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Queensland Studies Authority. Quality-assurance processes. Partnership. The QSA operates a moderation system that is built upon a close partnership with schools. Responsibilities of the QSA. Development, review and approval of Early Years Curriculum Guidelines and syllabuses for Years 1 12
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Queensland Studies Authority Quality-assurance processes
Partnership • The QSA operates a moderation system that is built upon a close partnership with schools.
Responsibilities of the QSA • Development, review and approval of Early Years Curriculum Guidelines and syllabuses for Years 112 • Development of professional resources for teachers • Testing, assessment and moderation • Certification of Queensland students • Facilitation of tertiary entrance procedures
Responsibilities of schools • Teaching and learning processes • Assessment of student achievements that contribute towards the issue of a Student Education Profile (SEP) • Senior Statement • QCE • QCIA • Tertiary Entrance Statement
Responsibilities of the QA Unit • The Quality Assurance Unit is responsible for the quality assurance of: • Authority subjects • Authority-registered subjects • Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement (QCIA) • Learning projects.
Principles underpinning quality-assurance processes • Externally moderated school-based assessment is aligned to syllabus and SAS documents. • Evidence is required to substantiate schools’ decisions.
Standards-based assessment • Stated in syllabuses and Study Area Specifications (SASs) • Criteria: properties or characteristics by which student performances are appraised • Standards: fixed reference points used to describe how well students have achieved the outcomes, objectives in syllabuses
Purposes of assessment • Formative assessment is used to improve teaching and student achievement. • Summative assessment is used to indicate the achievement status or standards achieved at particular points of schooling. It is geared towards reporting or certification.
Syllabuses • State course aims and objectives, course organisation, learning experiences, standards and assessment.
Work program • The school’s plan of how the course will be delivered and assessed • Based on the school’s interpretation of the syllabus • Caters for the special characteristics of the individual school and its students • Must meet all syllabus requirements
Lodging work programs • Lodged by the school moderator through the QSA website <www.qsa.qld.edu.au> • Processed online by panellists • Can be amended
Monitoring Focus: provide advice to schools
Monitoring submission • Form R3 • Copy of the approved work program • Clean copies of assessment tasks (including data on conditions) • Minimum of five sample student folios (or the whole cohort, if less than five), with completed profiles • Documentation of student performances
Verification Focus: provide feedback to schools about the proposed match of folios to stated syllabus standard descriptors
Verification submission • Form R6 • Copy of the approved work program • Clean copies of assessment tasks • Minimum of nine sample student folios (or the whole cohort, if less than nine), with completed profiles • Documentation of student performances
Comparability • The consistent application of standards by teachers across the state so that student achievements of equivalent standards are recognised. • Panels compare standards and levels of achievement across all districts.
Confirmation • Distributions of levels of achievement are checked for accuracy and the appropriate application of the moderation processes.
Random sampling • The QSA reviews a stratified random sample of student exit folios.
Quality assurance of Authority-registered subjects Study Area Specification (SAS)
Study area specification (SAS) • States course aims and objectives, course organisation, learning experiences, standards and assessment • Some SASs contain information about VET certificates
Study plan • The school’s plan of how the course will be delivered and assessed • Based on the school’s interpretation of the SAS • Caters for the special characteristics of the individual school and its students • Must meet all SAS requirements
Internal review • Internal review of Authority-registered subjects is the mechanism for schools to maintain the continuity of a quality management system in relation to student achievement and QSA procedures.
External reviews • External reviews of Authority-registered subjects are carried out by an officer of the QSA to support schools in the maintenance of their quality management system.
Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement (QCIA) • The QCIA reports the educational achievements of students whose learning is part of an individualised learning program. • Students are eligible to receive this certificate if they have an impairment or learning difficulty. • A number of processes are conducted to quality assure the certificate.
Learning projects • As part of their QCE, students can design and undertake an independent and unique short program of learning that is separate from any established school, training or other educational program. • Learning projects allow learners to develop employability or lifelong learning skills in one of three contexts: workplace, community or self-directed.
Quality-assurance process for Learning projects • Completed learning project documentation (planning log and the evidence of learning) is submitted to QSA. • Documentation reviewed by the QA Unit. • Students are notified of outcome. • If successful, the achievement is banked into the student’s learning account.
Student Education Profile • Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) • Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement (QCIA) • Senior Statement • Statement of Results • Tertiary Entrance Statements
Additional information for teachers Scroll down for sample work programs and assessment instruments
Contacts • Quality Assurance Unit 3864 0375 • Certification Unit 3864 0433 • QCIA 3864 0407 • QSA District Offices • <www.qsa.qld.edu.au> Contact us > District offices