Consistency of Assessment

Consistency of Assessment Languages 7-10

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. • “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 Years 11-12.” Policy Standards for Curriculum Planning and Programming, Assessing and Reporting to Parents K-12

Assessment ‘for’ Learning • Assessment for learning acknowledges that assessment should occur as a regular part of teaching and learning and that the information gained from assessment activities can be used to shape the teaching and learning process. • Assessment for learning in the K-10 Curriculum Framework is designed to enhance teaching and improve learning. It is assessment that gives students opportunities to produce the work that leads to development of their knowledge, skills and understanding. Assessment for learning involves teachers in deciding how and when to assess student achievement, as they plan the work students will do, using a range of appropriate assessment strategies including self-assessment and peer assessment. • Teachers of K-10 students will provide students with opportunities in the context of everyday classroom activities, as well as planned assessment events, to demonstrate their learning.

Assessment ‘of’ Learning • enables teachers to report on the status of student learning at various 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 student’s performance over time on a number of assessment for learning activities

Developing a shared understanding of the Languages K-10 syllabuses The three syllabus Objectives are interdependent: • Using language - students develop their skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing for communicative proficiency • Making linguistic connections - students explore the nature of languages as systems • Moving between cultures - students develop their knowledge of culture, and the interdependence of language and culture

Syllabus outcomes • are derived from the objectives • relate to: using language listening and responding reading and responding speaking writing making linguistic connections moving between cultures • are explained in terms of students learn aboutand students learn to

Stage Statements The Stage Statements in the K-10 syllabuses: • summarise the knowledge, understanding, skills, values and attitudes gained by achieving the outcomes for a stage of learning.

Which syllabus outcomesshould be included in a unit of work? Consider these key questions: • What do I want the students to learn? • Why does this learning matter? • What am I going to ask the students to do and what will students be able to demonstrate as a result of studying this unit of work? • How well do I expect them to do it? • How will this relate to the overall objectives and outcomes of the syllabus?

What are the key ideas or concepts you want the students to learn? Key concepts should relate to the outcomes and be expressed in the following way: e.g.The key concept I want students to learn is that: there are particular linguistic expressions and gestures to use when eating and drinking in [Language]-speaking communities.

Why does this learning matter? • This statement should relate to the outcomes and explain why the key concept matters for student learning. • To identify why the learning matters, it may be helpful to consider the consequences of not understanding the key concept.

Why does this learning matter? For example: The learning matters because: students need to develop an understanding of the relationship between language and culture in order to communicate appropriately in a range of contexts in [Language]-speaking communities.

Collaborative planning and quality assessment processes Assessment should be an integral part of a unitof work and should support student learning. 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 direction for ongoing teaching and learning.

Collaborative planning and quality assessment processes Teachers’ judgements about student achievement can be supported by samples or evidence of students’ work. Teachers collect and record information that will enable them to: • judge achievement of outcomes appropriate for the stage of learning • plan further teaching and learning activities • monitor student progress • report achievement to students and parents. Collaboration between teachers enhances the judgement process.

The Assessment Resource Centre supports assessing and reporting student achievement relative to standards

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.

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 particular grade, when taken collectively, enable teachers to see clearly the quality of work typically produced by students who will be awarded each grade at the end of the stage.

Awarding Grades and Understanding Standards Board of Studies Advice

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.

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.

Getting to know the standards (3) • Discussions with your colleagues may also be helpful particularly for • new teachers • for a teacher who is not experienced with a particular stage of learning.

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.

Choosing the right grade (2) • An on-balance judgement 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.

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.

Common Grade Scale

A-E GradesWord Descriptors • At the beginning of a reporting period, teachers will consider what students are expected to learn, i.e. 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 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.

School CertificateCourse Performance Descriptors • Course performance descriptors have been developed by the Board of Studies 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.

Using A-E Grades and CPDs

Making Judgements Assessment ‘for’ Learning When developing teaching and learning programs for Years 7-10 Languages classes, teachers consider the syllabus outcomes to make decisions about the evidence of learning to be gathered for assessment. Tasks and activities to be used for assessment could include listening, reading and/or writing activities, oral presentations and role play. Teachers then decide how feedback will be provided to students.

Making Judgements Assessment ‘for’ Learning Planning includes the development of an assessment schedule that comprises: • assessment components, e.g. listening, reading, speaking and writing • outcomes relating to each component • the weighting to be allocated to each component • the timing of tasks and activities.

Making Judgements Assessment ‘for’ Learning When planning assessment tasks and activities, teachers need to develop marking guidelines to show how they will assign a value to students’ work. Marking guidelines can be expressed in different forms, e.g. : • categories • marks • grades • individual comments • visual representations.

Making Judgements Assessment ‘for’ Learning Making judgements about student performance involves: • thinking about the types of work students would produce at each level in the marking guidelines, i.e. determining standards • examining the work samples gathered from students • making judgements about each student’s level of performance against the marking guidelines.

Allocating GradesAssessment ‘of’ Learning Assessment of learning involves: • considering all the evidence of students’ learning that has been gathered, i.e. categories, marks, grades, comments etc, to make an on-balance judgement about students’ performance at a point in time, either during a stage or at the end of a stage.

Helping New Scheme Teachers The Languages Unit is committed to ensuring strong support for New Scheme Teachers so that they may fulfil their potential as quality languages teachers. Support processes include: • professional development workshops • targeted support within regions • networks of schools for collaboration and mutual support • advice and support from Languages consultants and advisers • the Curriculum Support website.

Consistency of Assessment