1. Victorian Curriculum F-10 Languages Using the online Language assessments to assess language learners in your classroom

2. PRESENTERS VCAA: Maree Dellora: Languages Manager
Craig Smith: F-10 Project Manager
Australian Council for Education Research:
Fusae Nojima: Project Director

3. Session overview
These sessions will cover assessment strategies and tools teachers can use when assessing Victorian Curriculum Languages
This will include an exploration of how the new language assessments could be used by teachers as an assessment tool to complement their current assessment strategies
The session on Thursday 20 September will be a repeat of the session on Tuesday 18 September.

4. Snapshot online Language Assessments
The Language Assessments are an online assessment tool schools may choose to use to support their teaching of Languages (F-10 or 7-10 sequences)
They provide assessments of the receptive skills of listening and reading, in the following eight languages:
- Chinese (background and second language learner)
- French
- German
- Indonesian
- Italian
- Japanese
- Modern Greek
- Spanish.

5. Snapshot of online Language Assessments
The Language Assessments
- provide multiple choice questions
- cater for three levels of difficulty (Assessments A, B, C)
- can be used any time, as many times as teachers want
- offer results that are available immediately
- are available to all Victorian schools, including community schools, at no cost.
They are not intended to be the sole means of assessing student progress against the Victorian Curriculum Languages achievement standards

6. Why do we assess student learning?
Assessment is sometimes designed to improve students’ learning and at other times to rank them or certify their competence
Assessment activities help learning if they offer feedback to pupils to assess themselves and other students
Assessment can also be used to
modify the Language teaching
and learning activities
Effective assessment helps raise
levels of student achievement in the target language

7. Types of assessment
When the cook tastes the soup, that’s formative; when the guests taste the soup, that’s summative. 
Robert Stake, University
of Illinois 

8. Structure of Languages in the Victorian Curriculum
Strand
Communicating
Understanding
Sub-strands
Socialising
Systems of language
Informing
Language variation and change
Creating
The role of language and culture
Translating
Reflecting

9. Achievement standards
Achievement standards as a continuum of language learning, not an age-determined set of expectations
F–10 Sequence: the first achievement standard for Languages is provided at Foundation–Level 2 and then at Levels 4, 6, 8 and 10.
7–10 Sequence: the first achievement standard is provided at Level 8 and then at Level 10
Reporting to be against the
achievement standards
Using assessment to adjust
teaching

10. Demonstrating achievement
The achievement standards outline what the student is able to do
Students demonstrate what they are able to do through the products they present for assessment

11. Assessment of Languages
Assessment to be part of teaching and learning program design
Give students clear criteria (such as a rubric)
Students discuss assessment criteria
Collect evidence over time from a range of activities and sources
Important to monitor every student’s progress along the Language continuum
These Language Assessments are a valuable tool for formative assessment

12. Questions
Questions?

13. Alignment with the Victorian Curriculum F−10
How do the Language Assessments align with the Victorian Curriculum for Languages?
Which content descriptions cover the skills needed to respond effectively to Listening and Reading tasks?
Are any of these skills reflected in the Achievement standards?

14. Content descriptions French Levels 5 and 6
Recognise and apply features of intonation, pronunciation and writing conventions used in different types of texts and contexts  
Develop knowledge of grammatical elements such as tenses, …
Understand how different French texts use language in ways that create different effects and suit different audiences  

15. Content descriptions French Levels 5 and 6
Understand that language is used differently in different contexts and situations
Understand that the French language is constantly changing due to contact with other languages and to the impact of new technologies and knowledge  
Understand that there are different forms of spoken and written French used in different contexts within France and in other regions of the world

16. Aligning with the curriculum
Language Assessments test receptive skills
Students analyse what they hear or read and choose the correct response
Many of the comprehension and analysis skills required are part of the Achievement standard at each band

17. Extract French/ Levels 5 and 6 Achievement standard
By the end of Level 6 students… recognise appropriate forms of address for different audiences… They identify key points and supporting details when reading and listening,…
They recognise… verb forms such as le futur proche (je vais + l’infinitif) and le passé composé (j’ai + regular forms of past participle) as set phrases. They recognise l’imparfait when reading (c’était, il était) but do not yet use it in their own speech or writing…
They identify differences in commonly-used text types (for example, greetings, instructions and menus)…They recognise relationships between parts of words (suffixes, prefixes) and stems of words (préparer, préparation; le marché, le supermarché, l’hypermarché).

18. Content descriptions Chinese Levels 7 and 8
Recognise the tone-syllable nature of the spoken language, discriminate use of tones, rhythm, and sound flow in interactions, and use Pinyin to support learning the spoken language
Identify how character structure, position and component sequences relate the form of a character to its particular sound and meaning
Identify the characteristics of familiar text types, noting particular textual features distinctive to Chinese
Identify traditional phrases and contemporary terms in everyday language use and the role of technology in changing the way people communicate

19. Extract Achievement Standards Chinese Levels 7 and 8
By the end of Level 8, students… respond to instructions, questions and directions. They respond to… simple informative and imaginative texts for known audiences and purposes. …
Students are aware of the key features of the Chinese writing system and its differences to the English writing system…They recognise the function of tone-syllables and Pinyin. They recognise … diversity within the Chinese spoken and written language, and consider the influence of culture on everyday communication, for example, concepts such as respect, politeness and the importance of
family. They are aware that literal
translation between languages is
not always possible, and that
aspects of interpretation and
translation are affected by context,
culture, and intercultural experience.

20. Working with the language assessments
- Assessments are designed to help teachers not only to find out what students know and can do, but also to map where a student’s current knowledge ends

21. Questions
Questions?

22. Working with the language assessments
EXAMPLE OF ASSESSMENT DEMONSTRATION
Scott to decide: If we have enough time, perhaps add in some instructions on how to generate/print student login cards?

23. Getting started- registering
*SEND CONTACT ADDRESS AND ACER WILL REGISTER YOU TODAY* Or go directly to the ACER website
Verbally: Make a note that even schools with EXI.STING OARS accounts still need to go through this registration process

24. Using the language assessments
Accessible on all types of devices
Teachers are strongly urged to preview assessment beforehand and to make a judgement which one is appropriate for their students.
Headphones are required for the Listening assessments
Reports are available immediately after students complete their test

25. Assessing progress in the language
Collect evidence
for reporting over
term
Important to collect
evidence of progress
on a range of skills
Keeping a portfolio of work for
each student is useful

26. Support T. 1300 232 123 E. oarssupport@acer.org
For support how to use the Language Assessments platform (e.g., how to register, creating and/or editing student lists, assigning assessments and so on), the ACER website has numerous resources including:
Help pages
Online instructional videos
PLUS the ACER Helpdesk:
T.  E.

27. Questions
Questions?

28. Contacts ACER Helpdesk
For questions concerning the Language Assessments platform, please contact:
ACER Helpdesk
T.  E.

29. Contacts for Victorian Curriculum Languages
For questions about the Languages curriculum and assessments, please contact: Maree Dellora, Manager, Languages Unit T For questions about the Victorian Curriculum F-10, please contact the VCAA F-10 Unit: T