For many years schools ran to a basic formula:
1. Set Programme based on Syllabus
2. Teach
3. Revise
4. Test
5. Correct major issues (repeat 2,3,4,5 for each topic)
6. Exam
7. Grade students to normalised performance (repeat 2,3,4,5,6,7 for each semester)
The major issue with this approach was that the level of students on entry was not evaluated, grades were based on cohort performance, delivery was more important than learning and student anxiety for high stakes testing impacted on health and student performance.
This process changed during outcomes based education to:
1. Diagnose level of students using existing grades and standardised testing
2. Set Programme based on evidence
3. Teach
4. Check level of understanding through formative assessment
5. Revise
6. Perform summative assessment using appropriate assessment technique
7. Correct major issues (repeat 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 for each topic)
8. Grade students to developmental continuum (repeat 2,3,4,5,6,7 for each semester)
The issue with this approach is that the requirement to follow the Syllabus is not clear and the overhead for meeting the needs of every student is higher. Schools can deviate significantly from the intended curriculum and grading can become difficult as what is being taught in each school is different, as is interpretation of the developmental continuum.
This process changed during the A-E standardised grading period (Australian Curriculum) to:
1. Set Programme based on Syllabus.
3. Set level of delivery based on evidence gathered
4. Teach
5. Check level of understanding through formative assessment
6. Revise
7. Perform summative assessment using appropriate assessment technique
8. Correct major issues (repeat 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 for each topic)
9. Grade students using on grade related descriptors based on their predicted end of year performance (repeat 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 for each semester)
