Controlled Assessments: overview

1. Controlled Assessments: overview • Outcomes: • You will be familiar with the principles of controlled assessment – especially control levels • You will be able to apply these principles to evaluating controlled assessments in the new GCSE specifications.

2. Three stages of controlled assessments: key issues • Task setting • Validity & reliability • Avoiding formulaic/predictable responses • Supporting good teaching & learning • Task taking • Discouraging malpractice • Teachers confident to authenticate students’ work • Manageability: for students and teachers • Task marking • High quality judgements

3. Levels of control Highest level: • Tasks set, defined, marked by AB Lowest level: • Tasks set, defined, marked by teachers Three levels of control (high, medium, low) + Three stages: (task setting, task taking, task marking) = >>>>

4. All min low = too little control All max high = external assessment

5. In geography, control levels are medium-high: Teacher directed >>>>>> individual student p7

6. QCA guidelines Skills Context: fieldwork • identifying, analysing and evaluating geographical questions and issues • establishing appropriate sequences of investigation • extracting and interpreting information • evaluating evidence and reaching conclusions.

7. Task setting – high control • single CA unit • may have more than one task. • selected from comparable tasks (AB) • replaced each year. • centres contextualise

8. Task taking (1) Research/data collection – limited control • Authenticity: completed under teacher supervision • Feedback level of teacher support defined by AB • Collaboration possible but individual responses.

9. Task taking (2) Analysis and evaluation of findings – high control • Supervision - all work formally supervised. • Feedback - teacher support defined by AB • Collaboration - all work done independently. • Resource - specified by AB • Time – duration specified by AB

10. Task marking medium control • teachers mark the controlled assessment • use AB mark schemes or criteria • moderated by AB

11. AB X 1 Fieldwork investigation 15% • Task setting: centre selects a task from AB list (high) • Task taking: pupils work under direct supervision at all times (except for primary & secondary data collection) (medium-high?) • Task marking: centres mark work with AB moderation (medium) 2. Issues enquiry (resource-based + research) 10% • Task setting: centre selects a task from AB list (high) • Task taking: pupils work under direct supervision at all times (control level unclear) • Task marking: centres mark work with AB moderation (medium).

12. AB Y Two Controlled Assessments, at least one involving primary data collection • Task setting: AB defines each task (no choice: very high) • Task taking: variety of communication formats suggested, but no time or supervision levels defined (control level unclear) • Task marking: centres mark work with AB moderation (medium).

13. AB Z Geography research unit; fieldwork investigation • Task setting: centre selects a task from AB list (which changes in rotation) (high) • Task taking: enquiry route set out in five phases (planning > evaluation); supported by task sheets available from the AB. Clear time and supervision levels defined (control level limited> high) • Task marking: centres mark work with AB moderation (medium).

14. QCA exemplar: Exploring the boundaries Task summary • Unit: Population. • Enquiry into diversity and community cohesion in a local multi-ethnic community. • planned and carried out local fieldwork • used a variety of new technologies. • set by awarding body • adapted to use local resources • issue of local significance. • assessed by the teacher • using AB criteria and externally moderated

15. Report for a Regional News Programme Three enquiry questions: • Where do ethnic minority groups live in Kirklees today? • How have these areas changed in the last 25 years? • How do different South Asian residents perceive these neighbourhoods? Format • PowerPoint presentation with accompanying script • Moviemaker presentation or equivalent with dialogue. • could include spoken presentation, a dramatic reconstruction, an animation, an interview, a debate, graphics and/or maps. Monitoring • support and feedback provided where appropriate, • contribution of individual students noted • research logs, submitted as evidence.

16. Process Initial phase • teacher directed – criteria; TV broadcast; background; resources Planning and analysis Research and fieldwork • Fieldwork; collaborative; some independent Final evaluation and presentation • Construction of presentations • high control – independent work under direct teacher supervision in set time. • feedback - best use of time, on task and answering technical questions • TV news reports presented to the rest of the class. • presentations (CD) and research logs record students' attainment. Teacher marking

17. Process • ABs draft specifications (2 per AB) • Submitted to QCA • evaluated – recommendations • Returned & revised by AB • Resubmitted • Approved by QCA? • Available Sept 2008 - training

18. Choosing a specification Think about: • Whether one or two controlled assessments suits you better (e.g. 15%+10% or 25%) • Is the time for the CA right in the context of the CA demands, and the time within the course? • The nature of the tasks, e.g. support for individual fieldwork, local solutions, global enquiries; whether you want the whole enquiry assessed, predictability, interest…

19. E-scape • Controlled Assessments in Geography • Research project using digital technology • Assessing process as well as product • Paired assessments not criteria

20. Rebranding Porthcawl Traffic management in Cheddar Quarry proposal in Wiltshire Rain forest clearance

21. End ‘product’ is a podcast for this activity Assessment is of the total work Podcast recorded digitally