AAS level Chemistry TAS

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A/AS level Chemistry TAS

• Workshop for Teachers
• 22 October 2005

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Teacher Assessment Scheme

• Practical paper of the A/AS level Chemistry
  Examination
• 20 of the subject mark
• Compulsory to all school candidates (including
  first-timers and repeaters)
• Private candidates either (i) use previous TAS
  result , or (ii) take practical exam

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TAS allows

• better link betn theory and practical work
• students to experience a wider range of
  experimentation
• the assessment of a full range of practical
  abilities
• a reduction in examination pressure
• teachers to provide frequent feedback to students
• an increase in teachers professionalism

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Information about TAS

• Refer to Handbook on the A/AS Chemistry Teacher
  Assessment Scheme
• HKEAA website www.hkeaa.edu.hk
• Enquiry 28343211 Ext 668

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Requirements of TAS

• Enough bench space and apparatus per candidate
• Lab work should cover different areas and types
  of experiment
• Area CH, EQ, KI EN
• Type P, QL and QN

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Requirements of TAS(contd)

• Manipulative skills, skill in observation and
  general bench performance
• Presentation of data, interpretation of results,
  planning of experiments and project work
• attitude towards practical chemistry

• Ability area A
• Ability area B
• Ability area C

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Starting from 2007 Examination
Minimum number of experiments 2007 TAS
handbook P.5---3.3--- (b)
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Starting from 2007 Examination
Assessment Requirement 2007 TAS handbook
P.6--- (d)
A-level
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Starting from 2007 Examination
Assessment Requirement 2007 TAS handbook
P.6--- (d)
AS-level
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Starting from 2007 Examination
Assessment Requirement S7 repeater/transfer
candidate 2007 TAS handbook P.6--- (e)
A-level
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Starting from 2007 Examination
Assessment Requirement S7 repeater/transfer
candidate 2007 TAS handbook P.6--- (e)
AS-level
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Making assessments

• Assess each student sufficiently on each ability.
• Not necessary to assess all students on the same
  day and on the same experiment.
• Assess as unobtrusively as possible.

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Making assessments (contd)

• Assess on a 10-point scale
• 10-9 very good
• 8-7 good
• 6-5 average
• 4-3 weak
• 2-1 very weak

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Making assessments (contd)

• 3 ways for allocation of marks
• (i) Mark Scheme
• (ii) Impression
• (iii) Overall impression over a longer period of
  time, for a particular area e.g. area C

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Project work in TAS

• Not compulsory
• Involve practical work and experimental
  investigation
• Include
• designing experiment
• performing the investigation
• writing the report

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Project work in TAS (contd)

• One project max. 3 experiments
• For each student, each project can be used to
  assess 1A 1B only

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Common questions raised by teachers
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(1) Swapping courses

• (A) School candidates (first-timers)

If school is not currently registered in the
list of AS TAS school, it must obtain approval
from ED for running AS Chem and inform HKEAA.
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(1) Swapping courses (contd)

• (B) School candidates (repeaters)

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(3) Lab reports

• Language medium used must be the same as that
  chosen for the written exam.
• Detailed reports include
• object of expt, chemical principles involved,
  experimental method, results, interpretation and
  discussion, conclusion.
• All reports should be marked.

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Always consult your group coordinators when you
have queries or problems
Reminder
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Common problems reported by coordinators
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(1) Unclear experiment titles

• E.g. (i) Project 1
• (ii) To prepare a carboxylic acid
• Titles entered in the TAS assessment records
  should be informative and specific.

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(2) No preparative experiments

• Experiments indicated as P are not preparative
  experiments.
• Preparative experiments should involve
  techniques such as
• handling of gases, filtration, crystallization,
  recrystallization, distillation, reflux, drying,
  liquid-liquid extraction, purity control by
  determining melting point / boiling point.
• A minimum of 2 P experiments should be carried
  out w.e.f. 2006 examination for both AL AS.

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(3) Mark range too narrow / too wide

• For each candidate, the mark awarded should
  reflect the typical standard of the candidate.
• For the whole class, the marks awarded should be
  able to discriminate candidates with different
  abilities
• .

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(4) Teacher changes

• Best to have more than one teacher familiar with
  the Scheme
• Out-going teacher to hand over his/her work on
  TAS to new teacher, including
• List of experiments and their handouts
• Records of TAS marks awarded to students e.g.
  printouts of software
• TAS program, its passwords, and backup
  diskettes, if any
• Inform coordinator of the change

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Common problems reported by TAS Administration
Team

• Late submission

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Common problems reported by TAS Administration
Team

• Schools did not submit declaration or did not
  sign the declaration properly

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Common problems reported by TAS Administration
Team

• Schools did not submit full set of assessment
  record, diskettes or some pages of the hardcopies
  are missing

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Common problems reported by TAS Administration
Team

• Many schools did not check out student who have
  dropped Chemistry or quitted school or admitted
  to universities through the Early Admission Scheme

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Common problems reported by TAS Administration
Team

• Schools did not provide signature of teacher or
  principal

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Common problems reported by TAS Administration
Team

• Schools didnt provide explanations for those
  candidates not fulfill minimum TAS requirements

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Questions Answers

• Will the final mark of a candidate be affected if
  he/she has been absent from some of the TAS
  assessment occasions ?

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Questions Answers

• If a candidate suspends his/her study for some
  time during the 2-year course due to medical or
  other reasons (such as engagement in an exchange
  programme in a foreign country), will his/her TAS
  results obtained before the suspension of study
  be counted in his/her final TAS result when
  he/she resumes his/her study?

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Questions Answers

• Within the same class, can some students take the
  examination in Chinese, and some in English? If
  yes, what language medium should these students
  use when writing the laboratory report?

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Questions Answers

• Should the teacher keep all the reports of the
  students? What happens if they lose some of the
  reports?

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Questions Answers

• How to handle the data of students who have left
  the school or will not take the examination?

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Questions Answers

• How can teachers safeguard the data entered
  against any loss due to reformatting of the
  hard-disk or other unfortunate incidents?

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Questions Answers

• Do teachers need to complete all the experiments
  listed in the AL/ASL syllabus? Can teachers
  arrange experiments other than those listed in
  the syllabus for their students?

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Questions Answers

• Is it necessary for the teacher to mark all the
  laboratory reports? Can the teacher just mark
  the reports that are to be assessed?