Assessing Geography in P–6 Part 1: Planning an assessment program

Learning goals

This workshop is delivered in two parts. The learning goals for Part 1: Planning an assessment program are: • know and understand how to use the Australian

Curriculum achievement standard • know and understand how to use the QCAA

standard elaborations • identify how to develop task-specific standards to

inform judgments.

Activity 1: Identifying learning goals

Let’s pause and think about assessing Geography.

What do you already KNOW?

What do you WANT to learn today?

What have you LEARNT?

Booklet, p. 1

Section 2: How do I assess Geography?

Image: Caitlin Regan, Cultural map, CC BY 2.0, https://flic.kr/p/5KNYMX

Australian Curriculum and QCAA resources

Planning assessment: Start with the rationale

www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/humanities-and-social-sciences/geography/rationale

Geography: What are the big ideas?

Image: Teaching and Learning in South Australia, Department for Education and Child Development, CC BY 3.0, www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgGb8BM2TBk

Activity 2: The big ideas and your practice

Teaching

Learning

Big

ideas

Participant booklet, p. 2

Assessment

P–10 standards terminology

Past Present Assessable elements

Valued features

Guides to making judgments

Task-specific standards

Matrix and continua

Matrix and continua

Learning area standard descriptors

Year level standard elaborations

Meaning Criteria used to collect evidence in a subject area Criteria sheets, rubrics

Models for task-specific standards

Elaborations of the AC achievement standards for A‒E (or other 5-point scale)

Participant booklet, p. 3

Activity 3: Examining the Geography achievement standards

In Queensland, the achievement standard represents a C standard.

Participant booklet, p. 4

www.acara.edu.au/curriculum/worksamples/Year_3_Geography_Portfolio.pdf

Student work sample

Activity 3 — Highlighting

Australian Curriculum and QCAA resources

Valued features Content strands and sub-strands Valued features Geographical Knowledge and Understanding

Knowledge and understanding

Geographical Inquiry and Skills Comprising: Observing, questioning and planning

Questioning and researching

Collecting, recording, evaluating and representing Interpreting, analysing and concluding

Interpreting and analysing

Reflecting and responding

Communicating Communicating

Activity 4: Identifying the valued features

Booklet, p. 5

Australian Curriculum and QCAA resources

Standard elaborations (SEs)

www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/27953.html

Geography SEs

5-point scale Folio of

work

Achievement standard

Valued features

Activity 5: Examining the SEs

Select the top row of the SEs in your booklet. Read the A descriptor.

Identify the language used for: • cognition (the doing) • elements (curriculum content) • degree (how well).

Participant booklet, p. 6

Activity 5: SE language identified

comprehensive description of the characteristics of different places at the local scale and identification and comprehensive description of similarities and differences between the characteristics of these places

Degree (orange)

Cognition (blue)

Elements (no highlight)

Participant booklet, p. 6

Activity 6: Developing task-specific standards Step 1: Select the relevant rows from the SE. • Consider the task requirements and the C-descriptors. • The C-descriptors are drawn directly from the achievement standard.

Participant booklet, p. 6

Step 2: Paste selected rows into a matrix or continua template

www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/p_10/ac_geog_tss_matrix.dotx

Step 3: Edit the elements to develop task-specific descriptors

From the SE descriptors

To task-specific descriptors

Learning goals

The learning goals for Part 1 of this workshop series are: • know and understand how to use the Australian

Curriculum achievement standard • know and understand how to use the QCAA

standard elaborations • identify how to develop task-specific standards to

inform judgments.

3–2–1 Reflect

Take a moment to reflect on: • 3 things you recall from this workshop session • 2 connections to your own assessment practice • 1 question that still lingers.

Questions

Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority, Australian Curriculum Unit T (07) 3864 0462 E australiancurriculum@qcaa.qld.edu.au

Image: Raymond Bryson, Question box, CC By 2.0, https://flic.kr/p/fGyo6Q.