Stage 5 assessment – tasks, programs and adjustments
ACE 4022
Last Updated: 4 December 2017
Setting assessment tasks
In setting assessment tasks, teachers should give careful consideration to the syllabus outcomes being assessed. By measuring student achievement of the outcomes, teachers can build up a profile of the achievement of each student in relation to the course performance descriptors.
Establishing an assessment program
In establishing an assessment program, teachers should ensure that the types of assessment tasks used are appropriate to the outcomes being assessed. Generally, it will be necessary to use a range of assessment tasks and types in order to enable students to demonstrate achievement in relation to the outcomes.
Where activities or tasks are scheduled throughout a course, greater weight would generally be given to those tasks undertaken towards the end of the course. For example, in a 200-hour course extending over Years 9 and 10, the assessment information collected in Year 10 provides the more complete picture of student achievement. There are, however, a number of different ways of organising the teaching/learning program for a course. The scheduling of tasks and the weights applied should reflect the course organisation.
Adjustments for students with disability
Some students with disability will require adjustments to assessment practices in order to demonstrate what they know and can do in relation to syllabus outcomes and content. The type of adjustments and support will vary according to the particular needs of the student and the requirements of the activity.
It is a requirement under the Disability Standards for Education 2005 for schools to ensure that assessment tasks are accessible to students with disability. Schools are responsible for any decisions made at school level to offer adjustments to coursework, assessment activities and tasks, including in-school tests. Decisions regarding adjustments should be made in the context of collaborative curriculum planning. Providing an adjustment does not restrict a student’s access to the full range of grades or marks.