1A:How to achieve success with learner achievement

Monitoring achievement

Gathering reliable information on learners’ achievements should underpin providers’ planning processes. This information is crucial to charting progress and showing trends over time. Successful providers can evidence progress and positive trends in achievement and retention rates across the college.

They relate learner achievements in Skills for Life and key skills qualifications to national benchmarks, and examine what contribution the achievements are making to local and national Skills for Life targets. Course teams can demonstrate good learner outcomes by:

• recruiting new learners, particularly from under-represented groups
• minimising drop-out
• demonstrating progress against individual learning plans (ILPs) that:
  • are relevant to personal learning goals
  • use initial assessment to build on existing skills and meet priority needs
  • are mapped to the national standards for literacy, numeracy and ESOL
  • are SMART and say exactly what the learner plans to do and the progress they have made
  • prepare the learner for successful progression
• providing flexible opportunities for all learners to gain Skills for Life or key skills qualifications and to agree individual qualification targets related to their personal starting points and progress
• progressing learners from first-rung provision through to qualifications at Level 2 and beyond.

In monitoring the success of programmes in raising learner achievement, course teams should:

• review and agree a range of achievements appropriate to each group of learners
• agree annual recruitment, retention and achievement targets that take account of:
  • individual learning goals
  • previous performance
  • college and local LSC targets
• calculate the percentage of learners who successfully complete and achieve their target qualification
• examine the ways that retention and achievement contribute to this success rate and identify priorities for improvement
• compare these outcomes against:
  • individual learning goals
  • success, retention and achievement targets for the programme
  • national and local benchmarks where available
  • college benchmarks where relevant.

Demonstrating distance travelled

Any measure of achievement should take account of individual learning gain or the distance a learner travels over time. The new measures of learner success that are being developed as part of Success for All will look at added value for learners under 19 and distance travelled for older learners. Baseline measurement is simpler for younger learners who have recently left school. For the national qualifications that a young person might go on to study, there is statistical evidence that shows the progress each learner might be expected to achieve during their programme. Anything extra is ‘added value’. There are no similar statistical measures for literacy, numeracy and ESOL skills, but the national standards do provide an agreed form of measurement. By plotting achievements at the start and end of a course against the levels and elements of the core curricula, a common way of measuring learning gain is established. This means individual progress can be compared within and between programmes. Measuring added value can help to spotlight particularly effective practice or areas in need of improvement. To measure added value effectively, course teams should:

• use initial assessment mapped to the core curricula
• record the starting point for each learner: the skills they demonstrate through initial assessment
• agree individual learning targets for the ILP that will take the learner to higher levels of skill
• record achievement using a progress grid mapped to the core curricula
• record each learner’s end point: the skills they demonstrate through final assessment
• compare progress between individuals and across programmes
• identify and investigate any particularly strong or poor progress
• use investigation outcomes to plan improvements.

Developing the ILP

The main tool driving the achievement of each learner is the individual learning plan (ILP). The ILP drives the learner’s progress through a development cycle (Figure 1), and achievement is evidenced by progress against it.

Figure 1: Development cycle of the ILP.

Where possible, the achievements recorded against the targets in the ILP are accredited using qualifications mapped to the national standards for literacy, numeracy and ESOL.

The ILP needs to be a ‘live’ document. It will take time to agree and it needs to be regularly reviewed and updated. Effective ILPs provide a consistent framework for learning and progress throughout the learner’s time at the college and take them through different levels and types of provision. The ILP sets out key actions to be taken at different stages of the learner’s programme. The learner needs to be an active partner throughout the process.

The Planning Learning and Recording Achievement pack available from the Skills for Life Strategy Unit (www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus) provides invaluable guidance for ILP development. Sample ILPs for general and basic skills use are also available from the Raising Quality and Achievement Project (www.rqa.org.uk) through the Quality Information Packs. These should stimulate discussion about the options. The LSC Skills for Life Quality Initiative Organisational Development Materials, unit 2 module 4 (www.lsc.gov.uk/sflqi) look at the range of factors you may need to take into account when designing ILPs.

Course placement

Most learners will have an interview and some assessment of their language and number skills before a decision is taken about the course or learning programme that would best fit their needs. This provides initial information about what the learner wants to do in the future, what they can already do well and the things they most want to improve. There may also be information from a previous provider, such as a school or feeder course, about previous learning experience and achievements. If the learner is following a vocational or other main programme, there should be an audit or clear statement of the language and number skills needed for success on this course. All of this should be captured for the ILP.

Induction and diagnostic assessment

Effective teaching of literacy, numeracy and ESOL starts by being clear about individual needs and goals. College staff must know the learner’s main strengths and weaknesses before work begins. The learner needs to be fully involved at every stage. The diagnostic work at induction is a critical first step. Such work is not a single activity and could include:

• a college-wide language and number test mapped to the core curricula, such as the Skills for Life diagnostic assessment
• programme-based diagnostic assessment
• self-assessment
• information about the learner’s learning history and preferred learning style(s)
• close observation of course activities to get a sense of how a learner performs, but also, by discussion or observation, a record of which activities they most enjoy and those which feel less comfortable for them
• paying particular attention to signs that the learner has a specific difficulty such as dyslexia
• induction assignments.

By the end of induction, you should have a clear idea of:

• the learner’s personal learning goals, including their qualification and career goals
• learning goals for the current learning programme(s)
• the particular contexts or tasks which the learner will find relevant and engaging
• language and number tasks where the learner already feels confident
• a profile of current performance against the national literacy and numeracy standards
• language and number tasks where the learner would most like to improve
• ways in which the learner prefers to learn
• specific learning targets for the first few weeks
• the action the learner needs to take to meet these short-term targets
• any particular support needed to meet the targets.

Clovis is studying Sport and Leisure. 'Doing the measurements helps us compare ourselves to others and we are constantly using our maths. We work out trends over three months to see our improvements'.

The development of targets in the ILP is fundamental to learner achievement. The starting point for setting challenging, realistic and relevant learning targets is a careful audit of the literacy, numeracy and language skills needed for success on learners’ main programmes.

In FE colleges, targets set for improving learners’ literacy, numeracy and ESOL skills are carefully designed to contribute to their success in their vocational or main programmes.

Short-term targets need to take the learner, step-by-step, towards their longer-term goals. These ILP targets need to be SMART, meaning:

• Specific – they say exactly what the learner needs to do
• Measurable – the learner can prove that he or she has reached the target
• Achievable – they build on current skills to take the learner to the next level
• Relevant – they take the learner further towards their personal goals, including vocational goals
• Timed – they have deadlines.

A SMART target might be ‘I will be able to use upper and lower case correctly in my child observation reports by March’ – not simply ‘improve my writing’. The learner’s personal goals and the demands of their main programme or their progression aims will suggest the areas in which they most need to improve.

Diagnostic assessment outcomes will describe the specific skills learners have at the start of their programme. Mapping current skills against the core curricula can suggest achievable targets for improvement at the next level. An engineering learner, for example, may need to use a technical workbook. He or she may already be able to ‘identify the main points and ideas, and predict words from context’ (curriculum reference Rt4/E3). But to use the index to find particular information in the workbook, there is a need to ‘use organisational and structural features to locate information’ (curriculum reference Rt4/L1).

The SMART target agreed with the learner in this case might be to ‘use the index to find information in X book by half-term’.

As well as recording the targets agreed with the learner in the ILP, it is also important to record the actions that have been agreed to meet the target. This might include a log of the resources the learner will use and a list of the people who can help. All members of the course team, including those providing individual support, should know and use the learner’s ILP.

Progress review

Each ILP should include an agreed review date. It helps to be flexible about review dates, shortening or extending the planning and review period depending on how often you see the learner and the amount of support and guidance each learner needs. The learner is a full partner in the review process and is prompted to consider:

• did I meet my targets?
• what do I need to improve?
• what have I found helpful?
• what difficulties do I face?
• what should my new targets be?
• when should I finish them?
• what resources can I use?
• who can help?
• how will I know I’m on track?

Learners at Levels 1 and 2 might be asked to complete a self-assessment sheet; at Entry and Pre-entry Levels, self-assessment might be through discussion. Learners need plenty of opportunity to assess and reflect on their own performance and that of their peers. If this is built in to class activity, learners will find it easier and more natural to be fully involved in progress reviews.

The progress review needs to take account of:

• records of learning activity
• evidence of achievement against the targets
• the learner’s self-assessment, whether formally recorded or simply discussed
• progress reports from other members of the course team, including those delivering any vocational or main programme that the learner is following.

It is important to ask whether the progress made has genuinely taken the learner nearer to their long-term learning goals and personal objectives. You are not monitoring progress for its own sake. You need to work with the learner to check the relevance of new skills to the achievement of their personal goals. Progress must be meaningful to the learner.

The outcome of the progress review will inform the agreement of new targets for the next period and the updating of the ILP.

Learners on the Springboard Course for under-19s have a half-termly progress review where class activities give way to intensive individual tutorials.

If the learner is not making the expected progress, this is an opportunity to look at and discuss:

• the match between the targets and the longer-term learning goals
• the way the learner prefers to work
• the need for further support
• any obstacles that are slowing or preventing progress.

Planning and preparing for progression

The ILP will be related to the learner’s progression goals from the start, and these progression goals will become more focused as the learner approaches their achievement. Individual targets related to progression are also likely to become more specific.

Lee is developing his work-ready and number skills through his Horticulture course.

College teams may find it useful to produce progression maps for curriculum areas that highlight potential next steps and further study for which learners are being prepared.

Progression mapping should start with community-based provision and provision at Entry and Pre-entry Levels.

Progression goals will vary at different stages of the learner’s development, and learners in FE colleges may be at very different stages.

This means that course teams must design learning programmes to make sure the learner can move successfully to the next stage and that each learner has the language and number skills he or she needs to progress.

Evidencing achievement

At the end of the programme, a good ILP provides a summative assessment of the learner’s achievements. This will:

• give evidence of progress against the targets
• provide a starting point for continued learning
• measure ‘value added’ against the learner’s starting point.

Wherever possible, achievements should be accredited. However, in literacy, numeracy and ESOL provision, accreditation is unlikely to capture the range of learner achievement. The ILP is therefore an opportunity to record additional, ‘soft’ or unaccredited achievement. For example, some targets set during the programme may have focused on improving punctuality. The summative assessment will record the learner’s final performance on timekeeping as part of the distance travelled.

The summative assessment is also important for recording evidence of the effectiveness of the programme and is a valuable tool for evaluating the college provision. If one learner or one group makes significantly more or less progress than the others, course teams need to work out why, and what is going on.

Finally, the ILP is used to ensure continuity for learners who progress, either at the same college or with another provider, so the same ILP is updated and stays with the learner. That way, learners continue to build on the skills they have acquired.

Accreditation

As suggested above, it is unlikely that accreditation will reflect the full range of learner achievement, but recognised accreditation is still very important to most learners. Qualifications are often the passport to progression – employers and admissions tutors will want this kind of evidence of achievement. There is also a great deal of personal satisfaction and pride for many learners in gaining qualifications. In planning learning programmes, course teams and tutors need to choose the qualifications that best fit the learners and to give them a choice of qualifications wherever possible.

The Skills for Life qualifications offer a nationally recognised way to accredit achievements in literacy, numeracy and ESOL. There are a number of awarding bodies (listed at www.dfes.gov.uk/readwriteplus) that offer these qualifications. All learners need to take the national tests to qualify at Levels 1 or 2 but Entry Level qualifications offer a choice of portfolio-based routes to achievement. Choice should take account of the learners’ preferences for the style of assessment, the nature of the programme and the time available to develop portfolios. Learners who have been successful in the national literacy or numeracy test may find a key skill qualification, including the requirement for portfolio evidence of applied skills, offers a further stimulating challenge and an opportunity for continued skill development.

A critical part of the choice in colleges is likely to be the relevance of the assessment tasks, especially for vocational learners. At Levels 1 and 2, most learners will be preparing for key skills accreditation. Some individual learners, however, may not be ready for the full key skills award. You may have a mix of key skills and Skills for Life qualification targets within a single group. The choice of accreditation is an important part of curriculum planning and the more choice you can pass on to the individual learner, the better.