From: The Education and Innovation Committee’s report no. 25, The assessment methods used in senior mathematics, chemistry and physics in Queensland schools, which was tabled in Parliament on October 14, 2013.
http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/committees/EIC/2013/QldAssessment/rpt-025-14Oct2013.pdf
Recommendation 1: (p 81)
The committee recommends that schools should retain the ability to determine the timing and nature of summative assessment tasks, with the syllabus specifying an upper limit on the number of extended assignment tasks; and a reduced contribution by inquiry-based tasks to a student’s overall achievement grade (see also Recommendation 9).
Recommendation 2: (p81)
The committee recommends that an external exam count for 50% of a student’s overall achievement mark in senior mathematics, chemistry and physics to:
a) ensure an appropriate focus on content knowledge which, of the three criteria for each subject, is the one most readily testable by an exam task (and what is tested, gets taught)
b) ensure an element of commonality in respect of content knowledge around the state, which makes comparing student scores more meaningful for employers and universities
c) promote confidence in the validity of all of a student’s final mark for a subject by increasing the likelihood of consistent assessment practices against a common task.
Recommendation 3: (p81)
The committee recommends that the syllabus documentation specify the goals of senior mathematics, chemistry and physics courses, in terms of post-school directions; and explicitly advise how the courses will achieve those.
Recommendation 4: (p82)
The committee recommends that the subject-based external exam for mathematics, chemistry and physics be used to scale school-based assessments, in recognition of the fact that exams provide a valid assessment of a student having ‘the basic’ content and procedural knowledge in the subject area and that the criteria relating to this knowledge should be a primary determinant of the student’s achievement level in these subjects.
Recommendation 5: (p87)
The committee recommends that research be undertaken into whether there are differential impacts of standards-based assessment for humanities and mathematical and scientific subjects.
Recommendation 6: (p91)
The committee recommends the syllabus documentation be provided with more detail about standards of achievement against each criteria, to support teachers in their task of assessing students’ standards of achievement against each criteria.
Recommendation 7: (p109)
The committee recommends that the syllabus prescribe that inquiry-based assessment tasks such as extended modelling, extended experimental investigations and extended research tasks, be completed in class time under teacher supervision, and that it specify a maximum number of hours that can be spent on these tasks.
Recommendation 8: (p109)
That inquiry-based assessment tasks be mandated at no more than one in each of year 11 and 12 (with schools free to use a maximum of two)
Recommendation 9: (p110)
That inquiry-based assessment tasks contribute to a defined proportion of a student’s overall mark for that subject (a minimum of 12.5% and a maximum of 25%)
Recommendation 10: (p110)
That inquiry-based assessment tasks can be presented in a range of formats, including oral presentations, visual presentations as well as in a written report format.
Recommendation 11: (p110)
The committee recommends that a ‘catalogue’ of common inquiry-based assessment tasks, developed by trained specialist teachers and with associated task-specific assessment guides be developed to support teachers. The national curriculum may provide an opportunity for sharing of resources and experiences on a national scale, with support from industry and academia.
Recommendation 12: (p110)
That students be routinely questioned on aspects of their inquiry-based assessment task as part of the assessment process.
Recommendation 13: (p125)
The committee recommends that in the context of standards-based assessment, numerical marking be strongly promoted in maths, chemistry and physics alongside more specifically defined syllabus documents (see Recommendation 6) that include mark ranges to equate to each of the five standards of achievement for each criteria, to:
a) increase clarity for students and teachers as to why particular standards of achievement are awarded
b) ensure an appropriate focus is placed on content knowledge along with the higher order skills (numerical marks readily allowing weighting)
c) reduce workload for teachers
d) enable employers and universities and importantly, students themselves to readily see what content a student knows and does not know.
Recommendation 14: (p131)
The committee recommends that a (reduced) mechanism to enable teachers to set and review school-based assessment tasks should continue to operate for senior mathematics, chemistry and physics, but that this mechanism not be used to moderate school-based assessments.
Recommendation 15: (p138)
The committee recommends the QSA provide more direction to schools and teachers in respect of requirements for school-based assessment tasks, both in the syllabus documents and through training.
Recommendation 16: (p142)
The committee recommends the government undertake research to establish benchmarks and, at an appropriate time, evaluate performance progress in Queensland and compare Queensland performance in senior mathematics, chemistry and physics (and all senior subjects) with the performance of senior students in other Australian jurisdictions and internationally.