Memorandum to Schools 92/2009
26 August 2009
On Demand Testing New Items Trial - October/November 2009
New Items Trial
The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) is developing new items for the On Demand Assessment program that will assist teachers to monitor their students’ development against the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) to Level 6. To ensure the validity of the new items and to determine their difficulty level, the VCAA will be conducting online item trials between 19 October and 19 November 2009.
The VCAA is seeking the participation of schools which are active users of the On Demand testing program to trial the new items online via the On Demand Linear Test function. Trial Linear Tests, each containing approximately 30 new items, will be available online from early October.
Participation in this trial is voluntary
Trial tests will be available for English and Mathematics and will cover VELS Standard Level 3 to working beyond Level 6, with the majority of new items targeting VELS Standard Levels 5, 6 and beyond 6.
As with current On Demand tests, teachers will need to download the Trial Linear Tests and set up sessions for their students to sit the tests.
Participation in the Trials
Schools need to register for the trials by completing and faxing the Agreement to Participate form to the VCAA P-10 Assessment Unit, Attention Fran O’Mara, on fax. (03) 9225 2371.
Please register your participation by 18 September 2009
When registering to participate, schools must nominate a School Contact Person responsible for administering the New Items Trial at the school and for management of data extraction.
On Demand Item Level Data and Data Collection
As part of the new item trials, the VCAA will need to collect the On Demand item level data of students’ responses. This will enable calibration and integration of the new items into the On Demand system. Also, the VCAA will use the item level data for a system wide review of On Demand items.
The VCAA will provide the school contact with step-by-step instructions on extraction of the On Demand item level data from the school On Demand program and its return to the VCAA P-10 Assessment Unit.
If you have any queries regarding the New Items Trial please contact the project manager, Fran O’Mara, by phone on (03) 9225 2369 or by email: o'mara.frances.f@edumail.vic.gov.au
Attachments
- On Demand New Items Trial, Agreement to Participate Form (DOC - 49.5KB)
