Classroom Monitor Training Centre
  • Online courses
    • Course A1: Assessing with Classroom Monitor
    • Course A1a: Classroom Monitor for Early Years
    • Course A2: Making the most of Classroom Monitor
    • Course B1: Data Analysis for SLT - Beginner
    • Course B2: Data Analysis for SLT - Advanced
    • Course B3: Data for teachers
    • Course C1: Written Reports
    • Course C2: Online Reports
    • Course D1: Curriculum Customisation Tool
  • Help Files
    • What's New?
    • Getting started >
      • Setting Up Classroom Monitor >
        • The MIS Synchronisation Tool
        • Importing a CTF
        • Setting up teacher accounts
        • Refining your setup >
          • User Management
          • Pupil Management
          • Group Management
      • Your teacher/SLT account >
        • Using your teacher account
        • The Homepage
        • Creating pupil groups
        • Removing practice data
      • Help and Guidance
    • Classroom Monitor 2018 >
      • Markbook >
        • Markbook Quick Start
        • Loading a markbook
        • Markbook Assessment mode
        • Markbook Evidence mode
        • Markbook Reporting mode
      • Attainment and Progress Reports >
        • Expectations Settings
        • School Overview
        • Year Group Overview
        • Class Group Overview
        • Class Report
        • A&P Reports Admin
      • CM Training Academy
    • Assessment Markbooks >
      • The New Markbook
      • The Class Markbook >
        • Recording Assessment in the Class Markbook
        • Speeding up Assessment
        • Saving scores
        • Printing the Class Markbook
        • Planning with the Class Markbook
        • Evidence of learning
        • Accessing the Class Markbook
      • The Pupil Markbook >
        • Accessing the Pupil Markbook
        • Recording Assessment in the Pupil Markbook
        • Speeding up Assessment in the Pupil Markbook
        • Scoring Pupils in the Pupil Markbook
        • Saving Evidence in the Pupil Markbook
        • Printing the Pupil Markbook
      • Assessment Summaries >
        • Learning Journey (Evidence Based)
        • Pupil Assessment Summary
        • Class Assessment Summary
        • Assessment Progress Report
      • Mobile devices >
        • Classroom Monitor App >
          • Download App
          • Login to App
          • Record Assessment in App
          • Record evidence in App
        • Mobile markbook >
          • Recording assessment in the mobile markbook
          • Recording evidence in the mobile markbook
    • Attainment and Progress >
      • New Attainment and Progress Reports
      • Homepage Favourites >
        • Updated Classroom Monitor Favourites
        • Setting your school favourites
        • Your Favourites
      • Pupil Tracking >
        • Pupil Tracking Tables
        • Pupil Tracking Graphs
        • Export pupil data to Excel
      • Group Tracking >
        • Group Tracking Tables
        • Group Tracking Graphs
        • Exporting group data to Excel
      • Curriculum Tracking
      • Attainment Targets >
        • Setting Attainment Targets
        • Displaying Targets in tables
        • Displaying Targets in graphs
        • Exporting targets
        • Editing Targets
      • Advanced Features >
        • Advanced Pupil Selection
        • Analysis Filters
        • Comparing Data
        • Creating Groups in Attainment and Progress
    • Reporting >
      • Written Reports >
        • Written report setup
        • Using the Report Editor
        • Using markbook assessments
        • Using the statement bank
        • Generating reports
        • Setting report templates
      • Online reports
    • Admin Help >
      • Account Management >
        • User Management
        • Pupil Management
        • Group Management
        • Transferring Pupils between schools
      • Customise Classroom Monitor for your School >
        • Customise school curriculum
        • Setting Homepage Favourites
        • A&P Reports Admin
        • Customise Assessment Terminology
        • Customise subjects and assessment criteria
        • Creating Additional Grades
      • Importing & Exporting Data >
        • Import Assessment Data
        • Pupil Import Tool >
          • Pupil Import Tool - adding new
          • Pupil Import Tool - adding missing
          • UAE Pupil Import Tool
        • EExBA Data Import
        • Export CTF (end of KS data)
      • Reporting to Parents admin >
        • Written Reporting to Parents
        • Online Reporting to Parents
      • School Usage stats
    • Help Videos >
      • Assessment Markbooks videos
      • Attainment and Progress videos
      • Reporting to parents videos
      • Admin videos
  • Webinars
  • Blog
  • Advice
    • Making the Most of Classroom Monitor >
      • Best practice for teachers
      • Interpreting your data
      • SEND - Making the Most of Classroom Monitor
      • Outputs for Pupils/Parents
    • Customising your approach >
      • Markbook objectives
      • Terminology
      • Markbook scoring
    • Sharing with Stakeholders >
      • Sharing with Teachers
      • Sharing with SLT
      • Sharing with Governors
      • Sharing with Parents
      • Sharing with Pupils
      • Sharing with LA/Ofsted
    • Assessment without Levels >
      • Why did the DfE get rid of levels?
      • How can we avoid recreating levels?
      • How do we get data without levels?
      • How do we ensure impact on pupil progress?
      • What info should we share within school?
      • What info should we share externally?
    • National Curriculum 2014 Support >
      • For Teachers/SLT
      • For governors
      • For parents
    • Help Using Classroom Monitor
    • NC14 FAQs
  • Frameworks
  • FAQs
  • MIS sync

How can we move away from a levels mindset?


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Whether you thought levels were a good thing or not, what we cannot deny is that the vast majority of teachers were at least comfortable with them. They knew what they meant to them and their class and they knew the curriculum. So initially, many schools wanted to create a system as similar to levels as possible, for the purposes of staying in some sort of comfort zone if nothing else.
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There is certainly still value for SLT in having some sort of overview of the school and some way of comparing cohorts. Find out more about when information is useful on our data without levels page. On this page, however, we want to look at some of the opportunities afforded by losing levels altogether, and some of the pitfalls to avoid, so that we can move away from the culture that accompanied levels and focus on formative assessment as the key to improving pupil attainment - for the benefit of the school's results but also, most importantly, for the pupils' benefit.

The Possible Pitfalls - levels by another name

One (fairly major) pitfall many schools initially fell into was relabelling levels, rather than getting rid of them altogether. Most assessment systems do facilitate this and we need to make a clear distinction in order to avoid this issue. But is all data of this type useless or can we just ensure that we avoid the culture of levels, whilst keeping the graphs etc for the purpose of cohort analysis? Our video, below, looks at the pitfalls to avoid and the realistic side of when data IS still useful.

The Opportunity - putting the teaching and learning first

One thing we know that the Primary Assessment Commission are keen to see is that schools are putting their curriculum, and the teaching thereof, before the assessment itself. Indeed the report recommends that: "Schools should develop their approach to assessment before considering external assessment systems in order that products can be evaluated according to how they fit with the school’s aims, assessment policy and curriculum."

Whether you are reading these pages before purchasing Classroom Monitor, or whilst it is already in place, there is a lot of scope for you to customise your assessment framework in Classroom Monitor to suit the needs of your curriculum and assessment needs. You can find out more about how to make changes in our Customising your assessment framework area. We recognise that there is no real "one-size-fits-all" system when it comes to assessment.

​One overarching theme, however, regardless of what you do with your curriculum, is that formative assessment must be acted upon and must be embedded into the classroom culture. The video below talks about how Classroom Monitor fits in with this.
For more information on how to ensure that teachers have put formative assessment at the heart of their teaching and learning, and for tips in making this manageable for teachers, have a look at our Making the Most of Classroom Monitor pages.

Next: How do we get data without levels?
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