The first phase of the Review process involved members of the Project Team, all of whom are Officers of the Board of Studies, conducting a series of discussions at eight schools1 0 with a number of focus groups: School Executive, Stage 6 Teachers and Year 12 Students. While it was considered important to select a relatively broad cross-section of schools it was not intended that the focus groups be exhaustively representative of all types of schools, since the purpose of these discussions was to gain an overview of the school community's general perceptions of the HSC Assessment Program and of current assessment practices being implemented in schools, and also to identify those issues which the focus groups considered to be the most significant.
The composition of the Focus Groups was based on the following:
1. Separate Focus Groups for School Executives, Stage 6 Teachers and Year 12 Students.
2. School Executives to include all the available members of the executive and/or subject coordinators.
3. Stage 6 Teacher Focus Groups should contain a mixture of teachers who have varying levels of experience with HSC assessment procedures.
4. Student Focus Groups should contain a random sample of 8 - 1 2 Year 12 students.
While not wanting to pre-empt what would emerge from the various groups, a number of issues was identified by the members of the Steering Committee and the Project Team as being worthy of consideration. These included:
1. The strengths and benefits of the HSC assessment.
2. Numbers and types of tasks (Tests, examinations, practical work, research, home- based tasks, performance, oral presentations, etc.)
3. Timing of tasks (in relation to other tasks, to holidays and other HSC commitments) 4. Clarity of school policy; clarity of Board policy
5. Authenticity of take-home tasks
6. School rules associated with the assessment program (eg absences) 7. Assessment "rorts"
1 0 The eight schools visited included metropolitan, regional centre and rural, Government, Independent and Catholic schools, as well as selective, comprehensive, K-12, 7-12,11-12 and, co-ed and single sex schools.
8. Stress and HSC assessment (positive and negative effects) 9. Tasks across two or more classes, including moderation of marks 10. Tasks for each component with the correct weightings
11. Equity in the assessment process (for example in group work)
Copies of these issues, as well as a series of related questions, were distributed to those teachers and members of the school executives participating in the focus group discussions.11 These were designed to act as stimulus material, but the actual format of the discussions was more relaxed to encourage freer, more subjective and personal reactions to the HSC Assessment Program.
Three questions were posed to all three Focus Groups:
(i) What are the "good" things or the positive aspects of the present use of school assessment in the HSC?
(ii) What are the "bad" things or negative aspects?
(iii) What would you want to change?
The information which emerged from the ensuing discussions was then collated and analysed in order to form the basis for the development and design of the detailed surveys which were subsequently sent to all high schools in NSW.
The discussions within the focus groups revealed some unexpected common trends. In very general terms it was the Year 12 Stage 6 teachers rather than their students who, while acknowledging the benefits of an assessment program, focussed on the negative aspects. Undoubtedly this could be viewed as a reflection of the degree of responsibility and accountability felt by the teachers and the resultant increased workload associated with assessments, as well as some particular concerns about the Assessment program.
On the other hand, Year 12 students highlighted the positive aspects - the perceived benefits which flow from the Assessment Program and the fairness of a system which enabled students to present for assessment skills, knowledge, understanding and expertise which otherwise would not be assessed. In the process many of the students revealed a perceptive and quite mature appreciation of the philosophy underpinning the Assessment Program. Indeed, in some cases these opinions were expressed in a most assertive, confident manner.
For the most part teachers concentrated on the fine detail while students were able to focus on the broader issues. Again, this reflected the respective roles of the teacher and student within the assessment process.
1 1 In most cases the stimulus material was not made available to the Student Focus Groups. It was
Throughout the discussions many different opinions were expressed. Those which arose repeatedly are summarised below and are presented in a way which allows easy comparison between Teacher/Executive and Student responses.
SOME OF THE MAJOR ISSUES ARISING FROM THE DISCUSSIONS WITH FOCUS GROUPS
Comparisons of Teacher/Executive and Student Responses Teacher/Executive
Teachers saw the benefits of a system"
that enabled them to assess aspects of a syllabus which had previously not been assessable, and to give credit for other skills and talents. They believed such a process should give a more rounded, comprehensive assessment of a student's level of achievement.
It was rare, but it did arise that some teachers questioned the need for HSC assessment at all.
Teachers expressed concern that assessments were being more and more driven to replicate HSC exams instead of to provide the opportunity to assess those areas which cannot be assessed in an exam situation.
Teachers saw assessments as a constant challenge to their inventiveness and imagination to devise different types of assessment tasks. The time factor involved was also a major issue:
Students
Students gave an overwhelming endorsement of the Assessment process as something that achieved equity for students because it recognises that students perform and exhibit their knowledge and expertise in different ways. In their eyes it takes account of individual strengths and weaknesses in a wide diversity of tasks and neither disadvantages nor advantages students who excel in an examination situation or those who excel in other assessable tasks.
Students appreciated both the diversity of tasks which assessments afforded - and hence the opportunity for students to excel in those areas most suited to a particular student's expertise - and the opportunity to gain exam practice in those assessments which were test-based.
Teachers do not always have access to appropriate resources or facilities to be able to assess practical components of a course adequately.
Students were genuinely relieved that it is not one HSC exam which determines the final mark awarded for a subject. Having assessments means that both the stress and the risk are spread across the entire
SOME OF THE MAJOR ISSUES ARISING FROM THE DISCUSSIONS WITH FOCUS GROUPS
Comparisons of Teacher/Executive and Student Responses Teacher/Executive
Teachers considered thai students do tend to work more consistently because of the assessments.
A major concern for teachers is the fact that while students do work more consistently for assessment tasks there is a tendency to neglect non- assessable tasks. Even in a highly competitive academic environment of a selective or independent school, students are still known to put non- assessable tasks aside.
Teachers are firmly of the opinion that learning is driven by HSC marks and the TER/UAI and that the intrinsic love of learning has been lost because of the constant focus on assessable tasks.
Teachers were very conscious of a reduction in teaching time which adds to the stress felt by them in their efforts to finish a course.
Students
year and not restricted to one exam.
Assessments allow teachers to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their students and to see where attention should be focussed.
Students beiieve that there is a strong motivation to work steadily in order to perform to the best of their ability throughout the entire time. Without assessments there would be the danger of losing sight of the exam at the end of a two year period and also the tendency to cram at the end.
Students freely admit that non- assessable tasks are low on their list of priorities. Some students recognise their value and do complete such tasks because they see them as contributing to their overall learning.
Students do focus their attention on those tasks which contribute directly to their
HSC and TER/UAI. Some recognised that cumulative, progressive assessment contributed to their learning and ultimately to their understanding of a subject. Some even expressed the opinion that the learning process is not just a matter of marks, but rather a matter
of education in the broader sense. This opinion, however, came from students who were obviously academically gifted.
Students also feel the reduction in teaching time.
SOME OF THE MAJOR ISSUES ARISING FROM THE DISCUSSIONS WITH FOCUS GROUPS
. Comparisons of Teacher/Executive and Student Responses
Teacher/Executive Students
Some assessment tasks take an inordinate amount of time to complete, especially oral tasks.
The number of tasks places pressure on both staff and students.
Teachers would like some guidelines and indications of statewide standards and felt that such support should be forthcoming from the Board. This was not so much an issue in metropolitan schools where many of the teachers are involved in HSC marking.
Teachers had concerns about the validity of the moderation of assessment marks against exam performance since they are supposed to be measuring different things and one should not necessarily reflect the other. From this also came the concern
Too many assessment tasks can be disheartening and it was seen by some students as preferable not to have a large number. On the other hand, there was a significant number of students who expressed the opinion that there should be less weight on the actual HSC exams.
Ratios quoted were. 40%:60% and even 30%:70%. Some even considered the ACT model of no exams as their ideal.
While many students thought that there should be less emphasis on the HSC exams, they also did not want assessment tasks to be too heavily weighted - 1 0 % - 15% was seen as ideal, with 20% as the absolute maximum.
Students preferred. to do assessment tasks at the completion of a topic rather than have to be confronted with a huge exam at the end of a two year course.
Other students raised the issue of statewide standards. A concern was expressed by some that there was unlikely to. be comparability in statewide standards in assessment tasks. A possible solution to this was seen to be a standard set of assessment tasks for all students in the state, set by the Board of Studies.
SOME OF THE MAJOR ISSUES ARISING FROM THE DISCUSSIONS WITH FOCUS GROUPS
Comparisons of Teacher/Executive and Student Responses Teacher/Executive
expressed by some teachers about the pressure on them to maximise the correlation between assessment and exam marks.
Assessments place a strain on student-teacher relationships, in some schools this manifests itself , in direct confrontation. Sometimes this confrontation is stress-induced, but more frequently it is a result of the students' awareness of their rights. At one school teachers described the scene in the classroom when assessment tasks are returned as a battleground and teachers are portrayed by students as the adversary.
Often in the name of equity teachers are forced to make compromises and to teach some options across multiple classes to maintain comparability.
Teachers perceived stress on students to be much more of a problem than was actually expressed by the students. They considered that there was too much pressure on students which resulted in health problems and burnout.
Staff stress was also an issue because of the greater , demands placed on teachers by increased responsibility, accountability and workload, ln a climate of equity and fairness teachers are more frequently asked to justify themselves as far as their assessments of students are concerned.
Students
The notion of confrontation between
students and teachers was virtually unknown in small country schools, but the teachers were of the opinion that this was because the students from small rural areas were not really aware of their rights.
In some of the more competitive environments students perceived a deterioration in both student-teacher and student-student relationships at assessments times. This was not felt to the same degree in smaller schools.
Everywhere students are conscious of equity issues and whether their assessments are comparable with those across the state.
The majority of students see that stress is reduced because of the assessment process. Stress is spread over the entire year instead of concentrated in a much shorter, intensive time frame of the exams. Some students even saw some stress as being positive.
SOME OF THE MAJOR ISSUES ARISING FROM THE DISCUSSIONS WITH FOCUS GROUPS
Comparisons of Teacher/Executive and Student Responses
Teacher/Executive Students
The workload has increased significantly because of greater administrative demands, and also double marking!
Teachers see a competitive environment as contributing to the level of stress felt by both students and teachers.
Teachers were very aware of student
"rorts" with regard to absenteeism.
Students often absent themselves from school immediately prior to assessment tasks, which can create an imbalance in the classroom when work has to be repeated.
"Suspect" Medical Certificates are a real problem, because they are difficult to authenticate. Teachers also had a problem with Medical Certificates issued in retrospect, but felt powerless to do anything or to question a medical opinion.
Absenteeism, valid or not, necessitates the setting of alternate tasks. Although most teachers were not in favour of giving estimates for missed tasks, they wanted to be able to reserve the right to have a discretionary clause for those cases deemed legitimate.
The time factor associated with assessments was a major issue for teachers. Teachers felt that more and more is expected of them with regard to assessments both administratively and paedagogically. They expressed disillusionment that there was not more
Students did not always have a negative view of an academically competitive environment. At times it spurred them on to higher achievement, at other times problems were seen to arise.
Most students did not consider absenteeism a major problem. While it was thought to be unfair on those students who did attend school, they had other issues that were more pressing.
Students knew that some students do try to "rort" the system by obtaining Medical Certificates under false pretences.
Students did believe it was unfair, but generally speaking it was not viewed as a major concern. Many expressed the view that such students would ultimately be the losers.
SOME OF THE MAJOR ISSUES ARISING FROM THE DISCUSSIONS WITH FOCUS GROUPS
Comparisons of Teacher/Executive and Student Responses
Teacher/Executive Students
support forthcoming to allow them to prepare and design tasks which truly reflect the spirit of the assessment program. Proper assessment needs proper resources and these are not being made available to teachers.
Teachers need to be trained adequately especially if assessment requirements change.
Teachers also need support in putting guidelines into practice.
Another problem area is that of authenticity. It was one of the first issues raised in each of the discussions with teachers. There is real difficulty in verifying the authenticity of a research task or some other tasks completed outside the classroom. Teachers also expressed their concern about the inequitable access to resources, tutors and parents.
Home-based assessment tasks need to be included in the assessment program, but there is a need for these to be monitored throughout to ensure as far as possible the authenticity of the submitted work.
One method of reducing the problem of authenticity in home-based assessments is to set a research task as an assessment. In order to assess the student's understanding of that research, an assessment task eg an essay is then set for completion in class under test conditions.
Students often expressed the wish to have more home-based assessment or research tasks. Students from more competitive, academic environments would be concerned about parental and other external input. The majority of students did acknowledge that authenticity was a problem. However, students expressed the genuine belief that if a student were to present work that he/she had not done, the teachers are sufficiently astute and know their students so well that they would pick it up. They also believed that in the long run those students who attempted to cheat the system were only disadvantaging themselves.
SOME OF THE MAJOR ISSUES ARISING FROM THE DISCUSSIONS WITH FOCUS GROUPS
Comparisons of Teacher/Executive and Student Responses
Teacher/Executive Students
Schools generally have Assessment Calendars in place at the beginning of the year, but because of the large number of assessment tasks across all subjects, clashes are inevitable.
Teachers are, however, concerned to do their best to accommodate students' needs.
Teachers felt the pressure on students and themselves in Term 3. There was also a significant impact on teaching when students were involved with these HSC commitments, since these take priority over everything else at that particular time.
Teachers would like clear specifications from the Board about what is required in the assessments.
They want explicit guidelines about' what should be studied and to what depth, what instruments should be used for the assessment tasks, examples of assessment tasks, what weightings should be applied to various components of a syllabus.
They would also like clarification of the function of the Assessments. Teachers would also like subject-specific guidelines.
Teachers believe that the reporting system, needs an overhaul. Student
Students were of the opinion that there needed to be greater coordination amongst teachers as far as assessments are concerned. Even where the assessment structure is highly organised, there are still occasions when clashes occur which necessitate a change in assessment dates.
Students were also unhappy when the weighting of an assessment is changed during or after the task has been marked or when a word limit is changed after some students have already completed a home-based task, yet others are still to complete it.
Students felt that Term 3 , was a particularly stressful time due to the fact that HSC performances, submissions of
major works and projects, LOTE oral/aural exams all clash and can in fact coincide with school Trial HSC exams, at a time when teachers are trying to finalise assessment marks.
SOME OF THE MAJOR ISSUES ARISING FROM THE DISCUSSIONS WITH FOCUS GROUPS
Comparisons of Teacher/Executive and Student Responses
Teacher/Executive Students
achievement needs to be reported in terms of. key competencies and achieved standards.
When questioned about prescription and flexibility, teachers stated that more guidelines wouid be appreciated as well as information on best practices, yet at the same time they would like to maintain the flexibility to develop their own assessment policies as well as preserving a degree of autonomy.