Clarification details
Updated February 2014. This clarification has been updated to address issues that have arisen from moderation.
The intent
The intent is for students to investigate an identified pattern (or absence) in a NZ ecological community by an ‘analysis and interpretation’ of data and/or information from primary or secondary sources.
While primary data and/or information can still be collected and processed by the student, this aspect is not assessed. The standard can be assessed as a written research assignment using secondary data and/or information.
The data and/or information
The data and/or information can be: from direct observations, the shared collection of group field data, provided in tables, graphs, historical data, resource sheets, photographs, videos, websites, and/or reference texts.
Students must relate data and/or information on at least two species chosen from the community in a quantitative description, explanation, or discussion of the pattern (or absence).
A community pattern
A community pattern may include succession, zonation, stratification, or another distribution pattern in response to a significant environmental factor.
While teachers can suggest a range of appropriate organisms from within the community that have interrelationships, students must choose specific pairs of organisms themselves. The student’s selection of data and/or information relevant to named organisms contributes to the evidence judged at each level.
Analysis and interpretation
Analysis and interpretation should be at the ‘species’ level (e.g. acorn barnacles) rather than at the ‘group’ level (e.g. mussels, barnacles or green algae). Using group level information makes it difficult to describe the pattern with reference to species specific adaptations and environmental factors.
Dual Assessment with 91153
Dual Assessment with 91153 requires a task and assessment schedule for each investigation. Students need to know how the requirements of each standard are met at each level. Reference to dual assessment must be clearly specified in the conditions of each assessment task.
- If observations or findings from a parallel 91153 pattern seeking or relationship field investigation are used to support dual assessment with 91158, sufficient data to explain an interrelationship between at least two species is crucial. This may mean that a single student’s findings from 91153 may not suffice.
- If assessment of 91158 is done in a different context from 91153, then resource material and direction on the method for collecting and processing data for 91158 can be given as this is not assessed. If this option is used, the same context cannot be used to assess against 91153, as the direction given would not allow students to meet the requirements of 91153.