Assessment Task Sheet

Assessment Task Information

Faculty: Modern History
Course: HSC Modern History (Stage 6)
Unit: Core Study: Power and Authority in the Modern World 1919–1946

Task Title: Oral assessment task

Task marks: 25
Weighting: 20% Task No: 1 of 4
*Knowledge and
understanding of course
content 10%
*Historical inquiry and
research 5%
*Communication of
historical understanding
in appropriate forms 5%
Date issues: Date for submission:

Assessment Task Details

Description of Activity:
Oral presentation that requires students are to use what they have learned so far this
term about The Nazi regime up until 1939 and their own research to create a 3 minute
speech that addresses the following.

Task instructions:
Identify three factors that you believe were the most crucial factors that led to the rise of
Hitler and the Nazi party, and assess the importance of these factors in the consolidation
of the Nazi Party’s power.
Speeches that go over 3:35 or below 2:25 will receive a deducted mark.

Stage 6 school-based assessment task - Year 12 (500 words) Evaluation (1500 words)
From using what you have learned so far this term and your own research, create a three-
minute speech that addresses the following:
Identify three factors that you believe were the most crucial factors that led to the rise of
Hitler and the Nazi party, and assess the importance of these factors in the consolidation
of the Nazi Party’s power.
You must formulate your own argument and strongly reinforce your argument with
evidence. Your speech should argue three main points and make an assessment on how
these points have allowed for the rise of the Nazi Party.
Any speech that goes over 3:35 or below 2:25 will receive a 20% deduction from their
total mark.
Students are encouraged to read via palm cards rather than from an A4 paper.
Students are to read their speeches in front of the class in an allocated lesson.

Context
Contextual statement:

Task rationale
Contextual statement:
This task was designed to enhance students’ critical thinking skills and develop their
ability to argue a point of view. History is much more than presenting facts, important
dates, and knowledge. This assignment attempts to engage students in a task that
encourages students to effectively communicate their argument and doing so through
historical concepts and the process of historical inquiry.
Ability to formulate an argument and confidently provide their argument via speech. By
having the students undertake an oral assessment task this has many transferable skills
that relate to other topics other than Modern History. The format for this assessment is
very similar to essay writing in that the students have to form an argument and provide
evidence that supports their argument. Of course, this is something that History students

Stage 6 school-based assessment task - Year 12 (500 words) Evaluation (1500 words)
will need to practice before undergoing their HSC exams because the brunt of the exam is
essay writing.

Outcomes to be assessed
Outcome Description
The Nazi regime to The outcomes that are to be assigned are aligned with the stage 6
1939
Modern History Syllabus. These outcome points would have
* the rise of the Nazi
party and Hitler in already been taught in class and now they are being assessed to
Germany and the
collapse of the Weimar
ascertain what the students know and understand about these
Republic (ACHMH129, syllabus outcomes.
ACHMH130)

* the initial
consolidation of Nazi
power 1933–1934
(ACHMH130)

*proposes arguments
about the varying
causes and effects of
events and
developments MH12-2

* evaluates the role of

historical features,
individuals, groups and
ideas in shaping the
past MH12-3

*plans and conducts

historical
investigations and
presents reasoned
conclusions, using
relevant evidence from
a range of sources
MH12-8

*communicates
historical
understanding, using
historical knowledge,
concepts and terms, in

appropriate and well-

structured forms
MH12-9

Stage 6 school-based assessment task - Year 12 (500 words) Evaluation (1500 words)
Criteria for assessing learning
Marking criteria
Mark range Criteria
1-5 Presents a limited number of factors that show how the Nazi Party
came to power.
*Presentation exceeds 3:35 or does not reach past 2:25
*Speech is given with very little clarity and does not flow well
structurally.

6-10 *Presents a descriptive narration, with some mention of factors that

influenced the rise of the Nazi Party.
*Limited use of historical terms and concepts.
*Few instances of oral difficulties
11-15 *Outlines some factors that account for the rise of the Nazi Party.
* Presents a speech that identifies some key features of the period and
provides some historical information incorporating historical terms.
*Speech has minor instances of unclear communication.
16-20 *States three factors for the rise of the Nazi Party and reports on the
significance of this development.
*The argument is sustained and logical and the answer draws upon
relevant features of the period which is supported by relevant and
accurate historical information.
*Speech is conducted quite clearly, one or two instances of unclear
speech.
21-25 *Examines and accounts for three factors and the significance of these
factors in the role of the Nazi Party’s power gain.

Stage 6 school-based assessment task - Year 12 (500 words) Evaluation (1500 words)
 *Presents a coherent, sustained and well-structured presentation
drawing upon clear identification of factors and assessing the
importance of those factors which is well supported by research.
*Accurately uses a range of appropriate historical terms and concepts
*Speech is presented with excellent clarity.

Scaffold
1. POINT: State your point (argument as outlined in your intro)
2. EXPLAIN: State a reason
3. EVIDENCE: Give an example (you can use Technique + Quote if you are dealing
with a text)
4. RESTATE: Restate your point

Sample Scaffold

RESPONSE Follow the P.E.E.R. Structure for each paragraph

STRUCTURE

 MAIN POINT
1:
This is your Topic
sentence and sets up
a mini argument.

 EXPLAIN:
- State a reason why
this point stands

- Link back to the

topic you are
arguing

 EVIDENCE:
Give an example to
persuade/prove your
point.

 RESTATE:
Restate your thesis
point and explain
how you have
proved it.

Stage 6 school-based assessment task - Year 12 (500 words) Evaluation (1500 words)
  TRANSITION:
Create a linking
statement to your
next point

Stage 6 school-based assessment task - Year 12 (500 words) Evaluation (1500 words)
 Evaluation
Evaluate the importance of assessment and approaches to feedback and assessment design that
will inform your practice in your teaching area. 1500 words

The process of assessment is of high importance in a teaching and learning environment.

Assessment tasks have a significant importance in schooling, especially when students

reach stage 6. According to the Assessment and Reporting in Modern History Stage 6

syllabus, (2018) assessment is the process of gathering valid and useful information and

making judgements about student achievement for a variety of purposes. Assessment

thereby provides teachers with the evidence needed that shows the student understands

the content and can apply it to a particular aspect of that course and thus attain course

achievement. What makes a quality assessment is the following, the assignment must be

appropriately aligned with outcomes, content and concepts. There must also be an

accessibility for all stages and abilities. As well as this it is important to include inclusive

language and provide scaffolding for all students. And lastly, there must be consistent

language use and consistent feedback given to students. Assessment is most effective

when students, are involved in setting learning goals, know and understand assessment

criteria, are able to monitor their own learning and reflect on their progress, and receive

feedback that helps them understand how to improve their learning (Assessment and

reporting in Modern History Stage 6 syllabus, 2018). As well as this, it is important to

create assessment tasks that are not biased towards certain genders or cultures so that

there is an unfair advantage gained by any of the students. The assessment tasks should

be set within reasonable expectations so that the students will be able to achieve a

Stage 6 school-based assessment task - Year 12 (500 words) Evaluation (1500 words)
successful result whilst not creating an assessment that is far too simple. Feedback is also

a crucial component to assessment and can be the pathway that helps students learn

from their mistakes to therefore gain course achievement.

Firstly, it is important to look at the way we approach assessment tasks and the way in

which we report success or failure in a school setting. When selecting an assessment task

for students it is crucial to not select an assessment task that is far too easy for the

students. Similarly, it is important not to create an assessment task for students that is far

too challenging because this will only set the students up for failure and thus disengage

the learners. For instance, Masters (2014) notes that, “Providing success experiences

depends on the assessment task. If students are given tasks on which they are likely to

succeed, then the resulting success experiences will make learning more pleasurable,

increase engagement, build self-confidence and lead to further learning success” (p. 4).

However, the experience of failing an assessment task will lead to lower self-confidence

and thus poorer learning outcomes in students (Masters, 2014). This is why the

assessment task that I have created is slightly beyond the comfort zone of students so

that success is possible, but it may require scaffolding or assistance. This idea Is what

Vygotsky (1978) referred to as the ‘zone of proximal development’. By assessing students,

we are able to ascertain what students do and what they do not know. Coupling this with

appropriate feedback is a way that can allow for teachers and students to adapt a growth

mindset in regard to teaching and learning.

As Dweck (2006) comments

Stage 6 school-based assessment task - Year 12 (500 words) Evaluation (1500 words)
 “Many educators think that lowering their standards will give students success

experiences, boost their self-esteem, and raise their achievement ... Well, it doesn't

work. Lowering standards just leads to poorly educated students who feel entitled to

easy work and lavish praise (p. 193).

This comment made by Dweck was one of the main reasons why I chose an oral

assessment task because it is an achievable expectation for students without being a too

simplistic task. It is thus important to create an assessment task that seeks to assess what

the students know and understand in a way that it is slightly beyond their comfort zone.

Similarly, it is essential to adapt a growth mindset when it comes to teaching and learning

in regard to assessment. This does not mean we should lower the expectations to create a

positive view of assessment results. Instead, it should set a high expectation of every

learner, especially gifted and talented students who are sometimes not challenged

appropriately when it comes to assessment (Masters, 2014). A growth mindset can also

change how we define failure. Under a growth mindset, failure is defined as inadequate

learning process rather than failure in year level expectations (Masters, 2014). As well as

this, adopting a growth mindset can change teachers’ perceptions of thinking that there

are only good learners and poor learners who fail to perform to a year level expectation,

and understanding that despite students may be at different learning levels, all students

are capable of good learning progress (Masters, 2014).

Furthermore, when creating an assessment task, it is imperative to ensure that there is

equity and fairness for all learners involved. This is important because not only can

Stage 6 school-based assessment task - Year 12 (500 words) Evaluation (1500 words)
different gendered teachers perceive and define achievement, different gendered

students may perform better in certain assessment tasks as opposed to their opposite sex

(Chilisa, 2000). When looking at gender inequalities and fairness in assessment it is

important to ask the following questions: How is achievement defined? Who defines

achievement and in whose interest? What is the purpose of achievement? Who grades?

Who defines the criteria for grading? (Chilisa, 2000). If teachers address these questions,

then there will be a conscious effort to avoid creating an assessment task that is biased to

one gender or unfair to a particular gender. Chilisa (2000) argues that a way in which we

can achieve gender fairness in assessment is to generate a balance in the number of tasks

that boys would be more successful in and do the same with girls. Maintaining such a

balance could be an effective strategy that ensures no knowledge is devalued or

discriminated against. This may be an implication for the assessment task that I have

created because this task is centred on the reflection of oral and language skills. This is

something that Chilisa (2000) identified as being a more female dominated area.

However, this task is still important because when we look at learning about history we

look at whether the learner’s language skills reflect an understanding of the way

historians think (Mullin & Hill, 1997). As well as this, the learner must be able to

understand what accurate evidence is and how to use this to persuade people with their

point of view, a task that has little bias towards either gender (Mullin & Hill, 1997).

Lastly, feedback is a crucial component of assessment and must be considered carefully

so that learners can make a positive change after receiving their assessment mark.

Therefore, feedback needs to be provided so that students can actually make a change, if

Stage 6 school-based assessment task - Year 12 (500 words) Evaluation (1500 words)
you cannot make a change from what is provided then the feedback is useless. It is

important to understand how a student thinks about receiving feedback on their

assessment task. This is because how a student interprets and deals with feedback is

crucial to the success of a formal assessment task and will also be critical in helping the

student move forward as a learner (Poulos & Mahony, 2008). Therefore, it is important to

use feedback as a tool that constructively encourages students rather than put them

down for their poor mark. When using feedback, it is essential to understand that

different students will have different self-belief. Therefore, there should be a conscious

effort to tailor feedback more explicitly and frequently to encourage reflection and help

achieve understanding (Poulos & Mahony, 2008). From this it can be seen that teachers

should not use a blanket response for all students when giving feedback. Instead,

feedback should be catered for each individual so that they are put in a position where

they can be encouraged to grow as learners.

To conclude, when looking at assessment it is important that students are given a task

that actively challenges what they know and at the same time encourages students to

grow as learners. As well as this, the assessment task should be undertaken in a manner

that is fair and equitable to all learners. Feedback is also an important element of

assessment and this can be crucial to allowing for students to adopt a growth mindset

rather than be discouraged if they receive a poor assessment mark.

Stage 6 school-based assessment task - Year 12 (500 words) Evaluation (1500 words)
Stage 6 school-based assessment task - Year 12 (500 words) Evaluation (1500 words)
 References

Chilisa, B. (2000). Towards Equity in Assessment: Crafting gender-fair

assessment. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 7(1), pp.61-81.

Dweck, C.S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Balantine Books.

Masters, Geoff N. (2014). Towards a growth mindset in assessment. Practically

Primary, 19(2), 4.

Mullin, J. and Hill, W. (1997). The Evaluator as Evaluated: The Role of Formative

Assessment in History Class. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational

Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 71(2), pp.88-91.

NESA (2018). Assessment and Reporting in Modern History Stage 6 syllabus. Retrieved

from, https://syllabus.nesa.nsw.edu.au/assets/global/files/assessment-and-

reporting-in-modern-history-stage-6.pdf

Poulos, A. and Mahony, M. (2008). Effectiveness of feedback: the students’

perspective. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 33(2), pp.143-154.

Stage 6 school-based assessment task - Year 12 (500 words) Evaluation (1500 words)
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes

(M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S Scribner & E Souberman, Eds & Trans.). Cambridge, MA:

Harvard University Press.

Stage 6 school-based assessment task - Year 12 (500 words) Evaluation (1500 words)