Introducing Unit Specifications and Unit Assessment Support Packs

Introducing Unit Specifications and Unit Assessment Support Packs

Classical Studies

National 3, 4 and 5

Unit AssessmentUnit 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 StructureUnit Structure

National 3 National 4 National 5

Life in Classical Greece Life in Classical Greece Life in Classical Greece

Classical Literature Classical Literature Classical Literature

Life in the Roman World Life in the Roman World Life in the Roman World

[Added Value Unit]Assignment –

internally marked

[Added Value Unit]Assignment –

externally marked

Key points: Key points: standards remain the same feature the best approaches of current certification have a hierarchical Unit structure that provide

progression from National 3 to Higher contexts of Literature and Everyday Life covered Added Value assessments increase personalisation and

choice CS assignment at National 4 is internally assessed and

verified – subject to quality assurance by SQA CS assignment at National 5 is externally assessed

Unit SpecificationsUnit Specifications

Unit Life in the Roman World National 3

Outcome 1Use evidence from life in the Roman world, including archaeological evidence, to compare the classical Roman and modern worlds, by:

1.1

Assessment 1.2 Standards

1.3

Outlining an archaeological source from the Roman world, in basic terms Outlining what the source reveals about life in the Roman world, in basic terms Commenting, in basic terms, on a similarity or difference that the source reveals between life in the classical Roman and modern worlds

Unit SpecificationsUnit SpecificationsEvidence 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. Evidence may be generated using the assessment activities suggested in this Unit Assessment Support, or by means of other discrete assessment activities, or could naturally occur during learning and teaching.  Assessment evidence can be drawn from a variety of activities and presented in a variety of formats, including, for example, presentations, information posters, responses to questions and participation in group tasks.

Unit SpecificationsUnit Specifications

For this Unit learners will be required to provide evidence that the candidate has achieved the Unit Outcomes and Assessment Standards, by:

[in the example assessment task provided (Appendix 1)],

presenting the evidence to be gathered which may include: 

– candidate responses to questions– assessor checklist– assessor observation notes

Unit Assessment Support Packages - purposeUnit 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 featuresUASPs – 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

Classical Studies UASPsClassical Studies UASPs

Package 1 Unit by Unit approach at N3, N4 and N5 -

discrete assessment tasks for each UnitPackage 2 In Units N3, N4 and N5

– combined approach which may allow learners to make links across the Units of a Course

Package 3 In Units N3, N4 and N5

– Portfolio provides documentation for referencing candidate evidence against Outcomes and Assessment Standards and recording assessment decisions

National 4 Added Value UnitNational 4 Added Value Unit

Makes the Course more than the sum of its parts

Added Value defined as challenge and application,

outlined in Building the Curriculum 5

Application of skills, knowledge and understanding

Controlled assessment –setting, conducting and marking

N4 AV Unit: CS AssignmentN4 AV Unit: CS Assignment

Research and use information relating to a classical studies topic or issue

Satisfy Assessment Standards– Choosing, with support, an appropriate classical studies topic or issue for study

– Collecting relevant evidence from at least two sources of information

– Organising and using the evidence collected to address the topic or issue

– Drawing on skills, knowledge and understanding to describe and briefly explain some key features of the topic or issue

– Providing a straightforward comparison between at least one aspect of the classical and modern worlds

– Presenting findings in response to the chosen topic or issue

Internally marked pass or fail Potential for reassessment

N5 Internal Assessment of Course ComponentsN5 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.

CS N5 Added Value AssignmentCS N5 Added Value AssignmentControlled assessment

(a)set by SQA within SQA guidelines conducted under a high degree of supervision and controlCandidates will ‘research and use information relating to a classical studies topic or issue’, being able to:

– identify an appropriate Classical Studies topic or issue

–investigate the topic or issue, using a set of sources of evidence

–briefly comment on the usefulness or reliability of at least two sources of information

–draw on straightforward, mainly factual, knowledge and understanding to explain and analyse key features of the topic or issue

–analyse information in a structured manner

–compare and contrast the Greek and/or Roman worlds with the modern world, in terms of religious, political, social, moral or cultural life

–reach a reasoned conclusion on the topic or issue, with reference to both support information and potential challenges or counter-arguments

CS N5 Added Value AssignmentCS N5 Added Value AssignmentControlled assessment

(b)Assessment Task will be set by SQA

Assessment for the assignment will be in the form of a report of student’s research and findings. Write-up to be one hour

Evidence will be externally marked (20 marks)

Marking will be quality assured by SQA.

Moving onMoving on

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