TRIPS - Supporting formative assessment of Core Content for the T Level in Education and early years

This T Level Resource Improvement Project (TRIP) has produced a range of learning materials, developed by an experienced T Level provider. These learning materials will support learners to develop their understanding of the Core Content of the T Level in Education and early years and to support them to prepare for their core exams. 

Produced by Burnley College this TRIP focusses on formative assessment of learners understanding of Core Content, particularly in relation to:

• Assessment Objective 2 (AO2) – Apply knowledge and understanding of contexts, concepts, theories and principles to different situations and contexts.
• Assessment Objective 3 (AO) – Analyse and evaluate information and issues related to contexts, concepts, theories and principles to make informed judgements.

This TRIP relates to the following Core Content areas:

• Element 5- Child development
• Element 4- Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

There are 20 questions addressing AO2. Each question specifies:

• Targeted content gives the specification reference of the content the question is designed to assess.
• The context of the question points out exactly what learners must apply their answer to.
• The question is given, which, as indicated above, includes a scenario or context.
• The model answer gives an example of how an answer that demonstrates the expected level of learning could be constructed that clearly applies understanding to the context. The model answers are intended to be used to support formative assessment. Learners can use these for self-reflection or peer feedback as they are designed to show ‘what good looks like’.
• The model answer is followed by a rationale explaining why this is a model answer.
• There is also an example of an answer a learner gives that does not fully show how the learning has been applied, and further development is required by the learner.
• The last part of the question gives a rationale for why the answer indicates that the learner needs further development. This is a critical element of formative assessment.

There are 10 questions addressing AO3. Each question is built from a question in the AO2 section to give stretch and challenge to learners.

These questions follow the same approach as the AO2 question. However, as there is no one defined answer, the content for each question includes indicative content – an indication of the theoretical content that could be referred to in the answer.

The model answers are intended to be used to support formative assessment. Learners can use these for self-reflection or peer feedback as they represent an example of ‘what good looks like’.

The resource also includes development activities. Each development activity has a specific focus which addresses issues generally evident when learners attempt to communicate their understanding through extended response exam-style questions. 

Each development activity is designed to be used independently by the learner rather than as a class activity, as it is to respond to a specific weakness identified in their response. A table is provided in the introduction to section three to indicate which activity is suitable for an identified weakness.

Each development activity has guidance for a teacher who may want to give instructions and guidance to the learner before they start the activity.

These development activities should not be considered as limited to specific questions; learners could use these activities for further development by applying the techniques to different AO3 questions and responses.

Downloadable resources