Assessment Maps (Annotated student work)
Introduction
Assessment maps are now available in the domains and levels listed below. The assessment maps have been developed as a tool to help teachers assess student work using the Victorian Essential Learning Standards. They provide a range of annotated student work samples in each domain that can be used in conjunction with the progression point examples to support teachers in developing a common understanding of the standards and making consistent, on-balance judgments about student achievement. The Standards and Progression Points resource is available in the Assessment and Reporting section.
Published assessment maps
Discipline-based Learning
Interdisciplinary Learning
Features of assessment maps
Each assessment map includes samples of student work at each of the levels for which there are standards. Each work sample is annotated to highlight attributes of the student’s work and the relationship with specific elements of the standards.
Each assessment map also includes samples of student work that illustrate student progress towards achievement of the standards at the progression points relevant to each domain. For example, where a work sample illustrates typical features of student work at the Level 4 standard; samples at 3.25, 3.5 and 3.75 illustrate points of progress towards the Level 4 standard. These are annotated against specific elements of the standards. Teachers will be able to use these work samples in conjunction with the progression point examples to help them recognise typical features of development within each level.
Assessment maps in English and Mathematics include work samples for each dimension, and illustrate typical features of student work at the standards and progression points.
Some work samples have been realigned, where appropriate, from annotated work samples developed for the Curriculum and Standards Framework (CSF) II. In English and Mathematics some work samples are also drawn from AIM assessment items that represent achievement across Victoria against the standards.
The development of the assessment maps has involved the collection of new work samples from government and non-government schools. The VCAA thanks all schools, teachers and students who participated in developing, collecting, assessing and annotating these work samples and acknowledges the Australian Council of Educational Research (2000-2002, 2006) and the Curriculum Corporation (2001-2003) in assisting the VCAA with this work.
About the work samples
The work samples have been produced by Victorian students in response to assessment tasks linked to specific elements of the standards and annotated to help answer the initial question: ‘What does work at this standard look like?’ They are also designed to answer the question: ‘What are typical features of the work of students progressing towards the standard?’ The work samples are not intended to show the full range of student achievement or achievement of all elements of a standard.
Each work sample is presented in a similar format and includes:
- a description of the context for the task from which the work sample was derived
- details of the specific elements of the standards addressed by the task
- where relevant, a copy or description of any stimulus material or worksheets provided to students
- one or more work samples which are typical of the kinds of responses students produce when they are working at the standard or progressing towards the standard including written texts and video presentations
- annotations that identify attributes of the student work linked to a standard.
Some work samples may be a synthesis of several students’ work, combined to give a clear picture of work at or progressing towards the standard. It should be stressed that students rarely perform absolutely uniformly at a given standard; their work will typically include a range of attributes illustrative of working at or towards or beyond a given standard. Teachers will therefore often need to make an on-balance judgment about student work in relation to the expected standard.
There are a number of ways that teachers might use the assessment maps:
- in conjunction with progression point examples as a reference for refining judgments about student work against the standards
- as a reference for developing their own collections of work samples
- to communicate with students and parents about typical expectations
- as a basis for professional development and moderation activities at the school level or in broader forums.
