k-6 science and technology consistent teaching – assessing k-6 science and technology © 2006...

K-6 Science and Technology

Consistent teaching –

Assessing

K-6 Science and Technology

© 2006 Curriculum K-12 Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training

K-6 Science and Technology

What student learning matters most in SciTech?

• In SciTech we want students to become increasingly independent in their ability to think and work scientifically and technologically.

• Learning in Science and Technology emphasises first-hand experiences in the processes of investigating and designing and making. Assessment should also.

• Assessment of a student’s performance in SciTech focuses on the processes of investigating and designing and making, in the context of the relevant content strand.

K-6 Science and Technology

What informs my assessment in SciTech?

• The Foundation Statements (2005) and Science and Technology Outcomes (2000) describe the standard of learning expected of students at the end of each stage.

• The Big Ideas expand the outcomes and suggest suitable content for the processes and content outcomes for each stage.

• In the context of the school plan and situation, the professional judgement of the teachers in the school is used to determine a student’s progress during the stage, at points predetermined by the school.

K-6 Science and Technology

Planning for consistent assessment: the school plan

School planning involves:

• Evaluating the existing school plan in relation to SciTech syllabus standards

• Ensuring that the school plan effectively allocates all SciTech syllabus outcomes to stages and years

• Ensuring that for each stage there is a plan that:

– establishes a progression of SciTech learning throughout the stage so that;

• all content outcomes are addressed at least once

• the processes of designing and making and investigating are built upon in each unit of work

– identifies the focus of assessment in each reporting period.

(cont.)

K-6 Science and Technology

Planning for consistent assessment: the year cohort

• Amongst the teachers for each year group decide at the beginning of the year:

– what needs to be taught and assessed for students to progress toward the end of stage standards (see Foundation Statements and Outcomes)

– the focus of SciTech assessment and reporting for each semester/reporting period

– assessment information to be collected for the purposes of moderation and consistent judgement.

• Develop class programs and units of work that will allow you to collect the agreed assessment information, with a focus on investigating and designing and making tasks.

• Identify suitable times during each semester to moderate student achievement across the year-cohort-groups.

• Develop a plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

K-6 Science and Technology

What is quality assessment in SciTech?

• Is based on the process of investigating scientifically and/or designing and making and at least one content outcome.

• Focuses on depth of understanding of manageable number of key concepts.

• Assesses knowledge and skills students have had structured and systematic opportunities to learn.

• Provides students with clear expectations about requirements and explicit criteria that identify the features of successful work.

• Allows meaningful feedback to be provided to each student.

K-6 Science and Technology

What are sources of quality assessment evidence in SciTech?

Evidence of student learning in SciTech may be found in:

• Observing the actions of students as they implement the process in class (designing and making or investigating).

• Reviewing written, drawn or verbal presentations and other forms of documentation from students about their thinking/understandings e.g. what they did in their process, why they did it, what they learnt.

• The products of their processes e.g. models, reports.

K-6 Science and Technology

Managing quality assessment in SciTech

• It is not practical to effectively assess and provide feedback on every aspect of process and content achievement of students during each SciTech task or unit.

• Within a particular SciTech task, it is more effective to explicitly focus assessment on:

– a significant component/s of the application of the process e.g. generating and developing design ideas or conducting scientific investigations

– the accuracy and depth of understandings about a clearly defined area of a content outcome e.g. characteristics of living things.

• Process knowledge and skills will be revisited regularly. Effective assessment will enable teachers to judge student’s progress toward the independent application of the processes by the end of Stage 3.

K-6 Science and Technology

What are the significant components of the SciTech processes ?

Investigating Scientifically• Planning, • Conducting• Interpreting evaluating and communicating.

Designing and Making• Exploring and defining the task • Generating and developing ideas • Producing solutions.

The following components of each process are suggested as a changing focus of assessment in SciTech tasks across a stage.