Using Multiple Assessment Matrices to construct learning & assessment

Senior Social Sciences Lincoln High School 2012 trails

Why? ( Our drivers)

• Response to “ hands on “ learning utilizing KCs

• Take emphasis away from theoretical learning and move to application of learning mode

• Make teacher and teaching process a background factor through creation of aha moments or students

Big barriers to get over

• Support from the curriculum leader in our school was forthcoming. This is critical.

• Confidence generation for those that support you. This was based on our track record of maintaining interest and high levels of engagement within senior classes that have typically contained a vast range of student “ academic “ability levels

Big barriers to get over

Issues around potential duplication of use of achievement standards within the school

• Moving thinking from silo subject ownership to flexible use of assessment tools to meet the needs of students

• Identification of students who may be put at risk of having a high level of duplication ( risk of not achieving the NCEA level certificate)

Big barriers to get over

• Fear of privatised subject based knowledge that we would have to develop.

• Fear that our students wouldn’t achieve at as high a level as they would have given more traditional instructional based approach.

We needed to remind ourselves of ………….Why? ( Our drivers)

• Response to “ hands on “ learning utilizing KCs

• Take emphasis away from theoretical learning and move to application of learning mode

• Make teacher and teaching process a background factor through creation of aha moments or students

What did we do?

• Thought about the tools that we could use to achieve our drivers.

• Searched through assessment matrices for achievement standards that would provide relevant measurement tools for student achievement

What did we find out?

• There is the opportunity within the Social Science matrices to use a big idea/concept to build a course that is able to be measures almost exclusively through the use of “ hands on high levels of students participation activities”

What did we do..at level one?

Across two courses and five classes at NCEA level one we used two combination of the

Social Studies , Media Studies and Business Studies

History and Media Studies

What did we do..at level two ?

We used a combination of

Tourism Unit Standards and level 2 Physical Education Standards

What is the proposed next step?

Inter subject cooperation..development of symbiotic themes

Level 2 SSS Business Studies achievement standards to support social action• Level 2 & 3 ..Psychology & Social Studies

Business studies ( to support social action) and Media ( Coop with Film to focus on scholarship)

Sources of Inspiration Hints

• NZC…read it and be liberated• T & L guidelines…generally liberating• Achievement Standard Matricies…look at the structure

first to get the progression ideas then look at the particular AS.

• Remember AS are often written by subject experts who have a history of service and commitment to the subject. There is therefore a degree of privatisation of knowledge within the AS that you need to unpack via the exemplification on the NZQA website. This is now more possible than ever!