Diploma examinations program. English 33 information bulletin

48 Pages·1997·4.7 MB·English

by  Alberta. Student Evaluation Branch

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This document was written primarily for:
Students /
Teachers / English 33 teachers
Administrators
Parents
General Audience
Others
Distribution: Superintendents of Schools • S chool Principals and Teachers • T he Alberta Teachers’
Association • A lberta Education • G eneral Public upon Request
Copyright 1997, the Crown in Right of Alberta, as represented by the Minister of Education, Alberta
Education, Student Evaluation Branch, 11160 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T5K 0L2. All rights
reserved. Additional copies may be obtained from the Student Evaluation Branch, 403-427-0010. To call
toll-free outside Edmonton, dial 310-0000.
Alberta educators may reproduce this bulletin for educational purposes.
This document can be f ound on our Web pages. Our Internet address is http://ednet.edc.gov.ab.ca.
Contents
Page 1 Purpose of the Bulletin
Page 2 Important Dates in the 1997-98 School Year
Administration of the English 33 Diploma Examination
Scoring of the Examination
Page 3 Notes of I nterest
Additional Diploma Examination Administrations
Additional References Part A: Written Response
Word-Processed Examinations
Student Requests for Rescores
Student Requests for Rewriting
Children in Need of Protective Services
Plagiarism
Preparing Students to Write
Information for Markers
Examination Development
Inservices and Presentations
Page 8 Other Important Documents
Guide for Students
Samples of Students’ Writing
Examiners’ Reports
School and Jurisdiction Reports
Annual Reports
General Information Bulletin
Previous Examinations
Part A: Written Response
Page 12
Description
Blueprint
Sample Instruction Page
NEW Sample Assignments and Scoring Criteria
Suggestions for Students
Part B: Reading
Page 34
Description
Blueprint
Suggestions for Students
Page 38 English 33 Standards
Objectives of the Course
Standards
Credits
Page 41
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2016
https://archive.org/details/diplomaexaminati1997albe
Purpose of the Bulletin
The purpose of this bulletin is to provide students and teachers of
English 33 with information about the diploma examinations
scheduled for the 1997-98 school year. It will be updated in
September 1998.
Please share the contents of this bulletin, particularly the Notes of
Interest and Suggestions for Students sections and the scoring
criteria, with your students.
This bulletin includes
• descriptions of the English 33 diploma examinations that will be
administered in November 1 997, and in January, June, and August
of 1998
• the objectives to be tested
• the blueprints for the written-response and reading sections of the
examinations
• the scoring criteria that will be applied by markers to student
writing in the 1997-98 school year
• suggestions for students about writing the examinations
• descriptions of the acceptable standard and the standard of
excellence
As well, the publication Students First: A G uide for Students
Preparing to Write the English 33 Diploma Examination contains
significant information for you to share with your students.
You may also wish to refer to the document entitled General
Information Bulletin, Diploma Examinations Program (1997-98),
which provides administrative information about the diploma
examinations for the 1 997-98 school year.
This bulletin, the General Information Bulletin , a nd the Students
First guide are distributed to all senior high school principals and are
also available on the Internet at Alberta Education’s Web site
(http://ednet.edc.gov.ab.ca).
If y ou have questions or comments about the contents of this
bulletin, please contact one of the following persons:
Elana J. Scraba, Assistant Director Student Evaluation Branch
Humanities Diploma Examinations Alberta Education
E-mail: [email protected] Devonian Building, West
Tower
11160 Jasper Avenue
Edmonton, AB T5K 0L2
Tom Dunn
English 33 Examination Manager
Telephone: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected] Fax: [phone]
To call toll-free from outside of Edmonton, dial 310-0000.
1
Important Dates in the 1997-98 School Year
Administration of the English 33 Diploma Examination
Part A i s designed to be completed in 2 X A hours. However, students are allowed a t otal
writing time of three hours for Part A. Part B i s designed to be completed in
2 h ours. However, students are allowed a t otal writing time of 2 ! 4 hours for Part B.
Examination supervisors must be available for the total time allowed.
Administration Date Time Examination
Tuesday, November 4, 1 997 9:00-11:30 A.M. Part A: Written Response
Part B: Reading
Wednesday, November 5, 9:00-11:00 A.M.
1997
Wednesday, January 21, 1998 9:00-11:30 A.M. Part A: Written Response
Monday, January 26, 1998 9:00-11:00 A.M. PartB: Reading
Thursday, June 18, 1998 9:00-11:30 A.M. Part A: Written Response
Tuesday, June 23, 1998 9:00-11:00 A.M. PartB: Reading
Monday, August 10, 1998 9:00-11:30 A.M. Part A: WTitten Response
1:00-3:00 P.M. Part B: Reading
Please consult the General Information Bulletin, Diploma Examination Program , f or a
complete schedule for all subject areas.
Scoring of the Examination
Scoring of the examination will take place shortly after the administration date.
In early September, the Student Evaluation Branch sends superintendents a l etter
requesting the names of recommended markers. In this letter, dates for scoring the
examination will be announced.
Student Evaluation Branch staff will contact recommended markers before each marking
session to confirm participation, and the dates and times for marking.
2
Notes of Interest
Additional Diploma Examination Administrations
Alberta Education is increasing the number of administrations of
diploma examinations to accommodate students’ examination needs
more effectively. For the 1997-98 school year, in addition to the
examinations already offered in January, June, and August, the
following diploma examinations will be offered in November and
April.
Tuesday, November 4, 1997 9:00-11:30 A.M. English 30 Part A
English 33 Part A
Wednesday, November 5, 1997 9:00-11:00 A.M. English 30 Part B
ECnhgelmiissht r y33 3P0a rt B
1:00- 3:30 P.M.
Thursday, November 6, 1 997 9:00-11:30 A.M. Mathematics 30
Mathematics 33
Monday, April 20, 1998 9:00-11:30 A.M. Social Studies 30
Social Studies 33
1:00-3:30 P.M.
Physics 30
Biology 30
Tuesday, April 21, 1998 9:00-11:30 A.M.
The November and April examinations will be available only to
students who have school marks in the courses and to individuals
having mature student status.
All students must preregister to write diploma examinations in
November and April; walk-ins will not be allowed. Students
should contact their school principal for application forms and for
the location of the nearest writing centre. The application deadlines
for the November and April writings are October 10, 1997, and
March 26, 1998, respectively.
3
Additional References Part A: Written Response
Students writing Part A: Written Response may use the following
print or electronic references:
• an English language dictionary and/or translation dictionary
• a t hesaurus
• an authorized writing handbook (for example, A C anadian
Writer ’s R eference)
Students and chief presiding examiners must take the responsibility
for ensuring that any extraneous material has been cleared from both
printed and electronic references.
Word-Processed Examinations
Students who normally use a word processor for extended writing
may choose to write Part A: Written Response on a w ord processor,
provided that schools follow the directives in the revised (1997-98)
Interim Policy for Writing Diploma Examinations on Computers,
July 1997. Students who use word processors are allowed the
standard word-processing “tools” (e.g., spell check) that are in the
school-owned software. See page 16 for an example of the revised
instruction page for Part A t hat contains word processing instructions
for students. Please refer to the current policy for specific details.
The complete policy is in the General Information Bulletin, Diploma
Examinations Program (1997-98). Please note that this is a
revised policy for 1997-98. Please discard all other versions.
Student Requests for Rescores
Students may request a r escoring of their diploma examinations.
Before applying for a r escoring, students should check the Diploma
Examination Results Statement to find out the distribution of marks.
The mark for the machine-scored questions is not likely to change as
a r esult of a r escore, but the written-response mark could change
slightly. Students should remember that the rescored mark will be
the final mark whether it increases or decreases.
Students who decide to have an examination rescored must ensure
that their application is received before the deadline specified on the
results statement. The fee for rescoring each examination is $26.75,
which includes GST. If a d iploma examination mark is increased by
5% or more as a r esult of rescoring, the fee is refunded.
4
Student Requests for Rewriting
Students may rewrite a d iploma examination in any regularly
scheduled administration. The fee for rewriting each examination is
$26.75, which includes GST. Please note that this rewrite fee applies
to students repeating the course as well as to those who choose only
to write the exam. Students must apply to the Student Evaluation
Branch by the following dates to be eligible to rewrite the diploma
examinations.
Examination Administration Rewrite Request Deadline
November 1997 October 10, 1997
January 1998 November 14, 1997
June 1998 April 29, 1998
(For more details, see the General Information Bulletin .)
Children in Need of Protective Services
If a student who is under 1 8 y ears of age indicates in his or her
writing that he or she is a v ictim of physical or sexual abuse, the
markers are required by law to refer the paper to Social Services.
Social Services is required to investigate situations that suggest that
children might require protection.
Plagiarism
The example responses in the Samples of Students ’ W riting
documents have been provided for instructional purposes only. If a
student memorizes sections from these responses, or any other
essays, and uses them while writing Part A, he or she will be guilty
of plagiarism and will be in breach of examination regulations.
Preparing Students to Write
It is important that teachers prepare their students to deal with the
broad concepts assessed by the exam. Students must understand
what they are expected to do for each section and question, and must
be prepared to follow the directions that are given. The guide
Students First: A G uide fox Students Preparing to Write the English
33 Diploma Examination should help students to understand what is
expected of them.
5
For example, Section II: Functional Writing of Part A i s designed to
assess how well students can adjust their language, tone, and
selection of detail to a c ontext, specific audience, and purpose. (See
the Blueprint for Part A: Written Response on page 15, and note the
cross-references to the Program of S tudies). The context in Section
II will define the form of presentation — usually a l etter or speech.
The required writing form will vary from exam to exam, but the
assignment will always assess the degree to which students can
follow directions and adapt their language and selection of
information to a p articular audience, situation, and purpose.
Similarly, in Section III: Response to Visual Communication,
students must be prepared to consider the photograph that is on the
examination and to draw a g eneralization that clearly reflects their
careful thinking about that particular photo.
The photograph that is on the examination may be in colour, or it
may be black-and-white. Students should be prepared to deal with
either type of photograph.
Information for Markers
Part A: Written Response is scored by English 33 teachers selected
from among those who have been recommended as markers to the
Student Evaluation Branch by their superintendents.
Qualifications To qualify for recommendation by a superintendent, a t eacher must
have taught English 33 for two or more years (or four semesters), be
currently teaching English 33, and have a P ermanent Professional
Certificate.
Dates for Recommendation Teachers who wish to be recommended as markers for the diploma
examinations should contact their superintendents by the following
dates.
Diploma Date Contact Superintendent by
January 1998 October 01, 1997
June & A ugust 1998 March 01, 1998
Markers for the November and April examinations will be selected
from the list of prospective markers submitted by the respective
school superintendents.
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