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Assessment
Strategies
Spotlighting
Common
Assessment Tasks
A truly comprehensive picture
of a student's progress depends upon the use of a wide variety of assessment
strategies, as many traditional forms of assessment only provide information
on aspects of learning.
Any judgements regarding student progress in SOSE should consider whether
students hold values which will enable them to investigate, communicate
and participate effectively and which will enhance social justice, democratic
processes and ecological sustainability. How these values are translated
into social action also needs to be considered.
Therefore, a rich choice of assessment activities will enable teachers
to give a broad view of student achievement.
The following strategies
are useful ways of intentionally assessing learning in SOSE.
Spotlighting
One way of targeting assessment
is sometimes referred to as "spotlighting"
A spotlight can be used
to provide a picture of students' learning at a particular time in an
activity or unit. Profile outcomes, TLOs, KINOs or other assessment
tools can be used to help make judgements on student learning. An example
of a spotlight is shown below. This method was derived from a series
of assessment activities described in Assessing As You Go (Curriculum
Corporation, Melbourne, 1997).
This activity is planned
to be used in a career and work education unit.
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Decision-making
in a small-group
Context:
Newspaper Scavenger Hunt Upper Primary
Students participate in groups of three to find words and items
in a newspaper relating to Career and Work Education.
What is the purpose of this task?
To see if the students can decide on appropriate ways of undertaking
the scavenger hunt in their group.
What am I looking for?
The extent to which the student:
•uses skills for interacting with others
•identifies alternative sources of action and chooses between
them
•contributes to group decision-making.
When can I gather
assessment information?
•during the group discussion, by observing student interaction.
•through student-self assessment sheets.
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Participation
outcomes |
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At level 2, a student:
2.18
Explores
a variety of group work strategies.
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At level 3, a student:
3.18
Chooses
a suitable technique to achieve a group purpose.
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At level 4, a student:
4.18
Designs
suitable strategies for tasks and to assist decision-making
for particular purposes.
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| Evident
when students, for example: |
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Use strategies to ensure that everyone's views are
heard (speak only when holding an object passed around
the group).
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Identify alternatives and choose a suitable course of
action (whole group to work on whole task or individuals
to tackle aspects).
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Use conflict-resolution strategies to solve a problem.
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Common
Assessment Tasks
A strategy
for assessing students' performance according to criteria is to use
a common assessment task. The following common assessment tasks were
designed to complement the Riverside High School SOSE program and
to address two of the course reporting criteria.
Riverside High School
Common
Assessment Tasks
Our students
today need to not only recall information, but they also need to
access and analyse information,
construct meaning and apply their learning in relevant contexts.
Students need opportunities to demonstrate their understanding in
a variety of contexts, demonstrate positive attitudes and work habits
about learning and be actively involved in the assessment process
through self-assessment and peer-assessment processes.
Assessment
should not be divorced from the curriculum and everyday instruction.
Assessment, to be meaningful,
needs to both facilitate
learning and inform the learner and teacher,
so that opportunities and experiences can be created to guide further
student learning.
The following
examples of assessment activities were designed as an integral component
of the renewed Grade 7 program at Riverside High School. Assessment
activities were targeted to assess criteria formulated from the outcomes
presented in the national Statement and Profile for SOSE, the Tasmanian
Literacy Outcomes and pre-existing school-based criteria that had
been traditionally used as indicators for assessment.
This example
of an assessment task addresses the assessment of an individual's
ability to work responsibly and effectively as a member of a group.
It provides an opportunity for the teacher, individual student and
student peers to be involved in the assessment process.
Riverside High School
Common
Assessment Task
Year 7 SOSE
Instructions
for Teachers
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Criterion
7 - Work
responsibly and effectively as a group member.
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A - Prior
to the Task
- Introduce and
familiarise the students to the idea of self
and peer-assessment using a variety of assessment
sheets. (Refer to Cooperative Learning Booklet - Where
Heart Meets Mind)
- Present the
items on the attached sheet to the students and explain
each item.
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B - The
Groups
- Over the period
of a week, plan a number of group
activities.
- Organise the
students into randomly selected groups that are to function using the cooperative learning
strategies.
- Plan to include
4 students in each group (groups of
three should be the exception).
- Students are
to remain in the same groups throughout
the week.
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C - Teacher
Assessment
- Record the
nature of the activity on the teacher's
assessment sheet.
- Photocopy this
sheet (enough for 1 per student).
- During the course
of the week's lessons, assess each student (select a number
to observe and assess in each lesson).
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D - Student
Assessment
- At the end of
the week each student should complete the self-assessment.
- Students should
circulate their self-ratings to each
person in the group for their review and signature at
the completion of the activity.
- If any member
of the group disagrees with the student's
self-ratings, the reasons for the disagreement should
be discussed.
- The student
being assessed should then decide whether
to change the original rating.
- Teacher and
student can discuss the student's self
and peer-assessments and how these related to the
teacher's assessment.
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| Criterion 7
- Work responsibly
and effectively as a group member. |
| Student's
Name: |
Contextual Description
of Group Activity:
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Criterion
7 - Work
responsibly and effectively as a group member.
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| Student's
Name: |
What group activity
were we doing?
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Instructions:
1 Print the names of your group members at the
bottom of this sheet.
2 Rate yourself on each of the following items
(A to F).
3 Circulate your self-ratings. Do they agree or
disagree with you? Discuss.
4 Get them to review your self-ratings. Do they
agree or disagree with you? Discuss.
5 Get your group members to sign alongside their
names at the bottom of this sheet.
6 Decide whether to change your original ratings. |
Group Members' Names
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Signatures |
1
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2
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3
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