Consistency of assessment

1
Consistency of assessment

• Technology subjects (7-12)

2
What is assessment?

• Assessment is the process of identifying,
  gathering and interpreting information about
  students' learning. The central purpose of
  assessment is to provide information on student
  achievement and progress and set the direction
  for ongoing teaching and learning.

3
DET assessment requirements

• Schools are to undertake assessment to collect
  information about students learning. This will
  occur through both formal and informal
  activities.
• Assessment of student learning will be undertaken
  for all learners, including students with
  disabilities
• enrolled in regular classes
• enrolled in special classes or in special
  schools
• accessing life skills outcomes and content in
  Years
• 7-10 or following life skills patterns of study
  in Years11-12.
• Policy Standards for Curriculum Planning and
  Programming, Assessing and Reporting to Parents
  K-12

4
Assessment for learning

• acknowledges that assessment of student learning
  and feedback to students should occur as a
  regular part of teaching and learning and can be
  used to shape the teaching and learning process.
• is critical to teaching and to improving learning
  by giving students opportunities to produce the
  work that leads to development of their
  knowledge, skills and understanding.
• involves teachers in deciding how and when to
  review and provide feedback to students about
  their achievement, as they plan the everyday
  classroom activities students will do
• uses a range of appropriate assessment strategies
  including practical demonstrations of knowledge
  and skills, self-assessment and peer assessment

Teachers of K-10 students will provide students
with opportunities to demonstrate their learning
in the context of everyday classroom activities,
as well as scheduled assessment events.
5
Assessment of learning

• Enables teachers to report on the status of
  student learning at significant points in the
  teaching and learning program.
• Involves teachers making professional judgements
  of student achievement, based on evidence
  collected from both formal and informal measures
  of each students performance, over time on a
  number of assessment for learning activities.

6
Developing a shared understanding of syllabus
outcomes

• Become familiar with the course performance
  descriptors (CPDs). It is important that you
  understand the CPDs before you use them. Try the
  following
• Read the Areas for Assessment at the top of the
  CPD table. There are typically 46 areas
  identified for each Stage 5 course. The areas for
  assessment are derived from the course
  objectives, and are linked to the course
  outcomes. Look at the objectives and outcomes
  page of the syllabus and identify how the Areas
  for Assessment have been derived.
• Read the General Performance Descriptors on page
  3 of the CPD document. Identify the typical
  features of student performance at Grade A level.
  How is it different to Grade B, C, D, E?
• Analyse closely the descriptions in the CPD table
  for each level. How do the descriptors relate to
  the Areas for Assessment? How do the descriptors
  vary for each grade level?

7
Collaborative planning and quality assessment
processes

• Work with teachers of the same subject in your
  school to collaboratively discuss, share ideas
  and opinions and reach consensus on assessment
  judgements. Assessment judgements across two
  classes of students in the school studying the
  same subject must be comparable and equitable.
• Look at the Boards Assessment Resource Centre
  that includes student work samples for each
  subject with related commentary. These assessment
  activities typically illustrate day-to-day
  teaching and learning rather than significant
  formal assessment events.

8
Assessment practices

• Review your assessment program in relation to the
  CPDs.
• Once you are familiar with the CPDs take another
  look at your assessment program. Think about the
  following questions in relation to the School
  Certificate assessment policies and programs you
  have for technology subjects
• Does your assessment program offer a range of
  assessment activities that allow the areas for
  assessment and the objectives and outcomes of the
  syllabus to be effectively addressed?
• Are your assessment activities sufficiently well
  designed to enable student performance at the
  full range of abilities? Are capable students
  able to demonstrate performance at a grade A
  level? Phrases such as demonstrates extensive
  knowledge, high level of competence and
  independently uses are commonplace at grade A.
  Have you allowed students to show you this level
  of performance?

9
Assessment practices

• Use processes that lead to consistent teacher
  judgement
• The allocation of grades across the state should
  be consistent. That means that a decision about
  the allocation of a specific grade to a student
  should be the same across the state and year
  after year no matter which teacher makes the
  judgement. Such consistency only comes about
  through substantial professional dialogue and
  collaboration.

10
The Assessment Resource Centre supports
assessing and reporting student achievement
relative to standards
11
Using work samples

• Work samples aligned to grades assist teachers to
  have a clear understanding of the standards at
  each grade level. For each subject area in each
  stage, the samples of student work, together,
  show the standard of work typically produced by
  students performing at that grade level.
• Teachers can use this information to assist them
  to consistently apply the Common Grade Scale to
  award grades to students.

12
Using work samples

• Aligning a work sample to a particular grade
  indicates that the work sample is of a standard
  that would typically be produced by a student
  whose overall performance, on balance, best
  matches that grade description.
• The samples of work for a subject area for a
  particular grade, when taken collectively, enable
  teachers to clearly see the quality of work
  typically produced by students who will be
  awarded each grade at the end of the stage.

13
Awarding grades and understanding standards

• Board of Studies advice

14
Getting to know the standards (1)

• You become familiar with the standards by
  reading
• the descriptions for each grade
• the tasks and activities
• the work samples, and
• the grade commentaries.

15
Getting to know the standards (2)

• While reading, think of your experiences with
  students you have taught who have produced work
  of a similar standard. This will give you a
  mental picture of the knowledge, skills and
  understanding represented by that grade.
• Discussions with your colleagues may also be
  helpful.

16
Getting to know the standards (3)

• Discussions with your colleagues may also be
  helpful particularly for
• new teachers
• where a teacher is not experienced with that stage

17
Choosing the right grade (1)

• Reporting with grades requires teachers to use
  their on-balance judgement in relation to
  standards.
• This is a key professional skill.

18
Choosing the right grade (2)

• An on-balance judgment does not just focus on a
  single piece of work.
• Teachers weigh up the assessment information
  collected for a student up to that point in time.
  
• This information will come from both formal
  assessment activities and informal observations
  and will be built up over time and in different
  situations.

19
Consistent teacher judgements

• The consistency of judgements about grades within
  and between schools comes from
• following teaching programs based on common
  syllabuses
• using the common grade scale
• considering shared samples of student work
• discussions with colleagues.

20
Common grade scale
Grade Grade Descriptions
A The student has an extensive knowledge and understanding of the content and can readily apply this knowledge. In addition, the student has achieved a very high level of competence in the processes and skills and can apply these skills to new situations.
B The student has a thorough knowledge and understanding of the content and a high level of competence in the processes and skills. In addition, the student is able to apply this knowledge and these skills to most situations.
C The student has a sound knowledge and understanding of the main areas of content and has achieved an adequate level of competence in the processes and skills.
D The student has a basic knowledge and understanding of the content and has achieved a limited level of competence in the processes and skills.
E The student has an elementary knowledge and understanding in few areas of the content and has achieved very limited competence in some of the processes and skills.
21
A-E grades

• At the beginning of a reporting period, teachers
  will consider what students are expected to
  learn. That is, the knowledge, skills and
  understanding that is typically spelt out in the
  syllabuses and the teaching/learning programs
  developed by schools.
• At the end of the reporting period, teachers will
  consider how well students have achieved. This is
  addressed by using the common A-E grade scale
  which summarises the degree to which students
  have demonstrated their achievement of the
  knowledge, skills and understanding they have had
  the opportunity to learn. How well takes into
  account the breadth and depth of their learning.

22
Course performance descriptors (CPDs)

• Course performance descriptors (CPDs) have been
  developed for each course. They describe the main
  features of a typical student's performance at
  each grade measured against the syllabus
  objectives and outcomes for the course.
• You will make the final judgement of the most
  appropriate grade on the basis of available
  assessment information and with reference to the
  course performance descriptors.
• The grades awarded should reflect the relative
  emphasis placed on the assessable objectives of
  school programs and the syllabus. For example,
  where a school has placed considerable emphasis
  on the development of research skills, that
  emphasis should be reflected in the assessment
  program.

23
Using A-E Grades and CPDs

Year 7 Semester 1 A-E reporting scale used to make judgements on student achievement related to the syllabus outcomes and content taught during that semester only.
Year 7 Semester 2 A-E reporting scale used to make judgements on student achievement related to the syllabus outcomes and content taught during that semester only.
Year 8 Semester 1 A-E reporting scale used to make judgements on student achievement related to the syllabus outcomes and content taught during that semester only.
Year 8 Semester 2 A-E reporting scale used to make judgements on student achievement related to the syllabus outcomes and content taught during that semester only.
Year 9 Semester 1 A-E reporting scale used to make judgements on student achievement related to the syllabus outcomes and content taught during that semester only.
Year 9 Semester 2 A-E reporting scale used to make judgements on student achievement related to the syllabus outcomes and content taught during that semester only.
Year 10 Semester 1 A-E reporting scale used to make judgements on student achievement related to the syllabus outcomes and content taught during that semester only. BOS CPDs used to make judgement
Year 10 Semester 2 A-E reporting scale used to make judgements on student achievement related to the syllabus outcomes and content taught during that semester only. BOS CPDs used to make judgement
24
Using CPDs to plan and review

• The Course Performance Descriptors should inform
  planning and reviewing of the assessment
  activities that will be used to make the grade
  judgement for the School Certificate
• Does each assessment task give your students the
  opportunity to demonstrate performance at the
  range of grades A to E?
• Does the set of tasks for the School Certificate
  address the breadth of the Areas for Assessment?

25
Making judgements Assessment forlearning

• Judges student achievement against your
  expectation for that point-in-time.
• Not a judgement about progress against the
  Boards end-of-stage standard (CPDs).
• Schools will continue to provide reports to
  parents about what students know and can do in
  relation to syllabus standards and that
• use a numerical score (1-100) or an A-E (or
  equivalent) achievement scale
• compare student achievement with peer group
  through course group rankings or grade
  distributions.

26
Allocating grades Assessment of learning

• Participate in discussions about whole-school
  approaches.
• Discuss processes that teachers will use to
  achieve consistency, especially across teachers
  of the same course in
• planning assessment
• making A-E judgements
• Identify subject-specific statements for each
  reporting period
• Boards Areas for assessment (CPDs) or
• School developed areas of learning reporting
  statements for each subject.
• Develop a documented plan for each reporting
  period, for each subject.

27
ESL students

• Schools will use ESL grades, ESL 1-6 for ESL
  students to report achievement in English, judged
  in relation to the ESL scales.
• For new arrival ESL students in primary, central
  or high schools, if appropriate, other KLAs may
  be reported against A-E scale or just a comment.
• For new arrival ESL students in IEC or IEHS
  students achievements in other KLAs are to be
  described against the Departments Intensive
  English Program Curriculum Framework.
• For other ESL students (more than 4 terms)
  achievement in KLAs reported against A-E scale.

28
Learning accommodations or adjustments

• Reports will provide information about learning
  in the KLAs or the life skills program
  undertaken.
• The A-E achievement grades will be used for
  students with learning accommodations.
• Students with learning adjustments (typically
  moderate or severe levels of intellectual
  disability)
• personalised reports with comments for KLAs
• may also include use of a P1-P4 scale
• will not receive comparative information to the
  students peer group.

29
Reports for small schools

• For schools where the peer group is less than 5
  students, schools will negotiate with the
  community in relation to providing data for
  comparison
• The potential for public release of information
  about individual students is to be avoided

30
Helping New Scheme teachers

• Graduate teachers need to be able to
• demonstrate knowledge and use of a range of
  strategies to assess student achievement of
  learning outcomes (3.1.5)
• demonstrate knowledge of the link between
  outcomes and assessment strategies (3.1.6)
• give helpful and timely oral and written feedback
  to students (3.1.7)
• demonstrate knowledge and a rationale for keeping
  accurate and reliable records to monitor
  students progress (3.1.8)
• demonstrate an understanding of the principles
  and practices of reporting to students, parents
  and caregivers (3.1.9)
• (Source Professional Teaching Standards, pp.
  6-7)
• Head teachers and experienced teachers will need
  to offer professional learning opportunities to
  ensure new scheme teachers are able to
  demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and
  practices regarding quality assessment and
  reporting practices.

31
Online resources

• For course assessment plans and advice go to the
  Technology web pages of the Curriculum Support
  website and search for a particular Years 7-10
  technology subject
• http//www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/
  secondary/technology/7_10/index.htm
• For general assessment information go to
• http//www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/
  timetoteach/index.htm
• For advice about moderation and consistency of
  judgements go to
• http//www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/
  consistent_teacher/index.htm

32
Contacts

• Lyndall Foster
• Lyndall.foster_at_det.nsw.edu.au
• [phone]
• Bill Blake
• bill.blake_at_det.nsw.edu.au
• [phone]