Information about NFER Assessments Performance Research

Performance research trials are a key part of ensuring the continued high quality and reliability of product development, which will ensure that:

• the tests function as expected
• the assessments generate reliable, robust information that supports the improvement of teaching and learning
• all NFER products are comparable and can be used alongside each other for accurate progress tracking and reporting.

It is important we trial the products in schools to enable us to evaluate the effectiveness of different approaches to standardisation. We will use the information from the trials to evaluate the robustness of different standardisation methods.

How can schools take part?

As part of this research, we will invite a sample of schools to take part in trials. These schools will be contacted directly by email or phone call and given instructions on how to register their interest in participating via our sign-up survey. Participation is on a voluntary basis.

What does taking part in the trial involve?

Participating schools will be asked to administer assessments with pupils from their year 4 cohort in the Autumn term and provide feedback on their experience. NFER staff will request pupil data for the participating classes so we can prepare personalised test materials, this will be collected via NFER’s secure school portal.

Our staff will arrange for assessment materials to be sent out directly to your school and we will let you know the window we would like you to administer these to your year 4 classes. You can choose to participate in the reading trial, the mathematics trial, or both.

We will provide guidance, materials and offer support by telephone or email throughout the trial.

NFER will arrange to collect and mark the assessments and will share pupil outcomes with schools via the NFER school portal, and will send back the test papers, once marking is complete.

After the trial, we will ask school staff to complete a questionnaire to capture their views on the research trial process.

When will the assessments take place?

Schools will be asked to test their Year 4 pupils during November 2024. You will receive your assessments around the October half term and complete them before the end of November. Schools will then be asked to send their assessments back to NFER.

What do the assessments for the trials look like?

The tests themselves will differ in length depending on the subject. Tests should last no longer than a normal paper test.

The reading assessment is composed of a reading booklet and an answer booklet. The assessment is comprised of two parts, the first part lasts 35 minutes, and the second part lasts 40 minutes. A break should be given between both parts and time should be allowed for instructions and practice questions.

The mathematics assessment is comprised of three test papers. These include one arithmetic paper lasting 25 minutes, with an additional 15 minutes allowed for instructions and practice questions and two reasoning papers lasting 35 minutes each with 10 minutes allowed for providing instructions and completing practice questions.

Pupils should complete all three booklets, these can be sat on one day with breaks in between each paper or across different days if preferred.

Guidance on how to administer the assessments will be provided.

How will NFER use and protect the data collected?

All data gathered during the research project will be held in accordance with the data protection framework set out in UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018. It will be treated in the strictest confidence by NFER.

All teacher and pupil-level data shared by schools with NFER will be done so via a secure school portal. No school, teacher or pupil will be named in any report arising from this work.

Who can I contact for more information?

For more information about the NFER Assessments performance research trial, please contact [email protected].