"

#$%%&'( )*+$, -./0121

(Year 11 student sample, with feedback from Matthew Logan)



"
#$%%&'( )*+$, -./0121




THE CONTEXT

This article represents Authentic Assessment in the form on an essay/extended writing. Authentic
Assessment relies on a variety of challenging tasks that reflect real-world practical activities, focuses on
learning and thinking in an integrated way, views assessment as part of the learning process, allows learning
to continue when assessing, and regards learners as active participants (Brady & Kennedy, 2009, p. 47).
Essays enable students to formulate their own answers to develop an approach, and to determine what
emphasis should be given to particular factual information (Brady & Kennedy, p. 59). Students are assessed
on organising, integrating and communicating ideas. Apart from displaying the skills of exposition and
persuasion, an essay also reveals quality of structuring, grammar and vocabulary. Essays, in the form of
persuasive text, provide greater opportunity for creativity and problem-solving and are a sophisticated form
of learning which involves analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Furthermore, it allows the students relative
freedom in choosing a context and ways in which to answer.

As I live in Melbourne, and this is a senior secondary sample, the presiding curricula jurisdiction is the
Victoria Certificate of Education (VCE) provided by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority
(VCAA). I have therefore referenced the VCE English Study Guide and Handbook (accreditation period
2007-2015) as my primary source of justification. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting
Authority (ACARA) and the National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) will also
be utilised as secondary support.

In English/English as a Second Language, the students level of achievement in Units 1 and 2 is a matter for
school decision (VCAA, 2007). Schools may choose to report levels of achievement using grades,
descriptive statements or other indicators. In this context, I imagine this to be a teacher-devised assessment,
whereby the task was developed by the teacher for their own classroom use, and endorsed by the
Department of Education and Training. This could have been included within VCE English Unit 2 Area
of Study 3: Using Language to Persuade Outcome 3, presented below:


(VCAA VCE Study Design English, 2007-2015)

VCE STUDY DESIGN 45

ENGLISH Advice for teachers
AREA OF STUDY 2: Creating and presenting
The learning activities listed in Unit 1 for this area of study are also appropriate for Unit 2.
Outcome 2 Examples of learning activities
Create and present
texts taking account
of audience, purpose
and context.
Unit 2 provides an opportunity for teachers to continue and further develop the
work completed as part of Unit 1 (Area of Study 2).
Alternatively, teachers or schools may select a second Context from the list.
AREA OF STUDY 3: Using language to persuade
Outcome 3 Examples of learning activities
Identify and analyse
how language is
used in a persuasive
text and to present
a reasoned point of
view in an oral or a
written form.
after exploring the impact of active and passive voice, use a resource like
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_actpass.html
after gaining a rm grasp of active and passive voice, select a newspaper piece
and analyse this aspect of language use; students rewrite a particular passage in
the opposite voice; discuss how this alters the persuasive impact
Students could:
listen to a formal presentation, e.g. a radio lecture, a broadcast speech, and then
present the same information informally to a group of peers; explain the changes
made to the structure and language
examine examples of community campaign advertisements and comment on the
associations, omissions and emotive appeals
watch segments of satirical documentaries; analyse the persuasive techniques;
critique the arguments presented paying particular attention to the structure of the
argument and the evidence presented
without using sound, view video segments of well-known people or media
identities to analyse body language, and then add the sound for analysis of
spoken language
in small groups, prepare and perform a panel discussion between representatives
of organisations with differing views about an issue
read a letter to the editor and prepare a response, expressing an alternative point
of view
write a letter to a local newspaper presenting a reasoned point of view on a local
issue
plan a multimodal presentation for the class on an issue relevant to students;
survey their opinions before and after the presentation; evaluate the effectiveness
of the presentation
Updated October 2013

"
#$%%&'( )*+$, -./01"1






This outcome requires students to identify and analyse the use of persuasive text. The classroom teacher
could have scripted this particular learning activity as follows:

TASK:
Write a persuasive text, in the form of an article, based on a current issue in todays society. In your
response, express a standpoint that signifies your opinion and present in a persuasive manner. It order to
gain understanding of your chosen topic, use a selection of media articles, such as newspaper clippings,
and/or factual references for support.


This form of assessment is categorised by a number of technical terms and modes. According to Brady &
Kennedy (2009, pp. 3-17), this learning activity would fall under the following headings:

Type of Assessment
Criterion-Referenced
Assessment
Shows how an individual students performance compares with some predefined
criterion or goal. Its function is to demonstrate what students know and are able
to do; it does not seek to compare students
Standards-Based
Assessment
Uses criterion-referencing to show a students performance in relation to
expected levels of achievement at a specific grade level or stage of schooling
Alternative Assessment Asks students to create a response or a product to demonstrate level of
achievement (eg essay, painting, oral presentation, open-ended question, group
projects)
Authentic Assessment An alternative form of assessment that engaged students in real world tasks,
such as those likely to take place as part of daily living (as opposed to
decontextualized paper-and-pencil tasks), requiring the application of specific
knowledge and skills
Formative Assessment
(Assessment for
Learning):
Provides feedback to students about the progress they are making in learning
new concepts, skills or attitudes. It can take place during the teaching learning
process or as structured feedback on work samples submitted by students. Such
feedback can assist students to improve their learning and can also help teachers
to develop new and more effective ways of teaching
Formal Assessment Carried out as a discrete, structured information-gathering task


ANALYTIC RUBRICS

A rubric is a special form of rating scale that allows the marker to provide descriptive feedback about the
quality of students work with reference to numerous specific criteria (Killen, 2005, p. 209). Specifically,
analytic rubrics provide feedback on individual criteria that are directly related to the outcomes being
assessed. This is the most appropriate form of grading for this formative piece of assessment, as it clearly
outlines what the marker will be focusing on in determining a quality outcome. With this in mind, I have
tailor-made an analytic, criterion-referenced rubrics containing ten marking criteria, based on NAPLANs
Persuasive Writing Marking Guide (2013). Following this rubrics, I have included specific annotations for
the student to reflect and develop their skills for further writing tasks.