Qualifications Update:Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies

Qualifications Update:Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies

Developing qualificationsDeveloping qualifications

• Progression

• More open and flexible requirements

• Assessment which supports learning

• Refreshed and relevant contexts for learning

• Personalisation and choice• Robust and credible

CfE Levels

early years

1

2

3

4 SCQFLevels

12

3

4

Continues to 12

≈

Relationship between CfE and SCQF LevelsRelationship between CfE and SCQF Levels

National 5 Specimen Question Paper Key pointsNational 5 Specimen Question Paper Key points

• Added Value is captured in an assignment at National 4 in the Added Value Unit and by a question paper and a Coursework assignment at National 5

• These provides opportunities for personalisation and choice as well as challenge and application

• Investigating skills from Standard Grade translated into the assignment

National 5 Specimen Question Paper Key pointsNational 5 Specimen Question Paper Key points

• Taking the best of Standard Grade and Intermediate 2…• There are three sections: World Religion, Morality & Belief and Religious &

Philosophical Questions• Some new contexts for study have been added, and others updated• A renewed focus, particularly within World Religion, on exploring the

connection between religious sources, beliefs and practices and the significance of these in the contemporary world

• The question paper will assess the skills of: analysing religious, moral and philosophical questions, and applying detailed knowledge and understanding to present detailed and reasoned views. These skills may be sampled in any section of the question paper.

National 5 Specimen Question Paper Key pointsNational 5 Specimen Question Paper Key points

•Questions will have a range of marks between 3 and 8 •More marks available for in-depth analysis, building a link to Higher•More marks available in individual skills questions for the development of individual points•Flexible routes to full marks in skills questions (change from Standard Grade)•The skills of investigation and using sources will be assessed in the assignment

Unit StructureUnit Structure

National 3 National 4 National 5

World Religion World Religion World Religion

Morality and Belief Morality and Belief Morality and Belief

Religious and Philosophical Questions

Religious and Philosophical Questions

Religious and Philosophical Questions

Added Value Unit: Assignment

New Quality Assurance arrangementsNew Quality Assurance arrangements• Will cover new National 1 to National 5 from 2013/14

• New arrangements will promote shared understanding of national standards through a collaborative and partnership approach

• New ‘Nominee’ role - provides a pool of nationally trained experts

• Increased verification in the first 3 years, then an approach based on information gathered

• Verification in Nov/Dec, Feb and Apr/May - allows for early identification of issues and support/guidance to be given

Unit Assessment Support Packs - key messagesUnit Assessment Support Packs - key messages• Are available on the SQA Secure Website, are

confidential documents and should be treated as such and held securely

• Use one of three approaches to generating evidence:• Unit by Unit approach • Combined approach• Portfolio approach

• Assessors may use the assessments provided in UASPs • as they are• to adapt• to develop their own assessments They will be made available in Word format for this purpose

Unit Assessment Support Packs - key messagesUnit Assessment Support Packs - key messages• Valid from August 2013

• encourage professional judgment • allow assessors to chose appropriate contexts and forms of

evidence • support, motivate and challenge learners

• Each pack provides details of • a broad based task• type of evidence to be gathered • how this is to be judged against assessment standards

an example of a Candidate Assessment and how it should be assessed

• Most important aspect for SQA is that standards are met and that all evidence is authentically the candidate’s own work

Unit Assessment Support Packs - key messagesUnit Assessment Support Packs - key messages

•Assessment approaches should support and be consistent with learning and teaching approaches and the needs of individual candidates•Assessment judgments are made on a pass fail basis•Contexts may be changed to suit or be made more relevant to candidates, but must of the same level of demand and difficulty•Where assessment is by observation or oral questioning, evidence should include assessor comments that show clearly the basis on which assessment judgments have been made•UAS packs also include examples of recording documentation: assessors may adapt these to suit local needs and approaches

Assessment Support Schedule 2012/13 Assessment Support Schedule 2012/13

Oct 12 to Mar 13 N3 to N5 Unit Assessment Support (Package 1)

Feb 13 N3 to N5 Unit Assessment Support (Package 2)

Feb 13 N5 Specimen Question Paper

Apr 13 N3 to N5 Unit Assessment Support (Package 3)

Apr 13 N5 Specimen Coursework

Apr 13 N4 Added Value Assessment Support

Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies

Unit AssessmentNational 3 to National 5

Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies

Unit AssessmentNational 3 to National 5

Unit assessmentUnit assessment• Flexible and open Assessment Standards and Evidence

Requirements in Units

• Greater range of techniques and methodologies for assessment – encouraged through Unit assessment support packages

• 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 Unit Assessment Support packages – purpose packages – purpose

Assessment support packages will be provided which you can use to:

•Assess your candidates

•Adapt for your own assessment programmes

•Help you develop your own assessments

Unit Assessment Support Unit Assessment Support packages – key featurespackages – key features

• Valid from August 2013

• 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 and how this is to be judged against Assessment Standards

Unit assessment support Unit assessment support packages - approachespackages - approaches

Package 1 • Unit by Unit approach – discrete assessment

tasks for each UnitPackage 2 • Combined approach – groups Outcomes and

Assessment Standards from different UnitsPackage 3 • Portfolio approach – evidence generated

assessment standard by assessment standard

Assessment Package 1Assessment Package 1World Religion Morality and Belief Religious and Philosophical

Questions

You can use the illustrative examples provided and adapt these to suit the contexts that your learners have studied or the kind of approach that would suit them best

N3

Oral presentationSkill: commenting on the significance of a religious belief, practice or sourceContext: Islam

Visual productSkill: expressing a viewpoint on a moral question and responsesContext: Death Penalty

Responses to questionsSkill: outlining religious and philosophical questions and responsesContext: Life after Death

N4

Responses to questionsSkill: commenting on the significance of a religious belief, practice or sourceContext: Judaism

Oral presentationSkill: expressing a reasoned view on a moral question and responsesContext: Gender

Visual productSkill: presenting a conclusion on a religious and philosophical question and responsesContext: Existence of God

N5

Visual productSkill: commenting on the significance of a religious belief, practice or sourceContext: Buddhism

Oral presentationSkill: expressing a reasoned view on a moral question and responsesContext: Marriage/Divorce

Responses to questionsSkill: presenting a reasoned conclusion on a religious and philosophical question and responsesContext: Problem of Evil

Assessment Package 1Assessment Package 1• Although a range of approaches to gathering

evidence for Unit assessment have been illustrated:– the standard applied is the same irrespective of the

approach taken– it is the skills, knowledge and understanding as

specified in the Assessment Standards which are being assessed – do not inflate the demands of the Unit

– there should be consistency in conditions across different techniques

– all approaches should be manageable for candidates and centres

Key points from Unit Assessment Key points from Unit Assessment Support packsSupport packs

• Assessment Overview– This document contains generic prompts which can be adapted to different

contexts– Also a worked-through example – this is illustrative only– Evidence in one form may be supplemented with evidence in other forms

• Assessment conditions– Candidates should have sufficient time to complete the task– Level of teacher/lecturer support should be appropriate for level but evidence

must be the candidate's own work– When group work is used – evidence of individual achievement is required

• Evidence to be retained– Sufficient for QA purposes– Practical approaches to retaining evidence e.g. candidate responses/product,

assessor checklists, supplementary material• Reassessment

– SQA policy continues to apply– Only need to reassess specific Outcomes or assessment standards not yet met

Key points from Unit Assessment Key points from Unit Assessment Support packsSupport packs

• Teacher prompts and questioning may be used to:– Confirm evidence is candidate’s own work– For clarification/confirmation of standard being met– To supplement oral/visual/written presentation if necessary

• Judging evidence– Standards need to be consistently applied, irrespective of the

approach taken to generating evidence– General principles and specific exemplification given– Column 4 is adaptable to different contexts– Candidates may provide evidence of meeting the standard outwith

the specific prompt – this should be credited• Candidate task

– Illustrative only– Centres encouraged to adapt to their own contexts

Workshop 1Workshop 1Task 1•Use the materials provided:•In small groups of 2-3, discuss– The assessment tasks illustrated– Approaches to generating evidence– Making judgements

•How could you use the Unit Assessment materials to support you in your own centres?

RMPSAdded Value Assessments:

- National 5 Course Assessment- National 4 Added Value Unit

RMPSAdded Value Assessments:

- National 5 Course Assessment- National 4 Added Value Unit

Adding Value – National 4, Adding Value – National 4, National 5National 5

• Each Course at National 4 and National 5 includes assessment of Added Value

• For National 4, the added value is in an Added Value Unit - not graded

• For National 5, the added value is in the Course Assessment - graded A - D (as at present)

Added ValueAdded Value• Makes the Course more than the sum of its parts• Builds on current Course assessment and Group

Award approaches • Defined as breadth, challenge and/or application as

outlined in Building the Curriculum 5• May involve accumulation, assimilation, integration

and/or application of skills, knowledge and understanding

• Uses one or two of 7 defined assessment methods

Controlled AssessmentControlled Assessment• Where the assessment method is not a question paper,

SQA has introduced the concept of controlled assessment to ensure fairness and reliability

• 3 stages of assessment: Setting, Conducting, Marking the assessment

• Each will have a defined level of control: SQA-led activity, Shared responsibility between SQA and centres, Centre-led

• Subject-specific decisions, but mostly SQA-led activity in initial years

National 5 – Course AssessmentNational 5 – Course Assessment• Two components

– Question Paper (75%)

– Assignment (25%)

• Broad parity between skills and knowledge and understanding across the whole course assessment

• Externally assessed

National 5 – Question PaperNational 5 – Question Paper• Draws on approaches and formats familiar from

Standard Grade Credit and Intermediate 2

• Out of 60 marks

• Three sections each worth 20 marks: World Religion, Morality and Belief, and Religious and Philosophical Questions

• There will be a choice of contexts in each section

• Will assess the skills of analysing religious, moral and philosophical questions, and applying detailed knowledge and understanding to present detailed and reasoned views

• Greater emphasis on knowledge and understanding than skills (34 marks: 26 marks)

• Range of marks – 3 - 8

National 5 – Question PaperNational 5 – Question Paper• “Describe” questions require

candidates to make relevant factual points. These may be either a number of separate points or a single point which is developed. These should be key points but may not be connected.

National 5 – Question PaperNational 5 – Question Paper• Each developed points in describe questions may be

awarded up to 4 marks

• More open questions where candidates may demonstrate their knowledge of specific contexts studied e.g. Possible religious views on a particular issue

• Flexibility in the routes to achieve full marks

National 5 – Question PaperNational 5 – Question PaperExplain…/ what reasons might there be for..?

“Explain” questions require candidates to make at least two relevant points that clarify the issue or question involved. These should be key points and will include reference to relevant abstract ideas, although these need not be fully explained.

National 5 – Question PaperNational 5 – Question Paper• Do you agree? / Would people agree with…? / Should

people accept..? / Is it true that…? Give reasons for your answer.

• These types of questions require candidates to give a relevant point of view/justification/assessment of a given statement. The candidate may fully agree, fully disagree or make points on both sides. All are equally acceptable as a route to full marks. Candidates may answer from their own perspective or belief, describe a perspective or belief held by others, or combine these. All are acceptable as a route to full marks.

National 5 – Question PaperNational 5 – Question Paper• In the World Religion section, there will be a focus on the

link between religious sources, beliefs and practices, and on the significance of these in the contemporary world.

• More marks are available for in-depth analysis, building a link to Higher.

• More marks are available in skills questions for the development of individual points.

• There are flexible routes to full marks in skills questions

National 5 – AssignmentNational 5 – Assignment• Opportunity for learner personalisation

and choice

• Out of 20 marks

• Externally assessed

• Evidence produced in controlled assessment in up to 1 hour

• Assesses the skills of investigation and using sources

National 5 – AssignmentNational 5 – Assignment• Greater emphasis on skills

than knowledge and understanding (14 marks: 6 marks)

• Brief available on-line – does not change from year to year

• Generic marking instructions available on-line

National 4 Added Value Unit National 4 Added Value Unit AssignmentAssignment

• Opportunity for learner personalisation and choice

• Flexibility in how the learner presents findings

• Internally assessed by centres and externally quality assured by SQA

• Conducted under some supervision and control

National 4 Added Value Unit National 4 Added Value Unit AssignmentAssignment

• Support materials produced by SQA to provide advice and guidance on:– the degree of support which

may be provided– assessment conditions– nature and amount of

evidence to be retained for quality assurance purposes

– Making assessment judgements

Relationship between National 4 and Relationship between National 4 and National 5 AssignmentNational 5 Assignment

• Designed to provide progression and articulation – the process at National 4 is designed to lead on to the product at National 5

• Aims to support learners moving between levels and provide flexibility for centres

Relationship between National 4 and Relationship between National 4 and National 5 AssignmentNational 5 Assignment

• No automatic ‘fall-back’ to level below

• Necessary to show attainment of assessment standards of N4 Added Value Unit: – retain evidence – subject to quality assurance – enter candidate for AVU at N4

Workshop 2Workshop 2Task 2•Use the materials provided:– Further information on Course assessment at N5– Assignment read across document

•In small groups of 2-3, discuss– National 4 Added Value Unit– National 5 Course Assessment

• Question Paper• Assignment

– Relationship between the N4 AVU Assignment and the N5 Course work component - Assignment