Review of Social Studies Level 3 achievement standards
|
Domain |
Id |
Subject reference |
|
Social Studies |
90689-90693 |
3.1-3.5 |
The Ministry of Education and the Secondary Education Group Assessment business unit of NZQA have completed a review of the achievement standards listed above that were registered in October 2003.
New Registration date November 2005
Date new versions published November 2005
Planned review date March 2008
Summary of review and consultation process
This review is part of the planned cycle of review that takes place after the first year of use of the achievement standards.
· Initial feedback and comments were collated from teachers/schools, moderators, examiners, markers, material developers, and other stakeholders.
· This information was reviewed by a subject expert panel and recommendations were made in March 2005.
· The recommendations were sent out for full consultation to secondary schools, tertiary institutions, and others in the education sector, in April/May 2005.
· Feedback from this full consultation has informed the changes described below.
Main changes resulting from the review
General:
The review considered the hierarchy of thinking required between Level 2 and 3, and the use of the terms 'examine' and 'explain' in the current Level 3 achievement standards. The term 'examine' has been defined to incorporate the concepts of explaining and analysing, and therefore titles and criteria have been amended accordingly. These changes have also been incorporated into the definitions in the explanatory notes. The integration of terms has reduced the number of criteria in each achievement standard, which will assist with holistic assessment and make achievement standards more accessible to teachers and students.
Many of the changes that have been made are to align with those made as a result of the review to the equivalent achievement standards at Level 2.
Where reference to Māori perspectives is made, it has been specified that these arise from the Tikanga ā Iwi i Roto i te Marautanga o Aotearoa, Te Pou Taki Kōrero, Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga, 2000 curriculum document.
Changes to specific standards
AS90689, Social Studies 3.1
Introductory Statement
· The introductory statement has been amended to better reflect that the intent of this achievement standard is explanation as well as analysis. The phrase 'the nature of' has been deleted.
· The criteria have been reduced to one criterion for all achievement grades to align this achievement standard with the equivalent achievement standard at Level 2. The first criterion of the version 1 achievement standard has been removed to better clarify that the analysis and explanation of diversity cannot be artificially separated. This focuses the criterion more clearly on the skills of the more integrated critical thinking required at Level 3.
Explanatory Notes
· Explanatory note (EN) 3 now specifies that Māori perspectives arise from Tikanga ā Iwi i Roto i te Marautanga o Aotearoa.
· A new EN 4 has been added to better define 'diversity' as intended in this achievement standard.
· A new EN 6 has been added to define or clarify the terms 'Examine', 'In depth' and 'Evaluate'.
· The title has been changed from 'Examine' to 'Explain' to clarify that in giving an account of the consequences of people's responses to challenges facing society, students are expected to incorporate reasons (to give an explanation) for these responses.
Criteria
· The first criterion has been deleted so there is only one criterion for all grades of achievement.
· In the criteria, the terms 'explain', 'examine', and 'examine in depth' have been used to differentiate between the grades of achievement.
Explanatory Notes
· EN 3 now specifies that Māori perspectives arise from Tikanga ā Iwi i Roto i te Marautanga o Aotearoa.
· The words 'and/or nations' have been removed from EN 4 in the definition of people.
· EN 5 defines the terms 'Explain', 'Examine' and 'In depth'.
· 'Conduct a comprehensive social studies inquiry' has been changed to 'conduct an advanced social studies inquiry independently' to clarify the requirements of the curriculum and to differentiate between this achievement standard and the equivalent one at Level 2. Because the inquiry process in the curriculum is not differentiated between Levels 7 and 8, the key differences between this achievement standard and its equivalent at Level 2 are:
- the Level 3 inquiry has to be carried out independently
- the student is expected to include perspectives that relate to the inquiry focus
- the inquiry focus must be linked to Level 8 strands in the curriculum.
Criteria
· The first criterion has been amended to include 'and use independently' to reflect the title.
· The criterion that related to communication has been removed to align with the changes made to the equivalent achievement standard at Level 2. Reference to communication has been moved to the amended EN 4.
· The criterion related to conclusions has been amended to clarify that at each level the conclusions need to be relevant to the inquiry focus and to remove some ambiguity that arose by the use of the word 'perceptive'. 'Detailed' has been added at the criterion for achievement with merit and is defined in EN 7. 'Justified' has been added at the achievement with excellence level and is clarified in EN 7.
· The last criterion has been amended by requiring more than one aspect for achievement (as is expected at Level 2), and by clarifying expectations for achievement with merit and achievement with excellence.
Explanatory Notes
These have been reorganised with some redundant explanatory notes being deleted and others combined. Many of these changes were made to align with the equivalent achievement standard at Level 2.
· A new EN 5 has been added to define 'independent'.
· A new EN 7 has been added to clarify terms.
· A new EN 3 emphasises the connection between the ideas in the inquiry and the curriculum level from which they must be drawn.
· The title has been amended to 'Explain a values position' to align with changes made as a result of the review to the equivalent standards at Level 2 and in consideration of the hierarchy of thinking required between Level 2 and 3.
Criteria
· The criteria have been merged. 'Explain' has replaced 'Analyse' at achievement grade, to more realistically reflect the understandings expected of students at this grade in the demandingly broad scope of work required to meet the achievement grade requirement. 'Examine' becomes the increment at achievement with merit grade.
Explanatory Notes
· Redundant ENs have been deleted.
· A new EN 3 has been added to clarify the Social Studies perspectives for assessment and to align with changes at Level 2.
· A new EN 4 has been added to clarify values positions.
· A new EN 7 defines key terms used in the criteria.
· The title has been changed to 'Examine...' for consistency with other Level 3 achievement standards. An '(s)' has been added to 'social action' to enable more flexible assessment.
Criteria
· These have been amended to reflect the changes made to the title.
· Some notes have been deleted or had minor changes to their wording.
· A new EN 3 has been added to clarify the Social Studies perspectives for assessment and to align with changes at Level 2.
· EN 6 defines terms used in the criteria within the same note.
Impact on Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP)
None.
Impact of changes on NCEA Exclusions List
None.
Summary of main changes to achievement standards' Ids, classification, titles, levels, and credits
The following summary shows the changes made to the achievement standards as a result of the review. All changes are in bold.
Key to review category |
| |
A |
Dates changed, but no other changes are made - the new version of the standard carries the same Id and a new version number | |
|
B |
Changes made, but the overall outcome remains the same - the new version of the standard carries the same Id and a new version number | |
|
C |
Major changes that necessitate the registration of a replacement achievement standard with a new Id | |
|
D |
Achievement standard will expire and not be replaced | |
Subfield Social Science Studies
Domain Social Studies
|
Id |
Title |
Level |
Credit |
Review Category |
|
90689 |
Examine diversity in society
|
3 |
5 |
B |
|
90690 |
Examine people's responses to challenges facing society Explain people's responses to challenges facing society |
3 |
5 |
B |
|
90691 |
Conduct a comprehensive social studies inquiry Conduct an advanced social studies inquiry independently |
3 |
6 |
B |
|
90692 |
Examine a values system Explain a values system |
3 |
4 |
B |
|
90693 |
Evaluate social action in relation to a social issue Examine social action(s) in relation to a social issue |
3 |
4 |
B |