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Ever since the government announced the disbanding of National Curriculum levels, schools have been asking for support on what the government and Ofsted expect to see from a school assessment system.

Remember Pavlov? He’s the guy who conditioned dogs to respond with a saliva reflex to the sound of bell.

At first, the dogs would be given a nice juicy piece of meat each time the bell rang, until eventually, the neural pathway was strong enough that the dogs would salivate at the idea of being fed even when the piece of meat was then withheld.

Obviously, as humans we’re a bit brighter than your average dog. But that doesn’t mean we don’t respond to conditioning – particularly when fear is involved. For many years now you’ve been expected, as teachers, to take a data-led approach to assessment. To give each child a number and to measure their progress as their evolution between these numbers.

A failure to keep track of, and to report on children’s attainment using these numbers would result in a less-than-glowing appraisal of your school’s performance from Ofsted.

So, while the DfE has long been clear that Levels are finished and that schools are free to develop their own systems of assessment and reporting, so strong is the conditioning that many schools have had difficulty believing in this freedom and letting go of the old regime.

Even those wanting to engage found themselves in a vacuum of information and direction. For pressured Heads and senior leaders with a mountain of things on their plate already, the whole area of assessment must have seemed like a ticking time-bomb that they didn’t have the manual or the time to defuse.

The Commission on Assessment without Levels was therefore set up to provide guidance to schools on creating their own assessment policies, and to help them through a time of ‘radical cultural and pedagogical change’ (to borrow from John McIntosh’s foreward to the commission’s final report).

What it does do, is provide a manifesto for high-quality, meaningful assessment that offers guidance to schools to help them develop their own policies.

However, if any schools were hoping for an off-the-peg solution to assessment or a replacement set of levels fitted to the new curriculum, the commission’s final report does not deliver.

It provides no templates, and prescribes no specific content for a school’s assessment policy. What it does do, is provide a manifesto for high-quality, meaningful assessment that offers guidance to schools to help them develop their own policies.

The detail is of course available within the report itself, but the overall message is that formative assessment is crucial; that acting upon assessment is far more important than recording it, and that schools ought not to be driven by expectations of what they think Ofsted inspectors are looking for. (The latest Common Inspection Framework plainly states that they are not looking for a particular approach).

The report also identifies what needs to happen in order for schools to feel completely comfortable and secure about their assessment policies. To be able, in short, to let go of the old way of thinking without fear of reprisal.

This includes a greater focus on assessment as part of initial teacher training, training for school leaders and Ofsted inspectors around the principles and purposes of assessment, and what best-practice looks like.

Does this mean the demise of summative assessment? Not at all. The report recognises that summative tests are a useful means of evaluation pupils’ learning and progress at the end of a period of teaching.

It’s important, however, that the data is not an end in itself, but is a way of a way of getting information that supports pupils' progress and attainment to help you tailor your teaching accordingly.

It follows therefore, that when you’re creating, or looking for ready-made summative assessment resources, you need to think about how they help you to close that loop.

What do you do now? Well, whatever it takes to get rid of that old conditioning. Grasp this opportunity for what it is – a government sanctioned move towards a more innovative, child-focused, sensible approach to assessment.

Read the report, if you haven’t already, and get excited. And most of all, believe. Believe that you know what good assessment looks like, and believe that the DfE trusts you to make it happen.

Last month saw the proud launch of our new Impact pages. Here, you’ll find the first tranche of case studies and evidence showing exactly how our programmes and professional development help teachers to have the biggest impact on each of their children.

Don’t get us wrong. We’re not trying to lay claim to credit that belongs to you. One of the central tenets of the Pearson Primary manifesto is that we support teachers to do what they do best.

We know that it’s the quality and the passion of your teaching that has the greatest impact on children’s learning. But we also know that teaching is a huge job. You have to be an expert in all things: the subjects you teach, pedagogy, assessment, classroom management, curriculum design… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

So let us take some of the pressure off your shoulders. You can trust us to support you with fantastic resources and training that help you do your job as brilliantly as you want to. We know, though, that trust is won, not given, and that’s what our impact site is all about.

Evidence through to impact

It matters to us that the programmes and professional development we create really do help children to achieve in their education. That’s why we build our programmes on respected research and evidence - such as the Clackmannanshire Study into Synthetic Phonics - and why we sponsor studies by leading academics into key areas of Primary assessment, pedagogy and policy.

When we're talking about children's futures, though, it's not good enough simply to create a resource and send it out into the world to make its own way.  That's why Pearson is committed to evaluating and reporting on the impact of our resources – and improving them, when necessary, to make sure they do not just a good, but a great job for the teachers and children using them.

We do this while we are developing them - road-testing them with real teachers and children. We do this by checking in with our customers once they have bought them to see how they are using them in their school, and to what effect. We do this by giving them to Local Authorities to test with groups of schools in their area.

So, please do check out the case studies, infographics and research summaries to see the positive impact that the partnership of great teachers and great Pearson programmes and professional development have been having in schools like yours.

Then, if you would like to, get in touch with us to tell us about your experiences with them. Perhaps you'd be willing for us to do a case study based on your school, or perhaps you would just like to tell us what you think works best, or what you would do differently if you could. Please use the comment function below and we'll be in touch.

P.S. - This is an evolving site, with more to come for maths and intervention, so why not bookmark it to make sure you get updates?

The name of our awarding organisation is changing from Edexcel to Pearson from April 2013.

As you may know, Pearson has been the parent company of the awarding organisation Edexcel since 2003. In 2010, the legal name of the Edexcel awarding organisation became Pearson Education Limited - although, with the agreement of the regulator, we continued to use the name Edexcel for our awarding activities on the understanding that we would move to Pearson in the near future.

In summer 2010, the awarding organisation EDI plc also became part of Pearson. From April 2013, all qualifications that would have been regulated as part of EDI will be the responsibility of Pearson Education Limited.

With this in mind, we've decided that now is the right time to apply the Pearson name to all of our awarding activities.

So, from 3 April 2013, our awarding organisation listing on the Register for Regulated Qualifications is ‘Pearson’ rather than Edexcel. All Pearson qualifications will begin with Pearson in their title, followed by our existing brands (BTEC, Edexcel, EDI and LCCI). An Edexcel GCSE in Mathematics will be a Pearson Edexcel GCSE in Mathematics; similarly, the title of a BTEC qualification will be 'Pearson BTEC Level 2 in Art and Design', for example.

What does this mean for you?

In practical terms, this now means:

• On the Register of Regulated Qualifications our qualifications will be listed under Pearson as the awarding organisation, although Edexcel, BTEC, EDI and LCCI will be searchable in the qualification title box.
• We’re in the process of changing all Pearson Education Limited qualification titles so they start with the preface ‘Pearson’ on RITs (Ofqual's regulated qualifications listing system). We’ll continue to use the names Edexcel, BTEC, LCCI and others, but prefaced by Pearson to make it clear who the awarding organisation is in official titles. You’ll see these changes to qualification titles over time on a range of documents, including specifications, sample assessment materials and certificates.
• If you're in Scotland, you may also notice some changes to our qualification titles. Pearson Education Limited qualifications offered in Scotland will start with 'Pearson'. However, there will be no titling change to Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs), as these don't carry the awarding organisation name.
• Some documents and letters you’d previously have received from Edexcel will now be from Pearson.
• Employees and consultants supporting our awarding organisation, such as Assessment Associates, will no longer be described as working ‘for Edexcel’, but as working for Pearson Qualifications Services. This reflects the fact that these employees work to support our full range of products, not just those from Edexcel.

You’ll notice changes to reflect our new approach over the next few months, although some things (our web presence for example) will take longer to change. We hope you'll bear with us as we continue to work towards a single identity for our awarding organisation.

Frequently asked questions

Does Edexcel still exist?
Yes. Edexcel is a product brand from Pearson. BTEC, EDI and LCCI are also product brands from Pearson. The business unit within Pearson that was known as Edexcel is now Pearson Qualification Services.

What is Pearson Qualification Services?
Pearson Qualification Services is the department and teams within Pearson that develop and support the full range of Edexcel, BTEC and EDI qualifications.

Are your qualifications still accredited in the same way?
Yes.

Will your qualifications still be recognised by universities and employers?
Yes.

How does this affect qualifications in Scotland?
The Scottish Qualifications Authority also recognises our awarding organisation name as Pearson. Scottish BTECs will now have Pearson in the official title and existing Edexcel qualifications will also have Pearson in the official title. There will be no titling change to Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) as these do not carry the awarding organisation name.

How will Pearson support me to deliver qualifications?
We’ll continue to use the existing systems to deliver Edexcel and BTEC qualifications. Edexcel Online will continue as a service for administrators, providing support at every stage of the qualification cycle. We’re currently working to bring together all our Pearson systems to improve and streamline the way we communicate with you, and we’ll keep you updated and involved as we make progress with this.

Can I still use ResultsPlus?
Yes. Your Edexcel Online username and password will continue to give you access to ResultsPlus.

Will this change affect learners in any way?
No. There will be no impact on learners or the way you register a learner for a qualification. However, over time you'll see changes to the title of the qualification on documents and certificates as Pearson qualifications will begin with Pearson in the title, followed by our existing brands like BTEC, Edexcel, EDI and LCCI. For example, an Edexcel GCSE in Mathematics will be a Pearson Edexcel GCSE in Mathematics; similarly, the title of a BTEC qualification will be 'Pearson BTEC Level 2 in Art and Design'.

Am I still an Edexcel, BTEC or EDI Approved Centre?
Yes. Nothing is changing in the way we approve centres to deliver our qualifications, and you’ll continue to be an Edexcel, BTEC or EDI Approved Centre.

Pearson UK president Rod Bristow had this to say about the government proposals to reform vocational qualifications for 16-19 year olds in England.

Rod said:

“At a time when the demands of higher education and the needs of employers are changing rapidly, it is right that we should be reviewing vocational qualifications, just as we are academic qualifications. Young people deserve assurance that the qualifications they take in school or at college will give them the knowledge and skills they need to go on and meet their ambitions, and will not close off opportunities.

“There is clear evidence that those who achieve high-quality vocational qualifications go on to excel in higher education as well as in work. We should be aiming to build on that success.

Nearly one hundred thousand young people progress to university study with a BTEC every year, and the data demonstrates that vocational qualifications lead to educational progress, greater employability and higher earnings.”
“Our goal is to create world class vocational qualifications which empower young people to progress and to compete with their peers globally, in higher education and in work.”

Pearson UK president Rod Bristow has commented on the judgment from the High Court in relation to the 2012 GCSE English results.

He said:

“We understand this has been a time of uncertainty for students, teachers and parents. We are pleased that the courts have investigated the evidence thoroughly and found that our awarding processes were rigorous and fair.

“Yet there is much to be learned from the events of this summer. We will now focus on working even more closely with the regulator, government, higher education and employers to secure the confidence of students, parents and teachers in the values and standards of our exam system.”