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

In response to queries, the following clarification of VET industry specific courses is provided to schools.

VET industry specific courses:

• do not have separate Year 11 and 12 syllabuses
• are packaged as either two or four WACE course units, linked to a specified qualification which is paired in both Year 11 (Units 1 and 2) and Year 12 (Units 3 and 4) syllabuses
• can be delivered over both Years 11 and 12 or all in one year (Units 1, 2, 3 and 4).

This means that regardless of the academic year a student is enrolled (or subsequently re-enrolled) in the VET industry specific course, SIRS will show enrolments in both the Year 11 units (Units 1 and 2) and Year 12 units (Units 3 and 4) in that academic year.

Table 1 - VET industry specific WACE course and credit structure

*Unique course code linked to relevant VET industry specific course qualification

For more information on VET industry specific course credit, refer to section 4.7 of the WACE Manual at: http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Publications/WACE_Manual.

Retrospective, current and projected credit

Course enrolment and achievement examples:

Scenario 1: A student meets the partial requirement for a Certificate II or III undertaken as part of a VET industry specific course in Year 11 and subsequently re-enrols into the same course in Year 12 to meet the remaining course requirements in Year 12.  The student is awarded a ‘Completed’ grade against Year 11 units (Units 1 and 2) and a ‘U’ grade against Year 12 units (Units 3 and 4).

SIRS outcome: SIRS will automatically re-enrol the Year 11 units which were previously achieved indicated with an asterisk.  See Example A below:

Scenario 2: A student completes the full requirement for a Certificate II or III undertaken as part of a VET industry specific course in Year 11.

SIRS outcome: SIRS will display Year 11 units (Units 1 and 2) and Year 12 units (Units 3 and 4) as ‘Completed’ for the calendar year in which the course was completed, which, in this case, is 2015. See Example B below:

A VET industry specific course at the Certificate II or III level completed in Year 11 will be awarded a combination of current and projected credit.

Authority-developed Workplace Learning (ADWPL) requirement

The number of ADWPL hours needed to meet course requirements varies for each qualification as some industry training councils have requested a greater workplace learning component to be included for particular industry qualifications. However, for the majority of qualifications, a Certificate I level qualification requires 55 hours of ADWPL and a Certificate II or III level qualification requires 110 hours of ADWPL.

Further information about ADWPL requirements are provided in each syllabus which can be viewed at the Authority website: http://wace1516.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/vet-industry-specific.

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

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

Student enrolments and achievements in VET
For Year 12 students in 2016, schools are reminded to include the VET USI in their VET enrolment (ENVET), VET achievement (RSVET and RSQUAL) and student registration and demographic (SRGDG) files which are uploaded into Student Information Records System (SIRS). The USI field is optional in these four 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 are required to have a USI before they can be issued with a statement of attainment or certificate (from their RTO).

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.

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

• have the results reported on the Western Australian Statement of Student Achievement (WASSA)
• have the achievements allocated unit equivalent/s and may not meet the requirements to receive a WACE
• have the achievements recognised in the completion requirement for VET Industry Specific courses.

VET – USI report
To assist schools to identify which students have a VET USI uploaded onto SIRS, the 
Authority has developed a report in SIRS. The pathway to this report is as follows:

Reports > other reports > Report type: enrolments, Report: CSE195 – VET USI report.

This report will list (either ‘yes’ or ‘no’) to indicate if a VET USI has been uploaded for 
each student at the school who has VET enrolments in 2016.

Where students already have VET USIs, there is no need to obtain another USI for 2016.

Schools are reminded that the Authority requires Year 12 student enrolments in VET to be uploaded into SIRS as soon as possible, but not later than Wednesday, 22 June 2016.

Contact
Jessica Wright (08) 9273 6752
jessica.wright@scsa.wa.edu.au

There have been changes to the structure of TAFE since the commencement of the school year in 2016. Schools who have uploaded VET enrolments into the Student Information and Records System (SIRS) using the original TAFE provider codes should adjust this via the upload of ENVET and/or RSVET files.

Where an ENVET file is uploaded with a unit of competency enrolment and all values in the file match except the RTO code, the original enrolment will be replaced by an enrolment with the new RTO code.

If an RSVET file is uploaded with a unit of competency result and all values match the enrolment except for the RTO code, the original enrolment will be replaced with the new RTO code.

The above process is not available when an RSVET file is uploaded following a previous RSVET upload with an incorrect RTO code. In this case schools should:

• result the original enrolment with a 99 (delete) and upload an RSVET file to SIRS
• upload an RSVET file with the corrected RTO code and correct results to SIRS.

These steps need to be taken to avoid a duplicate enrolment being created in SIRS.

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

Schools are reminded that the due date for completion of the online Student Declaration and Permission is Friday, 24 June 2016.

The following students are required to complete the online Student Declaration and Permission:

• all Year 12 students
• Year 11 students who are studying ATAR Units 3 and 4 and sitting the 2016 ATAR course examinations
• Year 10 students who have been given approval to study ATAR Units 3 and 4 and sit the 2016 ATAR course examinations.

Schools are requested to ensure students are given the necessary information in order to complete the form correctly, such as:

• the purpose
• login instructions to the student portal: https://www.wace.wa.edu.au
• completion of the online form must be discussed with parents/guardians.

Further information about the online Student Declaration and Permission can be found on the Authority website at: http://wace1516.scsa.wa.edu.au/the-wace/student-declaration.

Schools can monitor which students have completed the online Student Declaration and Permission via the report CSE058 – Student Release Choices by Provider.

The pathway to the report CSE058 is: Reports > Other reports > Report type: Students, Report: CSE058.

The Authority appreciates your assistance in obtaining this important information.

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

Schools are reminded that the due date for electronically uploading the identified students’ EST scripts is Friday, 17 June 2016. The EST scripts are required by this date for independent marking during the Term 2 holidays (4 July to 15 July).

The facility for schools to upload EST scripts will not be available after Friday, 17 June 2016. Schools who may have concerns regarding this deadline should contact the Authority.

To identify which students’ scripts need to be scanned and uploaded into SIRS2, schools are required to run (EST005) Missed Selected Scripts by Externally Set Task (in SIRS2).

The report is available from the following pathway:

Reports > Other reports > Report type: Externally Set Task > Report.

Schools will receive EST feedback for each course via a report available for download in SIRS from 12 August 2016 (end of Week 4, Term 3).

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

Schools are reminded of the final dates to withdraw Year 12 students from courses:

• Friday, 29 July 2016 – final date for withdrawing students from ATAR courses with practical examination components.
• Friday, 26 August 2016 – final date for withdrawing students from ATAR courses which do not have practical examination components.
• Friday, 26 August 2016 – final date for withdrawing students from General, Foundation, Preliminary and VET industry Specific courses.

Contact
John Newman (08) 9273 6757
john.newman@scsa.wa.edu.au

Grade descriptions

Teachers are advised that the grade descriptions for ATAR, General and Foundation courses are being reviewed and refined where required. This process is being informed by an analysis of student work samples.

The upload of the refined grade descriptions and annotated student samples to the Authority website is proceeding in stages.

The refined grade descriptions will replace the current descriptions in each syllabus. Courses with refined grade descriptions can be identified on course pages by a 'Last updated' indicator with a 2016 date. For example:

At this stage, for a small number of Year 11 ATAR and General courses with low enrolment numbers, the current grade descriptions have not been reviewed due to an insufficient number of student work samples for analysis in 2016.

As the refined grade descriptions comprise refinements to the 2015 grade descriptions, teachers are advised that in 2016, Year 11 grade allocations can be based on either the current or the refined grade descriptions.

Annotated student samples

For courses where the grade descriptions have been refined, teachers are advised that annotated A, B and C student samples will be uploaded to the Authority website during Semester 2, 2016. The same task will be used to reflect student achievement at the A, B and C standard.

Initially, the annotated student samples will only comprise assessment types with written tasks and will exclude the Examination assessment type (for ATAR courses) and the Externally Set Task assessment type (for General courses).

Contact
Leanne Meldrum (08) 9273 6746
leanne.meldrum@scsa.wa.edu.au

2016 Endorsed programs list (updated)

The updated list of endorsed programs available to students in Years 10, 11 and 12 in 2016 is available now on the Authority website. The web link for endorsed programs is: http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/internet/Senior_Secondary/Endorsed_Programs

New Provider-developed endorsed programs

The following programs have been recently endorsed.

• Cisco Networking Academy: Introduction to the Internet of Everything, Cybersecurity and Entrepreneurship
• RAID International: Open Water 20 Diver
• RAID International: Explorer 20 Diver
• RAID International: Advanced 35 Diver
• Royal Academy of Dance: Level 3 Certificate in Vocational Graded Examination in Dance Intermediate Foundation (Ballet)

A summary of each program can be accessed by following this link: http://scsawebapps.scsa.wa.edu.au/apps/ENDORSED/display.aspx?type=6. In addition, the list of ASDAN endorsed programs has been updated to include all currently available Preparatory Award Programs Towards Independence modules. The modules no longer available will expire at the end of 2016.

Amendments to endorsed programs

Amendments have been made to the following endorsed programs:

• Western Australian Debating League Inc.: Schools Debating Competition has been retitled Western Australian Debating League Inc.: Senior Debating Program but retains the code PWADL.
• Antipodeans Abroad: Expedition has been retitled Antipodeans: Expedition but retains the code PANT.

Workplace Learning documentation review

The Authority reviews documentation of selected schools through mail-in or a school visit for a sample of Authority-developed endorsed programs each year. A number of schools will be visited in Term 3 to check the documents for Workplace Learning (ADWPL). Schools will be given at least three weeks’ notice of an intended visit. The visiting officer will check that:

• the school has a current WPL policy reflective of the sector/system’s policy
• the school has a current Workplace Learning Management Plan
• the school has a process for determining that students are ready for the workplace
• the school has a process for inducting the host workplace supervisor
• the Logbook and Skills Journal are based on the Authority templates
• students are given a copy of the program outline
• a completion advice is completed for each student and kept on the student’s record file.

Contact
Suzie Harman (08) 9273 6768
suzie.harman@scsa.wa.edu.au

Teachers of Mathematics ATAR courses are advised that the Review of the use of technology in Mathematics education is now available on the Authority website.

The review can be found under Publications > Reports > General Reports at: http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/publications/reports/general-reports.

Contact
Nolene Harris (08) 9273 6727
nolene.harris@scsa.wa.edu.au

The ethically approved investigations for the ATAR and General Psychology courses have been updated. Each investigation includes information for teachers, handouts for students, an assessment task sheet and an updated marking key.

The investigations are available on the Psychology course page on the Authority website at: http://wace1516.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/science/psychology.

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

In response to feedback to the item in Edition 6 of the 11to12 Circular, http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/publications/circulars/11to12-circulars?month=May+2016, further clarification of the Politics and Law (PAL) ATAR course Design Brief is provided for teachers.

The clarification relates to the content included  in Part A and Part B of Section Three: Essay. ‪Part A essay questions will be drawn from Unit 3 and Part B essay questions will be drawn from Unit 4.

The PAL ATAR course Year 12 syllabus is divided  into two units which are delivered as a pair with Unit 4 content building on Unit 3. The examination is based on a representative sampling of the content  for Unit 3 and Unit 4.

The inclusion of Part A – Unit 3 and Part B – Unit  4 to Section Three of the PAL ATAR course Year 12 examination provides a  familiar structure to that of past Stage 3 WACE examinations.

Front covers will be  available in schools Term 3 of 2016.

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

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

Teachers are reminded that students sitting the Year 12 ATAR external examinations in Drama, English, Literature and Media Production and Analysis must answer all questions in the Question/Answer booklet that is provided on the day of the examination. There is no separate Standard Answer Book for these examinations.

The 2016 ATAR sample examinations for these courses demonstrate the layout and format of the above mentioned examinations.

Front covers will be available in schools in Term 3 of 2016.