Part Two
Comparing things
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The Achievement Standards
Please note:
Different Achievement Standards (AS) for T/ A/M, beginning, continuing and advanced, years eleven and twelve, and modern and classical languages. That complexity presents significant opportunities for students to excel within their context.
They reflect equivalence of achievement across subjects.
AS are not a rubric in themselves. Rubrics will be drawn from some of the AS suitable for the intended task. All AS will be covered over the the suite of tasks.
The Languages Framework Panel wrote the Achievement Standards considering key knowledge, understand and skills required by languages students in years eleven and twelve.
The grade bands are differentiated using Blooms Taxonomy and the scope of the learning demonstrated in the piece of work
Years eleven and twelve have distinct AS, as after one year of college education, by year twelve, students will have enhanced skills and knowledge that are acknowledged by assessment expectations and the AS.
The AS are the means for providing equity as all students will have the same expectations placed upon their performance regardless of the details of the task.
The AS describe grade bands, not marks. There is no fixed relationship between marks and grades. Internal moderation between classes may change raw scores.
AS are based on ACARA design specifications.
Thinking about culture and langauge
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Activity 2.1
Achievement Standards
Write a paragraph on each question.
Using the AS, map the criteria to 3 tasks that you typically use in a semester. Are all AS addressed?
What does an E student have to do to achieve the standard and would this differ between T and A??
How could an M student be catered for using the AS?
Language Levels and Achievement Standards
Consider the response to this prompt
Do you think it is important for people to continue to travel into space? Why or why not? You may want to think about issues, such as:
costs
dangers
rewards.
If you apply Continuing and Advanced AS to this sample, what grade would you give it?
How would the grade vary between the two courses?
What level of thinking is required?
The Task Type Table
· What is its function?
The task type table guides the development of assessment tasks within a school.
The new task type table makes provision for a diverse range of pedagogical approaches to engage all students. This enables schools to make decisions about assessment that address the needs of their students. Schools will decide how to guide students to meet the Achievement Standards.
· Why have some parameters, such as word count, been removed?
These are decisions for teachers and schools to make in regard to their context, their students and the intended task. Schools will set word limits as is appropriate to the tasks and will allow students to meet the Achievement Standards.
Consider the additional parameters are added by this section 'Additional Assessment Information'.
Note:
the limits to the number of tasks.
the requirement to vary categories of assessment tasks to assess different skills over a course to meet achievement standards.
the capacity to design a task to target the particular skill being assessed.
Considering Generative AI
There is already the requirement to have systems to maintain academic integrity- see resources here. Also note that the requirement to maintain academic integrity also includes ethical research considerations see the workshop- Introduction to BSSS Ethical Research Principles and Guidelines (Online Course) However, with the introduction of Generative AI, ensuring academic integrity has become more complex.
The advent of sophisticated generative AI that is freely available may allow students to submit work that is not their own with very little chance of detection. This may prevent accurate measurement of student capacity. You should assume that if students take a task home that they will have used AI to assist them. You should also assume you cannot distinguish AI generated work from student work.
Currently, attempts to develop detection software have not been successful. Any detection software results can only be suggestive, conversations with students and procedural fair processes would have to follow.
Consequently you need to consider what aspect of the discipline are you trying to assess and how generative AI might impact on it. Then you can try to design tasks that focus on what you want to know about student performance while limiting interference from AI.
Teach students to keep their research notes and submit a record of prompts used so that they can provide evidence of process and composition if required.
Explicitly define the appropriate use of AI in a task and accommodate this in your rubric, e.g. AI use might mean the expectation of perfect spelling as the minimum standard.
Consider increasing the weighting of supervised in-class tasks without digital tools or with lock down browsers- in this context a prepared oral presentation is not an in-class task.
If you are interested in exploring the implications of generative AI further, you could undertake this BSSS Professional Learning online workshop- Introduction to to AI in the ACT Senior Secondary System.
Activity 2.2
Moderation
Examine this suite of tasks below.
Consider the question of curriculum coverage. Would the Content Descriptions be covered by this suite of tasks? Write a paragraph.
Would the suite of tasks have allowed students to achieve all of the achievement standards for Beginning language? Do the tasks direct students to the critical thinking required to achieve A grades? What is missing? Does the package raise any issues? Write a paragraph in answer.
How could these tasks be varied for Continuing and Advanced students?
Beginning Japanese
Society and Community
Investigation Task 40%
Conduct research into dialectic difference in contemporary Japanese
In a group of four, prepare a twenty minute lesson for the class on local dialect. Provide the following information:
Describe some difference is vocabulary between the chosen dialect and standard Japanese.
Describe difference in the accent between standard and the chosen dialect.
Describe differences in some grammar structures.
Perform a one minute dialogue without notes showing the difference in basic language between standard Japanese and dialect.
Record the dialogue for students in class using hiragana and some kanji. Instruct the students to perform it.
Individually, critically analyse the persistence and the decline of dialect in a four hundred word essay in English.
Writing Task 30%
Complete class preparation activities. Research at home. Hand write in class under test condition with one page of notes. Hand in notes with writing task.
The Current Popularity of Amabie
Preparation
Complete class activities about amabie, such as watching documentaries, reading articles, learning and practicing relevant vocabulary, grammar and idioms. Collect notes on amabie, and vocabulary, grammar and idioms used to discuss amabie in Japanese.
At home
Sketch your own amabie using a range of colours.
Summarise notes on amabie in Japanese into one page. Use no English in your notes. Record references for citation in in-class writing.
In class
Hand in your amabie picture.
Write a description of your Amabie in Japanese. Use hiragana and kanji.
Explain what amabie do in Japanese. Use hiragana and kanji. Cite your sources appropriately.
Critically analyse why amabie are popular now. Assess one explanation from your research. Use English and Japanese. Cite at least three sources appropriately. One source must be in Japanese.
Speaking and Listening Task 30%
Individual Interview
On the day, you will receive a prompt and stimulus reflecting topics studied in class. You will have half an hour to examine the material.
You will answer the question provided with the prompt in Japanese for three minutes. You will then respond to questions for the teacher for two minutes. Then for two minutes you will engage in general conversation with the teacher.
Example prompt:
Describe this advertisement.
How do Japanese people celebrate Valentine's Day? (( In Japanese for the test)))
Lesson and Assessment Resources for European Languages
Try searching the Irish curriculum site for ideas for scope and sequences, studies, resources and assessment. They also have work in Irish Gaelic if you would like an extra challenge.