Classical StudiesUnit Assessment

National 3 to National 5

Unit assessment

• Flexible and open Assessment Standards and Evidence Requirements in Units

• Greater range of techniques and methodologies for assessment – encouraged through Unit assessment support packages

• Assessments can be designed to provide evidence across more than one outcome or Unit – combined assessments

• More opportunities to gather naturally occurring evidence – assessment as part of learning and teaching

Unit Assessment Support packages – purpose

Assessment support packages will be provided which you can use to:

• Assess your candidates

• Adapt for your own assessment programmes

• Help you develop your own assessments

Unit Assessment Support packages – 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

Unit assessment support packages - approaches

Package 1 • Unit by Unit approach – discrete assessment

tasks for each UnitPackage 2 • Combined approach – groups Outcomes and

Assessment Standards from different UnitsPackage 3 • Portfolio approach – evidence generated

assessment standard by assessment standard

Assessment Package 1Life in Classical Greece Classical Literature Life in the Roman World

You can use the illustrative examples provided and adapt these to suit the contexts that your learners have studied or the kind of approach that would suit them best

N3

Oral presentationSkill: commenting on a sourceContext: Family life

Visual productSkill: commenting on the relevance of a classical textContext: Odyssey

Responses to questionsSkill: Using archaeological evidence to compare the classical and modern worldsContext: Theatres

N4

Responses to questionsSkill: Drawing a conclusion on the value of a sourceContext: Slavery

Oral presentationSkill: commenting on the significance of a classical textContext: Medea

Visual productSkill: Using archaeological evidence to compare/contrast the classical and modern worldsContext: Bath houses

N5

Visual productSkill: Expressing a reasoned conclusion on the value of a sourceContext: Cult of Athena

Oral presentationSkill: Expressing a reasoned view on the significance of a classical textContext: Oedipus

Responses to questionsSkill: Using archaeological evidence to compare/contrast the classical and modern worldsContext: Entertainment

Assessment Package 1• Although a range of approaches to gathering evidence

for Unit assessment have been illustrated:– the standard applied is the same irrespective of the

approach taken– it is the skills, knowledge and understanding as specified in

the Assessment Standards which are being assessed – do not inflate the demands of the Unit

– there should be consistency in conditions across different techniques

– all approaches should be manageable for candidates and centres

Key points from Unit Assessment Support packs

• Assessment Overview– This document contains generic prompts which can be adapted to different contexts– Also a worked-through example – this is illustrative only– Evidence in one form may be supplemented with evidence in other forms

• Assessment conditions– Candidates should have sufficient time to complete the task– Level of teacher/lecturer support should be appropriate for level but evidence must

be the candidate's own work– When group work is used – evidence of individual achievement is required

• Evidence to be retained– Sufficient for QA purposes– Practical approaches to retaining evidence e.g. candidate responses/product,

assessor checklists, supplementary material• Reassessment

– SQA policy continues to apply– Only need to reassess specific Outcomes or assessment standards not yet met

Key points from Unit Assessment Support packs

• Teacher prompts and questioning may be used to:– Confirm evidence is candidate’s own work– For clarification/confirmation of standard being met– To supplement oral/visual/written presentation if necessary

• Judging evidence– Standards need to be consistently applied, irrespective of the approach

taken to generating evidence– General principles and specific exemplification given– Column 4 is adaptable to different contexts– Candidates may provide evidence of meeting the standard outwith the

specific prompt – this should be credited• Candidate task

– Illustrative only– Centres encouraged to adapt to their own contexts

Workshop 1Task 1• Use the materials provided:– Life in Classical Greece: National 3, 4 and 5– Classical Literature: National 4– Life in the Roman World: National 5

• In small groups of 2-3, discuss– The assessment tasks illustrated– Approaches to generating evidence– Making judgements

• How could you use the Unit Assessment materials to support you in your own centres?