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November 2011

Contents

• 90914 and 90915 - Balancing Variable Performance Levels for Level One Standards
• 90914 - Compositional Conventions not required
• 2.2 & 2.3 Integrated Programmes of Learning

90914 and 90915 -Balancing Variable Performance Levels for Level One Standards 

The moderation of 90914 (1.2) and 90915 (1.3) has revealed a degree of inconsistency in how teachers approach the assessment of student samples where one aspect of the performance is strong and the other aspect is weak.  For 90914 this typically means strong recording with dry media (observational accuracy) while the use of wet media is often limited.  For 90915 this may mean strong painting skills while print evidence is limited. 

The assessment resources state that “Final grades will be decided using professional judgment based on a holistic examination of the evidence provided against the criteria in the Achievement Standard.” This does not mean that where painting conventions for 90915 are operating at Excellence level, and the print conventions are operating at Achieved level, then an overall grade of Merit can be awarded. What it does mean is that where a student produces print evidence that is not quite at Merit level, a strong painting sequence (perhaps at high Merit level) might be enough to allow the work to be placed overall at Merit albeit at the lower end.

Explanations of how to balance variable evidence are provided in the commentaries that accompany the annotated exemplars of student work for level one.

Teachers should note that to avoid this issue students need to be provided with sufficient opportunity to develop appropriate skills with both aspects of these dual evidence standards.  In general this means that at least half or more of the time allocated should be spent on the area of least experience and confidence.  For example wet media for 90914 or new skills such as photography for 90915.

90914 - Compositional Conventions not required 

A number of schools continue to explore compositional conventions in assessment activities for 90914 (1.2).  While this was an assessment requirement of the previous 90019 (1.2) drawing standard, it is no longer required for 90914.  While it is natural for programmes to begin to develop compositional, thematic and pictorial ideas, the assessment of work for the new standard needs to be exclusively based on how well students have used media to record information such as form, shape, tone, colour, and surface texture rather than the quality of pictorial ideas or understanding of compositional conventions.

While a finished painting that includes thematic and compositional consideration may be contribute towards evidence for this standard, the assessment of this work for 90914 should be based entirely on the quality of media skills and recording accuracy of objects.

2.2 & 2.3 Integrated Programmes of Learning 

The writing of resources and trialling of the level two standards has highlighted the need for teachers to think strategically about the delivery of the new visual arts standards.  It is possible, and often likely, that a single work will contain valid evidence for 2.2 ‘apply knowledge of conventions’ and 2.3 ‘develop ideas’.  For example a finished painting will demonstrate specific painting techniques for 2.2 while at the same time demonstrate the development of pictorial or thematic ideas for 2.3.

Some of the level 2 resources on the TKI website (photography, painting, print making) illustrate how this integrated approach can be organised. Special care needs to be taken when adopting integrated approaches to ensure students understand which standards (either or both) each particular work will be assessed against.