Begin by making notes on what you know about how the results of pupils’ test results are used in school. If you have been teaching some time these notes might be quite extensive; if you are a trainee or have less experience your notes may be more limited. Talk with at least one and preferably two or more other teachers, who could teach different subjects or age ranges, to extend your knowledge of how test results are used in school. Try to categorise the uses, perhaps in terms of direct beneficiaries and timescales. Then discuss what you have found, addressing questions such as: Are the results being used appropriately? How can the pupils who took the tests get most benefit from them? What more can teachers learn from test results to aid the learning of future pupils? Are decisions taken on the basis of test result justifiable and fair? Is valuable information from some tests under utilised?
Extension
Undertake a systematic review of the use of all tests with which you are concerned. Identify two or three ways in which you could improve your use of test results, and undertake to do so. More broadly, come up with a list of reasoned recommendations to share with colleagues.
