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Special Education Needs

Supporting teachers of students with special education needs

FAQs 7–10

• Who can access Life Skills outcomes and content?
• Where can I find the Life Skills outcomes and content for Years 7–10 courses?
• Where can I find additional information about programming and assessment for students undertaking Life Skills outcomes and content in Years 7–10?
• If a student is not coping in a course, are Life Skills outcomes and content an appropriate option?
• What types of adjustments/accommodations can I make for a student with special education needs?
• How should courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content be implemented?
• Do students need to address all of the Life Skills outcomes and content in a course to satisfactorily complete it?
• I want to enrol a Year 10 student in one or more courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content. How do I go about it?
• What are the study requirements for the School Certificate for a student undertaking one or more courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content?
• Do students with special education needs have to undertake a language course in Years 7–10?
• How should I assess students undertaking a course based on Life Skills outcomes and content?
• Do students undertaking Life Skills outcomes and content need to be reported on an A–E scale?
• What credentials do students undertaking one or more courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content receive for the School Certificate?
• Do students with special education needs undertaking courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content have to sit the School Certificate tests?
• Are students undertaking one or more courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content required to undertake the Computing Skills Test?
• Are special provisions available to students with special education needs for the NAPLAN tests?

Who can access Life Skills outcomes and content?

The Board expects that the majority of students who will access Life Skills outcomes and content will have an intellectual disability. Life Skills outcomes and content are for the small percentage of students who cannot access the regular outcomes and content with adjustments to teaching, learning and assessment and/or special provisions.

Where can I find the Life Skills outcomes and content for Years 7–10 courses?

Each Years 7–10 syllabus developed by the Board includes Life Skills outcomes and content.

Where can I find additional information about programming and assessment for students undertaking Life Skills outcomes and content in Years 7–10?

The support document Life Skills Years 7–10: Advice on Planning, Programming and Assessment (PDF format - 248 pages - 1.38 MB) was developed to assist teachers understand key aspects of the Life Skills outcomes and content.

Section 3 of the ACE Manual provides information on the provisions of the School Certificate for students undertaking Life Skills outcomes and content.

If a student is not coping in a course, are Life Skills outcomes and content an appropriate option?

Before deciding that a student should undertake a course based on Life Skills outcomes and content, consideration should be given to other ways of assisting students to engage with the regular outcomes and content. This assistance may include adjustments at the school level for course work and/or assessment tasks and/or special provisions for School Certificate Tests.

For more information on Eligibility, see ACE Manual, section 3.2.

All decisions about curriculum options for students with special education needs should be made in the context of collaborative curriculum planning with the student, parent/ carer and any other significant individuals in the student's life.

For more information on the Collaborative Curriculum Planning process, see ACE Manual, section 3.4, p 19, and Life Skills Years 7–10 Advice on Planning, Programming and Assessment (PDF format - 248 pages - 1.38 MB) section 2.2, p 7.

What types of adjustments/accommodations can I make for a student with special education needs?

The types of adjustments made will vary according to the needs of the individual student. For examples of curriculum adjustments to teaching and learning and assessment, see Life Skills Years 7–10: Advice on Planning, Programming and Assessment (PDF format - 248 pages - 1.38 MB), section 2.3.

How should courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content be implemented?

Decisions on the best way to deliver a course based on Life Skills outcomes and content for a student or students should be made at the school level. For more information on school planning, see ACE Manual, section 3.5.

For further information, refer to Life Skills Years 7–10: Advice on Planning, Programming and Assessment (PDF format - 248 pages - 1.38 MB).

Do students need to address all of the Life Skills outcomes and content in a course to satisfactorily complete it?

No, students don't have to achieve all Life skills outcomes or address all of the content to complete it satisfactorily. Life Skills outcomes and content should be selected based on the needs of the individual student as part of the Collaborative Curriculum Planning Process.

I want to enrol a Year 10 student in one or more courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content. How do I go about it?

The school informs the Office of the Board of Studies through the submission of the School Certificate entries through Schools Online. Any mandatory curriculum requirements that have been satisfactorily undertaken and any School Certificate tests to be undertaken should also be entered through Schools Online at the time of School Certificate Entries.

What are the study requirements for the School Certificate for a student undertaking one or more courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content?

Students who undertake one or more courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content must study the mandatory curriculum in each key learning area.

The hours of study for the School Certificate are indicative. For a student undertaking Life Skills outcomes and content it may be necessary to vary the amount of time allocated for study of the course. The Principal should ensure that appropriate time is allocated across the key learning areas: see ACE Manual, section 4.2.1.

Do students with special education needs have to undertake a language course in Years 7–10?

Yes, all students need to undertake study in each key learning area. The study of a language may be undertaken in Years 7–10 but preferably in Years 7–8. There are 17 Languages syllabuses. Teachers should select those Life Skills outcomes and content from the Languages syllabus that are appropriate to the needs and abilities of the individual student.

A sample unit for Languages for a student undertaking Life Skills is on p 232 of the Life Skills Years 7–10: Advice on Planning, Programming and Assessment (PDF format - 248 pages - 1.38 MB).

How should I assess students undertaking a course based on Life Skills outcomes and content?

Students undertaking courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content should be assessed on outcomes identified in the planning process.

Students can demonstrate achievement of Life Skills outcomes in a number of ways and across a range of environments (eg school, home, community). Evidence of achievement can be based on ongoing observation during teaching and learning, or assessment tasks specifically designed to assess achievement at particular points.

For more information, see Life Skills Years 7–10: Advice on Planning, Programming and Assessment (PDF format - 248 pages - 1.38 MB).

Do students undertaking Life Skills outcomes and content need to be reported on an A–E scale?

This is a school/sector issue. Sectors may determine that students undertaking courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content are outside the A–E reporting requirement.

For some students it may be more appropriate to report against their Individual Education Plan. For more information on A-E reporting see the Assessment Resource Centre website.

What credentials do students undertaking one or more courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content receive for the School Certificate?

Students undertaking Life Skills outcomes and content will be eligible for the following credentials; the School Certificate Testamur, the School Certificate Record of Achievement and a Profile of Student Achievement.

To view a sample School Certificate Credential, including a Record of Achievement for a student undertaking courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content, click on the link below.
www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/schoolcertificate/sc_portfolio/sc_portfolio.html

Do students with special education needs undertaking courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content have to sit the School Certificate tests?

No. Students who undertake courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content in English and/or Mathematics and/or Science and/or Human Society and Its Environment in Stage 5 are not required to sit for the corresponding School Certificate test(s) in English-literacy and/or Mathematics and/or Science and/or Australian History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship.

Are students undertaking one or more courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content required to undertake the Computing Skills Test?

No, the Computing Skills Test is optional for students undertaking one or more courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content in Stage 5.

Are special provisions available to students with special education needs for the NAPLAN tests?

Yes, special provisions are available to meet the needs of individual students with special education needs for the NAPLAN tests.

The NAPLAN tests for secondary school students are conducted in Years 7 and 9, and are coordinated by NSW Test Administration Authorities. For more information about special provisions for the NAPLAN tests, contact the appropriate Test Administration Authority.