SETTING NATIONAL EXAMINATION PAPERS

under the New Curriculum

Presentation by Trevor Hall

Sept 2006

PARADIGM SHIFTS?

Some consistency from the past….

But…..

Not just the same old thing…..

NORMS-REFERENCED

“I got 55% - the class average was 50% and you got only 48%”

CRITERIA-DRIVEN

Okay – who was able to do it?

Who achieved the assessment standard?

START WITH OUTCOMES THAT

TO CONTENT

Unfortunately teachers may have tended to ignore these and simply focus on content or topics

If exam papers do not reflect the outcomes then this exacerbates the problem

NATIONAL HG ACCOUNTING PAPER

2003

Q1:

CLOSE CORP

Q2:

PART-

NERSHIP

Q3:

CLUB

Q4:

COMPANY

Q5:

RECON-CILIATION

Q6:

BUDGET

Q7:

DEBT-

ORS

Logical thought

Analytical

New/unfamiliar

Systematic approach

Solution of problems

Accuracy

Sound judgment

Accountability

Meaningful interp’n of financial information

Generally accepted accounting practice

Broad general educ’n & economic environ’t

Role of Accounting in management

S

K

V&A

HIGH KNOWLEDGE &

HIGH SKILLS

REPORT

STEP 1: OUTCOMES FIRST

OUTCOMESOUTCOMES

OUTCOMES

CRITICAL & DEVELOPMENTAL

OUTCOMES

LEARNING OUTCOMES

ASSESSMENT STANDARDS

STEP 2: ASSESMENT STANDARDS

ASSESSMENT STANDARDS

ASSESSMENT STANDARDS

ASSESSMENT STANDARDS

INTEGRATION

APPLIED COMPETENCE

DO I UNDERSTAND

WHY I AM DOING IT?

DO I KNOWHOW TO DO IT?

CAN I THINKOF HOW TO

DO IT BETTER?

THEORY

PRACTICE

REFLECTION

STEP 3: APPROXIMATE MARKS

Q1

50

Q2

80

Q3

70

Q5

40

Q4

60

300

STEP 4: BRAINSTORM THE TYPE OF QUESTIONS

• Factual recall?

• Data response?

• Evaluation?

• Open-ended?

• Problem-solving?

• Creative?

• Etc?

STEP 5: COGNITIVE LEVELS

BLOOMS TAXONOMYBLOOMS REVISED TAXONOMY

CREATING

EVALUATING

ANALYSING

APPLYING

UNDERSTANDING

REMEMBERING

APPROPRIATE WEIGHTING

LOW = 30% ?

MEDIUM = 40% ?

HIGH= 30% ?

STEP 6: REFLECT ON COs & DOs OUTCOMES

CO1: CRITICAL & CREATIVE THINKING

THINKING

Critical thinking:

Judge the merits of something

Creative thinking:

Make or devise something new

C04: CRITICALLY EVALUATE INFORMATION

CO1: PROBLEM SOLVING

Inclusion of real-life problems

DO2: RESPONSIBLE CITIZENSHIP

Inclusion of moral / ethical dilemmas

CO5: COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY

The provocative question

Any learner can find this accessible

Real-life scenarios?

STEP 7: CATER FOR THE TEACHING & LEARNING PROCESS

Rate of change

Years

Lifelong learning

LINEAR LEARNING RULE – learning is for kids

Learning

Launching

Working, Doing & Caring

Retired

CHILDHOOD ADULTHOOD ELDERHOOD

HUDSON’S CYCLICAL MODEL OF RENEWAL: Lifelong learning

Phase 1

GETTING READY

Phase 2

DOLDRUMS

Phase 3

COCOONING

Phase 4

GO FOR IT

NEW LEARNING RULESLifelong renewal

CHILDHOOD ADULTHOOD ELDERHOOD

STEP 8: SCAFFOLDING QUESTIONS

EASY / APPETISER = 30% - 40%

MODERATE / MAIN BODY = 30% - 50%

CHALLENGING / PINNACLE = 20% - 30%

Is K a barrier to S, V & A?

KNOWLEDGE

SKILLS

VALUES

ATTITUDES

ACCESSIBILITY & RELEVANCE

Do not use ‘knowledge’ as a barrierAre cognitive levels indicative of degrees of difficulty?

Incorporate real-life situations / problemsAsk the provocative question

DO NOT FOCUS ON INSIGNIFICANT CONTENT

CATERING FOR ex-HG & ex-SG

Topics

Degree of difficulty

Cognitive levels

Every questionaccessible

Differentiation within each

question

Catering for ex-Higher & ex-Standard Grade in one question

• Explain your own thoughts and feelings on this work of Art.

• Who was the artist, and what was he attempting to convey in this work?

• How does this work differ from that of other artists of his era?

STEP 9: SET PAPER & MARKING MEMO SIMULTANEOUSLY

Traditional memo or rubrics?

Must be accurate

Must cater for alternative answers

STEP 10: TIME ALLOCATIONS

To be tested by each panel member

Instructions to be specific

STEP 11: COVER PAGE

NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE

INSTRUCTIONS:

•…..

•…..

•….

QUESTION MARKS TIME

1

2

3

STEP 12: MODERATION, REFLECTION &

QUALITY CONTROL

USER-FRIENDLYLeft / Right pages – minimise turning over

Clean-cut format

Suggested time allocations?

Answer book corresponds to question paper?

Sequencing of questions

Consistent format to each question & across all papers

LANGUAGEKeep language simple

Reduce unnecessary verbiage

Use subject-specific and commonly-used words

Be specific – do not expect candidates to read between the lines

Reading test by selected panel members

English / Afrikaans combination papers??

Check translation carefully

EXAMPLEVusi Ngcobo earns a salary of R10 000 per month. What deductions will be made from his salary?

Expected answer:

PAYE, UIF, Medical Aid, Pension

Answer provided by a candidate: Vusi is in a senior position in this business

EXAMPLESA snakes are very poisonous. Illustrate this point by providing two examples.

Expected answer:

Green mamba, Cobra

Answer provided by a candidate:

TECHNICAL MATTERS

Totaling of marks – unsettling if wrong

Computer skills of the examining panel

Copyright

Clarity of diagrams

Optional questions clearly indicated

CREDIBILITYThe paper must stand up to scrutiny and criticism

Must not set at the lowest perceived level

Topical and relevant to the learners of today

Positively influence teaching & learning