New and updated VET pages on the Authority’s website

Contact
Angela Kiely (08) 9273 6751
angela.kiely@scsa.wa.edu.au

The frequently used VET Information for All Schools page has been renamed VET Data and Reporting to reflect the instruction and advice on VET reporting processes in the SIRS database.

The following new VET pages have been added:

• How VET contributes towards WACE
• VET Resources and Links
• VET news and FAQ

The All About VET home page, VET industry specific and VET credit transfer pages have been updated and now include new support materials such as:

• ‘Who Does What’ info graph
• VET in the WACE comparison document
• VET industry specific course credit allocation table
• VET industry specific course enrolment pathways and achievement outcomes flow chart

VET contacts
For VET enquiries email the VET team at VETinfo@scsa.wa.edu.au

For SIRS VET data enquiries (including linking VET units of competency) email the Data Support Officers at VETlinking@scsa.wa.edu.au

Final dates for changes to Year 12 student enrolments

Contact
Jenny Offer (08) 9273 6313
jenny.offer@scsa.wa.edu.au
Jenny Morup (08) 9273 6309
jenny.morup@scsa.wa.edu.au

Schools are reminded of the following final dates that relate to Year 12 student enrolments and WACE examination enrolments:

• Wednesday, 1 July 2015 – deadline for changes to student enrolments in Stage 2 WACE course units. These changes include the following:
  • Opting out of sitting Stage 2 examinations
  • Enrolling into Stage 2 course units
  • Withdrawing from Stage 2 course units.
• Monday, 20 July 2015 – deadline for enrolment as a private candidate, where late fees apply. No further applications will be accepted after this date.
• Friday, 31 July 2015 – deadline for changes to student enrolments to sit the 2015 WACE examinations inStage 3 course units with practical examinations.
• Monday, 14 September 2015 – deadline for changes to Year 12 student enrolments in:
  • Stage 3 course units that do not have practical examinations
  • Stage 1 course units
  • Preliminary course units.

Schools can upload changes to Stage 3 course unit enrolments which do not have a practical examination directly into the Student Information Records System (SIRS) until Monday, 14 September 2015, instead of providing the changes in writing to the Authority.

Note: No changes will be made to student enrolments to sit 2015 WACE examinations:

• in Stage 2 course units, after Wednesday, 1 July 2015
• in Stage 3 course units with a practical examination, after Friday, 31 July 2015.

Looking for SCSA student numbers?

Contact
Lynn Galbraith (08) 9273 6702
lynn.galbraith@scsa.wa.edu.au

If a student arrives at your school from another school in Western Australia – or even from overseas/interstate – you have the ability to search in the Student Information Records System (SIRS) for that student’s SCSA student number. You only need the student’s family name, given name and date of birth.

Go to Enrolments > Student Enrolment > Student Maintenance > Find Student Number.

Enter the year range up to 2014 until all registrations are completed, and then you can enter up to 2015.

Enter the student’s family name, given name and date of birth (the date of birth is not mandatory).

If the information you have entered exactly matches the information in SIRS, you will find a result, even if the student is not at your school.

The information given above for John shows that his main provider in 2014 was the (Department of Education). This would mean he was probably under a Notice of Arrangements, or may have been on the Whereabouts Unknown List (more likely with Years 8, 9 and 10).
Once all registrations are complete in SIRS (the deadline is 20 March 2015), you will be able to search using 2015 as the calendar year. This will then give you the student’s previous school and you will know where to send the transfer note.

Enrolment process for WACE language courses in 2016

Contact
Hanneke Rekelhof(08) 9273 6724
hanneke.rekelhof@scsa.wa.edu.au
languagesenrolment@scsa.wa.edu.au

Student enrolment contact
Jenny Offer (08) 9273 6313
jenny.offer@scsa.wa.edu.au

• Chinese (Second language, Background language, First language)
• French (Second language, Background language)
• German (Second language, Background language)
• Indonesian (Second language, Background language, First language)
• Italian (Second language, Background language)
• Japanese (Second language, Background language, First language)

An Application for permission to enrol in a WACE language course in 2016 must be completed by each student intending to study any of the above WACE language courses in 2016. Students who have previously applied are not required to submit a new application unless their circumstances have changed and as a result they no longer meet the criteria for enrolment in 2016.The application is available on the School Curriculum and Standards Authority website at http://wace1516.scsa.wa.edu.au/languages/

Schools must complete Sections 2 and 5 and submit completed applications to the Authority by:

• 31 July 2015 or earlier if they start the 2016 school year in Term 4, 2015
• 28 August 2015 or earlier if they start the 2016 school year in Term 1, 2016.

Applications from the school should be sent to: School Curriculum and Standards Authority, Administrative Assistant – Languages Enrolment, PO Box 816, CANNINGTON WA 6107

Incomplete applications cannot be processed and will be returned to the school for completion and resubmission. After the due date, applications will only be accepted for new students within two weeks of the student enrolling at the school.

An information session on the enrolment process for WACE language courses will be conducted on 29 April 2015and repeated on 4 May 2015. Languages teachers and school administrators wishing to attend this event are requested to register at http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Events_and_Forms/Events

Register for information sessions - Enrolment process WACE language courses in 2016

Contact
Hanneke Rekelhof (08) 9273 6724
hanneke.rekelhof@scsa.wa.edu.au
languagesenrolment@scsa.wa.edu.au

The School Curriculum and Standards Authority will offer an information session to assist teachers and school administrators responsible for the languages enrolment process in their school.

The session will provide details of the application submission process and the requirements for students seeking permission to study a WACE language course in 2016.

For details about this event, including registration, please visit the Authority’s website at
http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Events_and_Forms/Events/Languages

Those attending are advised to bring a copy of the Application for permission to enrol in a WACE language course in 2016 which can be found at http://wace1516.scsa.wa.edu.au/languages/

Year 12 student enrolments in course units for 2015

Contact
Jenny Offer (08) 9273 6313
jenny.offer@scsa.wa.edu.au

Schools are reminded that Year 12 student enrolments in all WACE course units must be uploaded into the Student Information Records System (SIRS) by Friday, 15 May 2015. As part of the upload, schools will need to indicate which of their Year 12 students have chosen to opt out of sitting Stage 2 WACE examinations.

Provision of course enrolments
The following sections of the Data Procedures Manual 2015 provide instructions relating to the required actions for extracting data of students enrolled in course units, uploading the enrolments into SIRS and verifying these enrolments in SIRS:

9.3                   RTP (Reporting to Parents) instructions for extracting student enrolments (in course units)
10                    Civica - MAZE instructions for extracting data of students enrolled in course units
11.3 Excel instructions for creating a CSV file for student enrolments in course units
12                    Synergetic instructions for extracting data of students enrolled in course units
1.6.3                SIRS instructions for uploading student enrolments
1.7.1                SIRS reports available to schools.

This information is available on the Authority website at
http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Publications/Data_Procedures_Manual

The following forms are also due on 15 May 2015:

• Year 11 equivalent studies for a WACE
• Overseas full fee-paying student declaration (with the enrolment payment).

These forms can be found on the Authority website at
http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Events_and_Forms/Application_Order_Forms

Schools are also reminded that the last date for changes to Year 12 student enrolments in Stage 2 WACE course units is Wednesday, 1 July 2015. After this date, schools will not be able to:

• opt Year 12 students out of sitting Stage 2 WACE examinations
• enrol Year 12 students into Stage 2 WACE course units; or
• withdraw from Stage 2 WACE course units.

Student enrolments in Materials Design and Technology course units – 2016

Contact
Kim Outtrim (08) 9273 6380
Kim.outtrim@scsa.wa.edu.au

Teachers are advised that the Board, in response to feedback from schools and advice from the Standards, and Curriculum and Assessment Committees, has reviewed and approved changes to the maximum units permitted for enrolment in Materials Design and Technology to meet WACE graduation requirements.

From  2016 onwards students can enrol in, and gain credit towards the WACE in up to eight Materials Design and Technology units - four at Year 11 and four at Year 12, across two defined contexts.

The two options to achieve this are:
Option 1 - four ATAR course units (two at Year 11 and two at Year 12) in conjunction with four General course units from another defined context (two at Year 11 and two at Year 12)

Option 2 - eight General course units (four at Year 11 and four at Year 12) from two different, defined contexts.

ATAR/General example
Year 11 - AEMDT Wood (unit 1 & 2) and GEMDT Metal (unit 1 & 2)
Year 12 - ATMDT Wood (unit 3 & 4) and GTMDT Metal (unit 3 & 4)
This student would sit the EST General Metal and the ATAR Examinations in Wood.

General/General example
Year 11 - GEMDT Wood (unit 1 & 2) and GEMDT Metal (unit 1 & 2)
Year 12 - GTMDT Wood (unit 3 & 4) and GTMDT Metal (unit 3 & 4)
This student would sit the EST General Wood and shortly after sit the EST General Metal.

Other possible combinations are Textiles/Wood and Textiles/Metal.

Opting out of examinations and exemption from sitting WACE examinations 2015

Contact
Jenny Offer (08) 9273 6313
jenny.offer@scsa.wa.edu.au
Nicole Gazey(08) 9442 9401
nicole.gazey@scsa.wa.edu.au

At the time of enrolling in a pair of Stage 2 or Stage 3 course units, Year 12 students are automatically enrolled to sit the WACE examination in that stage of the course.

In 2015, there are two processes for schools to follow where students who would be enrolled in but who do not wish to sit the WACE examinations, one for Stage 2 WACE courses and another for Stage 3 WACE courses. These processes are:

• opting out – this applies to students who wish to opt out of sitting the Stage 2 WACE course examinations
• exemption – this applies to students who qualify and who wish to be exempt from sitting the Stage 3 WACE course examinations.

Opting out of Stage 2 WACE examinations
In 2015, examinations for Stage 2 unit pairs in Year 12 are optional. Schools must indicate in their enrolment file (uploaded onto the Student Information Records System (SIRS) if a student is opting out of sitting a Stage 2 examination. This process needs to be completed for each Stage 2 course where the student is opting out of the examination.

Schools can monitor the examination status of their Year 12 students studying Stage 2 units by running a report in SIRS – CSE187 – Examination Status of Year 12 Students Enrolled in Stage 2 Courses. The pathway to the report is: Reports > Other reports > Enrolments.

The last date to make changes to a student’s Stage 2 enrolment is Wednesday, 1 July 2015. Schools should ensure that there are no changes to Stage 2 enrolments after this date.  It is the responsibility of the school to inform students of this deadline.  Students who have not opted out of the Stage 2 examination by this date will be required to sit the examination.

Exemption from sitting Stage 3 WACE examinations
Year 12 students who are enrolled to complete, in the current year, at least 220 nominal hours of VET and are enrolled in three or fewer examinable Stage 2 and/or Stage 3 pairs of units, are eligible to apply for an exemption from sitting the Stage 3 WACE examinations. For further details, please refer to pages 97 and 98 of the WACE Manual 2014–15.

Schools seeking an exemption on behalf of their students are required to apply in SIRS, and will be notified via email in SIRS, of the student exemption application outcome immediately after the information is entered. This process cannot be used to opt out students from sitting the Stage 2 WACE examinations.

Schools must check the outcome of their exemption application via report CSE168 – Stage 3 Examination Exemption Application Outcome for VET Students. The pathway to the report is: Reports > Other reports > External Assessment.

Details relating to exemption from sitting Stage 3 WACE examinations – VET can be found in Section 6.5 of the Data Procedures Manual 2015. The procedure for applying for an exemption from sitting Stage 3 examinations can be found in Section 1 of the manual.

The Data Procedures Manual is available on the Authority website at
http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Publications/Data_Procedures_Manual

The last date to apply for a VET examination exemption is Wednesday, 1 July 2015.

Consequences of not using the appropriate process
Schools need to ensure that the correct process is used. Failure to do so would result in students still being enrolled to sit examinations.

If students are not opted out of Stage 2 examinations or are not made exempt for a Stage 3 examination and do not sit, or do not make a genuine attempt in this WACE examination, then their grades for the pair of units completed in that year will not contribute to the calculation of the C grade average requirement for the WACE, but they will still count in the breadth-and-depth requirement.

WACE 2015 Literature Stage 2 and Stage 3 examinations

Contact
Kevin Sadler(08) 9273 6332
kevin.sadler@scsa.wa.edu.au

Teachers are reminded that the Literature syllabus examination design brief for Stage 2 and Stage 3 states in Section Two Extended response that ‘text/s discussed as the primary reference/s must be from the text lists in the syllabus.’

Instructions on the front cover to candidates sitting the WACE 2015 Literature Stage 2 or Literature Stage 3 examination will include the following statement.

‘If you make primary reference to a text not taken from the text list in the Literature syllabus, 10 per cent will be deducted from your total raw examination mark for Literature.’

Front covers will be available in schools Term 3 of 2015.

ATAR course sample 2016 WACE examinations

Contact
Kevin Sadler (08) 9273 6332
kevin.sadler@scsa.wa.edu.au

The sample 2016 WACE English examination and marking key have been updated to include both holistic and analytic, criterion referenced marking keys.

Two further samples of Section One of the new English examination and their marking keys have been published.

Due to copyright restrictions, the texts used in these samples do not represent all of the text types available for examination.

These sample examination materials are now available under Senior Secondary, WACE 2015–16,http://wace1516.scsa.wa.edu.au.

ATAR course sample 2016 WACE Mathematics Methods examination materials

Contact
Lyn Sampson 9273 6767
lyn.sampson@scsa.wa.edu.au

The sample 2016 WACE Mathematics Methods 2016 examinations and marking keys have been modified. Modifications in the Calculator-free papers apply to questions 7 and 9 and in the Calculator-assumed papers; questions 14, 17, 18 and 21 have been updated.

These sample examination materials are now available under Senior Secondary, WACE 2015–16,http://wace1516.scsa.wa.edu.au/mathematics/.

ATAR course sample 2016 WACE Mathematics Specialist examination materials

Contact
Lyn Sampson 9273 6767
lyn.sampson@scsa.wa.edu.au

Question 10 in the sample 2016 WACE Mathematics Specialist 2016 examination and marking key has been modified.

These sample examination materials are now available under Senior Secondary, WACE 2015–16,http://wace1516.scsa.wa.edu.au/mathematics/.

Practical examination requirements for 2015

Contact
Kerry Cribb (08) 9273 6787
kerry.cribb@scsa.wa.edu.au
Jenny Morup (08) 9273 6309
jenny.morup@scsa.wa.edu.au

Documents outlining the practical examination requirements and the practical marking keys for 2015 have been sent to schools. They are also available on the Authority extranet.
If your school is offering courses which have a practical examination and has not received these documents, please contact one of the following officers.