Capturing evidence of pupil progress is critical, study reports

Arena works with many clients in the education sector, helping them with the common issues they face relating to the management, control and security of their vital documents. In addition to copy and print, and managed print services, Arena Group has developed mstore for Education, its own electronic document and records management system (EDRMS). mstore delivers a user-friendly mechanism to improve the whole document storage, retrieval and archiving process, whilst adding a level of security and functionality to improve legal compliance and the security of critical files.

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It’s vital that teachers understand how edtech can help learners to develop confidence in their abilities, and recognise the progress that they have made. Arena has teamed up with Fujitsu to enhance the use of edtech to improve school efficiency and performance. By applying scanning innovation to the classroom, for example, teachers are able to put greater emphasis on progress across the curriculum, particularly in creative and technical subjects.

The Naace study, commissioned by Fujitsu, found that many schools place a strong emphasis on capturing evidence of pupils progress, as well as on using this with pupils and parents to celebrate academic and creative success over time. In this way, pupils are encouraged to be more engaged in learning, building their confidence as they go.

The study states that there is a growing recognition of schools who succeed in getting all pupils to make good progress from their starting points. It goes on to state that these schools should be recognised for such progress, and not just on achievement alone, making the capture of evidence of progress important:

“Achievement does not come without progress. Therefore, if progress is not related to levels of achievement, this will do a disservice to young people, their parents and society as a whole.”

To achieve this, a school needs to establish processes to capture and store progress. In some subjects, this may prove impractical without the right technology.

Fujitsu scanners can help by capturing a pupil’s work throughout the term so that all parties - parents and guardians included - can see how their drawing and painting has evolved and improved. Even previously ‘unscannable’ work, such as portfolios, craft projects, product design and 3D pieces of work, can be captured through overhead scanners, such as Fujitsu’s SV600.

The Virtuous Spiral

The Naace study explains that capturing evidence of progress is a critical part of a virtuous spiral, as depicted in the above graphic. This is an activity that can clearly show pupils that they are making progress of which they can be proud. As the approach spirals up to higher confidence, greater self-esteem and greater progress and achievement, pupils can take a greater role in leading learning and in helping their peers, which further reinforces the feedback on their capabilities.

The use of the school's digital environment to display work is the key to improvement. It enables wider audiences, stronger feedback, more visible progress and achievements.

The digital environment

Evidence of progress can also be shared online and made available to parents and guardians. This creative approach encourages conversations between both parties at home, further increasing the feedback to pupils on their work, and increasing the praise they receive. Providing digital files may also be convenient for parents and guardians, with some schools charging for this service to create a revenue stream or offset costs.

To find out more about how we’re helping schools achieve their visions, visit www.arenagroup.net/education.

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