SQA School Coordinator Events: June 2014 Making Good Assessment Decisions 3 to 18 Dr John Allan SQA George Sinclair Education Scotland

BGE to Senior Phase: Joint SQA Education Scotland work Joint team meetings and planning around Making good assessment decision 3 to 18 resource Joint engagements Tackling bureaucracy Communications messages

Making good assessment decisions 3 to 18 Publication of annotated exemplars of achievement at 4 th level Publication of case studies/exemplification of approaches to curriculum moderation and qualification verification Publication of updated MGADs resource material

Joint engagements Education Scotland attendance and participation in: Higher Education events SQA Coordinator events College events Advanced Higher events Education Authority Forums

Tackling bureaucracy Commitment to this agenda Events with EIS Joint Education Scotland workshop on moderation and verification Joint involvement in plenary sessions good ass

Tackling Bureaucracy ‘Assessment judgements, particularly within broad general education but also in the senior phase of CfE, should be based on evidence drawn mainly from day-to-day teaching and learning’ ‘Take practical steps to develop staff confidence in delivering verification procedures for new qualifications and streamlining these procedures if necessary’

Assessment resources

Assessment Resources (continued) Assessment Overviews Course Specifications and Unit Specifications Course Assessment Specifications UASPs Specimen QPs/Past papers/Coursework Assessment Tasks Verification feedback Understanding Standards materials

Planning Planning for assessment as part of learning. This is : Grouping together related Experiences and Outcomes or Course requirements and planning a range of assessment approaches. This is not Excessive planning based upon assessing, recording and reporting at the level of individual Experiences and Outcomes.

Using naturally occuring evidence Carrying out assessment as part of learning. This is: In partnership with the learner using a range of assessment approaches which allow you to track the progress of each learner. This is not: Over reliance on tests or assessments which are unrelated to the planned learning.

Making judgements Making professional judgements. This is: Assessment judgements, should be based on evidence drawn from day-to-day learning and teaching, where possible. This is not: Producing large folios of assessment evidence, unrelated to the planned learning.

Internal/local QA Local quality assurance and moderation, within and across establishments. This is: Agreeing assessment decisions at a local level is achieved through professional dialogue. This is not: An over bureaucratic, tick box exercise or one which leads to excessive paperwork.

Setting National Standards National quality assurance. Setting and agreeing national standards This is: Using and sharing materials through Glow/NAR. Making use of SQA guidance and Assessment Support Materials. Taking part in SQA verification activities. This is not: Gathering excessive evidence which hinders the understanding and application of standards at national and local levels

Evaluation Evaluating by reflecting on the process and outcomes This is: At all levels in an establishment, evaluation of learning and teaching focuses on improving the outcomes for learners. This is not: Unnecessary auditing and accountability which distract from high quality learning and teaching.

Workshop questions/task Reflect on and discuss current assessment and QA practice in your own school/department/local authority Identify possible next steps for your school/department/local authority