1. Secondary School Leadership Briefings Term 1 2016 In your hands 2016/6670v6

2. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The amount of work that has been done The importance of collaborations and partnerships

3. WESTERN AUSTRALIAN CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION (WACE)

4. Senior secondary reform For Years 11 and 12, this is the last stage of the implementation process. We want the reform to be successful, so let’s be clear about where any possible landmines could be.

5. WACE requirements – a recap (1) Complete at least 20 units (or equivalents) including: – a minimum of 10 Year 12 units – at least one pair of units from a Year 12 List A course and one pair of units from a Year 12 List B course – a minimum of four Year 12 ATAR courses or a Certificate II or higher* – two Year 11 English units and a pair of Year 12 English units.

6. WACE requirements – a recap (2) Achieve a minimum of 14 C grades in Year 11 and Year 12 units (or equivalents) including at least 6 C grades in Year 12 units (or equivalents). Demonstrate a minimum literacy and numeracy standard – through the OLNA or by achieving NAPLAN Band 8 or higher.

7. Breadth and depth There is no reason for a student to be ‘missing’ a List A or a List B. No concessions can be made for a student who has changed courses or enrolled in the wrong courses. Schools and students have a shared responsibility to be sure students have enrolled in an appropriate range of courses.

8. 2015 syllabus delivery audit – some observations A positive: 91% of the 4770 documents reviewed required either no or only minor edits. A concern: large number of teachers who uploaded sample materials verbatim – with no reflection of any school name or any evidence the teacher had considered the program. A disappointing comment: ‘look, these are ONLY General kids... why are you harassing us?’

9. 2015 syllabus delivery audit – the issues Course outlines based on an incorrect syllabus. Assessment outlines that included incorrect assessment types. Assessment outlines that used incorrect weightings. Assessment outlines needed revision to provide adequate coverage of both units.

10. Teaching the syllabus The 2016 syllabus delivery audit is focusing on General and Foundation Year 12 courses. There is an expectation that Year 11 issues have been addressed through the 2015 syllabus delivery audit. The externally set task (EST) is a part of the General and Foundation Year 12 courses. It needs to be planned for and delivered in Term 2.

11. Key dates 2016 After 6 April there are no more changes to enrolments in ATAR, General, Foundation, Preliminary and VET industry specific courses for Year 12 students and VET qualification estimates (ESQUAL). ESTs must be administered between 16 May to 3 June. Year 12 students are able to withdraw from ATAR courses with practical examination components up until 29 July and from ATAR courses which do not have practical examination components up until 26 August. Year 12 students are able to withdraw from General, Foundation, Preliminary and VET industry specific courses up until 26 August.

12. Structure of course codes First characterSecond character Third to fifth characters Sixth character Course typeUnit or YearCourseContext AATAR course G General course FFoundation course VVET industry specific course* 1Unit 1 Year 11 2Unit 2 Year 11 EYear 11 pair of units (Units 1 and 2) TYear 12 pair of units (Units 3 and 4) Examples: ENGEnglish VBFBusiness and Financial Services (VET industry specific) Examples: MMetal TTextiles WWood Or VET industry specific qualification identifier

13. VET offerings – NEW The Authority is collecting information that will be used to support the implementation of the minimum Certificate II or higher WACE 2016 requirement. The new mandatory process for collecting this information through SIRS is called the VET qualification estimates (ESQUAL). VET qualification estimates for Year 10–12 students need to be uploaded into SIRS no later than 6 April 2016.

14. VET and special considerations (1) Schools can make an appeal to the Special Considerations Committee on behalf of students who, for reasons outside of their control have not been able to meet the Certificate II minimum requirement for WACE completion by the end of Year 12. The case for appeal requires schools to demonstrate: a)the circumstances which have prevented the student from completing a Certificate II or higher or partial Certificate III or higher by the end of Year 12 and b)at least three genuine attempts have been made to rectify the issue and that all suitable alternatives have been exhausted.

15. VET and special considerations (2) Schools complete an Application for Special Consideration – Certificate II or higher WACE requirement for Year 12 students form. The Authority will consider each application separately. The first round of applications for special consideration can be made by 22 June 2016. Unsuccessful applications can be resubmitted with further evidence by the close of the final round on 21 October 2016.

16. Literacy and Numeracy Standard Support (1) Response to Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA) feedback: the OLNA reading and numeracy components have been reduced from 60 to 45 multiple-choice questions. Students now have 50 minutes to complete each component the OLNA 2016 assessment window in March has been extended, with an extra day for the writing component and three extra days to the overall assessment window schools will be provided with individual student OLNA diagnostic feedback for all students who demonstrate achievement in Category 2.

17. Literacy and Numeracy Standard Support (2) OLNA diagnostic feedback will be available on student performance: Category 1 and 2 reports detail the skills and understandings students found challenging reports will assist schools in planning intervention strategies and student course enrolments in Years 11 and 12 intervention strategies may include specific course selections diagnostic reports are not provided for students who have met the requirements of the component.

18. Why we need ESTs The EST will: assist in ensuring the fair assessment of student achievement in Year 12 General and Foundation courses have an educative role in establishing common understandings among teachers of the course standards and related content provide access to feedback which will encourage teachers to review and, where appropriate, adjust their marking model best assessment practice which teachers can apply to other school-based assessment tasks.

19. Externally set tasks The externally set task (EST) is not an examination. All students enrolled in a Year 12 General course and/or Foundation course are required to complete the EST developed by the Authority for that course. The EST is compulsory and forms part of the school-based assessment. The EST is included as a separate assessment type with a weighting of 15% for the pair of units.

20. EST arrangements The Authority is printing the ESTs to support schools in 2016. Schools will administer the ESTs. The ESTs are written assessments that will take 50 minutes. In 2016 the ESTs must be administered between 16 May to 3 June under standard test conditions. The ESTs are marked by teachers in each school using a marking key provided by the Authority. Information is provided in the Externally Set Tasks Handbook. An EST report for courses will be available in SIRS on 12 August.

21. How EST marks will be reviewed The reviewers will be teachers with experience in courses at General and Foundation level. Schools will receive a feedback report for independently marked tasks. If there are significant differences between the school and the independently reviewed mark, schools will be expected to make adjustments. The Authority will monitor school data and student performance.

22. ATAR course examinations – design The examiners have been briefed to design examinations that: test the syllabus and allow students to demonstrate their understanding of the syllabus content are guided by the sample examinations for 2016 offer a representative sampling of the syllabus allow the majority of candidates to answer the majority of questions. If students are well prepared, they should be able to leave the examination knowing that they have done their best.

23. Post-examination process The Authority has removed standardisation from the post- examination process for 2016 and beyond. For 25 years, standardisation of raw examination marks and moderated school marks has been a feature of the post- examination process. The aim is to demystify and simplify the ‘black box’. There is no equivalent procedure in other jurisdictions.

24. Post-examination process Purpose of standardisation has been to produce a symmetrical distribution that is close to a normal distribution. This has created some unintended results that change the natural distribution of raw examination marks. Inconsistencies in the results for some WACE examination courses for both high and low achieving students could occur. Removing standardisation in the Authority’s post-examination processes and providing un-standardised combined scores, will allow TISC to apply their own statistical processes to the combined scores in calculating the scaled scores and the ATAR.

25. Post-examination process School marks for Year 12 ATAR courses will now be statistically moderated by the ATAR course examination marks. For Year 12 ATAR courses with both a written and a practical component, statistical moderation will be applied separately to the written and to the practical school marks using the respective written and practical ATAR course examination marks.

30. Awards and exhibitions The Beazley Medal: VET winner will need to have won a VET exhibition. Schools need to nominate students for a VET exhibition in one of the nine industry areas through the VET awards process. Exhibitions for ATAR courses will be awarded 100% on the basis of examination results. More awards for school-based achievement. Certificates of merit and certificates of distinction will recognise Year 12 student achievement.

31. The idea of ‘graduation’ This needs to be different. Achieving a WACE is not ‘graduation’. Schools are unlikely to have a 100% WACE achievement rates.

32. Western Australian Statement of Student Achievement (WASSA) The WASSA will be issued to all Year 12 students at the completion of their secondary schooling. Students will be able to add achievements to their record of achievement over their lifetime. Every student who completes more than one relevant course, unit of competency or program will receive a WASSA. Extra-curricula components outlined on the WASSA build a picture of the depth and breadth of a student’s achievement eg community service.

33. Endorsed programs All successfully completed endorsed programs are recorded on the WASSA. Recognition of Workplace Learning is now only through an endorsed program: ADWPL (Authority Developed Workplace Learning).

34. Year 11 units In almost every case, students are completing both Unit 1 and Unit 2. It is preferable therefore to enrol them in the ‘E code unit’ where E is eleven not the old TEE Year 12 meaning. This means that only one mark and grade needs to be recorded at the end of the year and will be repeated for both units for certification processes. Students are still able to transfer into a different course for Semester 2 if they need to.

35. Languages enrolment process 2092 applications for permission to enrol in a WACE language course for 2016. 1416 (68%) had to be returned to the school for completion or to change errors. Of the 1983 applications where a determination was made 1849 students (93%) were permitted to enrol in a second language course. Of the 134 students who were permitted to enrol in a background or first language course, 45 (35%) appealed the determination.

36. Syllabus review The process will be a five-year cycle. It will begin in the third year of implementation for a selected group of courses. The syllabus review for the first group of courses will begin in 2018.

37. WESTERN AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT OUTLINE YEARS 7–10

38. Syllabuses – Phase 2 and 3 Full implementation by end of Semester 1, 2017 for – Humanities and Social Sciences – Health and Physical Education. Full implementation by end of Semester 1, 2018 for – Technologies – The Arts (students are required to study one Performance and one Visual Arts subject). Languages will be available in Semester 2, 2016.

39. Languages (1) Languages Syllabuses will be available in Semester 2, 2016. Where possible schools should provide a language(s) program from Pre-primary to Year 10. However, as a minimum, the Authority requires schools to provide one Language: – Year 7 – Full implementation by the end of Semester 2, 2022 – Year 8 – Full implementation by the end of Semester 2, 2023. The study of Languages is optional in Years 9 and 10.

40. Languages (2) Syllabuses for second language learners in six Languages will be developed: Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, French, German and Italian. The study of an Aboriginal Language is appropriate. Recently-arrived migrants, for whom English is not their first language, may substitute English as a Second Language or further studies in English for the study of another language.

41. Languages (3) Students who speak English as a second language or as an additional language or dialect, and whose use of Standard Australian English is restricted, may substitute further studies in English for the study of another language. The study of Auslan is appropriate. Schools may offer a language other than those for which syllabuses are provided by the Authority using ACARA’s curriculum or a language curriculum approved by the Authority.

42. Implementation timeline – revised curriculum The revised Australian Curriculum (v8.1) for English, Mathematics and Science is available on our website. 2016 is a transition year. Teachers can use 2016 to familiarise themselves with the revised curriculum or schools may use it in 2016 if they choose. The revised curriculum will be fully implemented in 2017. The versions used in 2015 are available as PDF documents on our website. Schools may use these in 2016 if they choose.

43. Achievement standards (1) The achievement standards for Humanities and Social Sciences (Society and Environment) and Health and Physical Education have been published. Achievement standards for Technologies, The Arts and Languages will be progressively published during 2016. A single Humanities and Social Sciences achievement standard has been developed. A Health Education achievement standard and a Physical Education achievement standard have been developed.

44. Achievement standards (2) The standard is a C grade. A and B grades are above the standard, D and E grades are below. The curriculum content builds. It leads to Years 11 and 12. The achievement standard describes a level that the majority of students are achieving or working towards by the end of that year of schooling. Some students will have progressed beyond the achievement standard; others will need additional support.

45. ABLEWA Abilities Based Learning Education, Western Australia (ABLEWA) resources are now part of the Western Australian Curriculum and Assessment Outline and support the teaching and learning of students with disability and additional needs. ABLEWA curriculum for English, History, Mathematics and Science available in the Outline as Stages A to D. Curriculum for Geography, Health and Physical Education, Technologies and The Arts will be added during Term 1, 2016. The ABLEWA Assessment Tool and Online Professional Learning Modules will be available for all schools at the commencement of Term 2, 2016.

46. Support resources in the Outline Assessment Principles and Reflective Questions Assessment Snapshots Overview of Assessment Research Assessment Activities Judging Standards Frequently Asked Questions

47. Reporting Policy: Pre-primary to Year 10 Use the policy to determine minimum reporting requirements. Minor revisions will be made to the policy and released in Semester 2 to incorporate the whole P–10 curriculum (now we have released all syllabuses and achievement standards – except for Languages). For example: – single Humanities and Social Sciences grade – a grade for Health Education and a grade for Physical Education – a grade for a Performance Arts subject and a grade for one Visual Arts subject. In future years the Authority will be collecting grades.

48. Alternative curriculum recognition Schools that plan to implement a curriculum that is different to the P–10 Western Australian Curriculum and/or a different method of reporting student achievement than that outlined in the Reporting Policy: Pre-primary to Year 10, must apply to seek recognition. Schools must submit a Notice of Intention to apply by the end of May 2016 and Submission by the end of June 2016. Schools will be advised about the outcome of their submission by the end of October 2016.

49. Transition to NAPLAN Online 2017 – school systems/sector will identify a small number of schools (50–100) to participate that have the required technical capacity. 2018 – An increased number (50–100) of schools identified by school systems and sector will undertake NAPLAN Online. 2019 – all Western Australian schools will undertake NAPLAN Online. Updates will be provided throughout 2016 via the Kto10Circular.

50. Website changes (1) The AuthorityYears 11 and 12

51. Website changes (2) K–10 OutlineParents (proposed)

52. 2016 – What you need to know

53. Handbooks for students

54. Term Planner

55. Communications All messages for school staff are through the 11to12 and Kto10 Circulars. All teachers should sign up to receive these. Communications to schools are sent to principals as a letter when urgent. These are then posted on our website. Principals are also expected to share the letters with their staff.

56. © School Curriculum and Standards Authority, 2016 This document—apart from any third party copyright material contained in it—may be freely copied, or communicated on an intranet, for non-commercial purposes in educational institutions, provided that the School Curriculum and Standards Authority is acknowledged as the copyright owner, and that the Authority’s moral rights are not infringed. Copying or communication for any other purpose can be done only within the terms of the Copyright Act 1968 or with prior written permission of the School Curriculum and Standards Authority. Copying or communication of any third party copyright material can be done only within the terms of the Copyright Act 1968 or with permission of the copyright owners. Any content in this document that has been derived from the Australian Curriculum may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Australia licence.Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Australia licence