, it is possible track one of our assessment points from when it was first encountered right the way through to completion using the below statements:

• Encoutner
• Awareness
• Attention & Response
• Engagement
• Participation
• Involvement
• Gaining Skills & understanding
• Mastered
• Confirmed

Depending on the type of school and the range of needs in individual schools, the above list can be changed to exclude certain statements. The software by default users 5 Levels; Encounter, Engagement, Gaining Skills and Understanding, Mastered and Confirmed. Encounter, Engagement and Gaining Skills and Understanding are 3 different levels of experience and allow schools to show how a pupil might be responding in class;

• Encounter - In the class when it happens. The teacher has given the pupil the opportunity to work on the skill, but due to their need or other reason has not participated
• Engagement - Is joining in/trying. The pupil has responded to the teacher and is trying/engaging in the activity
• Gaining Skills & Understanding - The pupil is almost there. The pupil has engaged and can almost achieve the skill. Perhaps some prompting or support is required to achieve the skill.

By using the different levels of achievement teachers can record more accurately what is going on in the classroom and can now record the partipation in the lesson, even though a skill may not have been learnt. Perhaps with a few more experiences the pupil can

achieve the skill. The ability to record these experiences gives the teachers a way of showing the interactions with the pupil.

Mastered and Confirmed are used when the pupil has achieved the skill, they are used to work out the percentage complete for the level. Confirmed is an optional achievement level and doesn't effect the percentage complete more than Mastered. Schools can use it if they have revisited a skill or if another teacher has seen the pupil demonstrate the skill., it is completely optional.

We also suggest that schools write their own definitions for the various levels of experience as to keep a level of consistency within the school. There are some guidelines available giving appropriate definitions. You can find this document by going to http://www.qcda.gov.uk/resources/assets/P_scales_Guidelines.pdf. On page 35, there is a framework breakdown for intended definitions. Schools can use their own definations as needed, the definitions may relate to the level of prompting or support involved.

Flexibility also comes in the form of being able to enter data for students both in Registration Groups and Subject Groups. This allows schools who teach by either or both to organise their students in a logical manner and speed up data entry.