Record of School Achievement Requirements and Students with Special Education Needs Key Messages NSW Education Standards Authority

Eligibility To be awarded the Record of School Achievement (RoSA) all students must have: attended a government school, an accredited non-government school or a recognised school outside NSW. undertaken and completed courses of study that satisfy curriculum and assessment requirements for the RoSA. complied with any other regulations or requirements (such as attendance) imposed by the Minister or the Board. completed Year 10. (ACE Website 4001) NSW Education Standards Authority

Mandatory curriculum requirements for the Record of School Achievement All students must undertake study in each of the 8 key learning areas in Years 7-10 to be eligible for the award of the Record of School Achievement. Students may satisfy mandatory curriculum requirements by following Life Skills courses in each key learning area. All time allocations are indicative and are related to the course objectives and outcomes. (ACE Website 4006 & 4007) All students in all settings must fulfil the NSW Education Standards Authority mandatory curriculum requirements, including those students undertaking Life Skills courses. The indicative time for students undertaking Life Skills courses is the same as the regular courses. Students may accumulate courses towards the award of the Record of School Achievement. NSW Education Standards Authority

Key Learning Areas: Courses English Mathematics Human Society and Its Environment History, Geography, Commerce, Work Education, Aboriginal Studies Creative Arts Visual Arts, Music, Drama, Dance, Photographic & Digital Media, Visual Design Technological and Applied Studies Technology (Mandatory), Agricultural, Design & Technology, Food, Graphics, Industrial, Information & Software, Marine & Aquaculture, Textiles Science Languages one course (17 languages) Personal Development, Health and Physical Education PDHPE, Physical Activity & Sports Studies, Child Studies All students must undertake study in the 8 key learning areas. The term ‘courses’ is used interchangeably with ‘syllabuses’/‘subjects’. Text in light blue indicates a mandatory course. NSW Education Standards Authority

Mandatory curriculum requirements for all students (ACE Website 4007) English, Mathematics and Science 400 hours of each course throughout Years 7–10. Human Society and its Environment 400 hours throughout Years 7–10 and must include 100 hours each of History and Geography in each Stage. Creative Arts 100 hours of Visual Arts and 100 hours of Music each to be taught as coherent units of study. Languages 100 hours to be completed in one language over one continuous 12-month period, preferably in Years 7–8. PDHPE 300 hours of the PDHPE course throughout Years 7–10. To be studied in each of Years 7–10. Technological and Applied Studies 200 hours of the Technology (Mandatory) course in Years 7–8. The mandatory curriculum requirements are applicable to all students, including students undertaking Life Skills courses. All time allocations for the RoSA are indicative. Indicative time refers to the time expected for a typical student to achieve the objectives and outcomes of the course. Please note: – A language course should be based on one of the Languages syllabuses – Study of History and Geography is mandatory in each Stage – The school will determine the relative emphasis it puts on strands in PDHPE according to the specific needs of the students. Study from each strand must occur in each of the years from 7–10. NSW Education Standards Authority

Stage 5 additional (elective) studies Schools are not required to offer additional studies. Additional courses can be credentialed for the Record of School Achievement if they are taught in Stage 5. (ACE Website 4009) Students may undertake additional studies by following Life Skills courses. VET courses are also available to be accessed in Stage 5. See VET Courses and Students with Special Education Needs for more information. NSW Education Standards Authority

Course completion criteria The course completion criteria applies to all students. Students are considered to have satisfactorily completed a course towards the award of the Record of School Achievement if they: follow the course developed or endorsed by the NSW Education Standards Authority apply themselves with diligence and sustained effort to the set tasks and experiences provided in the course by the school and achieve some or all of the course outcomes. (ACE Website 4016) Please note: Board Developed courses are courses based on a syllabus produced by the NSW Education Standards Authority, eg the English K–10 Syllabus. A Board Endorsed course can include: – School-developed courses endorsed by the NSW Education Standards Authority – Content Endorsed courses developed by the NSW Education Standards Authority to meet specific needs not served by the Board Developed courses, eg Physical Activity and Sports Studies, and Marine and Aquaculture Technology. NSW Education Standards Authority

Non-completion of course requirements Students who have not complied with course completion criteria can be regarded as not having satisfactorily completed the course. Two written warnings must be issued to students before an ‘N’ determination is applied. (ACE Website 4019) Students undertaking Life Skills courses must also comply with the course completion criteria. NSW Education Standards Authority

Accumulation of courses Students may accumulate courses towards the Record of School Achievement. There is no time restriction for accumulation of courses. (ACE Website 4015) NSW Education Standards Authority

Curriculum planning All students with special education needs should choose the most appropriate courses, and options within courses, in keeping with their needs, strengths, goals, interests and prior learning. participate fully in learning experiences and assessment activities provided by the curriculum but may require adjustments to teaching and learning activities and/or assessment. For a small percentage of students with special education needs, particularly those with an intellectual disability, it may be appropriate to undertake Life Skills courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content. (ACE Website 3001) Decisions about curriculum planning should be made in the context of collaborative curriculum planning. A small percentage of students with special education needs will follow Life Skills courses to meet the mandatory curriculum requirements. Decisions to access Life Skills courses should be made after consideration has been given to other ways of assisting the student to engage in regular course outcomes, eg adjustments to teaching/learning and assessment. NSW Education Standards Authority

Collaborative curriculum planning The decision-making process identifies the courses that the student with special education needs should study. Planning should take into consideration: the student’s needs, strengths, goals, interests and prior learning the adjustments and/or support required for the student to access course work and demonstrate achievement of outcomes the transition needs of the student. (ACE Website 3005) All students with special education needs are different. Courses should be selected based on the needs, priorities and strengths of the individual student. NSW Education Standards Authority

Years 7−10 Life Skills courses Students may follow Life Skills courses if it has been determined that adjustments are not sufficient to access some or all of the Stage 4 and Stage 5 outcomes. The decision to access Life Skills courses is made: through the collaborative curriculum planning process at any time through Years 7–10. (ACE Website 3001) NSW Education Standards Authority

Assessment Students with special education needs may require adjustments in order to demonstrate achievement in both informal and formal assessment experiences. Schools use informal and formal assessment experiences to report student achievement. Teachers can still use the course performance descriptor or common grade scale to determine a student’s overall achievement if adjustments have been made to assessment experiences. NSW Education Standards Authority

Assessment (cont’d) For the Record of School Achievement, schools award students with a grade for each Stage 5 and Preliminary Stage 6 course completed. The grade should: indicate the student’s overall achievement in relation to the common grade scale involve the teacher’s judgement on the basis of available assessment information. NSW Education Standards Authority

Assessment (cont’d) Providing an adjustment does not restrict a student’s access to the full range of grades. Students undertaking a Life Skills course are not allocated a grade in that course. (ACE Website 4021) NSW Education Standards Authority

Record of School Achievement Credentials Eligible students who leave school before receiving their Higher School Certificate will receive a Record of School Achievement. The Record of School Achievement lists completed Stage 5 and Preliminary Stage 6 courses and participation in any uncompleted Stage 6 courses . Grades are recorded for each completed course, with the exception of Life Skills and VET courses. If applicable, students also receive: the Profile of Student Achievement VET credentials. Life Skills courses will not be credentialled with a grade on the Record of School Achievement The Record of School Achievement becomes a cumulative credential as students move through Years 11 and 12. NSW Education Standards Authority

Record of School Achievement Credentials (cont’d) Life Skills courses will be recorded on the Record of School Achievement with the annotation ‘Refer to Profile of Student Achievement’. VET courses will be recorded with the annotation ‘Refer to Vocational Documentation’. Students who are leaving school and are not eligible for a Record of School Achievement receive a Transcript of Study. Students are able to download an electronic transcript from the end of Year 10. (ACE Website 4024) The electronic transcript is available to all students, regardless of whether they are leaving school or not. NSW Education Standards Authority

Procedures for online entry of courses Students must be entered for courses in Schools Online in order for these to be credentialed on the Record of School Achievement. The NSW Education Standards Authority provides: individual course numbers for all subjects on Schools Online. For each course there is a number for: – life skills outcomes and content – regular outcomes and content an auto enrol facility for Years 7–10 mandatory curriculum requirements. To be eligible for the Record of School Achievement all students need to be enrolled for the mandatory curriculum requirements. NSW Education Standards Authority

Procedures for online entry of courses (cont’d) Schools: enter each student through Schools Online at the start of Year 10 and Year 11 enter students for each course they have undertaken in Years 9, 10 and 11 cannot enter a student for more than one course from the same syllabus, for example a student cannot be entered for both Stage 5 Science and Science Life Skills. Courses undertaken in Years 9 and 10 must be entered individually. NSW Education Standards Authority

Contacts For more information, or for assistance, contact the Special Education officers of the NSW Education Standards Authority: Ph: (02) 9367 8036; (02) 9367 8148 @SpecialEdBOSTES NSW Education Standards Authority