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NFER shares its plans for new baseline test
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Jul 12, 2018By Rachel Lawler
The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) has shared more of its plans for the new baseline test for reception children.
The company says that the tests will be based 鈥渇irmly on evidence鈥 and designed to measure children 鈥渁t a cohort rather than an individual level鈥.
Earlier this year, the Department for Education (DfE) announced that NFER had been chosen to deliver the planned baseline tests due to be trialled later this year and introduced in 2020.
The company鈥檚 plans explain that the new assessment is primarily designed to 鈥減rovide a baseline for measuring the progress children make throughout their primary school career鈥.
However, NFER also says that the baseline tests will offer additional 鈥渋mmediate opportunities鈥 for schools. It says the tests can also be used to gather 鈥渧aluable information for practitioners鈥 including children鈥檚 鈥渁pproach to the tasks, their attentiveness, and their confidence levels鈥.
NFER says that the tests will be 鈥渋nformed by international research evidence鈥 alongside the company鈥檚 own experience in the sector. The company also says that practitioners will be 鈥渁t the heart鈥 of their approach.
NFER said that observational approaches are important but raised concerns about their use in 鈥渁ccountability measures鈥. It said: 鈥淚n particular, any assessment used in an accountability system needs to avoid unintended bias.鈥
The DfE will work with NFER to trial the new baseline tests this year, with plans to roll-out the assessments nationally by September 2020.
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