Comparative Judgement and the Future of Assessment with Daisy Christodoulou Mind the Gap, Ep.125 (S6,E23)

On this episode of Mind the Gap, Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are joined by Daisy Christodoulou, Director of Education at No More Marking, for a fascinating conversation about assessment, comparative judgement, AI and what makes writing better. Daisy explains how comparative judgement offers a more reliable alternative to traditional rubric-based marking, why humans are often better at comparing two pieces of writing than assigning absolute grades, and how AI is now being used to support - not replace - teacher judgement. The discussion explores the promise and limitations of AI in assessing extended writing, the importance of keeping teachers “in the loop,” and how national writing comparisons can help schools understand standards beyond their own context. Along the way, Daisy unpacks what underpins strong writing and challenges the idea that pupils improve simply by writing more. She makes the case for breaking writing down, building component skills over time, and designing assessment systems that give teachers better insight without drowning them in marking.Daisy Christodoulou is the Director of Education at No More Marking, a provider of online Comparative Judgement software for schools. She is also the author of three books about education: Teachers vs Tech, Making Good Progress, and Seven Myths about Education. In November 2024, her first book about football was published: I Can’t Stop Thinking about VAR. Before joining No More Marking, Daisy was Head of Assessment at Ark Schools, and before that, she was a secondary English teacher in London.Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specialising in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. He regularly contributes to conferences and CPD sessions locally and nationally and is busy working in schools and colleges across the UK and around the world. Follow Tom on X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@teacherhead⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Emma Turner FCCT is a school improvement advisor, education consultant, trainer and author. She has almost three decades of primary teaching, headship and leadership experience across the sector, working and leading in both MATs and LAs. She works nationally and internationally on school improvement including at single school level and at scale. She has a particular interest in research informed practice in the primary phase, early career development, and CPD design. Follow Emma on X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emma_turner75⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This podcast is sponsored by Teaching WalkThrus and produced in association with Haringey Education Partnership. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://walkthrus.co.uk/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://haringeyeducationpartnership.co.uk/⁠⁠