Field Social Sciences
Review of Geography Level 3 achievement and Level 3 and 4 unit standards
Unit standards
|
Subfield |
Domain |
ID |
|
Social Science Studies |
Geography |
5094-5099, 11084, 11086, 11088, 11089, 11091, 11092 |
Achievement standards
|
Domain |
ID |
Subject reference |
|
Geography |
90701 |
Geography 3.1 |
|
90702 |
Geography 3.2 | |
|
90703 |
Geography 3.3 | |
|
90704 |
Geography 3.4 | |
|
90705 |
Geography 3.5 | |
|
90706 |
Geography 3.6 | |
|
90707 |
Geography 3.7 |
The Ministry of Education and NZQA National Qualifications Services have completed a review of the achievement and unit standards listed above.
New Registration date December 2012
Date new versions published December 2012
Planned review date December 2016
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 2011, with the results analysed by Research New Zealand. The responses were generally positive.
The review of these Level 3 achievement and Level 3 and 4 unit standards was completed in time for implementation in schools in 2013.
Main changes resulting from the review
· All NZC Level 8 (NZQF Level 3) outcomes derived from the NZC are now assessed using achievement standards, and there are no longer any unit standards linked to the NZC.
· Existing achievement 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. Unit standard 5095 was assigned a later expiry date (December 2015) to allow for managed transition of InfraTrain qualifications. See table below.
For a detailed description of the review of, and the changes to, the Geography standards see the Appendix at the end of this report.
Impact on existing organisations with consent to assess
|
Current consent for |
Consent extended to | ||||
|
Nature of consent |
ID |
Level |
Nature of consent |
ID |
Level |
|
Standard |
5095 |
3 |
Standard |
91426 |
3 |
|
Standard |
11088 |
3 |
Standard |
91433 |
3 |
Impact on Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR)
All new achievement standards have been registered on CMR 0233.
Impact on registered qualifications
|
Key to type of impact | |
|
Affected |
The qualification lists a reviewed classification (domain or subfield) in an elective set The qualification lists a standard that has changes to level or credits The qualification lists a C or D category standard |
|
Not materially affected |
The qualification lists a standard that has a new title The qualification lists a standard that has a new classification |
The following table identifies qualifications developed by other SSBs that are impacted by the outcome of this review. The SSBs have been advised that the qualifications require revision. The standards that generated the status Affected are listed in bold.
|
Ref |
Qualification Title |
ID |
SSB Name |
|
0453 |
National Diploma in Surveying (Level 6) with an optional strand in Mine Surveying |
5095 |
InfraTrain New Zealand |
|
0797 |
National Certificate in Conservation (Level 4) |
11091, 11092 |
Learning State Limited |
Impact of changes on Exclusions List
For transition purposes, the following exclusions will apply for new achievement standards.
|
Achievement standard |
Excluded against each of these standards |
|
91426 |
5095, 90701 |
|
91427 |
5096, 90702 |
|
91428 |
5097, 90703 |
|
91429 |
90704 |
|
91430 |
5094, 90705 |
|
91431 |
5098, 90706 |
|
91432 |
5099, 90707 |
|
91433 |
11088 |
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 achievement standard with a new ID |
|
D |
Achievement standard will expire and not be replaced |
|
Externally assessed achievement standards categorised as category C or D expire at the end of |
December 2012 |
|
Unit standard 5095 expires at the end of |
December 2015 |
|
Remaining internally assessed achievement standards and unit standards categorised as category C or D expire at the end of |
December 2013 |
Social Sciences > Social Science Studies > Geography
|
ID |
Ref |
Title |
Level |
Credit |
Review Category |
|
5094 |
|
Plan and carry out a geographic inquiry with supervisor consultation |
3 |
6 |
C |
|
90705 |
3.5 |
Carry out and present geographic research with consultation |
3 |
3 |
C |
|
91430 |
3.5 |
Conduct geographic research with consultation |
3 |
5 |
|
|
5095 |
|
Describe and explain the interacting natural processes operating within a geographic environment |
3 |
4 |
C |
|
90701 |
3.1 |
Analyse natural processes in the context of a geographic environment |
3 |
4 |
C |
|
91426 |
3.1 |
Demonstrate understanding of how interacting natural processes shape a New Zealand geographic environment [Externally Assessed] |
3 |
4 |
|
|
5096 |
|
Describe and explain a cultural process within a geographic setting |
3 |
4 |
C |
|
90702 |
3.2 |
Analyse a cultural process |
3 |
4 |
C |
|
91427 |
3.2 |
Demonstrate understanding of how a cultural process shapes geographic environment(s) [Externally Assessed] |
3 |
4 |
|
|
5097 |
|
Describe and explain planning and decision-making within a geographic context |
3 |
4 |
C |
|
90703 |
3.3 |
Explain the contribution of geography to planning and decision-making processes |
3 |
3 |
C |
|
91428 |
3.3 |
Analyse a significant contemporary event from a geographic perspective |
3 |
3 |
|
|
5098 |
|
Analyse a current geographic issue |
3 |
3 |
C |
|
90706 |
3.6 |
Analyse a contemporary geographic issue and evaluate courses of action |
3 |
3 |
C |
|
91431 |
3.6 |
Analyse aspects of a contemporary geographic issue |
3 |
3 |
|
|
5099 |
|
Describe and analyse a global pattern and analyse processes and links within it |
3 |
3 |
C |
|
90707 |
3.7 |
Analyse a geographic topic at a global scale |
3 |
3 |
C |
|
91432 |
3.7 |
Analyse aspects of a geographic topic at a global scale |
3 |
3 |
|
|
11084 |
|
Assess a work of fiction from a geographic perspective |
3 |
2 |
D |
|
11086 |
|
Investigate a significant event from a geographic perspective |
4 |
3 |
D |
|
11088 |
|
Use a geographic information system to derive a solution to a specific task |
3 |
3 |
C |
|
91433 |
3.8 |
Apply spatial analysis, with consultation, to solve a geographic problem |
3 |
3 |
|
|
11089 |
|
Derive a solution using geographical information systems |
4 |
4 |
D |
|
11091 |
|
Report on a resource management issue in New Zealand |
4 |
4 |
D |
|
11092 |
|
Carry out a course of action to achieve sustainable resource management at a local level |
4 |
6 |
D |
|
90704 |
3.4 |
Select and apply skills and ideas in a geographic context |
3 |
4 |
C |
|
91429 |
3.4 |
Demonstrate understanding of a given environment(s) through selection and application of geographic concepts and skills [Externally Assessed] |
3 |
4 |
|
Development of Level 3 Geography Standards
Process of Aligning Standards with the New Zealand Curriculum
The new standards have been derived from the Level 8 Geography Achievement Objectives as found in The New Zealand Curriculum.
Reference was also made to the Social Sciences Learning Area Statement, the Principles, the Values, Effective Pedagogy, and the Key Competencies as a part of this process. The titles in the matrix include key words and phrases taken from the achievement objectives but not exclusively so as it was felt that this would be too constraining for effective assessment in some instances.
Addressing Duplication
Careful consideration of the unit standards showed that there was either significant duplication with the achievement standards, or the unit standards were rendered redundant by the changes in the new curriculum. All Geography unit standards at Level 3 have been designated expiring.
There are also Geography unit standards at Level 4 that are currently used by some schools in New Zealand, these standards have been considered as part of the Level 3 alignment. All Geography unit standards at Level 4 have also been designated as expiring.
Addressing Credit Parity
The decisions made regarding credit parity were based on the basis of one credit representing ten notional hours of learning and assessment time.
In most instances the number of credits currently allocated was retained based on positive sector feedback. The availability of 29 credits at Level 3 allows teachers to choose a balanced programme by selecting which standards to use to assess the outcomes. It is expected that a balanced programme, assessed using both internally and externally assessed standards, will be offered.
The credit value for all externally assessed standards was re-examined against the work requirements and retained at 4 credits per standard.
The credit value of the geography research standard, AS91430 (3.5) has been increased from 3 to 5 credits in response to strong sector feedback.
External and Internal Assessment
External standards will remain at a maximum of three; this was based on research and the Standards Review Principles.
AS91429 (3.4) was retained as externally assessed in response to strong sector feedback.
Conditions of assessment
Conditions of Assessment have been introduced to provide guidance for teachers with regard to approaches for assessment. Consistent with the intent of the curriculum, there is a greater emphasis on encouraging student autonomy by allowing student choice of context and provision of resource material. This allows greater differentiation between Levels 2 and 3.
What has changed?
The standards do not make explicit reference to geographic terminology and concepts because at this level it is expected these are incorporated throughout assessment evidence.
AS91426 (3.1) Demonstrate understanding of how interacting natural processes shape a New Zealand geographic environment
This standard was developed from AS90701 to provide closer alignment with Achievement Objective (AO) 1: understand how interacting processes shape natural and cultural environments, occur at different rates and on different scales, and create spatial variations.
Reference to human actions has been removed to give the standard a physical geography focus.
AS91427 (3.2) Demonstrate understanding of how a cultural process shapes geographic environment(s)
This standard was developed from AS90702 to provide closer alignment with AO 1.
The standard initially related to two settings, but this was reduced to one setting to make it more comparable with AS91426 (3.1) in terms of workload.
AS91428 (3.3) Analyse a significant contemporary event from a geographic perspective
This is a new standard at Level 3 although it is derived from AS90703. Planning and decision making is retained as an important component of the standard since it provides a link to vocational geography pathways such as urban and regional planning and community development at home and abroad. Basing this on an event differentiates this from an 'issue' which is a focus of a different standard. This also aligns to the new curriculum intent to use contexts that are meaningful to students.
AS91429 (3.4) Demonstrate understanding of a given environment(s) through the selection and application of geographic concepts and skills
This is a new standard at Level 3 although it is derived from the previous AS90704. Geographic concepts have been included as a key outcome to better align with NZC. The emphasis is now on a given geographic environment rather that just on the selection and use of geographic skills.
AS91430 (3.5) Conduct geographic research with consultation
This is a new standard at Level 3 although it is derived from AS90705. The standard now includes a single achievement criterion at each grade (rather than three). This is to support holistic assessment.
AS91431 (3.6) Analyse aspects of a contemporary geographic issue
This is a new standard at Level 3 although it is derived from the previous AS90706. The standard now includes a single achievement criterion at each grade (rather than three). This is to support holistic assessment.
Values and perceptions were included to reflect AO 2: understand how people's diverse values and perceptions influence the environmental, social, and economic decisions and responses that they make.
AS91432 (3.7) Analyse aspects of a geographic topic at a global scale
This is a new standard at Level 3 although it is derived from the previous AS90707. The standard now includes a single achievement criterion at each grade (rather than two). This is to support holistic assessment.
The standard has been broadened to include factors as well as processes that contribute to patterns. Social and economic significance were introduced to align the standard more clearly with Level 8 of the Curriculum.
AS91433 (3.8) Apply spatial analysis, with consultation, to solve a geographic problem
This is a new standard at Level 3, which provides progression from the new Level 1 and 2 standards. The standard focuses on the manipulation and presentation of spatial data and the explaining of the manipulations.