Updates to Directions for administration: External assessment

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210587

12 August 2021 Senior secondary Number: 038/21

Updates to Directions for administration:

External assessment

Purpose

To advise schools that an updated Directions for administration: External assessment (DFA) for 2021 is now available.

Background

External assessment for General, General (Extension) and General (Senior External Examination) subjects is held annually in Term 4.

School principals are responsible for managing their school’s overall external assessment responsibilities and the security, storage and movement of assessment materials within their school. They should delegate these responsibilities to an external assessment (EA) coordinator who will be the QCAA’s main point of contact for external assessment logistics and

administration.

Information

All external assessments must be administered according to QCAA requirements. To support schools and school communities to prepare for the administration of external assessment in 2021, the QCAA has developed the following resources:

• Directions for administration: External assessment (DFA) — available from the QCAA Portal Noticeboard application (app) and in the External Assessment (EA) app (Timetable > Subject

> Resources tab). The DFA provides important information for school principals, EA coordinators, supervisors and QCAA invigilators about the administration of external assessment, including

- roles and responsibilities - preparing for assessment - assessment day tasks

- access arrangements and reasonable adjustments (AARA).

• QCE and QCIA policy and procedures handbook — available on the QCAA website at www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/certificates-and-qualifications/qce-qcia-handbook. Schools are required to follow the policies and procedures for external assessment outlined in the DFA and in the handbook.

Memo

Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority

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Memo

Updates to Directions for administration: External assessment Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority 11 August 2021 Page 2 of 3

Updates to the DFA

The following DFA updates:

• provide clarity about processes and procedures in response to feedback from schools

• include changes to processes and procedures to align with increased functionality of the EA app.

Section Update

Section 1.1: Key contacts • Contact and enquiry details Section 1.4: Key dates • 2021 dates

Section 1.5: Glossary • Added key terms to align with updated processes Sections 1.7: Roles and

responsibilities • Added QCAA responsibilities

• Clarified the roles of principals, EA coordinators and EA assistant coordinators and how they can be delegated. Clarified the roles of supervisors, invigilators and observers

• Clarified reporting of breaches Section 2: Preparing for

assessment • Clarified the purpose and processes across this section to align with EA app functionality

- Receiving material - Checking materials

- Session details and announcements - Assessment session reconciliation - Seating plans

- Student place cards - Assessment rooms

• Information for parents and students — synthesised and separated for emphasis

• Variation to venue moved to a dedicated section

• Language spoken assessments moved to relevant dedicated sections (new digital formats section and SEE)

Section 3: Administering the

assessment • Clarified the purpose and processes across this section

- Attendance — combined with seating plan and AARA time record - Using response books — new section added and clarified

information

- Managing disruptions and incidents - After the assessment

- Collection and packing of responses

- Packing response books for courier collection - Collecting and packing AARA responses

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Memo

Updates to Directions for administration: External assessment Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority 11 August 2021 Page 3 of 3

Section 4: AARA • Clarified processes - Individual instructions - Submitting digital responses - Alternative format papers Section 5: Variation to venue • New section

- Separated information for Australian and non-school Queensland venues and international venues

Section 6: SEE • Updated for clarity Section 7: Digital formats • New section

- Administration of approved digital formats for AARA and digital stimulus for subjects where this is required

What you need to do

Ensure all staff involved in the administration of external assessment read and follow the advice in the updated DFA.

Finding out more

Please email [email protected], or phone (07) 3074 7570.

Claude Jones

Executive Director, Assessment, Reporting and ICT Systems 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. |