Tasmania (TAS)

Standards and Benchmarking

• 1. What does your state/territory understand by the terms standards and benchmarking?

  In early childhood the State has a set of Key Intended Literacy Outcomes (KILOs) and a set of Key Intended Numeracy Outcomes (KINOs). These are assessed for every student in the Government system and are used as a basis for determining partnership agreements between District Superintendents and school communities.

  In the middle years of schooling only the Year 7 literacy benchmarks are used for similar purposes as above.

• 2. How are standards and benchmarks currently applied in your state/territory? (current practice)

  In Year 10 TASSAB uses standards described in terms of 8 criteria, multiple descriptors and sources of evidence. The criteria are the general statement of achievement such as:

  "Demonstrate an awareness of social and ethical issues of computer use".

  The descriptors describe the levels of performance of the achievement such as:

  A Can understand, explain and evaluate differing points of view;
  B Can justify opinions formed; and
  C Can discuss and form opinions.
  

  The sources of evidence describe the behavior that must be exhibited for the particular performance level, e.g. for the A descriptor above, the sources of evidence are:

  • independently research a topical information technology issus related to units studied and provide balanced argument for and against the issue;
  • understand the wide spread use of personal data and issues of personal privacy;
  • understand the issues of intellectual ownership and copyright;
  • understand image enhancement and the integrity of the information the image conveys.

• 3. Briefly outline the work being done in the area of standards and benchmarking in your state/territory.

There is a great deal of work being done on reinterpreting the data that has come out of the national literacy benchmarks. Essentially the sampling methodology and analysis that has been used in the past is flawed. More valid methodology used in interpreting data is able to establish the factors determining student achievement with much greater reliability. This work is still embargoed until later this year, as it will challenge a number of current beliefs.

Middle Years of Schooling

• 1. How does your state/territory define the 'middle years'?

The middle years of schooling is flexibly defined as Years 5 or 6 to 8 or 9.

• 2. What initiatives/programs are currently being implemented in the 'middle years' in your state or territory?

Most of the development in this area is done from the ground up but supported by the central Professional Development Services branch of the Department of Education (DoE). There is a slow but sure steady evolution towards widespread acceptance of the model.

• 3. What are some of the current issues being addressed in your state/territory?

  Curriculum reform in secondary education is the dominant theme of all middle schooling efforts. There is about to be a Ministerial "Curriculum Review" that may impact on this.

Vocational Learning

• 1. What does your state/territory understand by the terms:
  vocational learning and
  structured workplace learning
  

  Both vocational learning and structured workplace learning follow the definitions in the Schools taskforce paper to MCEETYA on VET in Schools.

• 2. What initiatives/programs are being planned or implemented in your state/territory in vocational learning and structured workplace learning and in what years?

TASSAB provides a range of general vocationally based syllabuses for Years 9 and 10 and also insists that all syllabuses have 3 (of 8) key competencies as criteria.

• 3. What is the rationale for having vocational learning and structured workplace learning in the compulsory years?

As there is not yet a DoE policy on vocational learning in the compulsory years, the state has no formal rationale.

• 4. How are the vocational learning initiatives/programs in the compulsory years linked to those in the post compulsory years?

A series of discussion between TASSAB and the DoE has commenced.

• 5. How might any issues identified in the middle years of schooling (see 3. above in Middle Years of Schooling) impact on vocational learning in Years 9 and 10? What are the curriculum implications?

Years 9 and 10 are loosely linked to VET studies in Years 11 and 12.

Reporting at the End of the Compulsory Years

• 1. What is the purpose of internal (i.e. by schools) reporting in the compulsory years in your state/territory?

The main purpose of internal reporting is to inform parents of student progress.

• 2. What is the purpose of external (i.e. by systems/Board/Council) reporting in the compulsory years in your state/territory? (if any)

The purpose of TASSAB reporting is to provide evidence of student achievement to students, parents and employers.

• 3. What information is currently reported externally?

TASSAB reports at syllabus level for all TCE syllabuses. It is also trialing reporting on key competencies. Literacy and numeracy reporting is also on the agenda.

• 4. How is the information reported?

Information is reported on certificates of achievement for all TASSAB syllabuses. VET results are also included.

The TCE is a record of student achievement from Year 10 until leaving school. The TCE Statement of Results is issued each year and shows the subjects and awards that have been added to each students' TCE record during that year.

In Years 11 and 12 students are issued with a criterion profile that indicates ratings on each of the criteria for a syllabus.

• 5. What agency is responsible for external reporting?

TASSAB is the agency responsible for external reporting in Years 10-12.