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
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