1 of x assessing and moderating independent study projects in school presented by: christine andrews...

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Assessing and Moderating Independent Study Projects in SchoolPresented by:

Christine Andrews(AQA’s Principal Moderator for The Extended Project Qualification)

Copyright © AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.Version 3.0

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Copyright © AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.

What does The Extended Project Qualification seek to develop?

Independent study skills

Research skills

Academic writing skills

Presentation skills

Welcome to my Presentation!

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What is an Extended Project?

Learners are required, with appropriate supervision, to:

Choose an area of interest

Draft a project title and aims for approval by the Centre

Plan, research and carry out the project

Deliver a presentation to a specified audience

Provide evidence of all stages of project development and production for assessment

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What are we assessing?


Knowledge recall?

Specified content?

Skills learned and developed?

Version 3.0

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The Taught Element

Core Skills Required:

Time Management Skills

Research Skills and Evaluation of Sources

Report Writing Skills

Referencing and Bibliography Creation

How to avoid Plagiarism

Presentation Skills

Reflection and Evaluation

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What else are we assessing?

Decision making

Autonomy

Response to advice

Communication: clarity of expression, logical argument, concision

Ability to develop/expand/focus initial ideas

Ability to draw conclusions based on evidence

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Titles that invite Higher Skills?

‘The Psychology of Crime’‘The Law doesn’t work. Discuss’‘The Life of a TV producer’‘Disney Princesses’‘Formation and Topography of Deserts’‘Marijuana’‘How Disability has changed in England’‘Growth and Development of Major Engineering Firms’‘The Big Bang, what is it about?’‘How the Indian Economy has changed in the last 70 years’‘How is Spain affected by Tourism?’‘Explore how Cameras Developed between 2000 and 2010’‘The History of Tartan’‘The Stem Cell Debate’

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Titles that invite Higher Skills?‘Do Disney films emphasise the importance of segregated gender roles?’‘Is therapeutic shoeing really necessary for horses?’‘Does the mathematics curriculum equip students adequately in the 21st century?’‘What does the Book of Psalms add to traditional Theodicy?’‘Is there a link between musical education and academic performance?’‘Should cameras be allowed in English courts?’‘Why have young Japanese men and women stopped having sex?’‘Should bankers get a bonus in the current economic climate?’‘Why do only 1% of UK mothers follow NHS guidelines to breastfeed exclusively for 6 months and how might this statistic be increased?’‘Is veganism a healthy lifestyle?’

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Assessment Objectives

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AO1

Identification of topic to be investigated

Appropriate aims and objectives

Project planning

Monitoring progress

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AO2

Research

Selection of resources

Evaluation of resources

Analysis and application of resources

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AO3

Decision making

Implementation of project plan

Realisation of ‘product’

Changes to and/or development of initial ideas

Synthesis of information from different sources

Communication of findings

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AO4

Evaluation of strengths and weaknesses of completed project

Evaluation of strengths and weaknesses of candidate’s own learning

Conclusions reached based on evidence and judgement

Conclusions communicated

Material relevant, well structured and appropriately presented

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We are assessing the Application of Skills

Think of the chosen ‘Product’ as merely the ‘clothes horse’ on which the candidate can ‘hang’ or demonstrate the skills they have acquired

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Assessment

Assessment is terminal and holistic – evidence for any objective may come in different forms for different projects

The Taught Element is not itself the basis for any assessment evidence – all assessment is from evidence that is the learner’s choice and from the use, by the learner, of Taught Skills/techniques in the course of their project work

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The Three Criterion Bands

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The Upper Band descriptions are typified by the words clear and detailed. A good project will achieve marks in this band where each criterion is likely to be evidenced in several ways. The upper half of the Upper Band may usefully be related to the available grade description for A*.

The Middle Band descriptions are typified by the word some. The project process is likely to have been successfully completed but with some lack of detail or clarity. Aspects are likely to be evidenced in only one or few ways.

The Lower Band descriptions are typified by the word limited. Attempts have been made at each element of the process that fail to fully achieve at Level 3.

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Assessing Work – Questions to consider...

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When assessing the work, ask yourself these questions:

What might reasonably be expected at A2 of an advanced level student (16-19)?

Is there evidence of over 90+ hours of independent and autonomous work together with 30+ hours of Taught Skills?

Is the work submitted individual,

extended and does it demonstrate

stretch and challenge?

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AssessmentMarking Extended Projects can be very challenging, especially the first time.Do not attempt to assess projects until you have been ‘standardised’ and feel that you have understood the standardTry not to work in isolationSwap projects with a colleague and be brutally honest if you think they have not yet understood the standard.Beware awarding marks for ‘effort’...submitted evidence is the only permitted basis for assessment.It is very hard to be truly objective when assessing a candidate’s submission, you have spent the last several months watching this project grow and develop.Do not interfere in any way with a candidate’s final submission...they are being assessed in part, on choosing appropriate evidence.

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Required Assessment Evidence

Project ProductIncluding a written report and any other evidence, as appropriate, depending on the topic or subject area chosen

Production Log & Assessment Record (15 pages)Including the Project Proposal Forms, details of Taught Skills, Presentation Record and Candidate Record Form (all appropriately signed and dated)

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Too much material

If a candidate submits too much material, you must mark it... probably both AO3 and AO4 will be affected:

AO3 if the material fails to be logical and coherent

AO4 because inevitably the material will not all be relevant

AO4 may also be affected if the material is not well structured

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Too much material

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Examples of Helpful Additional Evidence(non essential)

PowerPoint slides printout (if PowerPoint used)

Prezi printout (if Prezi used)

Photo of ‘Market Place’ stand (If presentation was Market Place)

Presentation notes/cue cards

Planning documents (if Gantt chart/action plan/etc. used)

Extract from research journal/blog (if one used)

Evaluation of sources in appendix if not integrated into log/report

Video/photographic evidence of product realisation (especially useful for artefacts)

Single copy of pilot questionnaire plus single copy of finally used questionnaire (if questionnaire used to gather data)

Transcript of interviews (if interviews undertaken)

Risk assessment documentation (if undertaken)

Raw primary data

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Evidence must be relevant and the submission should be well-structured

Candidates should choose what to include and how best to structure their submission

Supervisors should not tell candidates what they should include

Supervisors should not tell candidates how to structure their submission

Supervisors should not alter/rearrange/add to/reduce a candidate’s submission

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Assessment and Moderation

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Internal Moderation

Organised by the Centre Coordinator

May involve all supervisors or just a few

Takes time, please allow for this in planning delivery of the specification

I think your AO3 mark is

spot on!

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External AQA Moderation

AQA moderators select a small sample to check that the AQA standard has been consistently applied throughout the mark range from a Centre

AQA moderators will write feedback for each Centre highlighting areas of good practice and any areas that might benefit from further development

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Thank You

1 of x assessing and moderating independent study projects in school presented by: christine andrews...

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