The Past, Present and Future of Assessment

When it comes to assessment, a lot has happened over the last few years. But what can we learn from this experience and how can we use this to improve the way we assess our students? How will this experience now shape the future of assessment and the education system as a whole? 

As a school leader you are held accountable for the results of your students. One of the main roles of a leader is to be able to identify a problem and put the strategies in place to mitigate the issues and ultimately improve outcomes. 

In this five-part series, Alps Education Consultant, Sue Macgregor sits down with Nick Finnemore from Finnemore Consulting and reflects on the last few years of exams but also looks to the future of assessment and explores what this might look like in terms of benchmarks and grade points for students.  

Talking from the perspective of leaders in the EdTech marketplace, Sue explores how software should be making school leaders’ lives easier and ultimately benefit the student. Having completed a 20-year career in education with her final role as Deputy Head at Windsor Girls School, Sue has first-hand experience in using data effectively to drive student performance. Throughout this series, Sue discusses how data is a truly powerful tool in driving student attainment and how you can use it strategically to plan your next steps.  

We hope you enjoy it and if you have any questions or would like to see how Alps can improve your student attainment, you can book in a demonstration here.  

 

Part 1: Understanding what school leaders need.   

Key topics discussed:

• Sue’s background as Deputy Head at Windsor Girl’s School and the progression to Director of Education and Product Development at Alps 
• The focus on outcomes, data for improvement, and how she has successfully used this within the education setting to improve student outcomes  
• How Sue’s breadth of experience in education has shaped the development of the Alps product and its user interface to be intuitive and really meet the needs of its users.   
• The ethos of Alps 

Fireside Chat Part 1 

 

Part 2: You’ve got the data… so what?  

Key topics discussed:

• How Tech can make a difference and reduce friction 
• Accountability as a leader – Getting to the nub of the problem
• How to put effective strategies in place to prevent issues and achieve the result needed  

Fireside Chat Part 2 

Part 3: The future of Assessment – What this might look like.   

Key topics discussed:

• How assessments have changed over the last years 
• The importance of consistency 
• The national debate about returning to exams – are we shifting back to putting all of our eggs in one ‘exam basket’ – How is this affecting disadvantaged learners? 
• Will our experience over the last few years change/shape the future in the education world? 

Fireside Chat Part 3 

 

Part 4: The power of data 

Key topics discussed:

• Smart accurate Data – you need key data, so you don’t drown people in data.  
• Measuring the progress journey
• It doesn’t just stop at the data – It’s what you do with it that makes it powerful.  

Fireside Chat Part 4 

 

Part 5: What should EdTech companies be thinking about for the future?  

• Empowering our schools and our leaders in our schools to make decision that are right for them. 
• The importance of honesty and transparency when speaking to clients so they can make their own judgment call  
• What is coming to Alps? New developments that will make things easier and simpler.  

Fireside Chat Part 5 

 

About the speakers 

Nick Finnemore, Director of Finnemore Consulting  

Nick is passionate about product management and has dedicated his 20+ years in the Edtech market to truly making a difference to the education of children and young adults.  He has worked in different roles across Business Analysis, Project Management and Marketing before finding his calling in Product Management, which means he has a strong understanding of the full development lifecycle and is empathetic to the challenges that each role faces. 

Sue Macgregor, Director of Education & Product Development at Alps 

Sue joined the Alps team in 2016, having worked as Deputy Head at Windsor Girls’ School. As a Deputy, Sue used Alps extensively to raise standards of attainment across the sixth form and now uses this experience to deliver training to teachers and school leaders. Sue finds helping staff get the most out of their Alps analysis in order to drive aspiration in their students as one of the most enjoyable parts of her role.