Curriculum overview

Modified on Tue, 21 Jan at 4:28 PM

NFER Online Assessments (NOA) assess the core curriculum areas of reading and mathematics. There will be wide variations across schools in terms of the sequence in which the National Curriculum is taught and therefore NOA, similarly to the NFER paper-based assessments, are not written to follow a specific scheme of work or order of curriculum coverage. This makes the assessments suitable for use by all schools.

We have provided outlines of the test content assessed in both the Reading and Maths assessments by year and term which can be accessed via the following links:

The nature of the subjects has been carefully considered in the development of the assessments to ensure good coverage over the academic year, and with how learners will progress their knowledge, skills and understanding.

Reading curriculum

The reading curriculum consists of broader skills than those specified for mathematics. Over the year, particular reading skills are likely to be revisited several times across diverse texts. The same core skills are also repeated across academic years, but the level and depth at which they are covered will develop throughout the key stage.

Maths curriculum

For mathematics, specific teaching on topics will be required. Although topics may be revisited during an academic year, repetition is less frequent than for reading. As the mathematics tests cover content from the entire curriculum in each termly test, there will be some questions in the autumn term tests, and to a lesser extent the spring term tests, which may be inaccessible to pupils because they have not yet been taught the curriculum content needed.

To ensure that there is material which all pupils can complete, the mathematics assessments contain some questions which assess curriculum content from earlier years than the target year of the assessment. This has the secondary benefit of confirming to teachers whether previously taught material has been understood. Further topics that learners commonly find more difficult are often given more attention in the summer term tests when they have had more exposure.

In summary, the mathematics assessments include questions that will challenge learners as well as some which most learners ought to be able to do.

It is important to recognise that inevitably pupils sitting the autumn mathematics tests will encounter some questions based on material they have not yet been taught. This will be true for all pupils at all schools, but the questions which are unfamiliar will vary from school to school. This was also the case for pupils who took part in the national trial of NOA and so the effect is considered in the standardised scores that result. Consequently, teachers can have full confidence in the resulting standardised score.