This page has been left on the site even though the debate has moved on. Please treat it as being of historic interest and a summary of earlier debates. There is still some useful advice there, in lieu of anything better arriving from the DfE.
Schools have the freedom to develop their own approaches to assessment. For some, this means simply continuing with the old NC levels, even though they no longer have any currency. Others are waiting to see what best practice emerges.
I thought it might be helpful to return to some first principles, best outlined in the ill-fated attempt to simplify assessment a few years ago. Although APP never saw the light of day, I think it is worth pondering why it was useful, especially in light of the killing off of National Curriculum levels (Summer 2013)