Modern History General senior syllabus 2019 v1.2

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Modern History General senior syllabus 2019 v1.2

Review report

April 2023

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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 (include the link): © State of Queensland (QCAA) 2023 www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/copyright.

Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority PO Box 307 Spring Hill QLD 4004 Australia 154 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane

Phone: (07) 3864 0299

Email: [email protected] Website: www.qcaa.qld.edu.au

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Introduction ______________________________________________ 1

Review __________________________________________________ 1

Definition... 1

Atypical review ... 1

Timeframe ... 1

Activities ... 2

Sources of feedback ... 2

Syllabus implementation survey ... 2

Syllabus targeted review focus groups ... 3

Review findings ... 3

Review outcomes _________________________________________ 4

Summary of syllabus revisions ______________________________ 5

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Modern History General senior syllabus 2019 v1.2 Review report

Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority April 2023 Page 1 of 6

Introduction

Reviewing and revising syllabuses is integral to ensuring the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) provides a world-class curriculum, learning and assessment system for all Queensland schools.

The Modern History General senior syllabus 2019 v1.2 review report outlines the 2020–2024 syllabus review and revision process, including:

• the scope of the syllabus review

• the syllabus review activities conducted

• a summary of the syllabus review data

• the findings of the review

• a summary of the revisions.

Review

Definition

A syllabus review is an examination of a syllabus according to a set of principles. It is expected that one of five recommendations will be made at the conclusion of a review.

These recommendations are:

1. no action is taken 2. the syllabus is amended 3. the syllabus is revised 4. the syllabus is redeveloped 5. the syllabus is retired.

A review is conducted by the QCAA and includes consultation with external syllabus stakeholders via surveys, focus groups and reference groups. Internal analysis of data collected via QCAA quality assurance and external assessment processes is also conducted.

Atypical review

The 2020–2024 review and revision of General, Applied (Essential) and Short Course syllabuses is a unique review process given its proximity to the introduction of a new QCE system in 2019.

This means that syllabuses will only undergo revision in response to the findings of the review.

The scope and purpose of a revision is outlined in later sections of this report.

Timeframe

The review of General, Applied (Essential) and Short Course syllabuses commenced in early 2020 and concluded in November 2022.

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Activities

The review of General, Applied (Essential) and Short Course syllabuses involved the following activities:

• recording of ad hoc syllabus feedback in an official change log from March 2019 to November 2021

• analysis of confirmation, endorsement and external assessment 2020–2021 data to identify any syllabus performance issues

• release of the publicly accessible syllabus implementation survey from July to September 2021 to gather feedback from teachers, parents, students, industry and academics on all syllabuses

• analysis of quantitative and qualitative data gathered through the public survey to identify satisfaction ratings and common themes in feedback

• establishment of focus groups in mid-2022 to invite participants to state a clear and cohesive set of values for their subject, how the subject might need to change to remain current and contemporary, and what specific changes should be made to the syllabus as part of the revision process.

Through these activities, the QCAA engaged with more than 8200 stakeholders and received more than 20 000 specific and detailed items of written feedback about the syllabuses.

Sources of feedback

Syllabus implementation survey

The table below shows the number of participants in the syllabus implementation survey for this syllabus.

Stakeholders Survey participants

Teachers 49

Heads of department 26

School administrators 1

Sector representatives 0

Members of professional associations 0

Academics 0

Students 36

Parents/carers 1

Other 2

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Syllabus targeted review focus groups

The table below shows the number of focus group participants for this syllabus.

Focus group Participants

Modern History — general focus 61

Review findings

Syllabus section or feedback area Satisfied responses to survey (% of total responses)

Course overview — Introduction 92.3%

Objectives (including explanatory paragraphs) 88.3%

Teaching and learning: Aboriginal perspectives and Torres Strait Islander perspectives

95.3%

Teaching and learning: Pedagogical and conceptual frameworks

86.0%

Teaching and learning: Subject matter 86.0%

Units 89.3%

Internal assessment techniques, descriptions, specifications and conditions

88.6%

Instrument-specific marking guides (ISMGs) 45.8%

External assessment 78.0%

Resources 65.1%

Review findings include:

• Stakeholders value the transferable skills developed in this subject to prepare students to be engaged, informed, critical global citizens.

• Stakeholders would like to see the decolonising of history as a discipline.

• Suggested changes to the syllabus focused on increasing flexibility in assessment design, adjusting word lengths and improving the wording and sequencing in ISMGs.

• Some stakeholders suggested that data mining techniques be incorporated into the subject matter.

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Review outcomes

This syllabus will undergo a revision to make changes that:

• respond to syllabus implementation challenges identified by teachers

• ensure assessment is appropriate and effective

• improve the clarity in the syllabus for teachers and students to make expectations more transparent

• update and refine subject matter, where necessary.

Examples of changes include:

• changing a cognitive verb used in an objective

• rearranging topics or subject matter

• simplifying language in an ISMG performance-level descriptor

• adjusting assessment specifications or conditions based on endorsement and confirmation feedback

• updating topics and subject matter to be more contemporary.

During the review of the General, Applied (Essential) and Short Course syllabuses, it was evident that some stakeholders expect changes to syllabuses that are significantly beyond the scope of a syllabus revision and would require a syllabus redevelopment. Examples of changes that are beyond the scope of a revision include changes:

• to syllabus objectives that would require changes in assessment processes and ISMGs that would result in a significant change in practice

• to the number of summative assessments

• that significantly alter the nature of the external assessment, e.g. the percentage weighting, the technique, the objectives assessed

• to the purpose of the subject

• that would have a significant impact on school resources, e.g. the need for new textbooks or equipment.

The evaluation of the new Queensland Certificate of Education system is expected to report in early 2025. A future syllabus review, revision and redevelopment schedule will be developed in light of the findings from this evaluation and after further feedback on these revised syllabuses has been considered.

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Summary of syllabus revisions

The Modern History syllabus will undergo refinement, including clarification of objectives, subject matter, assessment specifications, ISMGs and reporting standards in response to the findings of the review. Details of the changes are shown in the table below.

Section Revision

Course Overview • Minor edits to Rationale

Syllabus Objectives • Refined and reordered as follows:

1. Devise historical questions and conduct research 2. Comprehend terms, issues and concepts

3. Analyse evidence from historical sources 4. Evaluate evidence from historical sources 5. Synthesise evidence from historical sources 6. Communicate to suit purpose

• Explanatory paragraphs have been made more specific for each objective, with corroborating acknowledged in relation to Syllabus Objectives 4 and 5.

Pedagogical and conceptual framework

• Adjusted to align with historical concepts and historical skills contained in Australian Curriculum: History v9.0.

• Inquiry process diagram removed and replaced with text included in the additional subject-specific information section outlining role of historical concepts and historical skills in the historical inquiry process.

Subject matter Units 1 – 4

• Subject matter template for topics revised.

Unit 1

• Topics 8: Title now includes the words, ‘and its aftermath’ and end date has been extended to 1911

• Topic 10: Title now includes the words, ‘and its aftermath’ and end date has been extended to 1916

• Topic 11: Title now includes the words, ‘and its aftermath’ and end date has been extended to the 1980s

Unit 2

• Topic 1: Title revised and starting date revised to 1938

• Topic 5: Title now includes the words, ‘and its aftermath’ and end date has been extended to the 1930s

• Topic 9: Timeframe now has a starting date only

• Topic 11: Title revised Unit 3

• Topic 1: Starting date is now earlier (1901),

• Topic 2: Title changed to ‘Great Britain’, with starting date of 1707 and no end date

• Topics, 4, 8, 9, 10 and 11: End dates removed Unit 4

• Topic 8: Title now includes ‘and its aftermath’ and end date changed to 2014

• External Assessment topics listed for 2026-2030.

• Schools can now select from one of two topics for the External Assessment each year:

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- From 2026-2028 schools can choose either Topic 4 or Topic 8 - From 2029-2030, schools can choose either Topic 5 or Topic 8

• Link to a supporting resource containing sample subject matter will be made available.

Assessment 1A1, IA2 and IA3

• Description, specifications, and conditions revised or contain minor edits

• Five criteria assessed, with each worth 5 marks.

IA1

• Word count removed.

1A2

• Synthesising assessed IA3

• Comprehending not assessed.

EA

• Topics for 2026-2030 listed

• Specifications: removed the specified number of questions and sources

• Weightings table removed

• Word count removed.

ISMGs • Five criteria assessed in each IA

• Each criterion worth 5 marks maximum

• Additional performance level/s have been added to all criteria to accommodate the maximum value of 5 marks per criterion.

• Comprehending assessed in examinations only

• Analysing, Evaluating and Synthesising have one descriptor per performance level

Reporting standards • The reporting standards have been adjusted to align with the ISMGs

Glossary • Still under review

Modern History General senior syllabus 2019 v1.2