Review of Classical Studies Level 1 unit standards

Field Social Sciences

Review of Classical Studies Level 1 unit standards

Unit standards

Subfield	Domain	ID
Social Science Studies	Classical Studies	7607-7619, 8889

The Ministry of Education and NZQA National Qualifications Services have completed a review of the unit standards listed above.

New Registration date December 2010

Date new versions published December 2010

Planned review date December 2014

Summary of review and consultation process

In 2008 the Ministry of Education (MoE) and NZQA began to review achievement and unit standards in light of the revised New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). This Alignment of Standards (AoS) review also addressed duplication of outcomes, credit parity, fairness, consistency, and coherence. The AoS review was guided by the revised NZC itself and the Standards Review Guidelines. A copy of the NZC is available at:

http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-documents/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum

Teacher subject associations were involved in the review and draft achievement standards were the focus of wide consultation, especially with secondary schools and teachers. Extensive resources, including student exemplars, were also developed to support these standards, and are available on the MoE and/or the NZQA websites.

The review of unit standards included consultation with tertiary providers to assess continued relevance and likely future use of the standards. Unit standards that duplicate achievement standard outcomes and those without the likelihood of future tertiary use were recommended for expiry.

National consultation was undertaken in 2009, with the results analysed by Research New Zealand. The responses were generally positive.

The review of unit and achievement standards at Level 1 was completed in time for implementation in schools in 2011. Standards at Levels 2 and 3 will be implemented in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

Main changes resulting from the review

· All NZC Level 6 (NZQF Level 1) outcomes derived from the NZC are now assessed using achievement standards, and there are no longer any unit standards linked to NZC.

· Existing Level 1 Classical Studies unit standards were reviewed and new achievement standards were developed to align with the NZC. See table below.

· Grading criteria for achievement standards were reviewed in accordance with the Standards Review Guidelines.

· Unit standards that recognised similar outcomes as achievement standards were designated expiring. See table below.

For a detailed description of the review of, and the changes to, the Classical Studies standards see Appendix at the end of this report.

Impact on Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP)

All new achievement standards have been registered on AMAP 0233.

Impact of changes on NCEA Exclusions List

For transition purposes, the following exclusions will apply for new achievement standards.

New achievement standard	Existing unit standard
91022	7617, 7619
91023	7613
91024	7608, 7615, 7616

Review Categories and changes to classification, title, level, and credits

The following summary shows the changes made to the standards as a result of the review. All changes are in bold. Where a new or a new version of an externally assessed achievement standard is registered, the following designation appears after the title [Externally assessed].

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 standard with a new ID
D	Standard will expire and not be replaced

Unit standards categorised as category C or D expire at the end of

December 2011

Social Sciences > Social Science Studies > Classical Studies

ID	Ref	Title	Level	Credit	Review Category
7607		Describe the plot and characters, and identify the themes of selected episodes of the Trojan war	1	3	D
7608 7615 7616 91024	1.4	Describe aspects of Roman religion in family life Describe aspects of Athenian society in the 5th century B C Describe selected aspects of Roman society in the late republic and early empire Demonstrate understanding of social relationships in the classical world	1 1 1 1	3 3 3 6	C C C
7609		Describe aspects of Graeco-Roman medical theories and practices, and the role of the practitioner	1	3	D
7610		Describe the physical features and performances of Greek and Roman theatres	1	3	D
7611		Describe types and features of Roman entertainment in the amphitheatre and circus	1	3	D
7612		Describe archaeologists work, and the excavation of an archaeological site in the classical world	1	3	D
7613 91023	1.3	Describe the career of a major political figure in the classical world Demonstrate understanding of an important historical figure in the classical world [Externally assessed]	1 1	3 4	C
7614		Describe aspects of the ancient Greek or Macedonian or Roman army	1	3	D
7617 7619 91022	1.2	Describe examples of Roman domestic architecture, mosaics, and frescoes Describe classical temple architecture and religious sculpture Demonstrate understanding of the significance of features of work(s) of art in the classical world [Externally assessed]	1 1 1	3 3 4	C C
7618		Describe selected aspects of Greek sport and music, and compare ancient and modern Olympics	1	3	D
8889		Describe Roman water supply and use	1	3	D
91021	1.1	Demonstrate understanding of ideas and values of the classical world [Externally assessed]	1	4	New
91025	1.5	Demonstrate understanding of links between aspects of the classical world and another culture	1	6	New

Appendix

Development of Classical Studies L1 Standards

Process of Aligning Standards with the New Zealand Curriculum

The standards are aligned with the strands and main concepts of the Teaching and Learning Guide (TLG) for Classical Studies, which are derived from the Social Sciences Learning Area of the NZC. The titles of the standards reflect the important learning outcomes embodied in the Learning Objectives that come from the Strands: Thinking Critically about Sources and Examining Values specified in the TLG.

What has changed?

1 All NZQF Level 1 unit standards were designated expiring.

2 Three Level 1 externally assessed achievement standards were developed, each of which are worth four credits. Two internally assessed achievement standards were also developed each of which are worth six credits.

3 Classical Studies now has two Learning Objectives for NZC Level 6. These can be found in the Teaching and Learning Guide (TLG) for Classical Studies which is derived from the NZC. These achievement standards are aligned with these Learning Objectives. The first four standards are aligned with the second learning objective. The fifth standard is aligned with the first learning objective.

4 All achievement standards are set in the context of the classical world and at all levels of achievement primary source evidence is required.

5 In order to allow flexibility in school curriculum design, references to the specific aspects of contexts within the classical world are kept to a minimum in the explanatory notes of the achievement standards. There is a shift away from prescribing set works for a topic and a move towards enabling teachers and students to choose works outside traditional programmes and relevant to the interests of their students. More information about contexts can be found in the TLG.

Specific Standards

AS91021 (1.1) Demonstrate understanding of ideas and values of the classical world

The study of classical literature remains a vehicle for achieving the learning outcomes outlined in the TLG. Literary conventions are a key element of ideas and values (refer to Explanatory Note 2).

· The term “texts” does not imply that more than one work of literature must be used for assessment purposes eg Homer's Odyssey or Sophocles' Antigone would be regarded as “texts”.

· The scope of the standard is broad to include a range of literary genres eg Homeric epic, Greek tragedy, Roman comedy, Roman history.

· In order to allow flexibility in school curriculum design, specific works of literature are not prescribed in the standard, but some suggestions are listed. Specific details can be found in the TLG.

· The contexts for external assessment will be provided in Assessment Specifications.

AS91022 (1.2) Demonstrate understanding of the significance of features of work(s) of art in the classical world

· Art includes art and architecture.

· Features may include form and function, style, techniques or social/religious/historical/artistic contexts.

· In order to allow flexibility in school curriculum design, specific works of art are not prescribed in the standard, but some suggestions are listed. Specific details can be found in the TLG.

· The contexts for external assessment will be provided in Assessment Specifications.

AS91023 (1.3) Demonstrate understanding of an important historical figure in the classical world

· The standard does not assess formal essay writing skills.

· In order to allow flexibility in school curriculum design, specific contexts are not prescribed in the standard, but some suggestions are listed. Specific details can be found in the TLG.

· The contexts for external assessment will be provided in Assessment Specifications.

AS91024 (1.4) Demonstrate understanding of social relationships in the classical world

· Students should be given the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding in a format that suits their individual learning style. Refer to Conditions of Assessment for suggested formats.

· Suggested examples of social relationships can be found in the TLG.

AS91025 (1.5) Demonstrate understanding of links between aspects of the classical world

and another culture

· Students should be given the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding in a format that suits their individual learning style. Refer to Conditions of Assessment for suggested formats.