Controlled Assessment

Background - QCA report 2005

• Politicians’ mistrust of teachers marking coursework

• Plagiarism in an internet age• Weak systems – concerns

about professionalism• Increasing importance of

‘results’

• Formulaic coursework

Phases of Assessment

Phases of Assessment

Phases of Assessment

Authenticity control – work is produced by the students under comparable regulations

Feedback control – regulations as to the type and amount of what is described as ‘guidance’ or ‘support’ by teachers and how any such guidance is recorded

Time control – guidance is provided in Exam Board regulations

Collaboration control – collaborative work is permissible but individual work must be identifiable

Resource control – access to resources as permitted by the school

The gains

• The work will be shorter so easier to do and mark

• Conditions are common across schools

• Fairness over help from home can be addressed

• A focus given by Exam Boards – option to put in local context

• New updated courses on offer

To think about • Interpreting regulations – quirks and ambiguities• Choice of title is limited - issues with individual

enquiries• Managing different types of control conditions –

integrating with teaching – loss of flexibility • New systems needed, e.g. resource access,

recording guidance• ICT use and access• Tight limits on time and word counts – new skills

needed to maintain quality • Whole school management of CAs – timing,

staffing, common regulations, TAs, • Absent students – recreating conditions

Task setting

• Some courses have two items, some only one, both adding to 25% and 2000 words in total

• How to contextualise titles – can students choose – check criteria

• Can CAs be differentiated? • Focus on one issue or

hypothesis

• Titles to that will engage students

Limited control – Task Taking

a) I can give advice to students about the research methods they use.

b) A student can be given oral feedback about the quality of their work then revise and resubmit it.

c) A student can include work done by another student in their assessed work.

d) Work done at home can be included in the final assessed work e) Students are able to carry out research work in groups. f) Describing research data is to be done under Limited control

conditions. g) The use of ICT is optional for data presentation. h) Students can be given different amounts of time to complete

tasks. i) All resources used by the students must be made available by the

school. j) Students are allowed a practice with the assessment task.

• Types of guidance and feedback allowed • Recording guidance – who writes the log – what

is done with the information? • Work done at home – unsupervised• What is included – check the verbs!• Who chooses the graphic techniques• Opportunities for originality?• Managing group work – who did what• Completing the phase at the same time• Storage of student work for later phase

Task Taking – Research/Present

High control - Task taking

a) Students are allowed to talk to each other during this type of control.

b) Students are allowed to use a Word processor’s Spell and Grammar check tools.

c) Interpreting data must be carried out under these conditions. d) Students are allowed to write more than the recommended

number of words, provided they write less in the previous assessment phase.

e) Students can review and revise previous work on data presentation and include this in their analysis.

f) There is a limit on the amount of time that a student can work at any one time under these assessment conditions.

g) The supervision must be by the student’s subject teacher. h) Oral feedback is permitted to help students with their data

analysis. i) Work can be produced as a PowerPoint presentation.j) Less academically able students can be given a writing frame,

provided their marks are limited to the lower levels.

• Check the verbs – ‘describing’, ‘evaluating’ – what is included?

• High control conditions – no communication – is it an exam?

• Systems to control access to resources

• Questions about use of ICT • Options for formats - but how?

Task Taking – Analysis/Conclusions

ICT in CAs

• Encouraged by Exam Boards

• GIS mentioned as desirable

• Ideal for field work• Variety of formats

acceptable – presentations

• Check regulations on spell/grammar check

• Useful for word counts and editing

• New resources ‘Locked down’ during High control

• Access to digitally generated resources, including GIS software

• Lack of flexibility over access times

Time and word counts

• Indicate limited expectations on amount

• Guidance for each phase• Research not included in times• No mention of reduction in

quality expected • How strict are the regulations?• What counts as ‘words’?

OCRfootnotes, figures, tables, diagrams, charts and appendices should not be included’

Prepare students

• Practice in the conditions• Understand the

assessment criteria• Note guidance on

complexity of skills• Practice in enquiry work

(during KS3)• Tight (succinct) style of

writing needed • Annotation on graphics

Criteria and Levels

• Variety of number of categories of criteria, number of levels and number of marks between Exam Boards

• Are level descriptors ‘best fit’ or atomised?

• When do level descriptors become a writing frame?

• How to identify ‘originality’ (AQA)• Where are marks awarded for QWC?

Marking

• Moderation between teachers

• Identify samples

• Providing all documents – student logs etc.

• Annotation needed

• Regulations on resits

Whole school planning

• A calendar of CA dates/times – overload times, visits etc.

• Inform parents about controlled conditions• Book ICT rooms as needed – system

control issues• Homework clubs/library planned – staffed• Teaching Assistants briefed• Head Teacher responsible for

implementing the regulations

Samples: QCA

• http://www.qca.org.uk/qca_15733.aspx

The e-scape way

• http://www.geography.org.uk/projects/e-scape

• http://www.slideshare.net/humsast/controlled-assessment-in-geography-at-gcse

• http://ocrageoggcsenew.ning.com/forum/topics/controlled-assessment-titles-1