EDUCATION Citation and commencement 1 This Order may be cited as the Education (Assessment Arrangements for Key Stage 3) Order (Northern Ireland) 1997 and shall come into operation on 20th October 1997. Revocations 2 The following Orders are hereby revoked— a the Education (Assessment Arrangements for Key Stage 3) Order (Northern Ireland) 1996 ; b the Education (Assessment Arrangements for Key Stage 3) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 1997 ; c the Education (Assessment Arrangements for Key Stage 3) (Amendment No. 2) Order (Northern Ireland) 1997 ; and d the Education (Assessment Arrangements for Key Stage 3) (Amendment No. 3) Order (Northern Ireland) 1997 . Application 3 1 Subject to paragraph (2) the provisions of this Order shall apply in respect of pupils in grant-aided schools who are in the third year of the third key stage. 2 This Order shall not have effect in relation to a pupil in respect of whom a board is maintaining a statement of special educational needs under Article 16 of the 1996 Order and who, on the making of an assessment of his special educational needs, has been assessed by that board under Article 15 of that Order as having severe learning difficulties. Interpretation 4 In this Order— “attainment target” means an attainment target in a relevant subject specified in an Order listed in Part 2 of the Schedule; “level descriptions” in relation to an attainment target specified for a relevant subject means the levels set out in the Document published by the Stationery Office in respect of that subject and listed in Part 1 of the Schedule; “relevant subject” means English, Mathematics or Science; “the Assessment Document ” means a document published by the Stationery Office entitled “Assessment Arrangements in Key Stage 3” ; “ the Council ” means the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment ; “the 1989 Order ” means the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989; and “the 1996 Order” means the Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 . Duty to carry out assessment 5 1 It shall be the duty of the principal of the school to make arrangements for an assessment of each pupil’s attainment in the relevant subjects specified in paragraph (2) to be carried out in accordance with the provisions of this Order. 2 Each pupil shall be assessed in English, Mathematics and Science at or near the end of the third key stage for the purpose of ascertaining what he has achieved in relation to the attainment targets for that key stage. Assessment by teachers 6 1 In relation to each relevant subject, each pupil shall be assessed by a teacher in accordance with this Article in the period commencing on 1st January and ending on a date in the same school year specified in the Assessment Document (both dates inclusive) and a record of the results shall be made by that teacher not later than a date specified in the Assessment Document. 2 The teacher shall determine each pupil’s level of attainment achieved in relation to each attainment target in each relevant subject by reference to the level descriptions for each attainment target specified for that subject. 3 The record of results made under paragraph (1) for each pupil shall consist of a statement of the level of attainment achieved in relation to each attainment target as determined under paragraph (2). 4 In making an assessment of a pupil under this Article a teacher may take into account any previous assessment of that pupil (whether or not made by that teacher). Information to be provided to the Council 7 It shall be the duty of the principal of the school, in respect of each pupil, to send notification to the Council comprising the information, in the form and by the dates, specified in the Assessment Document. Calculation of pupils' levels of attainment 8 1 Subject to paragraph (2) each pupil’s level of attainment in each relevant subject shall be calculated in accordance with the arrangements specified in the Assessment Document and the Council shall send notification to the school comprising the following information— a each pupil’s subject level; b the percentage of pupils at the school in the third year of the third key stage achieving each level of attainment; and c the percentage of all pupils in Northern Ireland in the third year of the third key stage achieving each level of attainment. 2 Subject to Article 10, a pupil’s subject level in English and Mathematics shall be the average of his level of attainment achieved in relation to all the attainment targets for that subject determined under Article 6(2) and a pupil’s subject level in Science shall be determined by weighting the levels in each attainment target in the following ratio— Experimental and investigative science Living organisms and life processes Materials and their uses Physical processes 3: 2: 2: 2 3 Where the average calculated under paragraph (2) is not a whole number it shall be rounded to the nearest whole number, the fraction of one half being rounded upwards to the next whole number. External tests 9 1 Subject to Article 10(4) and (5) it shall be the duty of the principal of the school to make arrangements for each pupil to take tests set by the Council in each relevant subject at a date and time and in accordance with arrangements specified in the Assessment Document. 2 The Council shall make arrangements for the tests to be marked and shall, by a date specified in the Assessment Document, send notification to the school comprising the following information— a each pupil’s subject level; b the percentage of pupils at the school in the third year of the third key stage achieving each level of attainment; and c the percentage of all pupils in Northern Ireland in the third year of the third key stage achieving each level of attainment. Exemptions 10 1 Where, under Article 14 (development work and experiments), 15 (exceptions by regulations), 16 (pupils with statements of special educational needs) or 17 (temporary exceptions for individual pupils) of the 1989 Order, a pupil has been exempted from one or more attainment targets in a relevant subject that pupil shall be assessed by a teacher in accordance with Article 6 only in relation to the remaining attainment targets in that subject and where a pupil has been exempted from a relevant subject as a whole Article 5 shall not apply in respect of that subject. 2 Where a pupil has been exempted as described in paragraph (1) from one attainment target in a relevant subject his level of attainment achieved in relation to that subject shall be the average of his levels of attainment achieved in relation to the remaining attainment targets in that subject. 3 Where a pupil has been exempted as described in paragraph (1) from two or more attainment targets in a relevant subject a level of attainment shall not be determined for that pupil in that subject and the school shall notify the Council accordingly. 4 Article 9 shall not require a pupil, in respect of whom a board is maintaining a statement of special educational needs under Article 16 of the 1996 Order and who, on the making of an assessment of his special educational needs, has been assessed by that board under Article 15 of that Order as having moderate learning difficulties, to take a test in a relevant subject. 5 Article 9 shall not require a pupil to take a test in a relevant subject if the pupil’s level of attainment in that subject, determined under Article 6 is below the level description specified for level 3 in relation to that subject. Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Education on C. Jendoubi Assistant Secretary 18th September 1997.