GovWire

The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) is inviting volunteers to participate in teacher panel and test/assessment review group meetings to provide feedback on the content, wording and layout of assessment materials, to ensure appropriateness, validity, clarity and accuracy.

STA is an executive agency of the Department for Education (DfE) and is responsible for development of national curriculum assessments (commonly referred to as SATs).

The assessment review process

The review process involves independent quality assurance of assessment materials. It is critical to the validity evidence that supports the assessments.

Questions and their mark schemes are reviewed throughout the development process in a series of external panels to ensure they assess the content domain of the assessment appropriately.

Reviews take place before questions are trialled in schools, to review and comment on their suitability, identify possible issues and suggest improvements. A final review takes place at the end of the development process, to review the suitability of the assessment.

We anticipate that panel members will need to be available to review materials and/or attend meetings for approximately 2-4 days a year, depending on the review(s) they are participating in.

Teacher panel

The teacher panel gives feedback on assessment materials.

Panellists are asked to comment on:

• how the questions reflect current classroom practice

• whether the materials are of appropriate difficulty for the age group and attainment range

• whether the materials are a suitable assessment of the content domain of the assessment

• the format, design and layout of questions

• any improvements that would enable a fairer assessment

The teacher panel is given access to the assessment materials on the day of the meeting to reflect the experience of opening the materials in school on the day the assessment is first administered.

Test/assessment review group

In addition to the purpose of the teacher panel, the test/assessment review group is designed primarily to gather feedback on:

• the technical accuracy of the content

• whether the content domain references are accurate

• the complexity of the concepts being assessed

• the ability of the questions to be marked consistently

The test/assessment review group is given access to the assessment materials a week before the meeting to complete an advance review of the questions.

Inclusion review

Inclusion reviews also take place to look at the accessibility of the assessments and are undertaken by diversity specialists and experts in teaching pupils with special educational needs and English as an additional language. Inclusion specialists are recruited via a DfE framework, which will be renewed from 2024. Invitations to tender will be published on Contracts Finder.

Criteria for review panellists

Teacher panels are made up of:

• teachers who have experience of teaching the target age group for the assessment

• English, mathematics and science subject coordinators

• lead practitioners

• senior leaders such as deputy headteachers and headteachers

• special educational needs co-ordinators

• heads of year or key stage leads

• heads of subject or subject leads

• teachers who have left the profession within the last three years (practising teachers or those who have recently retired have more experience of current teaching practise)

The panels consist of individuals of differing experience, from differing school types and geographicallocations, so that a range of views is gathered.

Test/assessment review groups are made up of:

• subject specialists

• local authority subject leads or advisors

• multi-academy trust subject leads or advisors

• educational consultants

• experienced senior teachers, headteachers and deputies

• advanced skills teachers and assessment leads

• specialist leaders of education

• academics specialising in a relevant area of education or subject discipline

• Initial teacher training providers

Register your interest in becoming a panellist

If you would be interested in taking part, please complete this short survey by 30 September 2022.

The survey will reopen periodically after the current survey closes. You can sign up for assessment updates to ensure you receive the latest information.

How the expert review panellists are selected

The survey will ask you to provide information about your professional expertise and experience, gender, ethnicity and geographical location. This enables STA to ensure that the panels are representative of our diverse society, as far as is possible within a small group. Depending on your professional expertise and experience, STA will allocate you to the appropriate panel.

As we will select participants from the long list of everyone who submits their details via our survey, registering your interest does not guarantee a place on a panel.

What happens next

If selected, you will receive an email with a formal invitation to attend a panel. This will include details of the meeting location, date and time.

If you are not available for a particular review, you may remain on our database if you wish to be included in future opportunities.

Your details will remain on our database for five years. You can request that your details are removed or amended at any time.

We will provide you with guidance about the purpose and scope of your review and the intended outcomes of the meeting.

Security is of critical importance during the expert review process and all those involved in the process will need to sign a confidentiality agreement.

STA will reimburse panel members for expenses, school supply cover or meeting attendance fees, and (for the test/assessment review group) preparation work.

Further information

If you have any questions about becoming an expert review panellist, please contact STA.expert@education.gov.uk.

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