Assessing Student Achievement K-6 Science and Technology within COGs

1. Assessing Student Achievement K-6 Science and Technology within COGs Harry Vassila Curriculum Directorate Science and Technology Units

2. Workshop Overview • Issues in teaching K–6 Science and Technology • Teaching Science and Technology • Progression of Science and Technology learning • Linking teaching to assessment Science and Technology Units

3. Workshop materials • Participants workbook • Key information • Evaluation form Science and Technology Units

4. Activity 1Questions about Science & Technology • In this activity participants will have an opportunity to discuss issues that impact on their teaching of Science and Technology. • Participants workbook page 1 Science and Technology Units

5. Why does Science and Technology learning matter? Science and technology makes an important contribution to the quality of life of Australia’s citizens. Science and Technology learning enables young people to be informed participants in the development of a fair and responsible society. • Scientifically and technologically capable students are: • interested in, and understand the world around them • critical, innovative and enterprising • able to identify questions, investigate and draw evidence-based conclusions • able to make informed decisions about scientific and technological developments. • make informed decisions about the environment, and their own health and well-being Science and Technology Units

6. Continuum of Learning K-12 In science and technology students study • K-6 Science and Technology • Science 7-10 (+ stage 6 electives Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth & Enviro, Senior Science) • Technology stage 4 (+ 5&6 electives Agriculture, Design and Technology, Food, Graphics, industrial, Textiles, info & software) The processes of investigating and designing form the continuum of learning Science and Technology Units

7. Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus • The foundation statements replace the stage statements in the Science and Technology K-6 Outcomes and Indicators document .(December 2005 NSW Board of Studies) • Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus and Support Document1991 (pages 1 to 7 and pages 19 to 31) • Science and Technology K-6 Outcomes and Indicators2000 NSW Board of Studies (replacing pages 9 to 17 of syllabus) • New Syllabus 2011 implementation Science and Technology Units

8. K-6 Science and Technology Syllabus Science Technology • Investigating Scientifically • The Natural Environment • Living Things • Earth and its surroundings • Physical Phenomena • Design and making • The Made Environment • Built environment • Products and services • Information and communication Using technology Science and Technology Units

9. The Science Process Find out what is currently known. Identify and analyse a problem Identify variables From observations, ask a question or pose a problem. Form an hypothesis Publish Conduct trials Carry out the experiment, observe, measure and record data Evaluate the experiment and the methods used Evaluate the findings in relation to the hypothesis Use science knowledge to develop explanations for patterns, trend or relationships in data Organise data, calculate, construct graphs Analyse data: identify patterns or trends and relationship between variables Science and Technology Units

10. The Technology Process Set milestones Identify resources Evaluate similar solutions Analyse the needs Establish success criteria Identify a need or opportunity Reflect on the design process used Use success criteria to evaluate the solution Define the design task Draw or model and refine ideas Produce the solution Identify, test and select techniques Manage safety risks Use success criteria to evaluate ideas and choose best options Develop production skills Prepare final design representations Science and Technology Units

11. Activity 2 Science and Technology progression of learning • In this activity participants will have the opportunity to become familiar with Science and Technology Foundation Statements, Syllabus Outcomes and Big ideas and to consider the progression of learning. • Participants work book page 2 • Science and Technology Key information Science and Technology Units

12. ES1 S6 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 Continuum of Science and Technology learning • Increasing capacity to apply the processes of investigating scientifically and designing and making • Increasing sophistication of conceptual understanding of science and technology Science and Technology Units

13. Progression in Science and Technology learning • Progression of student learning in Science and Technology is most evident in the increasing levels of sophistication students bring to the process strands of Investigating scientifically and Designing and Making • In Kindergarten the process is heavily scaffolded and largely teacher guided. By Year 6 students’ understanding of the processes should enable them to engage in and manage scientific investigations and develop design solutions more independently . • The process strand is the learning focus of all COGs units of work. Science and Technology Units

14. What student learning matters most in Science and Technology? • In Science and Technology we want students to become increasingly independent in their ability to think and work scientifically and technologically. • Learning in Science and Technology emphasises first-hand experiences in the processes of investigating and designing and making. Assessment should also. • Assessment of a student’s performance in Science and Technology focuses on the processes of investigating and designing and making, in the context of the relevant content strand. Science and Technology Units

15. COGs - Managing quality assessment in Science and Technology • It is not practical to effectively assess and provide feedback on every aspect of process and content achievement of students during each Science and or technology task or unit. • Within a particular Science and Technology task, it is more effective to explicitly focus assessment on: • a significant component/s of the application of the process e.g. generating and developing design ideas or conducting scientific investigations • the accuracy and depth of understandings about a clearly defined area of a content outcome e.g. characteristics of living things. • Process knowledge and skills will be revisited regularly. Effective assessment will enable teachers to judge student’s progress toward the independent application of the processes by the end of Stage 3. Science and Technology Units

16. Planning for consistent assessment: the school plan School planning involves: • Reviewing the existing school plan in relation to Science and Technology syllabus standards • Ensuring that the school plan effectively allocates all Science and Technology syllabus outcomes to stages and years • Ensuring that for each stage there is a plan that: • establishes a progression of Science and Technology learning throughout the stage so that; • all content strands are addressed at least once • the processes of designing and making and investigating are built upon in each unit of work • identifies the focus of assessment in each reporting period. Science and Technology Units

17. Planning for consistent assessment: the year cohort • Amongst the teachers for each year group decide at the beginning of the year: • what needs to be taught and assessed for students to progress toward the end of stage standards (see Foundation Statements and Outcomes) • the focus of Science and Technology assessment and reporting for each semester/reporting period • assessment information to be collected for the purposes of moderation and consistent judgement. • Develop class programs and units of work that will allow you to collect the agreed assessment information, with a focus on investigating and designing and making tasks. • Identify suitable times during each semester to moderate student achievement across the year-cohort-groups. • Develop a plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. Science and Technology Units

18. Assessment planning tool Science and Technology Units

19. Planning for Assessment • In this activity participants will identify the progression of Science and Technology learning demonstrated in the Curriculum planning framework for a stage • Participants workbook page 3 Science and Technology Units

20. Science and TechnologyK-6 Resources Science and Technology Units

21. Curriculum Support Website • The Curriculum Support Website hosts a variety of resources to assist teachers. • They include • teaching ideas • links to resources • sample lesson plans • professional support article • Curriculum Support articles. www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/primary/scitech/index.htm Science and Technology Units

22. Policy websitehttps://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/ Science and Technology Units

23. K-6 Science and TechnologySyllabus development Time line • Phase 1 Syllabus review (Feb – Dec 2007) • Phase 2 Writing brief development (Jan – Aug 2008) • Phase 3 Syllabus development (Aug 2008 – Dec 2009) • Phase 4 Implementation (2011) Science and Technology Units

24. Timeline for the development of the Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus Science and Technology Units

25. Supporting SciTech in the primary classroom CD ROM • The professional support CD ROM provides: • the Big Ideas, an expanded description of each Science and Technology syllabus outcome, suggesting the content that can be allocated to each stages • support for schools to plan and implement effective Science and Technology teaching programs • support for teachers to plan effective class programs • video sequences to illustrate a progression of learning for the process strands of Investigating (Scientifically) and Designing and Making • suggested assessment strategies. • Available at • http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/primary/scitech/prolearn/cdrom/index.htm Science and Technology Units

26. Customer Liaison UnitPhone: (02) 9367 8178Fax: (02) 9262 6270Email: service@bos.nsw.edu.auHours of Operation: 8.00am to 4.30pm (Mon-Fri) Science and Technology Units