Building Student Success

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Workshop 9
Using QCATs to support learning
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Workshop aims

• To introduce the QCATs
• To show how QCATs support learning and build
  consistency of teacher judgments

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The five components of the QCAR Framework
Essential Learnings clarify what to teach
Standards provide a common language to describe student achievement
Assessment Bank provides online access to a collection of quality assessments and resources
Queensland Comparable Assessment Tasks (QCATs) in Years 4, 6 and 9 provide evidence of what students know, understand and can do, and support consistency of teacher judgment
Guidelines for Reporting support consistency of reporting
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What are QCATs?
Authentic, performance-based assessments that

• involve solving meaningful problems
• emphasise critical thinking and reasoning
• provide students with the opportunity to do their
  best work
• target a selection of Essential Learnings and
  incorporate the Standards

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QCATs support learning by

• building consistency of teacher judgments
• modelling quality assessment
• providing information to teachers, students and
  parents about
• what students know and can do
• what is working well
• what needs attention.

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QCAT design
QCATs focus on a targeted selection of Essential
Learnings in English, Mathematics and Science in
Years 4, 6 and 9.

• QCATs may be
• centrally devised
• school-devised.

QCATs provide comprehensive information that
support schools in their planning.
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Achieving consistency in teacher judgments
StandardsEvidence Agreement
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QCATs support consistency of teacher judgments
Assessment Design brief Standards Guide to
making judgments Evidence Sample student
responses Agreement A shared understanding
about the application of the Standards to the
evidence
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How teachers work with QCATs

• Teachers are involved in decisions about
• preparation
• implementation
• making judgments
• moderation
• evaluation
• feedback

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Available from the QSA website only
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Using QCATs as a strategy to support learning
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Implementing QCATs

• Preparation
• Special provision
• Student attendance

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Implementing QCATs in your school
Using QCATs to support learning and consistency
of teacher judgments
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QCATs reporting

• A report to parents/carers provides an overall
  grade on each of the QCATs, using the five-point
  standards scale (AE). The overall grade is
  assigned to the student work by the class
  teacher.

Sample report
Year Level and KLA Year 4 English
The Year 4 English QCAT assessed what students know, understand and can do from a selection of Essential Learnings by the end of Year 3.
Brief description of the requirements within the assessment Students were required to work with the problem of locating a lost puppy. They had to listen to an assembly message and then respond to questions about key facts. They interpreted the meaning of a noticeboard message and appreciated the effectiveness of the words and pictures used. Students wrote a thank-you note to the finder of the puppy.
Brief description of how judgments were made Teachers judged and graded the quality of student responses using a common marking guide supported by sample responses.
Overall grade Teacher inserts the appropriate descriptor for A E.
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Reporting sample
Year Level and KLA Year 6 English
The Year 6 English QCAT assessed what students know, understand and can do from a selection of Essential Learnings by the end of Year 5.
Brief description of the requirements within the assessment Students were required to engage the interest of billeted visiting students by writing a description of their favourite local place. They used their knowledge of their local area to prepare an itinerary of places for a billeted student to visit.
Brief description of how judgments were made Teachers judged and graded the quality of student responses using a common marking guide supported by sample responses.
Overall grade Teacher inserts the appropriate descriptor AE.
Year Level and KLA Year 9 English
The Year 9 English QCAT assessed what students know, understand and can do from a selection of Essential Learnings by the end of Year 9.
Brief description of the requirements within the assessment Students were required to design an advertisement that might persuade their school community to care for the local environment. They did this by analysing an advertisement with an environmental message and then drafting an advertisement appropriate to their school community. They provided an explanation of the persuasive techniques they used.
Brief description of how judgments were made Teachers judged and graded the quality of student responses using a common marking guide supported by sample responses.
Overall grade Teacher inserts the appropriate descriptor AE
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More information on the QCAR Framework
Website www.qsa.qld.edu.au Email
office_at_qsa.qld.edu.au