Using Clicker for KS2 writing moderation
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We get a lot of questions about using Clicker for KS2 writing moderation. So, we wanted to share an example of how a real school successfully integrated Clicker into their moderation process.
Scott Salmond is the Deputy Head of Craneswater Junior School. He helped introduce Clicker into his setting as part of the “Portsmouth: The Digital City” Project. One of the barriers he faced was that teachers were concerned that Clicker’s support features would make pupils’ writing ineligible for moderation.
As a moderator himself, Scott was able to coordinate a clear, compliant approach so that teachers could confidently use Clicker without compromising the independence of pupils’ writing.
In this blog, we’ll explore the guidance the school followed and how they configured Clicker to meet key requirements.
What does the statutory guidance say?
The aim of writing moderation is to ensure that teachers can accurately assess whether their pupils’ writing meets age-related expectations. For that to happen, moderators need to examine work that pupils have completed independently.
According to the statutory guidance, writing is not independent if it has been “produced with the support of electronic aids that automatically provide correct spelling, synonyms, punctuation, or predictive text. If the electronic aid is turned off, for example, spell check in a word programme, this would be considered independent.”
Here is how Craneswater Junior School applied this guidance to the core Clicker features.
The Spell Check and Predictor
Spelling and vocabulary are crucial metrics in writing moderation. To ensure these areas could be assessed fairly, the school reviewed the guidance on independent writing. They also referred to the ‘pupil can’ statements, which are used to determine if pupils are working at or towards their age-related expectations.
Because spelling accuracy is directly assessed at KS2, the school turned off Spell Check so moderators could see how often pupils correctly spell words from the Year 3 - 6 spelling lists.
They also disabled the Predictor, as it enables pupils to use vocabulary they may not have thought of without the tool, meaning moderators would not be able to determine how effectively a pupil is able to use descriptive language or make appropriate word selections.
To turn off these features in the desktop version, navigate to the ‘Options' tab, select either the ‘Spell Check’ or ‘Predictor’ button, and untick the options in the pop-up dialog.
In Clicker Writer, you can turn these features off by clicking the ‘Settings’ button, navigating to the ‘Suggestions’ tab in the pop-up window, and unticking ‘Spell Check’ and ‘Predict Next Word’. You can also untick the Predictor in the ‘Tools & Controls’ tab.
Automatic capitalisation
The use of punctuation is another area that moderators assess. Using the full range of punctuation taught at KS2 is key to demonstrating that a pupil meets the expected standard. This includes using capital letters appropriately.
To account for this, the school simply turned off automatic capitalisation in Clicker. You can switch off this feature in Clicker by navigating to the ‘Options’ ribbon, selecting the ‘Spell Check’ button, and unticking both ‘Capitalise the first letter of sentences’ and ‘Capitalise names’ in the pop-up dialog.
In Clicker Writer, you can untick these options by clicking ‘Settings’ and selecting the ‘Suggestions’ tab.
Speech feedback and dictation
After consultation with their moderation manager, it was determined that the school could use speech feedback, but not dictation for moderated writing.
Whilst hearing text read aloud might help a learner notice a misspelt word, it does not provide them with the correct spelling. Therefore, the feature was treated like peer support, which is allowed under the guidance.
Dictation, on the other hand, was not allowed as it does not allow moderators to assess how pupils spell, structure writing, or punctuate sentences.
In Clicker Desktop, dictation uses the device’s built-in features, so there is no need to disable it. In Clicker Writer, you can disable dictation by clicking on the ‘Settings’ button, selecting the ‘Tools and Controls’ tab, and unticking the ‘Dictate’ option.
Clicker Grids
There are three different types of writing grids available in Clicker:
Sentence Sets are designed for pupils who are building an understanding of the concept of a sentence. Each grid contains all the words needed to create a sentence, providing a high level of scaffolding for the student.
Connect Sets are designed for pupils who are beginning to experiment with word choices within sentences. They offer a lighter scaffold than a Sentence Set but still provide all the words necessary to build accurate sentences.
Word Banks provide vocabulary support. They are designed to support pupils to use ambitious vocabulary in their writing.
The school determined that Sentence Sets and Connect Sets cannot be used in moderated writing as they provide too much support with key assessment criteria.
Word Banks, however, are permitted for moderated writing, but pupils must type or write the words independently. This meant that pupils could use a Word Bank as a reference if they did not click words to add them to their Document.
To account for this, you could print the Word Banks ahead of the writing session. Alternatively, you could allow pupils to use Word Banks in Clicker, but instruct them to type the words. You can then verify that all the words have been typed in manually with Clicker’s Analytics tool.
Analytics
The Analytics tool played a key role in the school’s approach to KS2 writing moderation. It provides a precise, printable summary of how each word was added to the Document (typed vs clicked), time spent writing, average sentence length, and other useful metrics. This allowed staff to evidence independence and demonstrate that pupils did not use any features they were not supposed to.
You can easily generate reports in Analytics by selecting the ‘Print’ button. You can then add a header and footer, and tick the elements you wish to include.
If you have any questions about using Clicker for KS2 writing moderation, we’re here to help.
If you’re already a Clicker subscriber, you can book a partnership meeting. Or, if you’re considering getting Clicker for your school, you can book a free discovery call.
Want to learn more about using Clicker to support learners throughout primary school? Take a look at these blogs:
