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Planning Assessment

When planning assessment activities, teachers need to consider the following issues:

  • a program of assessment in Geography must include measurement of student achievement of the nine knowledge and skills outcomes for each stage
  • there should be a balance of activities over the stage program with respect to:
  • the variety of assessment techniques used
  • the timing of assessment tasks
  • how assessment activities are to be administered
  • how the assessment results will be collected, recorded and analysed
  • how the assessment task will be effectively evaluated to ensure that it measures what was intended
  • the way in which feedback will be given and what the results suggest for the students’ next stage of learning.


Planning is best undertaken systematically using a process that considers all of the above assessment issues. A suggested planning model is outlined below.


An Assessment Planning Process Model


Assessment Purpose and Targeted Outcomes

Which syllabus objectives are to be assessed by the task?

What are the associated outcomes that will provide evidence

of whether the student has met the objectives?
Group knowledge and/or skills outcomes to match the selected objective(s).
Assessment Technique

What type of task should be used?
There are a variety of assessment tasks. Use a task that will assess the chosen objectives most effectively. For instance, a written examination would not be the ideal instrument to test oral communication, practical or research skills.
Assessment Considerations

What needs to be considered when designing a task?
A single task can often measure achievement in relation to several objectives. Consider the nature and structure of the task so that:

• the requirements of the task are as clear as possible

• questions or activities are chosen which assess the relevant objectives and allow students to demonstrate appropriate outcomes

• any sources or stimulus material used are clear and appropriate to the task

• the likely range of student responses is anticipated.
Assessment Criteria

Does the task measure what was intended? (validity)
Validity is the extent to which the task measures what it is intended to measure.


The validity of a task can be improved by:

• ensuring that it assesses a balanced selection of the knowledge and skills objectives from the parts of the syllabus being assessed

• ensuring that the outcomes chosen may be adequately demonstrated

• assessing only performance relevant to the task

• allocating marks or grades which reflect the relative importance of each part of the task.
Assessment Construction

How can the task be designed to produce consistent results? (reliability)
A task is likely to give reliable results if:

• the instructions are unambiguous

• the language level is appropriate

• it is an appropriate length

• the items are not too difficult or too easy

• it does not contain bias (eg gender or cultural)

• the marking scheme is applied consistently.
Recording and Marking

What should be considered when devising a marking scheme?
A marking scheme should be devised as a task is set. Teachers should:

• allocate marks or appropriate comments to each section of the task

• consider any weighting which is to be applied

•adjust the marking scheme when the student responses are unexpected.


Assessment Techniques

When developing an assessment framework for the mandatory course, teachers should foster an integrated understanding of Global Geography in Stage 4 and Australian Geography in Stage 5. This requires students to demonstrate knowledge and understanding as well as display an ability to collect, process and communicate geographical information, and to participate as active and informed citizens.


School-based assessment in each stage should contain a range of tasks. Each task should be designed to enable judgements to be made about student achievement of more than one outcome. Test techniques do not provide adequate information about student performance on the full range of outcomes. For example, outcomes 5.1, 5.2, 5.3 and 5.9 are best assessed using non-test techniques. The table below suggests the weightings that may be assigned to assessment techniques to enable judgements about student performance on the full range of outcomes.


Suggested School-based Assessment for Stage 5


Focus Areas
Assessment Technique Weightings


Non-test
Test type
Total
5A1
Investigating Australia’s Identity
10
10
20
5A2
Changing Australian Environments
15
15
30
5A3
Issues in Australian Environments
10
10
20
5A4
Australia in Its Regional and Global Context
15
15
30


50
50
100


In the above schedule, the following should be noted:

  • The Stage 5 focus areas relate to the range of knowledge and skills outcomes. Accordingly, the nature of the school-based assessment techniques used needs to reflect a broad coverage of the range of knowledge and skills outcomes applicable to the given focus area being assessed.
  • Non-test type techniques can include:
  • inquiry-based research assignments and projects
  • fieldwork activities
  • oral presentations (eg seminars, debates, tutorials)
  • performance activities (eg role-play, dramatic presentation, video, computer simulation).


It is preferable that a detailed criteria sheet that includes evidence of the skills demonstrated accompany all non-test type techniques.

  • In addition to these summative non-test type assessment techniques, there are specific formative assessment procedures that should be considered, including:
  • teacher observation — either casual monitoring or using a standardised observation schedule
  • self-assessment processes
  • peer assessment
  • conferencing — discussions/interviews between the teacher and the student.


Assessment of Students with Special Needs


The process of assessing students in Geography who have special needs or a disability should follow the principles outlined for assessing all students. This will often mean the completion of an individual education plan that details how achievement for that student is measured.

All students, wherever practicable, should complete the same assessment task. For some students with special education needs, teachers should consider whether the same assessment task can be performed under different conditions. Such conditions may include:

  • providing a separate time and/or place to carry out the task;
  • the use of a competent student or adult to help carry out aspects of the task under instruction from the student;
  • providing longer periods of time;
  • providing specialised equipment to assist in the task.


There are a number of options that can be used to allow students with disabilities to fully participate in appropriate assessment tasks. For example:


  • a student with a physical disability who cannot carry out fieldwork may be given a simulation of the environment. This may best be accomplished by providing photographs and videos of the environment along with recorded details of the important aspects to be noted by the student. It is important that the student has the opportunity to make the relevant observations and record the details required for the assessment. When the student can be transported to the general vicinity of the fieldwork site, but cannot fully access all areas involved, the student may use a ëbuddy’ to carry out detailed observations according to the directions of the student.
  • a student with significant fine motor difficulties may be able to make notes using voice activated word processing software or a tape recorder.
  • a student with low vision may need to have sections of a broadsheet enlarged with colour highlighting used on ‘busy’ visual material. In some cases, the diagrams may be reworked to eliminate unnecessary material. Newspaper material can be retyped and enlarged.


For further advice, refer to the Board of Studies’ document, Assessing Students with Special Education Needs.


Record-keeping Procedures

Keeping records of assessment activities in a methodical way will provide a direct link to reporting. Record-keeping procedures could include:


  • observation notes
  • running records
  • time sampling
  • checklists
  • rating levels
  • marks and grades
  • comments and descriptions
  • tracking sheets
  • portfolios
  • student profiles.
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