2015 information and update videos

Contact
Jo Merrey (08) 9273 6348
jo.merrey@scsa.wa.edu.au

A set of videos that outline the Authority’s role and responsibilities and provide updates about the Authority’s work in 2015 has been added to the website, on the Videos page.
There are three videos in the set:

• Our Role and Responsibilities (3.06)
• Kindergarten to Year 10 2015 curriculum, assessment and reporting update (11.15)
• Year 11 and Year 12 2015-16 WACE update (9.38).

The first video in the set – Our Role and Responsibilities – provides a general overview. The Kindergarten to Year 10 and Year 11 and Year 12 videos provide updates from the Authority’s CEO, Allan Blagaich with a specific focus on the Authority’s work in 2015.
The Authority would like to thank the school leaders, teachers, students and parents who took part in making the videos.
The videos can be viewed here <http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Publications/Videos>.

Certification consequences of not providing a VET USI for Year 12 students in 2015

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

Kerry Tarrant(08) 9273 6770
kerry.tarrant@scsa.wa.edu.au

Nicole Gazey(08) 9442 9401
nicole.gazey@scsa.wa.edu.au

For the first time, schools are required to include the Unique Student Identifier (USI) in their VET enrolment (ENVET) and VET achievement (RSVET and RSQUAL) files which are uploaded into Student Information Records System (SIRS). The USI field is optional in these three files, however, it is required in the RSVET and RSQUAL files for units of competency and qualifications to contribute towards meeting the WACE requirements.

Students who achieve VET units of competency or VET qualifications without a VET USI will not:

• have the results reported on the Statement of Results
• have the achievements allocated unit equivalence and may not meet the requirements to receive a WACE
• have the achievements recognised in the completion requirement for VET Industry Specific courses.

Schools are reminded, if assistance is required regarding the USI, it is suggested that schools contact the Western Australian Department of Training and Workforce Development at usi@dtwd.wa.gov.au or refer to the USI help centre at www.usi.gov.au, by phone on 13 38 73 or via email at usi@industry.gov.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.
• 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 Wednesday, 14 September 2015.

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.

New national outcome identifier

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

AVETMISS 7.0 for VET providers has released a new national outcome identifier of ‘61 - Superseded subject’.‘Superseded subject’is used when training activity started in a unit of competency or module but was not completed when superseded by another subject against that the final outcome will be recorded. For schools this replaces the need to use ‘40 – Withdrawn/discontinued’.

‘Superseded subject’ must not be selected for the superseded subject until the training activity has commenced in the replacement subject.

There must be evidence of the training activity itself in the replacement subject; evidence of enrolment procedures or data entry into the student management system is not acceptable.

Table 27*: Assessable Enrolments: Values

*Extracted from Data Procedures Manual Section 7.2 athttp://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Publications/Data_Procedures_Manual

New WACE activity for 2016: Reporting VET Qualification Estimates (ESQUAL) in SIRS

Contact
Nicole Gazey(08) 9442 9401
nicole.gazey@scsa.wa.edu.au
Angela Kiely(08) 9273 6751
angela.kiely@scsa.wa.edu.au

Schools are currently required to upload VET enrolment data to the Authority by June 2015 for Year 12 students and August for Year 11 students. Schools can upload enrolments prior to these dates however, there is no obligation to do so until the specified dates. In some cases schools wait until as late as the resulting period in November and December to notify the Authority of VET enrolments.

With the introduction of the WACE 2016 it has become necessary to establish VET participation data within the first quarter of the year, to provide the Authority with reliable estimates that will assist with the implementation of the new VET requirements for WACE.
The new mandatory process has been designed with consideration given to the impact of the extra reporting requirements on schools. As such the new file; ESQUAL VET Qualification Estimates has been created based on the SIRS Results Qualification (RSQUAL) upload file as seen below.
The information is intended to provide a ‘snapshot’ of the VET offerings at each school. Schools are required to report the qualifications that students are undertaking (this includes students who go offsite to access their training at external providers) as well as the details of the students against each qualification. Details of the units of competence within each qualification are not required to be reported. Schools are also not required to update the ESQUAL file after the deadline unless there is a significant change in VET offerings.
Schools will also need to indicate the delivery arrangement under which each VET qualification will be delivered. More information on the definitions of each delivery arrangement identifier will be disseminated later this year.

Estimates: VET qualification estimate CSV file format (mandatory)

Workshop for Teachers implementing Year 11 and 12 Chinese, Indonesian and Japanese Background Language courses in 2016

Contact
Lisa Djanegara(08) 9273 6382
lisa.djanegara@scsa.wa.edu.au

Date: Monday, 22 June 2015
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm
Venue: School Curriculum and Standards Authority
303 Sevenoaks Street Cannington WA 6107
Room: Conference Room 1 (Ground Floor)

The Authority is offering a workshop to support teachers intending to deliver the Year 11 and 12 Chinese, Indonesian and Japanese Background Language courses in 2016.

This workshop will provide detailed information about the written and practical (oral) examinations for Chinese, Indonesian and Japanese Background Language. Participants will have the opportunity to work with the marking guidelines from both the written and practical (oral) examinations.

Interested teachers are asked to bring their own copies of the Year 12 Background Language syllabuses. These are available at http://wace1516.scsa.wa.edu.au/. Teachers will be provided with the marking guidelines.
We have invited Lyn Sully from the Board of Studies Teaching & Educational Standards NSW who will be working with us on the day.

A full-day teacher relief payment is available.

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

New proposed recognition arrangements for VET accredited courses -

Contact
Nicole Gazey (08) 9442 9401
nicole.gazey@scsa.wa.edu.au

An accredited course is one that is developed to meet training needs not addressed by existing training packages. Courses and modules that are not part of a nationally endorsed training package do not automatically provide students with recognition towards the WACE.

To be eligible to contribute towards the WACE, an accredited course:

1. cannot duplicate a WACE course or other Authority-developed program; and
2. cannot compromise the standards of the WACE by providing an unsuitable or inappropriate alternative to an existing WACE offering or mechanism for fulfilling one or more WACE requirements.

The Authority reserves the right to refuse recognition of an accredited course if it is deemed to meet one or more of the abovementioned criteria or for any other purpose where it is considered that the qualification is not suitable within the context of the WACE requirements.

The Authority has already applied this policy to the qualifications within the suite of Certificates of General Educations for Adults under the WACE 2016 rule set.

A process has been developed and is pending Board approval that seeks to determine different levels of recognition of VET accredited courses towards the WACE based on the classification of course outcomes. The classification scheme determines whether the accredited course outcomes have an industry, foundation skills or vocational focus.

It is proposed that the allocation of credit towards the WACE for VET accredited courses be applied according to a sliding scale as illustrated in the table below.

Recognition arrangements for accredited course categories

Under the new arrangements, once an accredited course has been classified it will be included in the Accredited Course Recognition Status list which will be reviewed periodically and published on the Authority website. Ifa school wishes to enrol students in a VET accredited course that is not currently listed on the Accredited Course Recognition Status list they must request the course to be classified by the Authority prior to student enrolment.
Further details will be provided after the Authority Board meets on 23 June in a future Ecircular and on the ‘VET News’ page on the Authority website athttp://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Senior_Secondary/Vocational_Education_and_Training/VET_news_faqs

Career and Enterprise previewed sources for WACE examinations 2015

Contact
Naidina Avery (08) 9273 6334
naidina.avery@scsa.wa.edu.au
Kerry Cribb (08) 9273 6787
kerry.cribb@scsa.wa.edu.au

The previewed sources for the 2015 Career and Enterprise Stage 2 and Stage 3 WACE examinations have been sent to schools.

Teachers of Career and Enterprise are required to familiarise their students with these sources in readiness for the 2015 examinations.

The previewed source lists are available on the Authority website at
http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Senior_Secondary/Courses/WACE_Courses/Career_and_Enterprise.

Online VET exemption applications for Stage 3 WACE examinations

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

Schools are reminded that the online VET examination exemption process for Stage 3 WACE examinations closes on Wednesday, 1 July 2015.

Schools are able to repeat the application process multiple times (to allow for new applications as they are received). Schools are reminded to ensure that the report Stage 3 Examination Exemption Application Outcome for VET Students 2015 (Reports > Other reports > External Assessment > CSE 168) should be printed and checked to confirm:

• which students have been exempted from Stage 3 WACE examination enrolment; and
• which students have not been exempted from Stage 3 WACE examination enrolment.

If a subsequent change to a student’s enrolment status makes a student ineligible for exemption, the Authority will re-enrol that student into the examination/s.
NOTE: No application for a VET examination exemption for a Stage 3 WACE examination will be processed afterWednesday, 1 July 2015.

Student Declaration and Permission online

Contact
Kerry Tarrant (08) 9273 6770
kerry.tarrant@scsa.wa.edu.au

A reminder that all Year 12 students (and students other than Year 12 who have been given approval to sit the WACE examinations) are required to complete the Student Declaration and Permission online by Monday, 29 June 2015.  This date has been extended from 29 May 2015 as initially indicated on the 2015 WACE Activities schedule.

The Authority is seeking schools’ assistance to provide details to their students regarding the online procedure.

Schools are able to monitor which of their students have completed the Student Declaration and Permission online via the following report, CSE058 – Student Release Choices by Provider.  The pathway to the report is as follows: Reports > Other reports > Report type: Students, reports.

The Authority appreciates your assistance in obtaining this important information.

Summary examination reports for candidates

Contact
Kerry Cribb (08) 9273 6787
kerry.cribb@scsa.wa.edu.au

Summaries of the 2014 WACE examination reports are available to the public on the Authority’s website under ‘Publications – Past WACE examinations.’ The reports include advice to candidates from examiners and markers. Some statistical data regarding examination performance are included.

A summary examination report is not available for some courses where there were insufficient candidates to enable valid statistical analysis.