Communication Assessment Tasks Guidance for...

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Communication Assessment Tasks Guidance for Teachers

Guidance for Teachers

CommunicationAssessment Tasks2014/15

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Contents1 Introduction 3

2 The Rationale for and Purpose of Assessment Tasks 32.1 Rationale 32.2 Purpose of Assessment Tasks 32.3 CCEA-Approved Tasks 42.4 Exemplar Assessment Tasks 4

3 Planning Cross-Curricular Assessment Tasks 43.1 At Whole-School Level 43.2 At Departmental Level 4

4 The Structure of an Assessment Task for Communication 5

5 The Task Approval System 75.1 The Task Writing Tool 75.2 The Task Approval Process 75.3 Feedback to Schools 7

6 Carrying Out Planned Assessment Tasks 76.1 Facilitating Assessment Tasks in the Classroom 76.2 Providing Support to Pupils 7

7 Other Useful Resources 8

Appendices 9Appendix 1: How to Use the Task Writing Tool 10Appendix 2: Task Approval Criteria 13

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1 IntroductionFrom September 2012 it is statutory for schools to assess pupils in the Cross-Curricular Skills of Communication and Using Mathematics in Years 8, 9 and 10 using the Levels of Progression. Your school must:• report pupil progress to parents each year; and• assess and report a numerical level for pupils in Year 10, reporting this information to parents and the

Department of Education no later than 30 June.

2 The Rationale for and Purpose of Assessment Tasks2.1 RationaleAssessment is an integral part of the Northern Ireland Curriculum. It must reflect curriculum requirements. It must also provide pupils with constructive, motivating and challenging learning experiences. Assessment should be part of the learning and teaching process that supports independent learning and enables young people to gauge their own progress and potential and to improve their learning.

The statutory assessment process relies on your professional judgement of your pupils’ ability to demonstrate the Cross-Curricular Skill of Communication.

You should give pupils a range of challenging assessment opportunities throughout Years 8, 9 and 10. You need to use a variety of assessment approaches that will allow your pupils to demonstrate what they know, understand, and can do. Using a single method of assessment is unlikely to give a comprehensive or even an adequate profile of a pupil’s learning. You need to use a broad range of assessment approaches, for example:• effective questioning;• teacher observation; and• peer and self-assessment.

Assessment opportunities include:• classwork activities;• homework;• class, end-of-topic and end-of-year tests;• practical assessments; and• Assessment Tasks.

You can use the evidence from any or all of these to make a holistic judgement about a pupil’s ability todemonstrate the Cross-Curricular Skill of Communication every year.

2.2 Purpose of Assessment TasksThe purpose of an Assessment Task is to:• help you pinpoint exactly what it is that you want to assess; • ensure that pupils have assessment opportunities which allow them to demonstrate what they can do

at the appropriate level; and• support your judgement about the level at which a pupil is working.

Your school may choose to develop assessment opportunities into more structured Assessment Tasks using the CCEA Task Writing Tool. As well as providing you with a ready-made structure for your Assessment Task, it also reduces your workload because the form automatically fills in the assessment criteria that you need. (See Appendix 1 for guidance on using the form).

Using a standard structure for Assessment Tasks promotes a consistent approach to assessment in schools. When filling in the Task Writing Tool template, you should discuss your assessment practice with colleagues and ensure that the assessment reflects the learning and teaching in your classroom.

By submitting a task to the Task Approval System and having it approved, you are further ensuring that the task is fit for purpose before pupils use it in the classroom. You can be confident that you have demonstrated your understanding of what is required for an effective Assessment Task. You can then use this knowledge to inform future tasks throughout your school.

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You should use your knowledge of your pupils’ abilities to inform the structure and type of Assessment Tasksyou create.

2.3 CCEA-Approved TasksThese are tasks that a school has written, submitted and had approved through the Task Approval System using the Task Writing Tool. They should be based on the school’s units of work and match the pupils’ abilities and interests. Each task should have a real-life context that is relevant to the pupils so that it does not become a ‘bolt-on’ assessment activity. Using the CCEA Task Writing tool will provide you with a ready-made structure.

2.4 Exemplar Assessment TasksWe have created a small number of Exemplar Assessment Tasks. You can access these at www.nicurriculum.org.uk

Schools can use these Exemplar Assessment Tasks for assessment purposes. If you wish to use one of these tasks you should ensure that it is:• relevant and assesses the learning and teaching in your classroom; and• pitched at the appropriate levels for your pupils.

3 Planning Cross-Curricular Assessment Tasks3.1 At Whole-School LevelAssessment cannot take place unless pupils have acquired and developed the relevant skills. Although pupils are most likely to acquire Communication skills in the English classroom, you should also plan for and develop the Cross-Curricular Skill of Communication in other subject areas where appropriate. You will find that there are opportunities to assess Communication skills in several subjects.

3.2 At Departmental LevelAll subject departments that will be involved in the assessment of Communication need to take part in planning.

We have produced a range of learning and teaching resources for subjects and areas such as STEM, English and Learning for Life and Work. Many of these resources highlight where you might focus on developing the Cross-Curricular Skills. They also provide ideas and suggest opportunities for assessment that you may find helpful.

A Suggested Approach to Planning

1. Review schemes of work for Years 8, 9 and 10 and identify potential and significant assessment opportunities.

2. Check that all the teaching, learning and acquisition of the skills involved will have taken place before you give pupils the Assessment Task.

3. Ensure that the task is accessible for pupils and gives them enough scope to demonstrate competence in the skill at the selected levels.

4. Remember that Assessment Tasks for Writing must address Requirement 4 for assessment approval. Talking and Listening must address Requirement 1.

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4 The Structure of an Assessment Task for CommunicationYou must use the CCEA Task Writing Tool for Communication for any tasks that you wish to submit for approval.

Once you have drafted a general outline for your Assessment Task, think about all the specific information you will need to include. We recommend that you use the headings below.

Task Component Details

Task Title This identifies the task and clearly reflects what the pupil is being asked to do.

Subject This specifies the subject that is providing the assessment opportunity.

Range of Levels This shows the range of levels that the task targets. It must cover two to three levels. Select those most appropriate for the task.

Communication Mode to be Assessed

This identifies which of the three modes (Talking and Listening, Reading, or Writing) is being assessed.

Requirements Addressed in the Task

These are the Requirements that the pupils address through the task. Choose the Requirements that will best allow pupils to demonstrate performance at the selected levels.

ReadingIn the Requirements ‘texts’ does not refer to multiple texts in a task. Pupils should engage with a range of texts over the Key Stage, but a task may focus on one text only.

Requirement 1 focuses on understanding.

Requirement 2 focuses on the skill of reading.

Requirement 3 focuses on research.

Requirement 4 focuses on how and why information is conveyed. This requirement needs to be selected for tasks at Level 3 and above if it is a non-research task).

Requirement 5 focuses on reference to the text.

Writing Requirement 1 focuses on planning and redrafting. If you have selected Requirement 1 you must refer to it in the task outline where pupils are asked to talk about, plan and edit.

Requirement 2 focuses on vocabulary and structure. The support you provide for Requirement 2 should be appropriate for the level. You might use word banks, writing frames and sentence starters for Levels 1 and 2, and scaffolding for Level 3. For the higher levels pupils should be able to plan and organise with increasing independence.

Requirement 3 focuses on form, audience and purpose. You must select Requirement 3 for Levels 5, 6 and 7 (audience and purpose).

Requirement 4 focuses on spelling, punctuation and grammar. You must select Requirement 4 for all writing tasks.

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Task Component Details

Requirements Addressed in the Task

Talking and Listening Requirement 1 focuses on listening and must be selected for all tasks. To meet the listening component of Requirement 1, a task outline for Presentation/Speech must include questioning.

Requirement 2 focuses on ideas and contributions.

Requirement 3 focuses on vocabulary.

Requirement 4 focuses on structure.This requirement is more applicable to presentations.

Requirement 5 focuses on tone/register and language techniques.

Requirement 6 focuses on non-verbal communication.

Task Type There are three Task Types for each mode. This identifies which one is being assessed.

If a task could cover more than one Task Type, for example functional/transactional and discursive/persuasive Writing, choose the more appropriate one for the task.

Prior Learning Required

This specifies the key learning and teaching opportunities that will have taken place to enable pupils to achieve in the task. This refers to learning in Communication as well as subject content.

It may also refer to learning which has taken place over a number of units of work or years.

Task Outline This specifies clearly what the pupils have to do in pupil-friendly language. Ensure that your audience and purpose are clear and that the tasks for lower levels state that support is necessary, for example ‘level appropriate support’. If you want to use a word bank, writing frame or scaffolding for the lower levels, you do not need to attach them to the task when it is being submitted for approval but you must note that they will be used.

Pupil Stimulus Materials

You must give details of the specific Reading resources the pupils need for the task. If a text is not well-known, you must send it as an attachment to aid the reviser.

The Reading resources should be accessible to pupils working at the lower levels selected, and sufficiently demanding to allow pupils working at higher levels to demonstrate performance.

Assessment Criteria These are the relevant Levels of Progression statements linked to the Requirements.

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5 The Task Approval System5.1 The Task Writing ToolYou can use the Task Writing Tool for all Assessment Tasks, whether you are submitting them for approval or not. If you are submitting tasks for approval, however, you must use it.

The Task Writing Tool is an interactive PDF template that we have designed to support teachers in writing and structuring Assessment Tasks. You can find it at www.nicurriculum.org.ukYour computer needs to have Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.4 or higher installed to view the form correctly.

This template can guide you through the process of writing a task and help reduce your workload by automatically filling in certain information, such as level criteria. It includes helpful descriptors and prompts at each stage of the writing process. When you have finished, the task can be saved and printed for use.

5.2 The Task Approval ProcessYou can submit a task for approval using this link: www.nicurriculum.org.ukYou will receive an automated email confirming receipt. If you do not receive confirmation, you should contact the Assessment Administration Team at [email protected]

One of our teams revises the submitted tasks and reviews them against a set of Approval Criteria (see Appendix 2).

5.3 Feedback to SchoolsYou will receive feedback on your task status in the form of a summary. The summary will:• state whether the task has been approved or needs some amendments;• identify the approval criteria it meets;• identify amendments needed by stating the problem with the task, explaining what needs to be done,

and providing a worked example if appropriate; and• include details of any minor amendments made by the revisers to allow the task to be approved.

You should not resubmit a task for approval until the necessary amendments have been made. If you are resubmitting a task, this should be clearly indicated.

6 Carrying Out Planned Assessment Tasks6.1 Facilitating Assessment Tasks in the ClassroomAssessment Tasks are opportunities for pupils to demonstrate what they can do as a result of the learning and teaching experiences in the classroom.

Assessment Tasks should evolve naturally from subject schemes of work and be carried out in the classroom. They are not examinations and should not be time restricted, neither are they intended to be used as homework.

However, if pupils need to carry out research or preparation before they start, they can do so at home as long as they do not use it as part of their evidence for assessment.

You need to be certain that the work generated by an Assessment Task is the pupil’s own work and a genuine reflection of their ability. If the pupil completes their work at home, you cannot guarantee this.

6.2 Providing Support to PupilsYou should only use an Assessment Task when you are satisfied that pupils have covered the prior learning required and developed the skills necessary to undertake the task successfully.

You may offer guidance and support to pupils if it is appropriate for the level being assessed (as indicated in the Levels of Progression for Communication).

If pupils need support to engage with the activity and this is not considered appropriate for the level, it may be that the pupil is still only able to demonstrate competence at a lower level. You must record any support you give and refer to this when deciding on a level for the piece of pupil work.

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7 Other Useful ResourcesAll resources listed are available as PDFs in the Key Stage 3 section at www.nicurriculum.org.uk• The Task Writing Tool for Communication (Interactive PDF Form)• The Levels of Progression for Communication• Expansion of the Levels of Progression in Communication across the Curriculum: Key Stage 3

(Levels 1−7)• Generic Characteristics of Communication: Key Stage 3 (Levels 1−7)• Guide to Assessment: Supporting Schools in Meeting Statutory Requirements for Assessment and

Reporting − Foundation Stage to Key Stage 3• Guidance on Subject Assessment at Key Stage 3

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Appendix 1: How to Use the Task Writing Tool

Appendix 2:Task Approval Criteria

Appendices

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Appendix 1: How to Use the Task Writing Tool

1 Download and save the Task Writing Tool PDF form to your computer. You can find it in the Key Stage 3 Assessment section at www.nicurriculum.org.uk Your computer will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.4 or higher installed to view the form

correctly.

2 Open the file. It should look like the screenshot below:

3 Task Title and Subject: type the name of the task into the text field, select your subject from the dropdown list, and insert your school DENI number.

4 Select Levels: you must select two or three levels. First, click on the appropriate range of levels for your task. Three checkboxes will appear. If your task is going to target only two of the levels, you can de-select one of the boxes. For example, if your task will assess Levels 4 and 5, click on the range Levels 3–5, then de-select Level 3:

*Tip – Save the file as the name of your task. This means that you can easily see which task is whichwhen you are browsing through tasks on your computer.

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5 Select Mode: select the Communication mode that your task is assessing. The set of Requirements for the mode will appear underneath. Select Requirements that will best allow pupils to demonstrate performance at the selected levels to be assessed in your task. Please note that in the Writing mode the final Requirement (‘write with increasing accuracy and proficiency’) will be pre-selected. For Talking and Listening, Requirement 1 (‘listen to and take part in discussions, explanations, role-plays and presentations’) will also be pre-selected.

6 Task Type: please select one of the Task Types. These are the options for Talking and Listening:

The other available Task Types are: • Reading – Response to literary texts including media, Response to non-literary/functional texts

including media, Research; and • Writing – Personal/Narrative writing, Functional/Transactional writing, Discursive/Persuasive writing.

7 Prior Learning: in this text field, you should type in (or copy and paste) the prior learning that has to have taken place before you can use the task for assessment. This refers to prior learning in Communication and subject content.

8 Task Outline: you should write the task as it would be presented to the pupils.

9 Pupil Stimulus Materials: describe the specific Reading resources the pupils need for this task, for example a novel and if a text is not well-known, send it as an attachment.

10 School Details: you must enter your school details here for administrative purposes.

11 Review Checkbox: if you want to submit the task to us for approval, the assessment criteria and generic characteristics must have been chosen, reviewed and agreed by members of your department. When this is done you should tick the checkbox (see below):

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12 Assessment Criteria: an assessment criteria table will appear in the Task Writing Tool based on the Requirements and range of levels you have selected.

13 Generic Characteristics: a generic characteristics table will also appear. This sets out what pupils will typically do in the Task Type you have chosen at each of the seven levels. You could use this as an online mark scheme when planning and levelling the task.

14 Saving Your Task: to save your task, go to the File menu, select ‘save as’ and give it a file name.

15 Re-submission: If a re-submission involves any change to the level, Requirements or Task Type, you need to refresh the first page before making the amendment.

Help

You can get more information about how to use the Task Writing Tool by hovering over the question mark symbol.

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Appendix 2: Task Approval Criteria

Task Title, Mode and Levels

Approval CriteriaMet

( or X)Details of any

amendments required

1. The task allows pupils to demonstrate performance at the selected levels.

2. The task is suitable for assessing the chosen Requirements.

3. The appropriate Task Type has been identified.

4. The task outline clearly specifies what the pupils have to do and the support that the teacher must provide.

5. For Reading tasks, the pupil stimulus materials are accessible and pitched at the appropriate levels.

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