QSA have prepared an excellent rich task for Year 9 Mathematics.  It’s this year’s QCAT task.  But the assessment method that QSA proposes for it seems onerous and subjective.  I don’t know how they can think it’s “world’s best practice”.  It’s called a “GTMJ” (Guide to making judgments).  A traditional marks system would be very suitable for the task, being easy to follow, allowing good differentiation between students with similar performance levels, and providing perfect feedback to students about their work.  The descriptor paragraphs in the GTMJ leave me wondering: how can anyone be sure that this is the best descriptor to assess this particular standard?  It’s all someone’s opinion, and is often hard to agree with.  The process of applying the standards, even if you agree that they’re all appropriate, is very subjective, vague, and approximate.  This is the style of assessment that QSA want us to use in all types of tasks and in all year levels including Primary, and I do not want my own children (or anyone else’s) to go through this.  It’s just imprecise and unnecessary, and it does the standard of Mathematics education in our state a disservice.

See for yourself the inbuilt vagueness and subjectivity in this standards marking process, by viewing these short videoclips on QSA’s website:- http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/14735.html
http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/14736.html
http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/14746.html