Personalisation by Pieces Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to get started with PbyP?
Schools can be using PbyP with learners submitting work for peer assessment on the same day you purchase licences for the web tool. All we need is the names and some contact details for 2 members of staff and some basic details for your school such as DFES number for registration.
You can then upload your staff and learners using the sample spreadsheet or your own. The system then registers all users with a Profile and individual starting point on the chosen skills ladders and provides usernames and passwords. Once these have been allocated every user can login and use all the functions.
What age-range is PbyP designed to be used with?
Part of the unique design of the PbyP skills ladders is that they cover the widest ability range from early beginner to professional. This means there is not a reason why a 6 year old and a 17 year old can not be working on the same skill ladder, just working towards targets at different levels. We currently have users from Key stage one to further education using PbyP.
Some of the skills ladders such as the Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills have been developed to deliver secondary curriculum requirements. In this case we have still written the ladders to demonstrate each skill from early primary to professional level. The secondary students simply start at the appropriate level.
We have several overseas schools using our skills ladders because the skills they evidence are internationally recognised.
For children in the Early Years and Foundation Stage we have developed a separate PbyP web tool and site, specially designed for use by very young children. This site still offers peer assessment but only when recommended and is managed by the class teacher.
How do we know the peer assessment is fair and accurate?
All the peer assessment is monitored and recorded by the PbyP system.
A learner only becomes an assessor for a skill when they have passed it at a higher level themselves (With at least two pieces of evidence). They are then automatically added to the list of assessors who are allocated randomly. The assessor has to record their assessment and comment, which is then sent to the learner. The learner records whether they felt the assessment was fair and the comment useful. A message is sent back to the assessor with their comment. If a learner records they feel an assessment was unfair, the system automatically sends a message to the Assessor’s teacher (Key Mentor) and will not send them any more evidence to assess until their teacher has given permission to do so. The teacher can view the work/evidence submitted and the assessment made and then agrees or disagrees with the complaint.
Each school and Cambridge Education have the function to moderate randomly chosen evidence each week to monitor the accuracy of the peer assessment.
The PbyP system operates on the basis that all users are learners and assessors which gives every user a clear incentive to be fair and accurate.
How do students use PbyP at home and other places out of school?
PbyP can be accessed from any device that can access the internet. All users need is their username and password. There is no cost attached to using the system outside of school.
This supports learners in using evidence from their activities outside of school for their skill profile. Evidence can be a video, image or audio file as well as document and presentation.
Access outside of school also encourages parental involvement in learning and achievement. Each parent is able to become a Mentor for their child on the system which enables them to view their evidence and set up a regular time to discuss their child’s progression and record their comments.
Is the £3 per user for unlimited use?
Are there any extra costs?
The £3 per user provides an annual licence for unlimited use of all the functions on the PbyP site and web tool. There is no limit to the number of targets, ladders or pieces of evidence users can submit.
There are no other charges.
The school pays the £100 annual licence fee which also gives unlimited access.
The only additional cost to schools is if they wish to add more users to their account. These are charged at £3 each.
There is no charge for parent access and use of the Parent Mentor facility.
How do I choose which skills ladders to use with our learners?
We can discuss with you which skills ladders you feel are most suited to your plans with PbyP. You can also have more than one set of ladders but most schools find one set offers enough range and choice.
How many targets can a learner have in their PbyP profile at one time?
Each learner can have as many targets as they wish. When they select a skill and level to be a target, it appears as a T in their profile. When they have submitted evidence to demonstrate they have achieved that target, the T changes to a? When they have passed that target (by two pieces of evidence being passed) the level is coloured in. A learner, teacher or parent can look at an individual Profile and see quickly how they are progressing.
Find out more
To discuss how Cambridge Education can help you implement personalised learning in your school call 01223 463757 or email us at pbyp@camb-ed.com
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