Introducing Unit Specifications and Unit Assessment Support Packs National 3, 4 and 5

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.”

Unit Assessment  Assessments can be designed to provide evidence across more than one Unit or Outcome – combined assessments  Flexible and open Evidence Requirements in Units  Greater range of techniques and methodologies for assessment – encouraged through Unit assessment support packages  More opportunities to gather naturally occurring evidence – assessment as part of learning and teaching

Unit Structure

Key points: RMPS Units  standards remain the same  feature the best approaches of the current RS/RMPS Units  have a hierarchical Unit structure that provide progression from National 3 to Higher  give a possible structure for core RME/RE  are less prescriptive and offer more choice  have an added value assessment that increases personalisation and choice in RMPS at National 4

Unit Specifications UNITMorality and Belief (N5)Judging the Evidence Outcome 2Express detailed and reasoned views about religious and non-religious responses to contemporary moral questions by: Assessment Standards 2.1 Explaining one possible consequence of a religious and non-religious response to a contemporary moral question, in detail and with reference to relevant theoretical or abstract ideas 2.2 Explaining a possible strength and a possible weakness of a religious and a non-religious response to a contemporary moral question, in detail and with reference to relevant theoretical or abstract ideas 2.3 Expressing a detailed and reasoned viewpoint on the question and responses, with reference to supporting evidence and contrasting viewpoints At least one made clear…for example… should be… will include… need not be… At least one made clear…for example… should be… will include… need not be… At least three points…supported by…reference to…

Unit Specifications Evidence Requirements for this Unit:  Assessors should use their professional judgement, subject knowledge and experience, and understanding of their learners, to determine the most appropriate ways to generate evidence and the conditions and contexts in which they are used.  While there are advantages to using a combined approach to assessment, including a possible reduction in the number of assessments required to be undertaken, a combined assessment may present a barrier for some candidates and may not be the most appropriate approach to assessment in all cases.

Unit Specifications For this Unit candidates are required to produce a visual piece of evidence about an aspect of world religion which:  Explains the meaning of a source  Explains one relevant belief related to the source  Explains one practice related to the source  (World Religion Unit N5 adapted)

Unit Assessment Support Packages - purpose UASPs can be used to: Assess your candidates Adapt for your own assessment programmes Help you develop your own assessments

UASPs – key features  Valid from August 2013  Designed to encourage professional judgement  Provide broad-based tasks – allow assessors to choose appropriate context and forms of evidence  Show range of approaches to generating assessment evidence  Give information on the type of evidence which could be gathered and how this is to be judged against Assessment Standards

RMPS UASPs Package 1  Unit by Unit approach N3 and N4 – discrete assessment tasks for each Unit and combining of skills within Units N5 Package 2  Combined across Units N3 and N4 and Unit by Unit approach N5 Package 3  Unit by Unit approach N3 and N4 and Combined across Units N5

National 4 Added Value Unit  Makes the Course more than the sum of its parts  Builds on current Course assessment and Group Award approaches  Defined as breadth, challenge and application as outlined in Building the Curriculum 5  May involve accumulation, assimilation, integration and/or application of skills, knowledge and understanding  Controlled assessment –setting conducting and marking

N4 AV Unit: RMPS Assignment  Focus on challenge and application  Unit Specification and Unit Assessment Support package  Assesses skills such as research, using information  Internally marked pass or fail

N5 Internal Assessment of Course Components  Controlled assessment is SQA’s approach to developing assessments (setting), the conditions of assessment (conducting), and marking assessments (marking).  SQA is introducing controlled assessment for non-question paper components of the Added Value Unit and new National Courses at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher.

N5 RMPS Assignment Controlled assessment This assignment :  is set by centres within SQA guidelines  is conducted under some supervision and control  produces evidence which will be internally marked by centre staff in line with SQA marking instructions.  will be quality assured by SQA. and  the SQA will provide a brief for the generation of evidence to be assessed

Moving on  Workshop 1 and 2 will give you the opportunity to look at the Unit Specifications and Unit Assessment Support Packages in detail.