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Unit outline_

EDPZ6011: Assessment Literacy for School Teachers

Semester 1, 2023 [Online] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

In Australia, one of the standards within the domain of Professional Knowledge describes what teachers must know and be able to do to 'assess, provide feedback, and report on student learning' at the 4 career levels. This unit provides a basic introduction to what teachers need to know and do to meet the assessment requirements of the assessment standards for the Proficiency Career Level.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Education
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator James Tognolini, jim.tognolini@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) James Tognolini, jim.tognolini@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Skills-based evaluation Major Assessment (2) Stage 2
Administer and analyse the test designed for Stage 1
50% Please select a valid week from the list below
Due date: 02 Jun 2023 at 23:59

Closing date: 02 Jun 2023
3500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Creative assessment / demonstration Formative Assessment and Engagement 1
short answer, multiple choice and true false formative assessment
5% Week 02
Due date: 10 Mar 2023 at 23:59

Closing date: 10 Mar 2023
125 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1
Creative assessment / demonstration Formative Assessment and Engagement 2
short answer, multiple choice and true false formative assessment
5% Week 05
Due date: 31 Mar 2023 at 23:59

Closing date: 31 Mar 2023
125 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1
Skills-based evaluation Major Assessment (2) Stage 1
Design and prepare a test for a unit of work being undertaken.
30% Week 08
Due date: 28 Apr 2023 at 23:59

Closing date: 28 Apr 2023
2000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO4
Creative assessment / demonstration Formative Assessment and Engagement 3
short answer, multiple choice and true false formative assessment
5% Week 09
Due date: 28 Apr 2023 at 23:59

Closing date: 28 Apr 2023
125 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2
Creative assessment / demonstration Formative Assessment and Engagement 4
short answer, multiple choice and true false formative assessment
5% Week 13
Due date: 26 May 2023 at 23:59

Closing date: 26 May 2023
125 words
Outcomes assessed: LO2 LO5 LO4 LO3

Assessment summary

  • Formative Assessment and Engagement 1 – 125 words – 5%
  • Formative Assessment and Engagement 2 – 125 words – 5%
  • Formative Assessment and Engagement 3 – 125 words – 5%
  • Formative Assessment and Engagement 4 – 125 words – 5%
  • Major Assessment Stage 1 – Design and prepare a test for a unit of work being undertaken. – 2000 words – 30%
  • Major Assessment Stage 2 – Administer test and analyse responses outlining feedback – 3500 words – 50%

Assessment criteria

  • Formative Assessment and Engagement 1 – 5%
  • Formative Assessment and Engagement 2 – 5%
  • Formative Assessment and Engagement 3 – 5%
  • Formative Assessment and Engagement 4 – 5%
  • Major Assessment Stage 1 – Design and prepare a test for a unit of work being undertaken. – 30%
  • Major Assessment Stage 2 – Administer test and analyse responses outlining feedback  – 50%

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

One week extention after negotiation with Supervisor.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introducing teachers to modern assessment theory. Lecture (2 hr) LO1
Week 02 Introducing standards-referencing. Lecture (2 hr) LO1
Week 03 Introducing teachers to reliability. Lecture (2 hr) LO1
Week 04 Introducing teachers to validity. Lecture (2 hr) LO1
Week 05 Constructing selected response items. Lecture (2 hr) LO2
Week 06 Constructing selected response (Matching and true-false), and extended response (Short answer and essay items). Lecture (2 hr) LO2
Week 07 Constructing performance-based items, portfolios and rubrics. Lecture (2 hr) LO2
Week 08 Constructing higher-order thinking skill items. Lecture (2 hr) LO2
Week 09 Appraising classroom assessments. Lecture (2 hr) LO3
Week 10 Evaluating the functioning of a test. Lecture (2 hr) LO3
Week 11 Examining the impact of feedback on learning. Lecture (2 hr) LO4
Week 12 National Literacy and Numeracy Progressions. Lecture (2 hr) LO5
Week 13 Exploring some further assessment techniques for schools. Lecture (2 hr) LO2

Attendance and class requirements

This Unit of Study is delivered Online through Canvas requiring 1x2 hour lecture per week for 13 weeks to be completed at a time to suit the student.

A 2 hour Zoom is available once per week for students to attend if they wish to discuss the week’s lecture or clarify any queries.Attendance at this is not compulsory and lecturers will be available by email or face to face meetings at other times if requested.

 

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Short indicative Reading List. (More readings provided in each Lecture and eReserve Tab).

  • Rodriguez, M (2015). Selected Response Item Development. In Lane,S., Raymond, M. and Haladyna, T. (Eds). Handbook of Test Development. New York:Routledge.
  • Black, P. and Wiliam, D (1998). Assessment and classroom learning, Assessment in Eduation:Principles, Policy and Practice, 5(1): 7-73.
  • Hattie, J. and Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81-112.

 

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Know, understand and be able to use assessment related terms and strategies including: reliability, validity, assessment for learning, assessment of learning, standards, performance standards and norm-referenced assessments.
  • LO2. Construct and use selected-response, extended-response and performance based assessments for a range of educational purposes related to student learning.
  • LO3. Provide timely and effective feedback to students tailored to their individual needs; and to the teachers, regarding the performance of the class and the performance of the assessment tools used.
  • LO4. Know and understand the meaning of terms, such as moderation and comparability, and participate in a range of moderation procedures and activities designed to produce comparable judgements across student learning.
  • LO5. Use student assessment data to monitor the performance of students, identify appropriate interventions, modify teaching practices and evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions on performance.
  • LO6. Report performance of students to various stakeholders based upon accurate and reliable records of achievement.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

We welcome feedback on this Unit of Study. Please take the time to offer constructive written feedback at the end of the semester. The teaching team is committed to the participation of learners in the process of planning and evaluation of courses. The last unit of study evaluation was reviewed and no changes have occurred.

The unit meets the following Focus Areas of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: 5.1 Assess student learning 5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning 5.3 Make consistent and comparable judgements 5.4 Interpret student data 5.5 Report on student achievement.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.