This is a subject-based presentation for you as PV to adapt to your subject. The subject content at present is English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL). Depending on time available and the number of Nominees/Team Leaders in your team, you may want to take questions: Throughout the presentation or At the end of different sections eg after slide 8 re Unit Specifications, slide 11 UASPs, slide 13 N4 AV Unit and slide 15 Internal assessment of course components Or At the end of the presentation Move into the workshops which will allow time for questions (post-its?)

Introducing Unit Specifications and Unit Assessment Support Packs Biology National 3, 4 and 5 Insert your subject/levels

Unit Assessment Assessments can be designed to provide evidence across more than one Unit or Outcome – combined assessments Flexible and open Evidence Requirements in Units Greater range of techniques and methodologies for assessment – encouraged through Unit assessment support packages More opportunities to gather naturally occurring evidence – assessment as part of learning and teaching This is an introductory slide and nominees should be familiar with all these features of CfE Unit Assessment but you may want to contextualise to your subject when presenting to you Nominees and TLs

Unit Structure National 3 National 4 National 5 Cell Biology Multicellular Organisms Life on Earth Added Value Unit: Biology Assignment (National 4) (Table taken from CfE Subject Implementation Event PPT – insert table for your subject) To insert the table for your subject and levels go to the following link http://www.sqa.org.uk/events2012 Username: events2012 Password: cfe2012 Copy and paste from the PPT used at the event into this PPT or you can create your own table for your subject.

Key points: Biology Units standards remain the same have a hierarchical Unit structure that provide progression from National 3 to National 5, then articulate with Higher Biology and Higher Human Biology All Units from N3 to AH in all Sciences have (almost) same Outcomes and Assessment Standards (apart from N4 AV Unit); differentiation is through the evidence requirements added value assessment increases personalisation and choice in the Biology assignment at National 4 These are Key points as they relate to ESOL Insert key points you want Nominees/TLs to note in relation to the new NQs in your subject.

Outcome 1 The learner will: Apply skills of scientific inquiry and draw on knowledge and understanding of the key areas of this Unit to carry out an experiment / practical investigation by: 1.1 Planning an experiment / practical investigation 1.2 Following procedures safely 1.3 Making and recording observations / measurements accurately 1.4 Presenting results in an appropriate format 1.5 Drawing valid conclusions 1.6 Evaluating experimental procedures

Outcome 2 The learner will: Draw on knowledge and understanding of the key areas of this Unit and apply scientific skills by: 2.1 Making accurate statements 2.2 Describing an application 2.3 Describing a biological issue in terms of the effect on the environment / society 2.4 Solving problems

Unit Specifications Assessment Standards and Evidence Requirements: Assessors should use their professional judgement, subject knowledge and experience, and understanding of their learners, to determine the most appropriate ways to generate evidence and the conditions and contexts in which they are used. Key Areas are listed for each Unit Evidence can be drawn from a variety of sources and presented in a variety of formats. Evidence may be presented for individual Outcomes or gathered for the Unit as a whole, through combining assessment holistically in a single event. Evidence requirements for the Assessment standards….. Flexible evidence requirements and combining assessment are the key to some of the main changes in terms of generating and gathering evidence. You may want to say something about how this has influenced the development of the UASPs and how they differ from NABs. The first bullet is a generic statement from the Unit Specifications and illustrates the way in which there is a greater degree of flexibility in terms of generating evidence. Second bullet You may want to use a statement from a Unit Specification for your subject to talk about the potential for combining assessment across Units and Outcomes in your subject. Focus on benefits to the candidates and assessors of combining assessment across Outcomes and Units. You may want to give some subject specific examples of where and how assessment can be combined in your subject. The following slide also relates to the evidence.

Assessment Standard Evidence required 1.1 Planning an experiment/practical investigation The plan should include: an aim a dependent and independent variable key variables to be kept constant measurements/observations to be made the resources the method including health and safety considerations 1.3 Making and recording observations/measurements accurately Units used appropriately 1.4 Presenting results in an appropriate format One format per Unit from: table, line graph, chart, key, diagram, flow chart, summary or other appropriate format 1.5 Drawing a valid conclusion Include reference to aim 1.6 Evaluating experimental procedures Suggest an improvement with justification 2.1 Making accurate statements One for each Key Area 2.3 Describing a biological issue in terms of the effect on the environment / society The description should include the biology of the issue 2.4 Solving problems One of each per Unit: make generalisations/predictions select information process information, including calculations, as appropriate analyse information

Transfer of evidence across Units “Since the Outcomes and Assessment Standards are the same for all Units of the Course, evidence for Outcome 1 and Assessment Standards 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4 for one Unit in this Course can be used as evidence of the achievement of Outcome 1 and Assessment Standards 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4 in the other Units of this Course. The Units differ only by context.”

Unit Assessment Support Packages - purpose UASPs can be used to: Assess your candidates Adapt for your own assessment programmes Help you develop your own assessments

UASPs – key features Valid from August 2013 Designed to encourage professional judgement Provide broad-based tasks – allow assessors to choose appropriate context and forms of evidence Show range of approaches to generating assessment evidence Give information on the type of evidence which could be gathered and how this is to be judged against Assessment Standards Nominees may have looked at none/some/all of the UASPs It is important at this stage to emphasise the key roles of practitioners in the development of the UASPs – some of the nominees/TLs may have been involved in the writing of the UASPs. From your perspective as a PV explain the quality assurance processes that both you and SQA staff been involved in before they were published. Describe the 4 column approach to judging evidence ensuring that nominees understand that column 1 is Outcomes, column 2 Assessment Standards and column 3 information to support making judgements which is the same in each UASP for that Unit and cannot be changed and column 4 information specific information relating to the assessment in Appendix 1. For each of the bullets 2, 3, 4, and 5 give an example from your subject:

Biology UASPs Package 1 Unit by Unit approach for N3, for N4 and for N5 (9 in total) Task 1: Outcome 1, Task 2 Ass.St. 2.2 & 2.3, Task 3 questions on Ass.St. 2.1 & 2.4 Package 2 Combined across the 3 Units at N3, at N4 & at N5 (3 in total) Assessment activity 1: Outcome 1 & Ass.St. 2.2 & 2.3 Assessment activity 2: q uestions covering Ass.St. 2.1 Package 3 Portfolio approach across the 3 Units at N3, at N4 & at N5 (3 in total) Insert for own subject

National 4 Added Value Unit Makes the Course more than the sum of its parts Builds on current Course assessment and Group Award approaches Defined as breadth, challenge and/or application as outlined in Building the Curriculum 5 May involve accumulation, assimilation, integration and/or application of skills, knowledge and understanding Controlled assessment –setting conducting and marking Relate the bullet points to your subject with examples.

N4 AV Unit: Biology Assignment This Unit is a mandatory Unit of the National 4 Biology Course and is also available as a free-standing Unit. Learners will investigate a topical issue in biology, using knowledge and skills selected from Cell Biology/Multicellular Organisms/Life on Earth key areas. Internally marked pass or fail Insert subject specific information.

Outcome 1 (only) Apply skills and knowledge to investigate a topical issue in biology and its impact on society/the environment by: 1.1 Choosing, with justification, a relevant issue in biology 1.2 Researching the issue 1.3 Presenting appropriate information/data 1.4 Explaining the impact, in terms of the biology involved 1.5 Communicating the findings of the investigation

N5 Internal Assessment of Course Components Controlled assessment is SQA’s approach to developing assessments (setting), the conditions of assessment (conducting), and marking assessments (marking). SQA is introducing controlled assessment for non-question paper components of the Added Value Unit and new National Courses at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher. Select from the information below where relevant it internal assessment of course components for your subject at National 5 Controlled assessment is designed to ensure that: assessment is valid, reliable and fair assessment is manageable for all involved — learners, teachers, and centres assessment methods are consistently applied for all learners   SQA-led activity — SQA sets and marks the assessments and sets tightly-controlled assessment conditions shared responsibility between SQA and centres — for example, centres set and mark assessments using exemplification and/or guidance provided by SQA; assessment is conducted under some supervision and control, as specified by SQA centre-led — centres have flexibility in how to set and mark the assessment, and what the conditions of assessment should be, in line with broad subject-specific guidance and overall policies and procedures laid down by SQA

eg. Assessment Standard 2.1 (Making accurate statements) Controlled assessment This performance is: set by centres within SQA guidelines conducted under a high degree of supervision and control   Evidence will be internally marked by centre staff in line with SQA marking instructions. Marking will be quality assured by SQA. The performance will be recorded. Insert for your subject

Moving on Workshop 1 and 2 will give you the opportunity to look at the Unit Specifications and Unit Assessment Support Packages in detail.