New Advanced Higher Subject Implementation Events Chemistry :

Unit Assessment at Advanced Higher

Unit Assessment – recap Flexible and open Assessment Standards and Evidence

Requirements in Units

Greater range of techniques and methodologies for assessment – encouraged

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 Purpose

As previously, Assessment Support will be provided which you can use to:

Assess your candidates

Adapt for your own assessment programmes

Help you develop your own assessmentsyour own assessments

Unit Assessment Support at Advanced Higher – Key Features

Valid from August 2015

Complements and supports learning and teaching

Assess competence against Unit Outcomes and Assessment Standards

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

Summary of Requirements to pass a UnitSummary of Requirements to pass a Unit

StandardsAssessment Standards can be achieved in a variety of ways

Assessors should ensure that the work is the candidate’s own.

Unit Assessment Support

3 Units

2 ‘Standard’ UnitsInorganic and Physical ChemistryOrganic Chemistry and Instrumental Analysis

Researching UnitResearching Chemistry

‘Standard’ Unit

Outcome 1 Apply skills of scientific inquiry and draw on knowledge and understanding of the key areas of this Unit to carry out an experiment by:

Outcome 2Draw on knowledge and understanding of the key areas of this Unit and apply scientific skills by:

2.1 Making accurate statements and giving clear descriptions/explanations

2.2 Solving problems

Summary of Requirements to pass a ‘Standard’ Unit

Outcome 1 All six Assessment Standards are required. They can be achieved through a number of activities

The experiment(s) chosen for this activity should contain one or more of the practical skills and techniques listed in the Course Assessment Specification.

The actual experiment(s) is the choice of the centre but must be commensurate with this level.

Transfer of EvidenceOutcome 1

The evidence for Outcome 1 for one of the Standard Units can be used as evidence of the for achievement of Outcome 1 in the other Standard Unit of this Course.

Transfer of EvidenceOutcome 1

The achievement of Outcome 1 in the Researching Chemistry Unit of this Course can be used as evidence for the achievement of Outcome 1 for the Inorganic and Physical Chemistry and Organic Chemistry and Instrumental analysis Units of this Course.

There is no requirement to match Assessment Standards.

Note – not vice versa

Summary of Requirements to pass a ‘Standard’ Unit

Outcome 2 This can be achieved through a number of activities. 2.1 at least half of the responses should be correct across the key areas of the Unit.

2.2 all 3 problem solving skills (making predictions, processing information and analysing information) must be achieved.

Summary of Requirements to pass a ‘Standard’ Unit

Outcome 2Assessment Standard 2.1 is Unit specific

Assessment Standard 2.2 in the ‘standard Unit’ is transferable and need only be evidenced once in the Course.

Summary of Requirements to pass Researching Chemistry Unit

Outcome 1Apply skills of scientific inquiry and draw on knowledge and understanding to research, plan and carry out investigative practical work on a chosen chemistry topic.

1.1 Gathering and recording information from sources. 1.2 Planning/designing the practical investigation, including assessment of risk and safety measures.1.3 Carrying out the practical work safely, recording results/ data appropriately.

Summary of Requirements to pass a Researching Chemistry Unit

.

Outcome 2

Draw on knowledge and understanding of the key areas of this Unit and apply scientific skills by:

2.1 Making accurate statements and giving clear descriptions/explanations

Researching Chemistry Unit: Key Points 1

• This activity requires candidates to apply skills of scientific inquiry to plan and carry out a practical research investigation.

• The investigation can also provide the basis of the project report for the Course assessment, if required.

Researching Chemistry Unit: Key Points 2

The candidate should, with guidance/discussion from the assessor, select a physics topic that they will investigate.

The topic can involve chemistry that is covered in the Advanced Higher Course or can involve chemistry outwith this Course content.

The candidate should keep a record of their work.

Researching Chemistry Unit: Key Points 3 It would not be appropriate to provide a template for

candidates at this level; therefore a template must not be provided.

Candidates are provided with a set of prompts to

guide them to produce the required evidence for assessment.

The record of candidate work can form the basis of

the project report for the Course assessment, if required

Unit Assessment Support at Advanced Higher – Approaches

Package 1 Unit by Unit approach – discrete assessment tasks for each Unit

Package 2 Unit by Unit approach – discrete assessment tasks for each Unit

Package 3 Portfolio approach – naturally occurring evidence

Assessment Support Package1 and 2 ‘Standard’ Unit

These packs consist of two assessment activities for each Unit: Activity 1: a scientific report of an experiment to

generate evidence for Outcome 1

Activity 2: a set of questions to generate evidence for Assessment Standards 2.1 and 2.2

Assessment Support Package1 and 2 Researching Chemistry Unit

These packs consist of two assessment activities for each Unit:

Activity 1: a practical investigation

Activity 2: a set of questions to generate evidence for Assessment Standards 2.1

Assessment Support Package 3

Portfolio Approach

This pack outlines the gathering of naturally occurring evidence

Re-assessment Outcome 1

If the candidate’s evidence does not satisfy all of the Assessment Standards, the candidate only needs to be re-assessed on the specific Assessment Standards that have not been met

Re-assessment Assessment Standard 2.1

If you have given a test and the candidate fails AS 2.1 then for reassessment you could either:-give another test covering all the key areasanalyse the candidate's performance in the first test and only reassess the key areas they didn't do well inEither way, candidates need to score 50% or more across the key areas and NOT 50% for each key area.

Re-assessment Assessment Standard 2.2

If a specific Problem Solving skill (analysing) is not achieved, then only that skill need be re-assessed

If, after re-assessment, the candidate fails to demonstrate that Problem Solving skill within this Unit assessment, they could be given further assessment opportunities to demonstrate this skill, in the other Unit of the Course

Workshop 1Unit Assessment

Using the materials provided, in small groups of 2-3, discuss: Identify subject-specific topics for discussion

Workshop Aims 

To understand the assessment and evidence requirements of Unit Assessment

To consider a range of ways of generating evidence for Advanced Higher Unit Assessment

 

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