These are my thoughts... This is just some thinking I have been doing about the situation. I am thinking of not reporting the Progress Outcomes this semester as I need some more thinking and understanding of this issue and guidance from others about this.
I have been in meetings where there have been no decisions, no understanding of reporting in schools, I have been reading the comments and thinking about ways to be able to create a suitable idea on how to do this, even started reading some posts about reports and what it means for parents and whanau, what are the expectations for boards and ERO.
I then unpacked this.
The board of trustees scrutinises the work of the school in achieving valued student outcomes
The activities of the board of trustees have an explicit and relentless focus on student learning, wellbeing, achievement and progress.
Board of trustees members seek and interrogate a range of high quality student data and evaluative information that supports:
- rigorous, honest monitoring of progress and evaluation of effectiveness in improving student outcomes.
My thinking, ask the board of trustees what they want to see? Show them the new curriculum, outline the new progress outcomes and examplers, do the same activity that has been suggested here with teachers and staff rooms, and have them match the progress outcomes and exemplars. Can they unpack the NAME, BPA, DPA, Curriculum Levels, N1, N2, A3, A4, M5, M6, E7 and E8.
A proposed statement?
How would the *INSERT NAME HERE* Board of Trustees like to see the valued student outcomes in relation to student learning, wellbeing, achievement and progress reported for the new strands in Digital Technologies?
These are not based upon Curriculum levels, they are Progress Outcomes, they are not aligned to year levels or ages.
Computational Thinking
The progress outcomes describe the significant learning steps that students take as they develop their expertise in computational thinking for digital technologies.
The diagram below shows the alignment between levels 1–5 of The New Zealand Curriculum and the progress outcomes for computational thinking. The uneven spacing of the progress outcomes reflects the different learning and time required for each outcome and is based on data collected during the development of the digital learning progressions.
Progress outcomes 6–8 set out the learning expected for students engaging in more intensive and specialised digital technologies programmes for NCEA 1, 2 and 3. For this reason, they are directly aligned with levels 6–8 of the curriculum.
Progress outcome 1
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students use their decomposition skills to break down simple non-computerised tasks into precise, unambiguous, step-by-step instructions (algorithmic thinking).
Students give these instructions, identify any errors in them as they are followed, and correct them (simple debugging).
Progress outcome 2
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students give, follow and debug simple algorithms in computerised and non-computerised contexts.
Students use these algorithms to create simple programs involving outputs and sequencing (putting instructions one after the other) in age-appropriate programming environments.
Progress outcome 3
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students decompose problems into step-by-step instructions to create algorithms for computer programs.
Students use logical thinking to predict the behaviour of the programs, and they understand that there can be more than one algorithm for the same problem.
Students develop and debug simple programs that use inputs, outputs, sequence and iteration (repeating part of the algorithm with a loop).
Students understand that digital devices store data using just two states represented by binary digits (bits).
Progress outcome 4
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students decompose problems to create simple algorithms using the three building blocks of programing: sequence, selection, and iteration.
Students implement these algorithms by creating programs that use inputs, outputs, sequence, basic selection using comparative operators, and iteration.
Students debug simple algorithms and programs by identifying when things go wrong with their instructions and correcting them, and they are able to explain why things went wrong and how they fixed them.
Students understand that digital devices represent data with binary digits and have ways of detecting errors in data storage and transmission.
Students evaluate the efficiency of algorithms, recognising that computers need to search and sort large amounts of data.
Students can evaluate user interfaces in relation to their efficiency and usability.
Progress outcome 5
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students independently decompose problems into algorithms.
Students use these algorithms to create programs with inputs, outputs, sequence, selection using comparative and logical operators and variables of different data types, and iteration.
Students determine when to use different types of control structures.
Students document their programs, using an organised approach for testing and debugging.
Students understand how computers store more complex types of data using binary digits, and they develop programs considering human-computer interaction (HCI) heuristics.
Progress outcome 6
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students determine and compare the “cost” (computational complexity) of two iterative algorithms for the same problem size.
Students understand the concept of compression coding for different media types, its typical uses, and how it enables widely used technologies to function.
Students use an iterative process to design, develop, document and test basic computer programs.
Students can apply design principles and usability heuristics to their own designs and evaluate user interfaces in terms of them.
Progress outcome 7
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students analyse concepts in digital technologies (for example, information systems, encryption, error control, complexity and tractability, autonomous control) by explaining the relevant mechanisms that underpin them, how they are used in real world applications, and the key problems or issues related to them.
Students discuss the purpose of a selection of data structures and evaluate their use in terms of trade-offs between performance and storage requirements and their suitability for different algorithms.
Students can use an iterative process to design, develop, document and test advanced computer programs.
Progress outcome 8
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students evaluate concepts in digital technologies (for example, formal languages, network communication protocols, artificial intelligence, graphics and visual computing, big data, social algorithms) in relation to how key mechanisms underpin them and how they are applied in different scenarios when developing real world applications.
Students understand accepted software engineering methodologies and user experience design processes and apply their key concepts to design, develop, document and test complex computer programs.
Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes
The progress outcomes describe the significant learning steps that students take as they develop their expertise in designing and developing digital outcomes.
The diagram below shows the alignment between levels 1–5 of the New Zealand Curriculum and the progress outcomes for designing and developing digital outcomes. The uneven spacing of the progress outcomes reflects the different learning and time required for each outcome and is based on data collected during the development of the digital learning progressions.
Progress outcomes 4–6 set out the learning expected for students engaging in more intensive and specialised digital technologies programmes for NCEA 1, 2 and 3. For this reason, they are directly aligned with levels 6–8 of the curriculum.
Progress outcome 1
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students participate in teacher-led activities to develop, manipulate, store, retrieve and share digital content in order to meet technological challenges. In doing so, students identify digital devices and their purposes and understand that humans make them.
Students know how to use some applications, they can identify the inputs and outputs of a system, and they understand that digital devices store content, which can be retrieved later.
Progress outcome 2
In authentic contexts and taking account of end-users, students make decisions about creating, manipulating, storing, retrieving, sharing and testing digital content for a specific purpose, given particular parameters, tools, and techniques.
Students understand that digital devices impact on humans and society and that both the devices and their impact change over time.
Students identify the specific role of components in a simple input-process-output system and how they work together, and they recognise the "control role” that humans have in the system.
Students can select from an increasing range of applications and file types to develop outcomes for particular purposes.
Progress outcome 3
In authentic contexts, students follow a defined process to design, develop, store, test and evaluate digital content to address given contexts or issues, taking into account immediate social, ethical and end-user considerations.
Students identify the key features of selected software and choose the most appropriate software and file types to develop and combine digital content.
Students understand the role of operating systems in managing digital devices, security, and application software and are able to apply file management conventions using a range of storage devices.
Students understand that with storing data comes responsibility for ensuring security and privacy.
Progress outcome 4
In authentic contexts, students investigate and consider possible solutions for a given context or issue. With support, they use an iterative process to design, develop, store and test digital outcomes, identifying and evaluating relevant social, ethical and end-user considerations.
Students can use information from testing and apply appropriate tools, techniques, procedures and protocols to improve the quality of the outcomes and to ensure they are fit-for-purpose and meet end-user requirements.
Progress outcome 5
In authentic contexts and with support, students investigate a specialised digital technologies area (for example, digital media, digital information, electronic environments, user experience design, digital systems) and propose possible solutions to issues they identify.
Students independently apply an iterative process to design, develop, store and test digital outcomes that enable their solutions, identifying, evaluating, prioritising and responding to relevant social, ethical and end-user considerations.
Students can use information from testing and, with increasing confidence, optimise tools, techniques, procedures and protocols to improve the quality of the outcomes.
They apply evaluative processes to ensure the outcomes are fit-for-purpose and meet end-user requirements.
Progress outcome 6
In authentic contexts, students independently investigate a specialised digital technologies area and propose possible solutions to issues they identify.
Students work independently or within collaborative, cross-functional teams to apply an iterative development process to plan, design, develop, test and create quality, fit-for-purpose digital outcomes that enable their solutions, synthesising relevant social, ethical and end-user considerations as they develop digital content.
Students integrate in the outcomes they develop specialised knowledge of digital applications and systems from a range of areas, including: network architecture; complex electronics environments and embedded systems; interrelated computing devices, hardware and applications; digital information systems; user experience design; complex management of digital information; and creative digital media.
