[Year 12 SofDev] curriculum and assessment

[John Bellavance]

Thank you Paula for this excellent summation!

 

John Bellavance 
Beaconhills College

 

From: sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au
[mailto:sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Christophersen,
Paula P
Sent: Friday, 5 August 2011 6:16 PM
To: Year 12 Software Development Teachers' Mailing
List(sofdev at edulists.com.au); Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing
List (itapps at edulists.com.au); Year 11 Information Technology Teachers'
Mailing List(yr11it at edulists.com.au)
Subject: [Year 12 SofDev] curriculum and assessment

 

Dear colleagues

 

Over the past week there has been some discussion about the extent to
which an assessment task should cover the key knowledge and key skills
associated with each area of study. I would like to add to this
conversation.

 

I will start by stating the obvious. School-assessed coursework and
examinations have different summative assessment purposes. In a
nutshell:

*         School assessment is used to determine if a student has
satisfactorily completed a unit, and to provide graded assessment for
each outcome at units 3 and 4 levels. If the assessment tasks are used
to fulfil both of these purposes, then they must afford students the
opportunity to demonstrate the outcomes. Note: for S/N decisions further
evidence can be used to make the decision (extent is a school d

*         External assessment is primarily used to provide a common
ground to enable comparisons within a total cohort. A student's
performance on an examination does not contribute to satisfactorily
completing a unit.

 

School-assessed coursework

Each outcome statement succinctly identifies what a student is expected
to know and is able to do within an area of study. This succinct
statement is elaborated through the key knowledge and key skills. Each
set of key knowledge identifies the content essential to the outcome,
and each key knowledge point defines the scope of teaching. Each key
skill identifies what is expected to be done with the key knowledge in
order to demonstrate the outcome.

 

If we work on the assumption that a task performs the dual functions as
stated above, then the following applies: when designing an assessment
task students should have to draw on their knowledge of the content
stated in the key knowledge. This does not mean that a separate question
has to be asked on each KK nor does it mean that you individually assess
each KK as a separate task. But what it does mean is that you cannot
design a task that does not require students to draw on the body of
knowledge deemed essential for the outcome. For example, SofDev, Unit 3,
area of study 1 - if you did not include in the assessment task any
requirements to demonstrate knowledge of networks (there are several KK
related to networks), then the students could not demonstrate the
outcome because it states 'that operates in a networked environment'. .
Sometimes a 'nested' approach to content needs to be taken, where the
sum of several KK is required to demonstrate one aspect of an outcome.

 

The key skills state what needs to be done with the content in order to
demonstrate the outcome. Again, if you do not require all of the skills
to be demonstrated in a task, then the outcome cannot be demonstrated.
For example, for the same outcome, if you do not require the writing of
'an SRS to document ...' (final KS) then the outcome cannot be
demonstrated.

 

However, there will always be a difference between the scope of what is
taught and the scope of what is assessed. And herein lies the cause of
some confusion. Assessment tasks should require students to draw of
their knowledge of all KK, but within each key knowledge, its scope can
be reduced. For example, while learning should focus on 'functions,
technical underpinnings and sources of worms, Trojans and spyware, (page
41), the assessment task might just require an understanding of
functions and technical underpinnings of worms and spyware - not the
lot. Conversely, the task would be non-compliant from an audit
perspective, if students were not asked to ...'determine the solution
requirements, constraints including vulnerability to security threats,
and scope ...'

 

Examinations

This is an entirely different situation, because it is not premised on
the fact that judgments are made about satisfactory completion (hence
demonstration of outcomes). This means that KK and KS can be randomly
selected from any area of study as the basis for questions. It is quite
feasible that in any one examination that only 40% of the KK and KS is
assessed.

 

In conclusion (this feels like a chapter in a book!)

In every study design there is a statement about assessing of KK and KS
(for example, page 28). It states that KK and KS should not be assessed
separately, because it is the outcome that is being assessed, not just
the capacity to demonstrate isolated knowledge and skills. For school
assessment, tasks should require students to draw on the knowledge of
the area of study, and demonstrate the key skills, but within the KK,
the scope can be reduced.

 

Enjoy the weekend!

 

Regards

Paula

 

Paula Christophersen

ICT Curriculum Manager

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment

Authority

(03) 9651 4378

 

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