Year 11 student enrolments in course units – 2015

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

Schools are reminded that enrolments in ATAR, General, Foundation, Preliminary and VET Industry Specific course units for Year 11 students must be uploaded to the Student Information Records System (SIRS) byFriday, 6 March 2015.

The instructions to assist schools to enrol their students in course units are detailed in the Data Procedures Manual 2015. The manual is available on the Authority website at the following address:http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Publications/Data_Procedures_Manual.

The specific sub-sections for information relating to extracting the data of students enrolled in course units, uploading the enrolments into SIRS and verifying these enrolments in SIRS are listed below.

It should be noted that Year 12 students are unable to enrol in Year 11 ATAR, General, Foundation, Preliminary and VET industry specific course units. Enrolments for Year 12 students studying units in WACE courses are due to be uploaded into SIRS by
Friday, 15 May 2015.

Register for 2015 briefings — K–6 and 7–12

Contact
Caroline Walker (08) 9273 6375
caroline.walker@scsa.wa.edu.au

Principals and deputy principals are invited to register for briefings on the Authority’s work with schools and teachers in 2015. The briefings will be organised to provide updates on the primary curriculum (Kindergarten to Year 6) in the morning and the secondary curriculum (Years 7 to 12) in the afternoon.

The briefings will be presented by the Authority’s CEO Allan Blagaich and members of the executive across the State in March and April.

Register now at http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Events_and_Forms/Events/2015_briefings

School Curriculum and Standards Authority roles and responsibilities

Contact
Vanessa Peters (08) 9273 6779
vanessa.peters@scsa.wa.edu.au

On 1 March 2012, the School Curriculum and Standards Authority’s functions expanded significantly as a result of the proclamation of the School Curriculum and Standards Authority Act 1997 (the Act).
Following feedback from schools and systems and sector representatives, we have developed a poster to explain the Authority’s role for teaching and administrative staff.

All Western Australian schools have been sent a poster and principals have been encouraged to display the poster in their staffroom.

The Authority will continue to provide regular updates to principals, school leaders and teachers through the 11 to 12 Circular aimed at senior secondary teachers and administrative staff and the K to 10 Circular for primary and lower secondary teachers. Principals have also been asked to encourage staff to subscribe to the Authority’s electronic newsletters.

Reporting VET achievement in SIRS

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

There are nine outcome identifiers1 that are relevant for schools under AVETMISS 7.0.

Schools are reminded, when reporting student VET achievement that:

• a result code of 20 (competency achieved/pass) is only recorded once for any unit of competency
• all subsequent achievement descriptors awarded for a unit of competency linked to another qualification is recorded as 60 (credit transfer) thereafter
• a result code of 30 (competency not achieved/fail) should not be used subsequent to that unit of competency being reported as 20 (competency achieved/pass)
• an incorrect enrolment in a unit of competency is to be resulted as 99 (Student did not participate in a competency/module).

1Table 27*: Assessable Enrolments: Values

http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Publications/Data_Procedures_Manual

EAL/D eligibility application process for 2015

Contact
Louise Dodman (08) 9273 6785
Louise.Dodman@scsa.wa.edu.au

Teachers are advised that in the English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) eligibility process a significant proportion of students are not submitting the required documentation in conjunction with EAL/D eligibility application forms.

Failure to submit the required documentation by students can:

• disadvantage an application
• result in a significant delay in the processing of the application.

Teachers are requested to check each student application form to ensure:

• the student’s School Curriculum and Standards Authority (the Authority) number is included
• teacher and principal signatures are included
• Section 2A of question 7 of the application form is complete and correct
• the required school reports are attached. Note – the Authority accepts that it is not possible to obtain reports from schools in refugee camps and countries such as Burma, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Burundi, etc.  However, there is an expectation that school reports will be provided for students from countries such as the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa, etc.
• all relevant sections are completed.

In 2015, applications that are incorrect, incomplete, or do not have the required documentation attached will not be accepted by the Authority for processing.

These applications will be returned, unprocessed to schools. These applications can be resubmitted once the school has ensured that they are correct and complete.

Please note that new Year 12 students in 2015 applying for 2015 should submit their forms by Friday 27 February 2015. New Year 11 students in 2015 applying for 2016 should submit their forms by Friday 21 August 2015.

Private candidate enrolment for Interstate Languages

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

Jenny Morup (08) 9273 6309
jenny.morup@scsa.wa.edu.au

Year 12 students can register with the Authority, as private candidates to sit an external examination in an interstate language course, only if they are enrolled to sit WACE examinations in at least three other courses in the same year so that the language mark can be scaled. A list of the available interstate languages can be found on the Authority website at http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Senior_Secondary/Courses/Interstate_languages.

Students cannot be enrolled in an Interstate Language examination, whilst enrolled in that course with the State that hosts the language.

The scaled mark from the external examination can contribute towards the calculation of the student’s Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) but does not appear on the student’s statement of results.

The Authority will advise students of their examination mark by letter in January 2016.

Reporting work placement modules under Authority Developed Workplace Learning (ADWPL) from 2015

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

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

For students who are completing a pre-apprenticeship in schools or school-based apprenticeship, the non-assessable modules, currently referred to as work placement coordination modules (W codes) and previously known as supervised skills practice (Y codes) can continue to have these work placement hours contribute towards the current and 2016 WACE requirements via the endorsed program ADWPL Workplace Learning.
For more information on pre-apprenticeship in schools and the Western Australian Pre-Apprenticeship Program Business Rules 2015 visit: http://www.vetinfonet.dtwd.wa.gov.au/VETinschools/Pages/Pre-apprenticeshipsinSchools.aspx

WACE Year 11 equivalence – 2015

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

To gain recognition of prior studies for a student, schools need to complete the Year 11 equivalent studies for a Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) form available on the Authority website athttp://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Events_and_Forms/Application_Order_Forms.

The form should be returned to the Authority by Friday, 15 May 2015.

If the student successfully meets the WACE requirements, then recognition will be given for having achieved the equivalent of one year or one semester of senior secondary studies (Year 11) overseas, interstate or through training.

Full details about what students subsequently need to achieve in Year 12 for their WACE are available on page 121 of the WACE Manual 2014–15, available online athttp://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Publications/WACE_Manual.

Schools are able to check in the School Information Records System (SIRS) which of their students has been awarded block credit for Year 11 studies.

Schools are encouraged to submit applications for Year 11 equivalence at the start of the school year.

Some students did not initially achieve the WACE in 2014 because schools did not request Year 11 equivalent studies for the student. This can cause unnecessary stress and inconvenience for the students involved.

The cost of reprinting statements of results is the responsibility of the school.

If schools consider that studies completed elsewhere indicate that the student has the potential to achieve the WACE, they may enrol a student in Year 12.

Computer Science Specifications Booklet 2015 now online

Contact
Ian Gaynor (08) 9273 6350
ian.gaynor@scsa.wa.edu.au

The Computer Science Specifications Booklet, for Stage 2 and Stage 3 for Year 12 students has been updated and is available on the Computer Science course page in the Assessment and Other Support Materials section.
For 2015 the booklet includes a minor refinement to the flowchart and pseudocode on page 12, exemplifying the selection construct ‘Multi way (CASE)’, enabling the test of an integer from a mutually exclusive set.
Please note:

• The ATAR and General courses do not require the use of a specification booklet as the diagrammatic conventions and statements of clarification have been incorporated into the relevant syllabus.
• Teachers of Computer Science should refer to the booklet when developing their teaching and learning program, assessment tasks and marking keys. Students should be familiar with the information in the booklet to ensure the consistency in the use of appropriate diagrams, models and conceptual tools.
• The booklet will be used in conjunction with the Computer Science syllabus by the examiners when developing the Computer Science Stage 2 and Stage 3 WACE examinations.
• The booklet cannot be taken into the Stage 2 or Stage 3 Computer Science WACE examinations.

Data transfer instructions for VET industry specific courses affected by Training Package Revisions

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

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

Julia McHenry (08) 9273 6707
julia.mchenry@scsa.wa.edu.au

Occasionally, a Training Package qualification (e.g. SIS20312) becomes superseded during a student’s enrolment in a VET industry specific course and is replaced on the
National Register http://training.gov.au/ by a more current qualification (e.g. SIS20313). To ensure SIRS correctly calculates whether a student has successfully met the VET industry specific course completion requirements, the school must address the superseded enrolment information in SIRS prior to resulting as follows:
ENCOS

• Withdraw students from the VET industry specific course units integrated with the superseded qualification
• Re-enrol students in the VET industry specific course units and integrate the current qualification with the course units.

ENVET

• Withdraw the enrolment in the units of competency linked to the superseded qualification
• Enrol in the units of competency linked with the current qualification.

Once the enrolments have been corrected, schools can follow the usual resulting procedures for VET industry specific courses.
Please note: SIRS will produce an error message if schools result students in a qualification different to the qualification enrolled in.
For further instruction on SIRS uploading procedures, please refer to the relevant enrolment and result section of the Data Procedures Manual at: http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Publications/Data_Procedures_Manual.

Year 12 VET industry specific course enrolments

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

Year 12 students are required to be enrolled in the 2014 VET industry specific courses to meet the 2015 WACE requirements. Year 12 enrolment in the new 2015 VET industry specific courses will not be permitted.

2014 VET industry specific course offerings are listed below:

WACE examination dates 2015

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

The 2015 WACE written examinations will run from Monday, 2 November to
Friday, 27 November.

The 2015 WACE practicall examinations will be scheduled as follows:

1. Saturday, 26 September to Sunday, 4 October (Saturday, Sunday and the public holiday included)
Aviation, Dance, Drama, Music and Physical Education Studies

2. Saturday, 26 September to Sunday, 11 October (Saturday, Sunday and the public holiday included)
English as an Additional Language/Dialect (overseas schools)

3. Saturday, 17 October
Chinese: Second Language

4. Saturday, 17 October and Sunday, 18 October
Japanese: Second Language and Indonesian: Second Language

5. Saturday, 17 October to Sunday, 25 October (Saturday and Sunday included)
English as an Additional Language/Dialect (Western Australian schools), French, German and
Italian

A school will not be able to specify particular day/s for the practical examinations to be held for all of its students. Students from a school must be randomly allocated to examination times throughout all of the days allotted for a course. This process ensures anonymity for all candidates.

Schools are advised to plan activities such as school examinations, final-day assembly, graduation, valedictory dinners and leavers’ breakfast on dates other than those listed above. These activities should be scheduled when there are no examinations for local students, such as between Monday, 5 October and Friday, 16 October or between Monday, 26 October and Friday, 30 October.

Schools are requested to communicate the written and practical examination dates to students, teachers and parents. No allowance in the timetable can be made for holidays, work or personal arrangements.

English examination meeting

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

English teachers are invited to the School Curriculum and Standards Authority
Tuesday, 10 March 2015
4.30pm to 6:00pm.
303 Sevenoaks Street, Cannington
Conference rooms 1 and 2

Members of the 2014 English examination panels will be present and teachers will have the opportunity to provide feedback and ask questions about the 2014 English examinations.

Please register your interest in attending at
http://www.curriculum.wa.edu.au/Apps/Bookings/Events.aspx?EventId=1712