Qualifications Update:Higher Classical StudiesJane Henderson QDM

Qualifications Update:Higher Classical StudiesJane Henderson QDM

• Coherent progression from National 5 and to Advanced Higher

• Relevant, challenging and enjoyable contexts • Opportunities for candidates to show the breadth

and depth of what they know• Opportunities for candidates to show the

application of their Classical Studies skills• Personalisation and choice for learners in the

Assignment

Key messagesKey messages

• Units combine skills and knowledge and offer flexibility in how evidence is gathered, to challenge and motivate learners

• Knowledge and understanding and the application of skills build progressively up levels in Unit and in Course assessment

• Maintains the best aspects of current Higher to ensure the continuing quality and value of Classical Studies

Key messagesKey messages

Points of stabilityPoints of stability• Application of analysis and evaluation skills• Familiar areas of study:–Power & Freedom (Greece and Rome)–Religion & Belief (Greece and Rome)–Classical Literature

• Use of command words/question stems

Points of changePoints of change• Re-structure of Social Aspects of the Classical World into

two Units: – Life in Classical Greece – Life in the Roman World

(identical structure National 3 – National 5)• Addition of Assignment, where candidates have an open

choice of Classical Studies issue or question to study (as at National 5)

• Greater flexibility in choice of texts, in Classical Literature. Can be any text, not only drama (as at National 5)

• One question paper of two hours 15 minutes, 60 marks• Production of evidence in Assignment up to one hour and

30 minutes

Assessment Support Schedule 2013/14 Assessment Support Schedule 2013/14

Sept 13 CfE Update Letter

Oct 13 Unit Assessment Support (Package 1)

Feb 14 Unit Assessment Support (Package 2)

Feb 14 Higher Specimen Question Paper

Mar 14 Coursework General Assessment Information

Apr 14 Unit Assessment Support (Package 3)

May 14 Update Mandatory Documents

Jun 14 Update Unit Assessment Support

Classical StudiesUnit Assessment

Higher

Classical StudiesUnit Assessment

Higher

Unit assessmentUnit assessment• Supports assessment as part of learning and

teaching • Is flexible in the ways in which evidence can

be generated• Open in the context which is used and in the

form of the evidence

Unit Assessment Support Unit Assessment Support packages – purpose packages – purpose

• Assess your candidates

• Adapt in line with your own assessment strategy

• Help you develop your own assessments

Unit Assessment Support Unit Assessment Support Packages – key featuresPackages – key features

• Tell you – with examples – how to judge evidence against Assessment Standards

• Provide further clarification of the Assessment Standards

• Encourage and support professional judgment• Include advice on adapting to different contexts • Valid from August 2014

Unit assessment support Unit assessment support packages - approachespackages - approaches

• Unit by Unit approach – discrete assessment tasks for each Unit

• Combined approach – groups Outcomes and Assessment Standards from different Units

• Portfolio approach – evidence generated Assessment Standard by Assessment Standard

Assessment Package 1Assessment Package 1Level Life in Classical Greece Classical Literature Life in the Roman

World

N3 Skill: Comment on sources

Context: Family Life (gravestone)

Skill: Commenting

Context: Odyssey

Skill: Using archaeological evidence

Context: Theatre

N4 Skill: Comment on sources

Context: Slavery

Skill: Drawing conclusions

Context: Medea

Skill: Using archaeological evidence

Context: Bath house

N5 Skill: Evaluate sources

Context: Panathenaia

Skill: Drawing conclusions

Context: Oedipus

Skill: Using archaeological evidence

Context: Theatres

H Skill: Evaluating sources

Context: Sacrifice to Apollo

Skill: Analysis and evaluation

Context: Antigone

Skill: Analysing archaeological evidence

Context: The Curia

Document read-throughDocument read-through

• Overview of Assessment – Contains an outline of the example task

– Also includes advice on how to adapt the task

– Evidence in one form may be supplemented with evidence in other forms

Document read-throughDocument read-through

• Assessment Conditions– Level of teacher/lecturer support should be

appropriate but evidence must be the candidate's own work

– When group work is used, evidence of individual achievement is required

– Centres’ responsibility to ensure that all evidence is the individual candidate’s work

Document read-throughDocument read-through

• Assessment Conditions (continued)– SQA has left the conditions of assessment at Unit

level open and flexible– SQA has not imposed time restrictions -

candidates should have sufficient time to complete the task

– SQA has not imposed restrictions on resources which candidates may use in the assessment

– Same conditions apply National 3 – Higher

Document read-throughDocument read-through

• Evidence to be gathered– A range of possible forms of evidence may be

appropriate– Keep accurate records of the evidence gathered

and the assessment decisions made– Only need sufficient evidence to show

achievement of the Assessment Standards once

Document read-throughDocument read-through• Judging Evidence– Table tells you how to judge evidence against the

Assessment Standards– Illustrations of possible candidate responses– Approach used can change, Assessment Standards

do not change– Columns 1 – 2 are fixed, column 4 will vary with

the task

Document read-throughDocument read-through

• Re-assessment arrangements – Assessment should be carried out when the

individual candidate is ready – If a candidate fails to provide evidence for all the

Assessment Standards, it is only necessary to re-assess the individual Assessment Standard(s) that they have yet to achieve

Document read-throughDocument read-through

• Examples of recording documentation– Exemplar tables for recording candidate’s/group’s

achievement of Assessment Standards– These can be adapted as required

Document read-throughDocument read-through

• Assessment Task– Aligns with the prompts in the Overview of

Assessment section– Exemplifies one context in which Unit assessment

may take place

Workshop 1Workshop 1• Use the materials provided:• In groups of 2-3 discuss:– The assessment task in the Unit Assessment

Support provided– How to generate evidence for the UAS provided– How to make assessment judgements for the

UAS provided

Workshop 1Workshop 1Use the materials provided:•Focus on the candidate task and the judging evidence table (10 mins)In groups of 2-3 discuss:•Any questions/concerns/clarifications about the mandatory Course documents? (20 mins)•how column 4 illustrates the advise in column 3 (10 minutes)•the ways in which Unit assessment fits in with your overall assessment strategy (10 minutes)•what you can take back to your centre to support others (10 mins)

Classical Studies Higher Course Assessment

Robert Doig QDC

Classical Studies Higher Course Assessment

Robert Doig QDC

Context and Rationale for development Context and Rationale for development of Higher Classical Studiesof Higher Classical Studies

• Level of demand benchmarked against SCQF level 6 as in current Higher

• Progression and articulation from National 5 and on to Advanced Higher

• CfE principles e.g. personalisation and choice, importance of skills

• Opportunity to refresh and update content and contexts

• Consistency with other Highers as appropriate• FIOCA provides further detail

Process of DevelopmentProcess of Development• Course Specification – Aims and rationale of the

Higher Classical Studies Course• Unit Specifications – Skills developed across all

Units and assessed within specified contexts• Course Assessment Specification – Requirements

for Question Paper and Assignment – application of skills to mandatory content

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 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

Adding Value – National 4, Adding Value – National 4, National 5, HigherNational 5, Higher

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

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

Higher – Course AssessmentHigher – Course Assessment• Two components

– Question Paper: 60 marks - 66% (75% at National 5)

– Assignment 30: marks - 33% (25% at National 5)

• Skills and knowledge and understanding will have equal importance across course assessment as a whole

• Both components will be externally marked

Higher – Question PaperHigher – Question Paper• Three sections each worth 20 marks: Life in classical Greece; Classical

Literature: Life in the Roman Worlds

• There will be a choice of contexts and questions in each section

• Mandatory content will be sampled

• Will assess the skills of analysing and evaluating, and draw on detailed knowledge and understanding of complex issues as well as applying source handling skills.

• Greater emphasis on knowledge and understanding than skills

• Range of marks – 8, 12 or 20

Higher – Question PaperHigher – Question Paper• In the Life in Classical Greece and Life in the Roman World

sections there will be one mandatory source based question and a choice between two issue based questions.

• One section will require candidates to evaluate the usefulness of a single source. In this section the issue based questions will require candidates to analyse an aspect of the classical world.

• The other section will ask candidates how fully three sources address an aspect of the classical world. In this section the issue based questions will require candidates to evaluate an aspect of the classical world.

Higher – Question PaperHigher – Question PaperA limited range of command words/question stems will be used in the paper for extended response questions:

•Analyse …

•To what extent …

Greater clarity and support for centres in general marking principles and detailed marking instructions as to how these questions will be marked

Higher – Question PaperHigher – Question Paper“Analyse” questions require candidates to…

Identify parts, the relationship between them, and their relationships with the whole. Draw out and relate implications.

SQA Guidance

Analysis will derive from a body of knowledge and understanding.

Higher – Question PaperHigher – Question Paper“To what extent” questions require candidates to…

Make a judgement based on criteria.

SQA Guidance

Evaluation will derive from a body of knowledge and understanding. Candidates will make a judgment(s), reach a conclusion(s), make evaluative comments

Higher – Question PaperHigher – Question Paper“Discuss” questions require candidates to…

Analyse and Evaluate and present a logical and coherent line of argument

Analysis and evaluation will derive from a body of knowledge and understanding.

In the Classical Literature section there will be a choice between questions which address different themes.

Higher – Question PaperHigher – Question PaperCandidates will be required to: •Analyse elements of the theme in the text (s) (3 marks)•Analyse the theme in the Classical and Modern worlds (6 marks)•Evaluate the text (s) in relation to the theme (3 marks)•Support their analysis and evaluation with detailed knowledge and understanding of the text (s) (6 marks)•Come to a conclusion (2 marks)

Higher – Question PaperHigher – Question PaperSource based questions require candidates to…

Apply skills to a range of detailed/complex sources

“Evaluate the usefulness” questions will require candidates to evaluate a single source in relation to an aspect of the classical world

“How fully” questions will require candidates to analyse at least 2 out of 3 and place them in the context of an aspect of the classical world. One of these sources can be pictorial, showing a piece of archaeological evidence.

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

• Three 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

Higher – AssignmentHigher – Assignment• Opportunity for learner personalisation and choice

• Candidates will have an open choice of Classical Studies Issue

• Marked out of 30

• Externally marked

• Evidence produced in controlled conditions in up to one hour 30 minutes

• Assesses the results of their research and the application of decision making skills

Higher – AssignmentHigher – Assignment• Greater emphasis on skills than knowledge and

understanding

• SQA will provide General Assessment Information and the Assessment Task

• Task does not change from year to year

• Detailed marking instructions available and can be shared with candidates

• Guide to candidates will be provided as at National 5

Workshop 2Workshop 2• Use the materials provided:• In groups of 2-3 discuss:– the requirements of the Higher Course assessment– How these requirements build on the Higher Units– How these requirements build on National 5

• Materials provided:– Further Information on Course Assessment– Assignment read across document

Workshop 2Workshop 2Use the materials provided:•read the FIOCA (10 mins)In groups of 2-3 discuss:•the relationship between assessment at Unit level and Course level (10 minutes)• aspects of your current practice which you plan to

continue (15 minutes)• aspects of your current practice which you plan to

change (15 minutes)•what will you take back to your centre to support others?