Assessment System for Local Authorities and MATs

B Squared products are used in a large number of authorities across the UK, with some authorities in England, Wales and Scotland already standardising on B Squared for assessing pupils with SEND. If you are looking to introduce common language and approach across your schools, then we may have the solution for you!

Connecting Steps is our assessment platform and it has been designed to work with a wide range of schools and curriculums. Our Evisense platform compliments this by giving schools the ability to add evidence of students progress and attach it to the learning outcomes in Connecting Steps, whether it be a photo, video, audio file or pdf document. Our analytics platform makes analysing data easy and from 2022, local authority level data or MAT level data can be accessed in a few clicks.

Showing Progress for Pupils with SEND

With the changes from government over the last 5 years, schools have more autonomy on their curriculum and how they assess. Schools are finding it difficult to show progress for pupils with SEND with their primary tracking system. A common question we get from schools when they reach out to us for help is that they are struggling to show progress for their students working just below or significantly below their age related expectation. These questions are equally asked of a schools LA or MAT or within any logical grouping of schools.

One System for ALL Pupils

A large number of schools already use Connecting Steps to show progress for their pupils with SEND. They use our products alongside another tracking system they use for pupils working at Age Related Expectations (ARE). The problem is the 2 systems don’t talk to each other, most primary trackers aren’t set up to show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. Schools often turn to Excel to create a whole school picture of their assessment data. There are other challenges caused by running 2 systems, including time spent using 2 systems, training and managing 2 systems and finally the cost of running 2 systems.

Connecting Steps V5 is designed to be used with all pupils. We have developed different frameworks to be used with pupils with SEND and pupils working at ARE, for both Early Years and Primary. Schools can use one system to assess all pupils.

Our advanced analytics platform makes school data simple, you can look at data in a variety of ways and look at different types of progress. It combines data for pupils with SEND and ARE pupils together, with no additional work required.

MAT/Local Authority Data

Our advanced analytics platform can be used by MATs and Local Authorities to look at data across all their schools. You can look at the group of schools together or compare individual schools to the overall group. Pupils can be organised into all the standard groups – Pupil Premium, FSM, LAC, gender, ethnicity, SEN etc.

It is important to us that pupils with SEND are represented well in whole school data. MATs/LAs can set their own expectations of progress and attainement in our analytics platform for pupils with SEND. Pupils with SEND shouldn’t be automatically put in the “Below”or “Significantly Below” because they aren’t meeting national expectations. Pupils with SEND make progress and it is important that schools, MATs and local authorities can set their own expectations around progress so that assessment for pupils with SEND is more positive and the progress pupils with SEND make is celebrated.

Connecting Steps

Connecting Steps is the most popular and effective assessment software for pupils with SEND. A wide range of frameworks that are built into Connecting Steps helps schools get up and running as quickly as possible.

Connecting Steps is the standard asssessment system for pupils with SEND across a number of authorities in the UK. The simple interface, powerful features and flexible approach to progress means it works for a wide range of pupils. Connecting Steps V5 brings even more features and now works on iPads and other tablet devices.

Assess

Connecting Steps makes recording achievements simple. As well as being able to record the skills pupils achieve, you can also record the steps as they work towards it.

Engagement

Before pupils can achieve a skill, they need to engage. Connecting Steps can show the engagement levels of pupils and show the progress as engagement increases.

Graph

Connecting Steps makes showing small steps of progress simple. Progress can be shown in lots of ways, including engagement and non-linear progress. 

Want to find out how connecting steps CAN SIMPLIFY ASSESSMENT ACROSS SCHOOLS?

Click on the button to arrange a FREE online meeting to find out how we can help make assessment easier for your school

Book a FREE Online Meeting

Show Progress for
ALL Pupils

Within Connecting Steps we have a wide range of assessment frameworks that support a wide ability range and age range.

Since the removal of Levels (2014) and P Levels (2018) schools have the flexibility to choose how to assess pupil progress. For pupils working at Age Related Expectations (ARE), this is relatively simple. 

Schools have found it a challenge to show progress for pupils working below ARE or out of their year group. Some schools assess pupils as simply ‘working below’. This is not good enough. It is important schools are able to identify where a pupil is working, the progress the pupil has made and what those next steps will be.

Our assessment frameworks can show the small steps of progress pupils make from birth to 25

New Assessment Frameworks

We have created a number of new assessment frameworks for Early Years, primary, secondary and post-16. Our framework support pupils engaged in subject specific learning and those not yet engaged in subject specific learning.

Engagement Steps

Our Engagement Steps has been designed to support ‘The Engagement Model’. It has been created for pupils working below the pre-key stage standards, who aren’t engaged in subject specific learning.

Primary Steps

Primary Steps has been designed to support pupils in primary schools that are either working below Year 1 or out of their year group. It supports teachers to show progress and identify next steps.

Progression Steps

Progression Steps has been designed for schools who don’t want to use end of year outcomes when discussing attainment. Schools who typilcally use Progression Steps are Specialist settings or pupils with SEND in mainstream secondary schools.

Evisense

Evisense is a powerful evidence for learning system. The social media style interface for staff and parents is simple to use, but extremely powerful. Our apps for iPhone, iPad, android (tablet and phone) and Kindle Fire means whatever device you are using, you can use the Evisense app.

A number of features make Evisense the most secure evidence for learning system. A number of controls ensure data is safe and evidence can only be accessed by the right people. If you use Evisense and Connecting Steps together, you can link evidence to the skills in Connecting Steps. You can then view the evidence from within Connecting Steps.

Capture

It is quick and simple to capture evidence. Use the Evisense app to capture photos, videos or audio recordings. Tag the evidence to a pupil, add your annotation and click Post.

Powerful Evidence

When you add evidence, you can link the evidence to a range of aspects like EHCP outcomes, IEP targets and more. You can then filter the evidence across the whole school.

Share

Share the evidence you collect with parents to help boost parental engagement. Schools can control parental access. It is up to you if parents can comment or add their own evidence.

Want to find out how connecting steps CAN SIMPLIFY ASSESSMENT ACROSS SCHOOLS?

Click on the button to arrange a FREE online meeting to find out how we can help make assessment easier for your school

Book a FREE Online Meeting