Memo 012/21 Senior secondary: Confirmation 2021

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210248

15 April 2021 Senior secondary Number: 012/21

Confirmation 2021

Purpose

To outline key dates and critical activities for the first confirmation event in 2021.

Note: This memo has been updated with new information supplied after 14 April 2021.

Background

Confirmation is a quality assurance process that ensures the comparability of results for summative internal assessment in General and General (Extension) subjects. It involves

QCAA-trained assessors reviewing a selected sample of student responses to summative internal assessments to check that schools’ application of the instrument-specific marking guide (ISMG) was accurate and consistent.

In 2021, confirmation of the first implemented summative internal assessment for Units 3 and 4 in General and General (Extension) subjects will occur from March when schools upload provisional results.

Information

Schools are reminded that all staff involved in the confirmation process should be familiar with and follow advice in:

• Section 9.6 of the QCE and QCIA policy and procedures handbook

www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/certificates-and-qualifications/qce-qcia-handbook

• the Confirmation submission information available in the QCAA Portal Noticeboard and Syllabuses application resources. Please note that this information has recently been updated for all subjects.

Schools must enter accurate provisional results into Student Management by close of business Wednesday 17 March 2021, and check them carefully. Schools cannot change results in Student Management after this date.

Other crucial information is included in the attached Preparing for confirmation event one, 2021 factsheet.

Updates made to this memo after 14 April 2021

Engineering, Food & Nutrition, Health and Study of Religion review meetings will occur over two consecutive days. For the second day, all assessors will work remotely, or in line with

arrangements agreed with the subject Principal Education Officer.

Memo

Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority

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Memo

Confirmation 2021 Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority

15 April 2021

Review meeting schedule

Review meetings for confirmation event one will be held in Week 1, Term 2 and will run from 8 am to 4 pm, with the QCAA directly paying assessors for work performed outside the hours of 9 am to 3 pm. Schools will be eligible for Teacher Relief Scheme payments for the day/s their staff work as an assessor at a review meeting.

Confirmation event one, 2021 — review meeting schedule Day 1

Tuesday 20 April Day 2

Wednesday 21 April Day 3

Thursday 22 April Day 4

Friday 23 April

• Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Studies

• Biology

• Business

• Chemistry

• Drama

• English

• General Mathematics

• Health

• Music Extension

• Physical Education

• Study of Religion

• English as an Additional Language

• Geography

• Health

• Legal Studies

• Modern History

• Music

• Psychology

• Study of Religion

• Visual Art

• Agricultural Science

• Aerospace Systems

• Dance

• Design

• Digital Solutions

• Engineering

• Food & Nutrition

• Geography

• German

• German Extension

• Italian

• Japanese

• Literature

• Marine Science

• Mathematical Methods

• Specialist Mathematics

• Accounting

• Ancient History

• Chinese

• Chinese Extension

• Earth &

Environmental Science

• Economics

• Engineering

• English & Literature Extension

• Food & Nutrition

• French

• French Extension

• Film, Television &

New Media

• Philosophy & Reason

• Physics

• Spanish Note: Engineering, Food & Nutrition, General Mathematics, Geography, Health, Physical Education and Study of Religion review meetings will occur over two consecutive days.

Assessor arrangements and attendance

The QCAA will communicate with each assessor for confirmation about arrangements for their work at the review meetings.

Confirmers

Confirmers for most subjects will attend the review meetings remotely, working at an appropriate location of their choice (such as a school or home office).

Confirmers for the following subjects will attend the review meetings face to face at the Royal International Convention Centre at the RNA Showgrounds in Brisbane.

• Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Studies

• Design

• Digital Solutions

• Drama

• Geography

• Mathematical Methods

• Specialist Mathematics

• Visual Art

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Memo

Confirmation 2021 Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority

15 April 2021 Page 3 of 3

Where a confirmer is unable to attend the review meeting face to face in Brisbane, they will attend the meeting remotely, working at an appropriate location.

Chief confirmers and lead confirmers

Chief confirmers and lead confirmers will attend the review meetings face to face at the Royal International Convention Centre at the RNA Showgrounds in Brisbane.

Where a chief confirmer or lead confirmer is unable to attend the review meeting face to face in Brisbane, they will attend the meeting remotely, working at an appropriate location.

Assessor training

Further information about required assessor training will be communicated to principal’s delegates and assessors in coming weeks.

What you need to do

Principals should bring the attached factsheet to the attention of all staff at their school and monitor progress to meet confirmation timelines.

Finding out more

For general questions about the confirmation process, email [email protected] or phone (07) 3864 0491. For subject-specific inquiries, contact the relevant QCAA learning area (www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/about/contact/syllabus-contacts).

Jacqueline Wilton

Director, Curriculum Services Division

Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 | Copyright notice: www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/copyright — lists the full terms and conditions, which specify certain exceptions to the licence. |

Attribution: ‘© State of Queensland (QCAA) 2021’ — please include the link to our copyright notice.

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Confirmation is a quality assurance process that examines the accuracy and consistency of teachers’ judgments about students’ responses to summative internal assessment instruments.

Both General and General (Extension) subjects require confirmation to ensure comparability across Queensland. Confirmation aims to ensure fair and reliable results for students.

Key dates

Key dates for the confirmation of the first implemented summative internal assessment for Units 3 and 4 of General and General (Extension) subjects in 2021 are listed below.

Schools offering a compressed curriculum have a separate confirmation schedule that starts in August 2021.

Key dates for confirmation event one, 2021

Term Week Date Activity

1 8 Wednesday 17 March Final date for schools to submit provisional marks by criteria for the first summative internal assessment for General and General (Extension) subjects.

1 9 Monday 22 March The QCAA notifies schools of the summative internal assessment samples required for confirmation via the Confirmation application.

1 9–10 Monday 22 March –

Monday 29 March Schools upload required student samples for first summative internal assessment via the Confirmation application.

2 1 Tuesday 20 April –

Friday 23 April Confirmation event — review meetings — QCAA assessors review samples and teacher judgments.

2 2 Thursday 29 April The QCAA notifies schools of required supplementary samples via the Confirmation application.

2 2–3 Thursday 29 April –

Wednesday 5 May Schools upload required supplementary student samples via the Confirmation application.*

2 5 From Monday 17 May The QCAA publishes finalised confirmed results for first summative internal assessment via the Confirmation application.

*Supplementary samples are only requested where more information is required to finalise a confirmation decision.

Preparing for confirmation event one, 2021

Important information for schools

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Preparing for confirmation event one, 2021

Important information for schools Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority

March 2021 Page 2 of 3

Gathering and storing evidence of student responses

Schools administer the endorsed summative internal assessment, or a comparable assessment.

This includes gathering and storing evidence of the student response for confirmation. For each summative internal assessment administered, schools must be prepared to electronically submit:

• requested samples of student responses (final response, or evidence from the preparation of the response used to make provisional mark judgments)

• the marked instrument-specific marking guide (ISMG) for each requested sample student indicating the match of characteristics to the evidence in the student response, and the criteria or criterion mark determined by the school.

Spoken or performance responses must be filmed for purposes of confirmation.

Further advice on collecting and storing student responses is provided in the QCE and QCIA policy and procedures handbook (Section 9.6.1) and the Confirmation submission information published in the QCAA Portal Noticeboard and Syllabuses applications.

Submitting provisional marks to the QCAA

Schools must submit students’ provisional marks for the first summative internal assessment for General and General (Extension) subjects to the QCAA via the Student Management application in the QCAA Portal by Wednesday 17 March.

Schools with students whose provisional marks have not been submitted by the due date because of principal-approved access arrangements and reasonable adjustments (AARA) or illness and misadventure must enter a did not administer (DNA) result by Wednesday 17 March.

The QCAA will work with schools to update these results once these students’ responses are submitted and marked.

Provisional marks entered in Student Management must be accurate. Schools should conduct rigorous internal checking of the accuracy of the results before the due date. Schools should ensure provisional marks for each student are consistent across Student Management, teacher mark books and the marked ISMG. Schools cannot amend or add results for the first

implemented summative internal assessment in Student Management after 17 March. Any inaccuracies in provisional mark data may delay review of samples and release of the confirmation decision.

Submitting required samples to the QCAA

On Monday 22 March, the QCAA will notify schools of the samples required for confirmation via the Confirmation application. Schools must upload files for the required samples via the

Confirmation application in the QCAA Portal from Monday 22 March to Monday 29 March.

Applications for variation to confirmation submission should be lodged by Thursday 25 March to allow replacement samples to be identified and published to schools before the due date for confirmation submission (see Section 9.6.2, QCE and QCIA policy and procedures handbook).

Further information to support schools to upload files and submit each confirmation submission is accessible via the Help menu in the Confirmation application.

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Preparing for confirmation event one, 2021

Important information for schools Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority

March 2021

Support resources for schools

The QCAA has developed a range of resources to help schools prepare, upload and submit required samples for confirmation. They include:

• QCE and QCIA policy and procedures handbook, Section 6

• Internal Assessment and Certification resources for schools Noticeboard tile in the QCAA Portal

• Confirmation submission information accessible via Noticeboard and the Syllabuses application resources in the QCAA Portal

• Preparing for confirmation and Student Management: Entering results for General subjects webinars. These will be advertised soon, with registration available via the PD & Events webpage on the QCAA website

• key dates for confirmation and answers to frequently asked questions, published on the QCAA website at www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/assessment/quality-assurance/confirmation.

Information

If you would like more information, please visit the QCAA website at www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/

assessment/quality-assurance/confirmation. Alternatively, phone (07) 3864 0491 or email the Quality Assurance Unit at [email protected]@qcaa.qld.edu.au.

Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 | Copyright notice: www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/copyright — lists the full terms and conditions, which specify certain exceptions to the licence. |