Assessment & Reporting with the Australian Curriculum 2012 Reporting with the NT A-E Descriptors

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING www.det.nt.gov.au

Assessment & Reportingwith the

Australian Curriculum2012

Reporting with the NT A-E

Descriptors


Five Professional Learning Modules

1. Unpacking the AC achievement standards

2. Validity and reliability of assessments

3. Confirming teacher judgments of student

learning

4. Reporting with the NT A–E descriptors

5. Reporting process


A quality assurance assessment cycle

Planning

Clarifying

Confirming

Reviewing and Improving

Module 1

Module 2

Module 3

Reporting to parents

Module 4Module 5


Reporting student learning

using the interim reporting process

Reporting to parents


Planning for teaching and learning

Recommended actions:

• Complete Modules 1 – 3

• Reflect on school assessment design

• Review year level and school moderation practices

• Develop an understanding of the achievement standards and the A-E descriptors for student reports

• Use these new understandings to plan and teach.


Reporting using the achievement standards

Assess using

• Australian Curriculum English and mathematics achievement standards (science and history for schools where taught) and

• newly developed year level Northern Territory achievement standards for other subjects.

Teachers will• gather evidence of learning

• make on-balance judgments and

• assign and record A-E grades using the descriptors.


On-balance judgments

• Ensure consistency of teacher judgment through confirming processes (moderation) looking at a range of evidence of learning samples (student portfolios).

• Teachers compare their interpretations and application of achievement standards and the A-E descriptors with colleagues.

• Clarifying and confirming facilitates discussion, decision making and identifying pedagogical implications for improving learning.

Quality assessment design and consistency of teacherjudgment are two critical elements of assessment.


Important Point – mid-year assessment

Australian Curriculum achievement standards describe the expected achievement of students for the entire year of schooling…

Therefore in Semester 1, teachers should make an on-balance judgment as to what level of achievement the student is demonstrating in relation to the specific part of the achievement standard taught and assessed to that point in time.

At the end of the year, teachers should look at the entire achievement standard for that year level, when making on-balance judgments.


Important Point – Semester 1 and 2 Reports

Semester 1

The report should reflect student achievement demonstrated against the specific parts of the standard that have been taught to that point in time.

Schools report against the year level achievement standards using A–E grades

Semester 2

The report should reflect student achievement across the entire year level achievement standard.


Important point – change from NTCF reports

Students will be reported against an achievement standard that is aligned to their current age/year level using an A–E descriptor to show the quality of their learning…

Students will no longer be assessed in NTCF bands as: above, at or below year level e.g. a student in a Year 3 class will be given an A–E against the Year 3 achievement standard, (not Year 2 or Year 4 achievement standard etc.)

Teachers can use the comment box to describe and pinpoint student’s achievement in greater detail.

Teachers will determine and record an A–E grade based on


A–E descriptors

Descriptors for the A-E grades indicate the quality of

student learning within an achievement standard.

These descriptors have been developed by the NT


Descriptor grid – key words & phrases

Activity 1

• Read the text in the descriptor A-E grid.

• Identify the key comparative words about the quality of the learning.

• Underline or highlight these words or phrases e.g. high, extensive, thorough, limited, etc. (see attached grid).

• Discuss what the words and phrases mean in everyday life. - When and how are they used?


Descriptor grid – key words & phrases

What do these words mean in relation to learning?


Report comments - mathematics

Activity 2• Read and discuss how the descriptor words and achievement

standards are combined in this example set of report comments.

Use the Year 5 mathematics example.


Report comments - English

Activity 2 (continued)• Read and discuss how the descriptor words and achievement

standards are combined in this example set of report comments.

Use the Year 5 English example.


Descriptors and assessment samples

Activity 3

Discuss the A–E descriptors in relation to the assessment samples for Year 5 for English and mathematics.

• Do these assessment samples provide the scope required to show an A through to an E grade?

• What other assessments are needed?

• How much evidence is needed?

• How could you extend or add to the assessment tasks?


Final discussion after activities

Questions for discussion:

• What will the teaching and learning of the skills and understandings in the achievement standards look like in my classroom?

• What types of assessment activities will show evidence of this learning?

• What is the value of ‘working/planning back’ from the achievement standards and report descriptors?

• How can I plan for upper end extension and lower end scaffolding to encompass the A–E descriptors?


Plan

Think time

Discuss

Reflect

Question

Documents

Assessment & Reporting with the Australian Curriculum 2012 Reporting with the NT A-E Descriptors