School Certificate review Q&A for teachers and parents
The following information will be updated as details about the new credential become available.
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- Q: Are there any changes for Year 10 in 2011?
- A: No.
Parents and students should be aware that School Certificate tests will take place as planned from 7 to 11 November 2011. Principals and teachers should be aware that Board of Studies requirements and deadlines for Year 10 in 2011 remain the same. - Q: How will students going into Year 10 in 2012 be affected?
- A: Students going into Year 10 in 2012 will not have to sit for state-wide, external School Certificate tests in 2012.
Commencing with students entering Year 10 in 2012, a new credential will be provided to eligible students who choose to leave school prior to obtaining their HSC.
Further details of the new credential will be released by the start of 2012. - Q: Will schools still need to submit entries for Year 10 students with the Board of Studies?
- A: Yes.
As usual, entries for students going into Year 10 in 2012 will open at the start of Term 1, 2012. - Q: Will there be any differences in the curriculum requirements for Year 10 in 2012?
- A: No.
Mandatory curriculum requirements are unchanged from those that currently apply. (See Section 4.2 of the Assessment Certification and Examination (ACE) Manual.) - Q: Will schools still need to record and submit student grades?
- A: Yes.
Schools will continue to submit grades for Stage 5 courses in the same way as they do now.
For students undertaking Life Skills outcomes and content, schools will still be required to record through Schools Online outcomes achieved by each student, either independently or with support, in order to issue a Profile of Student Achievement. - Q: What will be the deadline for submitting grades in 2012?
- A: The Board will set a deadline as late as possible, to give teachers the maximum time to teach and assess their Year 10 students. It is expected that the deadline will be around the end of November.
- Q: Are there any changes to registration and accreditation of non-government schools as a result of introducing a new credential?
- A: No.
Non-government schools will continue to need to be accredited in order that their students are eligible for the new credential. Curriculum requirements will not change and school-based assessments will continue. - Q: In 2012 there will be no School Certificate tests in Term 4. Does this mean that Year 11 work can start early?
- A: No.
There is no change to the starting date for Year 11 as a result of the introduction of a new credential. There is no change to the rule that Year 11 work cannot start prior to Day 1 Term 1 of Year 11. - Q: What happens to students who repeat or accelerate and students who come from interstate or overseas?
- A: The Board will put transition measures in place to deal with these cases.
- Q: When will I be able to have my say?
- A: The Board will release a model of the new credential for comment in the coming weeks.
Further details of the new credential will be released by the start of 2012