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Using formative assessment rubrics in Ethical Capability

Ethical principles Levels 5 to 8

Authorised and published by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment AuthorityLevel 7, 2 Lonsdale StreetMelbourne VIC 3000

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ContentsThe formative assessment rubric...................................................................................................5

Links to the Victorian Curriculum F–10...................................................................................5

The formative assessment task......................................................................................................7

Description of the task (administration guidelines)..................................................................7

Evidence collected from this task............................................................................................7

Interpreting evidence of student learning...........................................................................................8

Setting the scene............................................................................................................................8

Sample 1.....................................................................................................................................9

Sample 1:Evidence of student learning.................................................................................11

Any feedback given...............................................................................................................11

Sample 2...................................................................................................................................12

Sample 2: Evidence of student learning................................................................................13

Sample 3...................................................................................................................................15

Sample 3:Evidence of student learning.................................................................................17

Any feedback given...............................................................................................................17

Using evidence to plan for future teaching and learning..............................................................18

Teacher reflections.......................................................................................................................18

Appendix 1: Worksheet................................................................................................................19


What is formative assessment?Formative assessment is any assessment that is used to improve teaching and learning. Best-practice formative assessment uses a rigorous approach in which each step of the assessment process is carefully thought through.

Assessment is a three-step process by which evidence is collected, interpreted and used. By definition, the final step of formative assessment requires a use that improves teaching and learning.

For the best results, teachers can work together to interrogate the curriculum and use their professional expertise and knowledge of their students to outline a learning continuum including a rubric of measurable, user-friendly descriptions of skills and knowledge. Teachers can draw on this learning continuum and rubric to decide how to collect evidence of each student’s current learning in order to provide formative feedback and understand what they are ready to learn next.

The VCAA’s Guide to Formative Assessment Rubrics outlines how to develop a formative assessment rubric to collect, interpret and use evidence of student learning to plan teaching and learning. For more information about formative assessment and to access a copy of the guide, please go to the Formative Assessment section of the VCAA website.

Using formative assessment rubrics in schoolsThis document is based on the material developed by one group of teachers in the 2019 Formative Assessment Rubrics project. The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority partnered with the Assessment Research Centre, University of Melbourne, to provide professional learning for teachers interested in strengthening their understanding and use of formative assessment rubrics.

This resource includes a sample formative assessment rubric, a description of a task/activity undertaken to gather evidence of learning, and annotated student work samples.

Schools have flexibility in how they choose to use this resource, including as:

a model that they adapt to suit their own teaching and learning plans a resource to support them as they develop their own formative assessment rubrics and

tasks.

This resource is not an exemplar.

Additional support and advice on high-quality curriculum planning is available from the Curriculum Planning Resource.

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The formative assessment rubricThe rubric in this document was developed to help inform teaching and learning in Ethical Capability. This formative assessment rubric is designed to enable students to show that they can:

understand the concept of ethical principles apply their knowledge of ethical principles to analyse a range of scenarios.

Please note that this rubric does not focus on the concepts of ethical obligation and analysis of consequence and ethical duty.

Links to the Victorian Curriculum F–10

Curriculum area: Ethical Capability

Strands: Understanding Concepts

Decision Making and Actions

Levels/Bands: Level 5 – 8

Achievement standard/s extract: Levels 5 and 6:

Students…identify the basis of a range of ethical principles.

Levels 7 and 8:

Students analyse the differences in principles between people and groups…They analyse the role of context and experience in ethical decision-making and action.

Content description/s: Levels 5 and 6:

Discuss how ethical principles can be used as the basis for action, considering the influence of cultural norms, religion, world views and philosophical thought on these principles (VCECU010)

Levels 7 and 8:

Investigate why ethical principles may differ between people and groups, considering the influence of cultural norms, religion, world views and philosophical thought (VCECU015)

Discuss the role of context and experience in ethical decision-making and actions (VCECD018)

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https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Search?q=VCECD018

https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Search?q=VCECU015

https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Search?q=VCECU010


Learning continuumEthical Capability Levels 5 – 8Strands: Understanding Concepts Decision Making and Actions

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5

Students can identify ethical principles and use these to inform opinions.

Students can consider underlying reasons for holding ethical principles.

Students are able to explain what ethical principles inform a point of view on a scenario.

Students can identify that ethical principles may differ between stakeholders and consider the role of context.

Students can explain why ethical principles differ between stakeholders considering the role of context.

Organising element Action Insufficient evidence

Quality criteria

Ethical principles 1. Identify personal ethical principles

1.0 Insufficient evidence

1.1 Identifies personal ethical principles.

1.2 Links personal ethical principles to a scenario.

2. Identify ethical principles of others


2.1 Identifies ethical principles from somebody else’s point of view.

2.2 Hypothesises potential ethical principles on which someone has based their opinion.

3. Express an ethical opinion


3.1 Uses ethical principles to express an opinion.

3.2 Explains how ethical principles are linked to an opinion.

Context 4. Identify different influences on the ethical principles of an individual or group


4.1 Identifies different reasons (such as cultural norms, religion) for holding ethical principles.

4.2 Explains why personal ethical principles are held.

4.3 Identifies that ethical principles may differ between stakeholders.

4.4 Describes the importance of ethical principles to different stakeholders.

5. Explain how different contexts influence an ethical opinion


5.1 Links context to an ethical opinion.

5.2 Explains how ethical opinions are influenced by context.

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The formative assessment taskThe following formative assessment task was developed to elicit evidence of each student’s current learning and what they are ready to learn next.

Description of the task (administration guidelines)Students were explicitly taught that:

Ethical principles are rules and guidelines we can apply in our life to make decisions. An ethical issue arises in situations when actions and/or outcomes can be judged in

terms of good, bad, right, wrong, better or worse. Everybody has a different ‘set’ of ethical principles. People have different reasons for holding ethical principles. There are different types of ethical principles, including:

o people should be treated as ends not means, for example, their autonomy should be respected

o treat others as you would want to be treated, for example, this recognises their equal status to you

o act justly, for example, distributing costs and benefits as deservedo actions are right in so far as they promote happiness or pleasure and wrong in so

far as they produce unhappiness or pain – associated with ‘do no harm’ and ‘do good’

o act in a way that protects human rights.

Source: Ethical Capability – Teaching Resources: List of Ethical Principles

Instructions:

Students complete the worksheet (see Appendix 1) independently within a 20–30 minute timeframe.

Teacher can clarify the wording of questions and explain the meaning of certain words (for example, ‘lawyer’) and can help students with spelling where necessary.

Teachers may not help students think through the questions and formulate the responses to questions.

Familiarise yourself with the rubric and the teacher guidelines. Display the five common ethical principles (see above) for students while they complete

the worksheet. Collect student worksheets. Use the rubric to identify students’ level of competency and next steps.

Considerations:

Students may complete the task in the format that best suits their needs, for example handwritten or typed.

Evidence collected from this task Completed student worksheets.

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https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/viccurric/ethics/List_of_Ethical_Principles.docx


Interpreting evidence of student learning Evidence collected from each student was mapped against the rubric:

The quality criteria that were achieved was shaded in blue. The phase that the student is ready to learn next was shaded in green.

Please note, the following annotated student work samples are representative examples only.

Setting the sceneThe evidence from this formative assessment rubric and task was collected in a P–9 public school in outer metropolitan Melbourne. The school has an enrolment of 1200 students from Prep to Year 9 and a staff of 135. The school community is culturally and ethnically diverse with 55% of students coming from a language background other than English and 1% of students coming from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background. Approximately 15% of students have their learning adjusted to meet their additional needs.

This task was completed within the context of the Year 9 Futures program – an engagement program that is targeted at instilling students with 21st Century skills and capabilities. The ‘Morals and Ethics’ unit where this task was undertaken aims to equip students with ethical thinking skills that they can apply to real-life scenarios and political debates as they progress into adulthood. The students had no prior learning of Ethical Capability and so the rubric targeted Levels 5 to 8.

Students spent a double lesson of 150 minutes exploring ethical principles in a range of scenarios prior to completing this task. This task was completed following the first lesson about ‘Morals and Ethics’ within the unit. Students were explicitly taught a list of ethical principles; reasons why people might hold ethical principles such as religion, class and education; and reasons why they might differ.

The task took students 20 – 25 minutes to complete.

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Sample 1

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Sample 1: Evidence of student learning

Annotations 1.1 The student identified their own personal ethical principle but have not been able to

link it to the given scenario. 2.1 The student identified an ethical principal that someone else may hold based on a

given profile. 3.1 The student was able to express someone else’s perspective ethical principle;

however, they failed to link the principle to the scenario. 4.3 The student was able to describe the importance of the ethical principles they

identified for themselves and for somebody else in response to the given scenario. 5.2 The student explained how ethical opinions are influenced by different factors.

What is the student ready to learn next?The student was assessed at Phase 2 of the learning continuum, and ready to move to Phase 3 as their next level of achievement. This student needs to work on linking ethical principles to scenarios.

Any feedback given

Student needs to re-explain the links between the ethical principle and the given scenario and unpack how acting justly links to being a lawyer.

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Learning continuum Ethical Capability Levels 5 – 8 Strands: Understanding Concepts Decision Making and Actions








Quality criteria

























Sample 2

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Annotations 1.2 In ‘Your Perspective’ Question 5, the student uses their chosen principal of ‘do not lie

or steal’ and reason for holding this belief to explain their response to an ethical scenario.

2.1 The student identified an ethical principal that someone else may hold based on a given profile.

3.1 The student was able to express someone else’s perspective on an ethical issue; however, they failed to elaborate on the opinion they identified.

4.2 The student expanded on their own personal ethical principles and why they are held.

Insufficient evidence:

5.0 was not achieved as the student identified reasons for holding ethical perspectives, but failed to explain how contexts and reasons influence these opinions.

What is the student ready to learn next?The student is ready to learn Phase 4 on balance, although further evidence is required on the ability of the student to explain how ethical principles are linked to an opinion. While they were able to identify how ethical principles influence perspectives, they were not able to sufficiently contextualise this through another’s perspective.

Any feedback givenThe student was encouraged to make a link between obeying the law and one or more of the five principles and to draw a connection between the context of wanting to be a lawyer and one or more of the given underlying factors.

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Quality criteria


























Annotations 1.2 In ‘Your Perspective’ Question 5, the student uses their chosen principal of ‘act justly’

and reason for holding this belief to explain their response to an ethical scenario. 2.1 The student identified an ethical principal that someone else may hold based on a

given profile. 3.2 In ‘The Perspective of Someone else’ Question 5, the student spoke about how

justice is linked to the other person’s point of view. 4.3 In Question 4 (on both sides of the worksheet), the student described the importance

of the ethical principles to different people. 5.1 The student linked context of class to the ethical opinion held by someone else.

What is the student ready to learn next?The student is ready to move to Phase 5 as their next level of achievement. This was because the student identified aspects of a person’s context that could limit their perspective of an issue or incident but is not yet considering these in depth. The student was able to identify the factors influencing an opinion, but will next need to be able to explain why this is a mitigating factor in people’s ethical perspectives.

Any feedback givenAs ‘class’ was selected, the student was encouraged to explain how class influenced William’s view, not his dream to become a lawyer, ensuring the link between reasons and beliefs are clear.

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Quality criteria

























Using evidence to plan for future teaching and learningThe data revealed that there are various levels of achievement across the class. Most students will need additional practice to link and explicitly explain how ethical principles can be used as a basis for an opinion on an ethical scenario. Nearly all students were not yet ready to consider how context may influence someone’s ethical thinking processes.

The data collected could be used to group students according to their ability and readiness. Specific tasks could be created for these groups based on what they are ready to learn next.

For example, students who need work on explaining how ethical principles link to scenarios could be prompted to build their understanding of the ethical principles and presented with more scenarios and be given an opportunity to really flesh out their reasoning. The small number of students who were ready to consider how context can influence ethical thinking could be given activities and profiles of people from different contexts and consider how their contexts might influence their ethical thinking. Modelled, scaffolded and facilitated discussions could be held in the classroom to show students who are struggling to justify or explain their opinions how they could express this in the future. This would also give students the opportunity to practice explicitly explaining the link between ethical principles and opinions.

Teacher reflectionsOur school is already using formative assessment and developmental rubrics across the secondary curriculum. We use rubrics to track student achievement through areas such as reading, writing and inquiry skills. These rubrics can track student progression throughout individual units, but also through a calendar year. We analyse the data collected to identify areas of need and each student’s zone of proximal development. This data helps inform our classroom activities including any interventions that are necessary for individual students in order to progress them in their learning.

After trailing the task, we made some minor adjustments to the wording of some questions on the task.

We would also spend more time teaching students about the link between ethical principles and how these are used as a basis for every opinion we share on an ethical problem or scenario. We would give the students opportunity to practice expressing these links verbally before they attempted to write these down on a worksheet.

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Appendix 1: Worksheet

Applying Ethical Principles to a Scenario

Your perspective1. What ethical principle do you hold that relates to this scenario?_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the reason(s) you hold this principle? (Choose one or more).

3. Explain how your chosen reason(s) has helped you believe in this principle:

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

4. Why is this principle important to you?_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

5. Using your chosen principle as a base, discuss why you believe Jay taking the medicine would

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SCENARIO

Jay’s mother is sick with an ongoing illness that affects her immune system and it can be very painful for her. When the sickness is at its worst, it stops Jay’s mother from being able to go to work and provide for the family. She is a single parent, and the only person in Jay’s family to have a job. One day, while at the hospital with her mother, Jay notices the doctor has left the medication her mother requires on a bench nearby. Jay could take it and provide her mother with pain relief for the next six months. The medicine usually costs $500 a month.

Is taking the medicine the right thing to do?

Religion Class Gender Education Culture

The way I was brought up Other



be right or wrong:_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

The perspective of someone else

1. What ethical principle might William hold that relates to this scenario?

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the reason(s) William holds this principle? (Choose one or more)

3. Explain how this reason(s) would have helped William believe in this principle: _________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

4. Why would this principle be important to William?

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

5. Using William’s ethical principle as a base, discuss why William might think Jay taking the medicine would be right or wrong:

_________________________________________________________________________

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PROFILE

William is the same age as Jay. He lives in a wealthy suburb with his parents and sister. Both of his parents are high profile lawyers. William holds a “black and white” view of the world. He goes to a private school and knows that he will study law and become a lawyer, just like his parents. William and his family are lucky enough to have always been healthy and being sick is never something they have had to really worry about.

Religion Class Gender Education CultureOther



_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________Image source: jacoblund, iStock, University student in campus stock photo.

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