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Assessment overview

Students in Queensland benefit from a formal program of standards-based assessment. The major purposes of the assessment program are to:

improve teaching
help students achieve the highest standards they can within their own capabilities
provide meaningful reports to parents/carers on students' achievements.

Those parts of the assessment program constructed by the QSA are linked to the syllabuses developed and approved by the QSA.

At various key junctures, students' achievements in the assessment program are reported formally to parents, schools, school systems, the Queensland Minister for Education and Training and the Federal Minister for Education, Science and Training.

The table below summarises the formal assessment program. By following the links for each part of the program, you can obtain more information.

Prep to Year 2

Assessment program	Year level	Purpose	Form of assessment	Links to syllabus	Reports
Early Learning Record	Prep	Build a picture of children's learning and development during Prep and on transition to Year 1	Folio-based assessment Teachers' observations, notes of focused discussions with children, analysis of samples of children's work	Learning statements and descriptors of phases of learning in the Early Years Curriculum Guidelines	Prep teachers discuss folios of work with parents/carers Prep teachers provide individual reports to Year 1 teachers
Year 2 Diagnostic Net	1-3	Monitor students' progress in literacy and numeracy Diagnose individual learning needs in literacy (reading and writing) and numeracy (number)	Structured reading Structured writing task Structured numeracy task Writing short coherent text	Levelled outcomes and core content of the English and Mathematics KLA syllabuses	Schools send individual reports to parents State schools report phase descriptions to DETA*

*DETA = Department of Education, Training and the Arts

Years 3 to 9

Assessment program	Year level	Purpose	Form of assessment	Links to syllabus	Reports
National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy	3, 5, 7, 9	Report comparable data across states and territories, including percentages of students meeting minimal benchmarks in reading, writing and numeracy	Standardised test containing multiple choice questions, short response questions and a writing task	Not specified	Individual reports to parents/carers Aggregated and individual data to DETA and QCEC; aggregated data to ISQ and Qld Minister for Education, Training and the Arts*
Queensland Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting (QCAR) framework: Queensland Comparable Assessment Tasks (QCATs) in English, Mathematics, and Science and one other area (extended trial 2008, general implementation from 2009)	4, 6, 9	Improve student learning and develop consistency of teachers' judgements about student work Improve teachers' assessment capabilities	QSA-developed assessment tasks, implemented, marked and moderated by teachers in schools	QCAR Essential Learnings and Standards in revised KLA syllabuses	Five achievement standards reported to parents

*DETA = Department of Education, Training and the Arts; QCEC = Queensland Catholic Education Commission; ISQ = Independent Schools Queensland Incorporated. Aggregated data is also reported in the annual National Report on Schooling.

Years 10 to 12

Assessment program	Year level	Purpose	Form of assessment	Links to syllabus	Reports
Externally-moderated school-based assessment for Authority subjects	10-12	Comparable levels of achievement for credit for the Queensland Certificate of Education and the basis for Subject Achievement Indicators for Overall Positions and Field Positions for tertiary entrance	School-based exams Observation of practical performances Oral presentations Multi-media presentations Write-ups of projects, assignments and field work	Chosen by schools within the specifications stipulated in senior syllabuses Fully integrated with objectives, core subject matter, learning experiences, criteria and standards matrixes, and assessment folio specifications/ assessment guidelines	Five levels of achievement on students' Statements of Results
Quality-assured school based assessment for Authority-registered subjects	10-12	Credible levels of achievement for credit for the Queensland Certificate of Education and tertiary entrance schedules administered by the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre
Workplace, community and self-directed learning projects	10-12	Completion of projects for credit for the Queensland Certificate of Education	Self-assessment, supervisor observation matched to skill sets outlined in learning project guidelines	Not to be linked to syllabuses	Statement of completion on students' Statements of Results
Vocational education and training (VET)	10-12	Completion or partial completion of competencies/qualifications for credit for the Queensland Certificate of Education and for employment after school or further training	Observation of practical performances written tasks oral presentations portfolios of projects, assignments, field work	Linked to nationally-endorsed training packages and nationally-accredited courses	Schools who are Registered Training Organisations issue qualifications and statements of attainment Qualifications/ competencies are recorded on students' Statements of Results*
Senior External Examination	12	Comparable levels of achievement for some students in some subjects for the Queensland Certificate of Education and tertiary entrance requirements	Centrally-devised and marked written papers, orals, observations of practical performances	Fully integrated with objectives, core subject matter, learning experiences, criteria and standards matrixes, and examination specifications in external senior syllabuses	Five levels of achievement on students' Statements of Results
Queensland Core Skills Test	12	Scaling parameters for calculation of Overall Positions and Field Positions for entrance to Queensland tertiary institutions and Interstate Transfer Indices for students moving interstate	Standardised test incorporating multiple choice questions, short response questions and a writing task	Tests common curriculum elements across all Authority syllabuses	Five grades (A-E) recorded on students' Statements of Results
Individual achievements	11, 12	Provide students with impairments or particular learning difficulties with a formal record of their achievement	Teacher observation of learning outcomes from students' individual learning plans	Not applicable	Achievements recorded on the Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement

*Aggregated data is reported in the annual National Report on Schooling and by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research.

Last updated: 20 May 2008