Qualifications Update:

1
Qualifications Update Psychology
2
Key messages Points of stability

• 3 Unit Structure
• Many of the skills knowledge and understanding
  from current Higher are evident in the new Higher
  e.g. research methods and psychological
  approaches and theories
• Qualification is benchmarked to SCQF level 6 and
  so equal to the current Higher in demand
• Approval from SQA is required to deliver the
  qualification

3
Key messages Points of change - Units

• New Unit titles
• Research
• Individual Behaviour
• Social Behaviour
• Higher Units are hierarchical with National 5
  Units
• Flexibility and choice in content and contexts
  for learning and teaching and for Unit assessment

4
Key messages Points of change - Course
Assessment

• Course assessment includes an assignment and a
  question paper
• The assignment will be based on a research brief
  provided by SQA and requires primary research
  skills
• The question paper is 1.5 hours - shorter than
  current paper which lasts 2.5 hours
• All questions in the question paper must be
  answered there are no options

5
Assessment Support Schedule 2013/14
Sept 13 CfE Update Letter
Oct 13 Unit Assessment Support (Package 1)
Feb 14 Unit Assessment Support (Package 2)
Feb 14 Higher Specimen Question Paper
Mar 14 Coursework General Assessment Information
Apr 14 Unit Assessment Support (Package 3)
May 14 Update Mandatory Documents
Jun 14 Update Unit Assessment Support
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PsychologyUnit Assessmentat Higher
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Unit assessment - recap

• Flexible and open Assessment Standards and
  Evidence Requirements in Units
• Greater range of techniques and methodologies for
  assessment encouraged
• Assessments can be designed to provide evidence
  across more than one outcome or Unit combined
  assessments
• More opportunities to gather naturally occurring
  evidence assessment as part of learning and
  teaching
•  

8
Unit Assessment Support purpose

• As at National 5, Assessment Support will be
  provided which you can use to
• Assess your candidates
• Adapt for your own assessment programmes
• Help you develop your own assessments

9
Unit Assessment Support at Higher key features

• Valid from August 2014
• Complements and supports learning and teaching
• Assess competence against Unit Outcomes and
  Assessment Standards
• 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

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Unit assessment support
packages at Higher - approaches

• Package 1
• Unit by Unit approach discrete assessment
  tasks for each Unit
• Package 2
• Portfolio approach naturally occurring
  evidence
• Package 3
• Combined approach groups Outcomes and
  Assessment Standards from different Units

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Assessment Support Package Example

• Unit by Unit approach
• Discrete assessment tasks for each Unit
• Psychology Research
• Psychology Individual Behaviour
• Psychology Social Behaviour

12
Assessment Support Package Example

• Each pack covers
• Outcome and assessment standards
• Overview of assessment
• Evidence to be gathered
• Judging evidence table
• Recording documentation
• Appendix 1 assessment for candidates

13
Assessment Support Package Example

• Unit by Unit approach
• key issues
• Columns 1 3 in the judging evidence table set
  out the standard for Unit assessment.
• Column 4 offers guidance and is different in
  each pack
• re-assessment only on Outcome or Assessment
  Standard that has not been met

14
Workshop Aims

• To understand the assessment and evidence
  requirements of the Unit Assessment Support for
  the Higher Units provided
• To consider a range of ways of generating
  evidence for the Higher Unit Assessment Support
  provided

15
Workshop Task

• In small groups of 2-3, choose one Unit to look
  at and discuss
• the assessment task in the Unit Assessment
  Support provided
• how to generate evidence for the Unit Assessment
  Support provided
• how to make assessment judgments for the Unit
  Assessment Support provided

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PsychologyHigher Course Assessment
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Course Assessment at Higher

• Course Assessment at National 5, Higher and
  Advanced Higher assesses Added Value
• Courses at Higher are normally assessed by one or
  two Components
• Courses at Higher are graded A D, as at present
• Controlled Assessment of setting, conducting and
  marking
• For Psychology there are 2 Components
• Assignment
• Question Paper

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Higher psychology - Assignment

• Setting conducting and marking
• Set by SQA
• Research Assignment
• building on current good practice
• Independent of Unit assessment
• 40 marks
• Word limits
• Conducted under some supervision
• Guidance on authentication of candidate work
• Marked by SQA
• Criteria for marking based on application of
  skills knowledge and understanding

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Higher psychology Question Paper

• Setting conducting and marking
• Set by SQA
• 3 sections with questions of a total value of 20
  marks in each section
• Samples from mandatory content as set out in the
  Course Assessment Specification
• May use scenarios
• Conducted under controlled conditions
• 1 hour 30 minutes
• Marked by SQA
• 60 marks

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Progression from National 5

• National 5 assignment
• Skills knowledge and understanding are
  benchmarked at SCQF level 5
• Assignment task is to plan a piece of small scale
  research
• Higher assignment
• Skills knowledge and understanding are
  benchmarked at SCQF level 6
• Assignment task is the candidates report of
  their own primary research, based on a research
  brief

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Progression from National 5

• National 5 Question Paper
• Skills knowledge and understanding are
  benchmarked at SCQF level 5
• 50 marks
• Higher Question Paper
• Skills knowledge and understanding are
  benchmarked at SCQF level 6
• 60 Marks
• Can sample a greater breadth of knowledge and
  understanding

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Workshop 2 Aim

• To understand the requirements of Higher Course
  Assessments
• Materials provided
• FIOCA Further Information on Course Assessment

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Workshop 2 Task

• Following on from your discussion in Workshop 1,
  and using the materials provided, discuss
• the requirements of the Higher Course Assessment
• how these requirements build on the Higher Units
• how these requirements build on National 5