Zachary Mark Harris-17978675

Assignment 2: Portfolio Artefacts and Critical Reflection

102090 Secondary Curriculum 2A 2H 2018
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Part A: Stage 6 school-based assessment task

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Year 12 Ancient History Assessment Task

Weighting: 30%

Due date: Week 8

Outcomes AH12-3, AH12-4, AH12-6, AH12-8, AH12-9

Topic: Ancient Societies

Conditions:

· Two week notice of assessment

· Period allowed for completion of the task: four weeks including introductory
directed classwork and homework.

The Task:
1. Choose an Ancient Society and create a focus question on this society (If you need,
you can ask for a society to be allocated to you)
Important: Your focus question must begin with EXPLAIN, ASSESS or EVALUATE.

Example: Assess the importance of ancient Rome on the modern world

2. Present a typed and printed essay based on your research of a maximum 1200 (+/-
10%) words. You will need to include three annotated sources (i.e. Commented upon for
their usefulness and reliability to your focus question) this will all be marked together as a
part of the assessment task.
Note: This assessment must be printed, nothing will be accepted on a USB unless
discussed with teacher prior to submission date.

3. You must provide an appropriately formatted bibliography at the end of the assessment
task.

You will research your chosen society using a variety of sources, analyse these sources and
the information they contain, synthesise the evidence and finally present the findings of your
investigation in essay form.

You are encouraged to select a topic of your own individual interest.

Possible investigations include (but are not limited to)
- Certain significant events that happened to that society e.g. wars
- Key aspects of that ancient society e.g. system of government
- Construction of that society within media e.g. a film
Criteria for Assessment:
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● Provides a sustained, logical and well-structured response including accurate and

detailed individuals/groups/events/ideas/sites
● Analyses the role of historical features, individuals and groups in shaping the past
● Analyses and interprets different types of sources for evidence to support an historical
account or argument
● Plans and conducts historical investigations and presents reasoned conclusions, using
relevant evidence from a range of sources
● Communicates historical understanding, using historical knowledge, concepts and
terms, in appropriate and well-structured forms

Criteria Marks

● Provides a sustained, logical and well-structured response including A

accurate and detailed arguments regarding 21-25
individuals/groups/events/ideas/ sites etc of the chosen society
● Presents a highly developed analysis of the Society including historical
features, individuals, events and groups
● Supports their discussion with highly detailed and accurate information
from a variety of relevant sources
● Thoroughly analyses and evaluates relevant sources in the annotated
bibliography
● Uses a wide range of appropriate terms and concepts while presenting
an appropriately formatted essay

● Provide a developed logical and well-structured response including B

accurate and detailed arguments regarding 16-20
individuals/groups/events/ideas/sites etc of the chosen society
● Presents a developed analysis of the society including historical
features, individuals, events and groups.
● Supports their discussion with detailed and accurate information from a
variety of relevant sources
● Analyses and evaluates relevant sources in the annotated bibliography
● Uses a range of appropriate terms and concepts while presenting an
appropriately formatted essay

● Provides a sound and structured response including accurate and C

detailed arguments regarding individuals/groups/events/sites etc of the 11-15
chosen society
● Describes the society including historical features, individuals, events
and groups
● Supports the response with information with a variety of relevant
sources
● Describes two sources in the annotated bibliography
● Uses appropriate terms and concepts while presenting an appropriately
formatted essay
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● Provides a developing response including some arguments regarding D

individuals/groups/events/ideas/ sites etc of the chosen society 6-10
● Developing knowledge of chosen topic with identification of key
features of the society
● Supports the response with limited information from sources
● Simple annotation of one source
● Basic use of terms and concepts/ incorrect essay structure

● Provides a limited response regarding individuals/groups/events/sites E

etc of the society 1-5
● Presents limited knowledge of the chosen topic with basic information
from a limited range of sources
● Supports the response with basic information from a limited range of
sources
● Does not provide/unsatisfactory annotation of sources/bibliography
● Basic/no use of terms and concepts/ incorrect essay structure

Comments: Total
Mark

Part B: Assessment Evaluation

Assessment is arguably one of the foundations for learning within our education system.

What has become quite evident is that assessment has most certainly cemented itself within
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every classroom and school. However, despite this positive view of assessment, what remains

the point of conjecture is regarding how much actual good assessment does. Studies into

Australian assessment reveal a dark side of assessment that, despite being known about, is yet

to influence any major changes within the education system. Through an evaluation of

assessment, research into assessment styles and an application to a history classroom, I will

provide insight into the importance of assessment for future teachers.

Assessment, as defined by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), is the

“broad name for the collection and evaluation of evidence of a student’s learning” (2018).

Assessment can be “used for grading and ranking purposes” which is known as “assessment

of learning” and can also be used to provide “feedback for students to improve their learning”

or “assessment for learning” (NESA 2018). Through assessment, teachers can gather

evidence about student achievements and learning in direct relation to the set syllabus

outcomes (NESA, 2018). Each NSW syllabus is designed in a way that promotes an

integrated approach to assessment (NESA, 2018). Furthermore, assessment provides evidence

of “current understanding and skills” as well as “promotes a deeper understanding” which are

the foundations of future learning (NESA, 2018). Even in its simplest forms, assessment is a

way of allowing students to “demonstrate what they know and can do” (NESA, 2018).

Assessment is designed to “be a part of an ongoing process where progress is monitored over

time” which is then used to influence pedagogical practice and teaching methods in the long

run. What this means is that fundamentally speaking, each subject and every school is in

some way built to work in conjunction with assessment.

A further distinction that is made in regards to assessment is the separation into

formative and summative assessment. Assessment, despite the arguments against it, plays a

crucial role in education and the education system (Heitink, Van der Kleij, Veldkamp,

Schildkamp & Kippers, 2016). Specifically speaking, it is formative assessment that aims to
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“gain insights into learning processes that can be used to support learning through tailored

instruction and targeted feedback”. (Heitink et al. 2016). Most teachers undergo formative

assessment daily and it is often present within most lessons. An effective use of formative

assessment can play a vital role in moulding each lesson to meet the needs of every student.

However, summative assessment is primarily focused on “assessing learning outcomes” and

comes in the form of things like formal assessment tasks and system assessments like the

HSC. Though it has the intention of assessing learning outcomes, it is still quite the debate of

whether assessment is in fact necessary in this process to achieve these outcomes. It is a

paradox whereby the purpose of “school-based grades” are “used to improve test validity and

fairness” but most people don’t trust them as an accurate measurement educational

outcomes” (Luyten & Dolkar, 2010). For this reason, formative is more often agreed upon as

being a crucial part of education but summative assessment remains a point of scrutiny.

However, it is not just summative assessments failing at being accurate measurements

of educational outcomes that is the cause much of the scrutiny and dislike towards

assessment. What has seemingly become synonymous with assessment is assessment stress.

Research into this topic has revealed an increasing number of students who have become “at

risk of severe psychological illness” (Smith & Sinclair, 2000). In 2000, research revealed an

alarming “42 percent of Year 11 and 56 percent of Year 12 students” reported emotional

distress (Smith & Sinclair, 2000). The education system create a constant demand and

seemingly only work to exacerbate expectations over the twelve-month period leading up to

the HSC. It’s this importance that is ascribed to the final mark that seems to make HSC one

of the most stressful experiences for students. Some researchers have described HSC as

nothing more than a “blood sport” that puts students under “intolerable stress” (Smith &

Sinclair, 2000). Beyond this stress, fear of failure and subjective feelings of distress amongst

students has been recorded as having a “deleterious effect on their satisfaction with their
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progress, self-esteem and life satisfaction” (Smith & Sinclair, 2000). Through this reflection

upon assessment, what can be ascertained is an obvious need for both a reform within our

system wide assessment and an implementation of different strategies within the classroom

that may assist with these negative effects on students.

What is evident throughout much of this research, within the Australian education

system specifically, is a reliance on teacher-led assessment. One such assessment strategy that

can be implemented to assist in the approach to reducing assessment stress is known as peer

assessment. Peer assessment is noted as being an “education setting” that gives power to

students and gets them “actively involved in the assessment of their peers” (Vanderhoven,

Raes, Montrieux, Rotsaert, Schellens., 2014). It is currently considered somewhat of a “new

assessment form” which students get the responsibility to evaluate each other. Though this

form of assessment has many “interpersonal variables” which might influence the procedure,

it is not necessarily without guidance from the teacher. In saying this, a mediator for this is a

scenario where the “teacher control might prevent pupils giv[ing] higher grades to their

friends, and might give even more feelings of comfort” to students who are obviously

cemented within the teacher led grading system (Vanderhoven et.al., 2014). Another such

mediator for certain stressors that arise within this assessment style is pupil’s anonymity. This

was recognised and mediated by pupils “remain[ing] anonymous for each other but be[ing]

identified by the teacher afterwards” (Vanderhoven et.al., 2014). This style of assessment is

an interesting prospect for a history classroom as it gives opportunity for historical inquiry,

debate and then peer assessment.

With all this information being considered, proper implementation of assessment will

always be a challenge for new teachers to overcome. On one hand, much of the literature and

guides for new teachers encourages assessment, it is still a frightening prospect to attempt to

change the assessment process that is already cemented within a school. Because of this it is
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an important step to becoming well versed in alternative assessment processes. As an

upcoming history teacher, there is a lot of potential for things like peer assessment to be

implemented within a classroom. One approach to this style of peer assessment would

revolve around inquiry based tasks or presentations specifically. Ideally, it would involve

having students research the same historical event, person or civilisation for example and

develop their own opinions about a certain event. Following this research, students would

assess each other on this task followed by a sharing of their own. Finally, they could work

collaboratively to develop a combined, more complete, understanding. This is just one of

many approaches to assessment that would achieve both the benefit of formative assessment

but meet the requirements of summative assessment for both student and student assessor

alike. Furthermore, developing a strong unity and support group between students would go

to lengths to “foster[ing] achievement, strong self-efficacy and success” which will in many

ways mediate the psychological strain of HSC and assessment (Smith & Sinclair, 2000)

Despite the frightening correlation between system wide assessment and increasing

levels of psychological issues, formative and summative assessment are both currently

entrenched within our education system. However, what does need to change is how these

assessments are applied and the steps that the system and teachers undertake to reduce

pressure that is associated with it. Using peer assessment as an example, as a is important for

constant research and practical application of a range of assessment styles.

References

Assessment | NSW Education Standards. (2018). Retrieved from

http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/Understanding-the-

curriculum/assessment
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Heitink, M., Van der Kleij, F., Veldkamp, B., Schildkamp, K., & Kippers, W. (2016). A

systematic review of prerequisites for implementing assessment for learning in classroom

practice. Educational Research Review, 17, 50-62. doi: 10.1016/j.edurev.2015.12.002

Luyten, H., & Dolkar, D. (2010). School-based assessments in high-stakes examinations in

Bhutan: a question of trust? Exploring inconsistencies between external exam scores,

school-based assessments, detailed teacher ratings, and student self-ratings. Educational

Research And Evaluation, 16(5), 421-435. doi: 10.1080/13803611.2010.530437

Principles of assessment | NSW Education Standards. (2018). Retrieved from

http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/Understanding-the-

curriculum/assessment/principles-of-assessment

Smith, L., & Sinclair, K. (2000). Transforming the HSC [The Higher School Certificate in New

South Wales education.]. Change, 3(2), 67-79.

Vanderhoven, E., Raes, A., Montrieux, H., Rotsaert, T., & Schellens, T. (2015). What if pupils

can assess their peers anonymously? A quasi-experimental study. Computers & Education,

81, 123-132. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2014.10.001