Updated: Mar 2000 | Assessment - Classroom Approaches | On-balance Judgements

Assessment - On-balance Judgements

The shift away from the transmission of a body of knowledge (according to a timetable) to a 'continue until succeed' approach means that the monitoring of outcomes is the fundamental basis of outcomes-based education. ... An assumption that a set of outcomes can be defined, agreed upon and interpreted similarly by all stakeholders is central to this shift in approach. Griffin, P.Outcomes and Profiles: Changes in Teachers' Assessment Practices. Curriculum Perspectives (1998), p.9

Judgements about students' achievement need to be based on teachers' knowledge of the students and their work, gained over time and in a range of situations.

Under the Outcomes and Standards Framework, this knowledge is derived from assessments that provide opportunities for students to demonstrate outcomes.

Teachers make initial judgements about students' levels of achievement and then refine these judgements by examining the outcomes at that level and at subsequent levels.

Judgement is related to the determination about consistency of demonstration of outcomes at a level and the independence of those demonstrations. A single instance of demonstration of an outcome is not sufficient. Teachers require evidence over time to confidently confirm achievement of an outcome and, subsequently, of a level.

Determining consistency of demonstration requires a curriculum that acknowledges that different contexts impose different conditions. Confirmation of the transfer of the required knowledge, skills and understandings outlined in the outcome to different contexts is basic to an 'on-balance' judgement. The curriculum needs to allow for this by ensuring a range of contexts in learning programs and assessments.

Achievement of an outcome at a particular level cannot be confirmed until demonstrations are consistently independent of prompts, scaffolding, etc. provided by others.

The exception to this is when the strand or substrand outcome statement includes reference to a level of outside support. For example, in the Working Mathematically strand, the substrand Mathematical Strategies at Level 2 states:

Poses mathematical questions prompted by similar or related questions and represents questions using objects, pictures, symbolic statements or mental images.

When teachers describe the level of student achievement for strands that have substrands, they must be able to confirm the student has achieved all the substrand outcomes at that level.

Teachers may find that, within a strand, students demonstrate different levels of achievement for different substrands. Any attempt to average the level of achievement across the substrands would not accurately describe the student's achievement for that strand.

When making on-balance judgements about the level of student achievement in a strand that has substrands, teachers will also need to consider the interdependence of the substrands.

Teachers will gain valuable information by recognising instances of differential achievement by students in the substrands. It will enable them to:

	plan teaching and learning experiences to suit the students' specific needs.
	give meaningful feedback to students to promote more informed understanding of learning processes.
	inform students of the requirements for achievement.
	assist in highlighting students' strengths and weaknesses.

Lack of acknowledgment of the differences in students' achievement at the substrand level may limit their achievement of higher levels. The interconnectedness of the substrands at a particular level means a lack of progress in one will eventually limit progress in the other substrands.