Planning to Teach and Assess in K-6 Science and Technology
How does your school ensure that all students have an opportunity to demonstrate achievement of Science and Technology K-6 syllabus requirements?
Using the Foundation Statements
The NSW Foundation Statements can be used to inform the development of a Science and Technology school plan. The foundation statements outline the important learning that students should know and be able to do by the end of a stage; they describe what needs to be taught. The school plan should ensure all the foundation statements are addressed within each stage. The Science and Technology outcomes and the Science and Technology big ideas can be used to provide the required detail to plan classroom programs.
With the implementation of the Curriculum planning and programming, assessing and reporting to parents K–12 policy a thorough approach to school planning is recommended that integrates assessment into the Science and Technology school plan and teaching programs.
The Curriculum planning and programming, assessing and reporting to parents K–12 policy requires report comments to parents to identify areas of student strength and areas for further development for each key learning area and the use of a 5 point achievement scale.
A school plan will assist teachers to complete this requirement. The plan identifies the knowledge and skills students have had structured and systematic opportunities to learn and be assessed upon each semester. These opportunities should be used to inform the report comment.
Features of a school plan
A good school plan for Science and Technology K–6:
- outlines how and when Science and Technology concepts and processes (described in the Foundation Statements and outcomes)are addressed across each stage
- focuses on the process of Investigating Scientifically and the process of Designing and Making in each year
- addresses knowledge content outcomes through a process outcome. (Living Things, Earth and Surroundings and Physical Phenomena, Built Environment, Products and Services, Information and Communication)
- considers how the students capacity to implement the processes of Investigating Scientifically and Designing and Making becomes more sophisticated over the stage and from Kindergarten to Year 6.
- identifies how assessing and reporting of student achievement will occur.
Assessment practices
Assessment must be manageable. It is not practical to effectively assess and provide feedback to students on every aspect of process and content taught during each Science and Technology task. Assessment should focus on the depth of understanding demonstrated by the student about the aspect of process and content targeted in the school plan.
Teachers across a cohort of students are encouraged to meet regularly to
- plan assessments including assessment criteria
- ensure the evidence collected from the students reflects the targeted learning
- moderate their judgements to ensure consistency
A Sample School Plan
An example of a school plan, for one year of stage 2, which uses the NSW Foundation Statements and incorporates a plan for assessment, is shown below. The highlighted sections of the foundation statements identify the significant learning that teachers will focus teaching and therefore assessment on. The relevant syllabus outcomes are identified below the Foundation Statements. The last row of the plan communicates what evidence will be demonstrated by the students and where the teacher can collect this evidence.
Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 Planning Tool
Stage 2 and Stage 3 Planninig Tool
Assessment
Assessment can be used to provide information to direct teaching, provide feedback to students about progress or contribute to reporting. Although all of these are valid uses of assessment, they require different emphasises in assessment.
What is the teaching and learning cycle?
The teaching and learning cycle represents the four stages that occur in the design and delivery of classroom tasks that incorporate an outcomes-based approach. The cycle has no start or end point, with each step informing the next. It is the process of gathering data and reflection that dictates where in the cycle you need to be operating.
Curriculum Programming and Planning, Assessing and Reporting K-12 policy
Policy statement and policy standards for DET schools.
Consistent Teacher Judgement in Action
A resource for schools has been revised to reflect the Curriculum Programming and Planning, Assessing and Reporting K-12 policy. Its aim is to help establish the understandings necessary to ensure that consistent teacher judgements about student achievement can occur across all key learning areas.
What is consistency?
Consistency in relation to assessment occurs when teachers are able to make judgements about student learning that are not dependent on the individual teacher, student, location or time and are based on a shared understanding of syllabus standards of learning.
Establishing procedures and structures to provide sufficient time on a regular basis for teacher discussion about teaching, learning and assessment is the key to enhancing consistency.
Consistency of teacher judgement in Science and Technology
A PowerPoint presentation for teacher professional learning about achieving consistency of teacher judgement in mathematics.
What is moderation?
Moderation is a process where teachers compare judgements to either confirm or adjust them.
The process involves close collaboration to establish a shared understanding of what achievement of syllabus standards looks like and whether or not the student has demonstrated achievement of the syllabus standard. Teachers work towards making judgements that are consistent and comparable.
Consistency of moderation in Science and Technology
A PowerPoint presentation for teacher professional learning about consistency of moderation in mathematics.
What is assessment?
Assessment is the process of identifying, gathering and interpreting information about students' learning. The central purpose of assessment is to provide information on student achievement and progress and set the direction for ongoing teaching and learning.
Schools are to undertake assessment to collect information about students’ learning. This will occur through both formal and informal activities.
Consistency of assessment in Science and Technology
A PowerPoint presentation for teacher professional learning about consistency in assessment in mathematics.
Key messages of reporting
A – E grades or the equivalent word descriptions is a common grading scale which is based on clearly defined state-wide syllabus standards drawn from the Board of Studies syllabuses.
The Common Grade Scale developed with the Board of Studies contains descriptions and associated grades A-E or equivalent words, which can be used to report student achievement in Years 1-10. This link offers support material for teachers to assist with reporting student achievement.
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