SETTING NATIONAL EXAMINATION PAPERS under the New Curriculum Presentation by Trevor Hall Sept 2006

PARADIGM SHIFTS? Some consistency from the past…. But….. Not just the same old thing…..

NORMS-REFERENCED “I got 55% - the class average was 50% and you got only 48%”

CRITERIA-DRIVEN Okay – who was able to do it? Who achieved the assessment standard?

START WITH OUTCOMES THAT TO CONTENT Unfortunately teachers may have tended to ignore these and simply focus on content or topics If exam papers do not reflect the outcomes then this exacerbates the problem

NATIONAL HG ACCOUNTING PAPER 2003 Q1: CLOSE CORP Q2: PART- NERSHIP Q3: CLUB Q4: COMPANY Q5: RECON- CILIATION Q6: BUDGET Q7: DEBT- ORS Logical thought Analytical New/unfamiliar Systematic approach Solution of problems Accuracy Sound judgment Accountability Meaningful interp’n of financial information Generally accepted accounting practice Broad general educ’n & economic environ’t Role of Accounting in management

S K V&A HIGH KNOWLEDGE & HIGH SKILLS REPORT

STEP 1: OUTCOMES FIRST OUTCOMES

CRITICAL & DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOMES LEARNING OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT STANDARDS

STEP 2: ASSESMENT STANDARDS ASSESSMENT STANDARDS

INTEGRATION

APPLIED COMPETENCE THEORY PRACTICE REFLECTION

STEP 3: APPROXIMATE MARKS Q1 50 Q2 80 Q3 70 Q5 40 Q

STEP 4: BRAINSTORM THE TYPE OF QUESTIONS Factual recall? Data response? Evaluation? Open-ended? Problem-solving? Creative? Etc?

STEP 5: COGNITIVE LEVELS BLOOMS TAXONOMY BLOOMS REVISED TAXONOMY CREATING EVALUATING ANALYSING APPLYING UNDERSTANDING REMEMBERING

APPROPRIATE WEIGHTING LOW = 30% ? MEDIUM = 40% ? HIGH= 30% ?

STEP 6: REFLECT ON COs & DOs OUTCOMES

CO1: CRITICAL & CREATIVE THINKING

THINKING Critical thinking: Judge the merits of something Creative thinking: Make or devise something new

C04: CRITICALLY EVALUATE INFORMATION

CO1: PROBLEM SOLVING Inclusion of real-life problems

DO2: RESPONSIBLE CITIZENSHIP Inclusion of moral / ethical dilemmas

CO5: COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY

The provocative question Any learner can find this accessible

Real-life scenarios?

STEP 7: CATER FOR THE TEACHING & LEARNING PROCESS Rate of change Years Lifelong learning

LINEAR LEARNING RULE – learning is for kids Learning Launching Working, Doing & Caring Retired CHILDHOOD ADULTHOOD ELDERHOOD

HUDSON’S CYCLICAL MODEL OF RENEWAL: Lifelong learning Phase 1 GETTING READY Phase 2 DOLDRUMS Phase 3 COCOONING Phase 4 GO FOR IT

NEW LEARNING RULES Lifelong renewal CHILDHOOD ADULTHOOD ELDERHOOD

STEP 8: SCAFFOLDING QUESTIONS EASY / APPETISER = 30% - 40% MODERATE / MAIN BODY = 30% - 50% CHALLENGING / PINNACLE = 20% - 30%

Is K a barrier to S, V & A? KNOWLEDGE SKILLS VALUES ATTITUDES

ACCESSIBILITY & RELEVANCE Do not use ‘knowledge’ as a barrier Are cognitive levels indicative of degrees of difficulty? Incorporate real-life situations / problems Ask the provocative question

DO NOT FOCUS ON INSIGNIFICANT CONTENT

CATERING FOR ex-HG & ex-SG Topics Degree of difficulty Cognitive levels Every question accessible Differentiation within each question

Catering for ex-Higher & ex-Standard Grade in one question Explain your own thoughts and feelings on this work of Art. Who was the artist, and what was he attempting to convey in this work? How does this work differ from that of other artists of his era?

STEP 9: SET PAPER & MARKING MEMO SIMULTANEOUSLY Traditional memo or rubrics? Must be accurate Must cater for alternative answers

STEP 10: TIME ALLOCATIONS To be tested by each panel member Instructions to be specific

STEP 11: COVER PAGE NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE INSTRUCTIONS: ….. …. QUESTION MARKS TIME 1 2 3

STEP 12: MODERATION, REFLECTION & QUALITY CONTROL

USER-FRIENDLY Left / Right pages – minimise turning over Clean-cut format Suggested time allocations? Answer book corresponds to question paper? Sequencing of questions Consistent format to each question & across all papers

LANGUAGE Keep language simple Reduce unnecessary verbiage Use subject-specific and commonly-used words Be specific – do not expect candidates to read between the lines Reading test by selected panel members English / Afrikaans combination papers?? Check translation carefully

EXAMPLE Vusi Ngcobo earns a salary of R per month. What deductions will be made from his salary? Expected answer: PAYE, UIF, Medical Aid, Pension Answer provided by a candidate: Vusi is in a senior position in this business

EXAMPLE SA snakes are very poisonous. Illustrate this point by providing two examples. Expected answer: Green mamba, Cobra Answer provided by a candidate:

TECHNICAL MATTERS Totaling of marks – unsettling if wrong Computer skills of the examining panel Copyright Clarity of diagrams Optional questions clearly indicated

CREDIBILITY The paper must stand up to scrutiny and criticism Must not set at the lowest perceived level Topical and relevant to the learners of today Positively influence teaching & learning