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

Schools are advised that 2017 Year 12 students will be able to access their results online at https://www.wace.wa.edu.au opens in new window on Tuesday, 19 December 2017.

To log on, students will need their student number and other personal identification information. It is advisable that students provide an alternate email address via the student portal. This is to avoid issues where school email accounts close prior to the release of results.

Students who experience technical difficulties in accessing their information need to contact the Authority at wacehelp@scsa.wa.edu.au [monitored from Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) between 8:00am to 5:00pm].

Schools are reminded that the Authority may need to speak with the specified contact person early in January should students question the results reported by schools to the Authority.

Students will receive their folios of achievement (i.e. WACE, WASSA and ATAR course report) during January 2018.

Students who are seeking details relating to university admission (including their ATAR) are advised to contact Tertiary Institutions Service Centre.

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

Rick Browner (08) 9273 6386
rick.browner@scsa.wa.edu.au

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

Limited places are available for secondary school staff, using the Student Information Records System (SIRS), to attend a familiarisation seminar at the School Curriculum and Standards Authority. The seminar is aimed at new and existing secondary school users who have not previously attended a seminar.

Ideally, two staff members should attend: the clerical staff member who may be responsible for maintaining the changes on the school database and the Deputy or Associate Principal who is responsible for timetable changes for students.

The seminar will cover the basic operations and functions of SIRS. This includes data transfer and the generation of reports which enable the information transferred to SIRS to be checked.

The seminar will be approximately two and a half hours duration. Participants will log into SIRS using their own school login and password.

There will be four sessions available prior to school commencing in 2018, which may be preferable for staff in remote and country Western Australia.

Seminar dates and times (2018)

More sessions may be provided if these sessions are fully booked.

Registrations can be made online at

https://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/events/SIRS_intro.

The seminars will be held in the Mason Bird Building Training Room 1 at 303 Sevenoaks Street, Cannington.  Further details will be supplied to participants once registered.

In previous years, two sessions were held in Bunbury for South West participants, and if we have enough interest for 2018, it may be possible to conduct sessions there again.  Please contact Lynn.Galbraith@scsa.wa.edu.au if you would be interested in attending SIRS familiarisation in Bunbury.

Sessions were also funded in 2017 by schools in Port Hedland, Kalgoorlie and Geraldton and any future sessions in these areas would include a session dedicated to primary schools only.

Contact
Lynn Galbraith (08) 9273 6702
lynn.galbraith@education.wa.edu.au opens in new window

Rick Browner (08) 9273 6386
rick.browner@education.wa.edu.au opens in new window

dataservices@scsa.wa.edu.au

Schools and other education providers are asked to note the following important dates as the last date for the initial upload of student registration and demographic information to SIRS in 2018.  Please do not leave it until the last date to upload your data.

Thursday 15 February 2018

• Initial 2018 registration and demographic information for Years 10–12 students (required for Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA) student lists and password generation).
• Initial 2018 registration and demographic information for ALL Kindergarten–Year 6 students where these students attend schools either administering National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) online or delivering Brightpath.
• Initial 2018 registration and demographic information for all Year 7 and Year 9 students where these students attend schools administering NAPLAN Online.

Thursday 15 March 2018

• Registration and demographic information for Years 7–9 students where these students attend schools not administering NAPLAN online is due to be uploaded on Thursday, 15 March 2018.

Thursday 12 April 2018

• Registration and demographic information for Kindergarten–Year 6 students where these students attend schools not administering NAPLAN Online is due to be uploaded on Thursday, 12 April 2018.

Updates to registration and demographic information should be uploaded into SIRS on a regular basis for the remainder of the year.

Details of how to register students will be provided in the updated Data Procedures Manual 2018, with links to assist schools using Reporting to Parents, MAZE, and Excel.  There is also a separate Student Registration Procedures Manual 2018 – Primary Students found at https://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/349641/Student-Registration-Procedures-Manual-2017-Primary-Students-web-version.PDF to assist primary schools with creating and uploading their Student Registration and Demographic File (SRGDG).

Schools who have never previously registered their students Western Australian Student Number will be contacted during 2018 with instructions on how to request and allocate the WASN and how to upload an SRGDG to SIRS.

Requesting WA student numbers (WASN)

WASNs for Kindergarten students ONLY can be requested directly through SIRS from the commencement of Term 4 2017.  Please see instructions in the Section 3.3 of the Student Registration Procedures Manual 2018 – Primary Students found in the above link.

Schools, where most students already have a WASN and new students have enrolled who require a number, should check first using the ‘Search for WASN’ process – explained in ‘How to Search for WA Student Numbers in SIRS’ in this Circular.  If you cannot locate a number, then contact numbers@scsa.wa.edu.au and give details of the student’s legal surname, legal first name, date of birth and academic year.

To request WASNs, where you have a large number of students requiring numbers, please send a spreadsheet containing the students’ surname, first name, date of birth and academic year to numbers@scsa.wa.edu.au and a check will be made before returning with allocated numbers and a request made for new numbers where appropriate.

Schools are requested to include their school code in any correspondence.

Contacts
Annette Moon (08) 9273 6789
Annette.Moon@scsa.wa.edu.au

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

The Authority is providing two sets of seminars opens in new window/webinars opens in new window for senior secondary teachers.

• One for new and/or inexperienced teachers of WACE courses (i.e. graduate teachers, teachers who have not previously taught Year 11 or Year 12, teachers from interstate or overseas). These seminars are Learning Area specific.
• One for teachers involved in small group moderation in 2018 who wish to learn more about this process.

All seminars are conducted at the Authority (303 Sevenoaks St., Cannington). Details of all seminars/webinars can be accessed when the teacher registers online from the Authority website.

Webinars will be provided as an alternative for face to face meetings.

The seminars are free to attend, but the school is responsible for teacher relief and any travel and accommodation expenses.

Contact
Nadia Civa (08) 9273 6355
nadia.civa@scsa.wa.edu.au

Use of grid paper in the ATAR written examination

Teachers of the Chinese: Second Language ATAR course are advised that from 2019, grid/square pages will replace the lined pages in Section Three: Written Communication of the written examination.

From February 2018 a revised version of the Chinese: Second Language ATAR Year 12 syllabus (for use from 2019) that reflects this design brief change will be available on the course page https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/languages/chinese-second-language .

A sample of the grid/square paper will also then be available on the course page under the Examination materials tab.

Topic clarification for ATAR Written and Practical (oral) examinations

In response to requests for further clarification regarding the interpretation of the Chinese: Second Language ATAR Year 12 Unit 4 topics - The environment and Current issues, the following clarifying subtopics will apply to the ATAR written and practical examinations from 2019.

Teachers are advised to use these subtopics to inform their teaching and assessment programs from Year 12 2019. In February details of these subtopics will also be published on the Chinese: Second Language Course page under Examination Materials.

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

Teachers are advised that the total marks allocated to each General and Foundation Externally Set Task (EST) in 2018 is provided in a document located on the School Curriculum and Standards website at https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/assessment/externally-set-tasks.

In addition specific course advice (where applicable) for each General and Foundation EST is available at https://senior-secondary.scsa.wa.edu.au/assessment/externally-set-tasks.

Contact
Mandy Hudson (08) 9273 6755
mandy.hudson@scsa.wa.edu.au

Schools are advised that the Board of the School Curriculum and Standards Authority has endorsed consensus moderation processes for Year 12 ATAR and General courses in 2018. There will be no consensus moderation for Year 11 courses in 2018.

Participation in this moderation process is compulsory for all schools delivering a course involved in Year 12 (see table below). Teachers participating are required to provide a student assessment file for three students (one at each grade from A to C) including all assessment types and all marked assessments up to the time of providing the file.

In the Perth metropolitan area and larger regional centres consensus moderation occurs at meetings of typically 10-15 teachers. Schools more than 100km from the nearest scheduled meeting venue are required to send the materials to the Authority for review.

All assessment files are reviewed independently, twice by other teachers attending the meeting (or organised to by the Authority to review files sent in by schools more than 100 km from the nearest scheduled meeting venue).

For each assessment file, feedback from each reviewing teacher in the form of a grade and a supporting comment for that judgement. The teachers reflect on the feedback received from their colleagues to help determine any adjustments that may be required so that the school’s marking and grading is comparable with the standard of their colleagues in the group. The process will be conducted in Term 2 and Term 3.

Courses in Consensus Moderation in 2018

During Term 1 2018, each school will be required to register one teacher for each of the courses above that the school is delivering. Registration details will be made available early in Term 1. Teachers are reminded that they need to have procedures in place to ensure that all marked student work is retained for moderation purposes.

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

A new online application form is now available for schools with currently enrolled students who have completed Vocational Education and Training (VET) outside of a school arrangement and wish to have those achievements contribute towards WACE.

The online form can be accessed via the School Curriculum and Standards Authority website at http://scsawebapps.scsa.wa.edu.au/Apps/VETOSAform/.

For schools completing the online form on behalf of currently enrolled students click the ‘School’ button.

When completing the online form you will be asked to supply:

• personal and school information
• qualification information (including unit of competency codes)
• verification of student attainment from either:
  • completed nationally recognised AQF qualification and official statement of attainment certified by an RTO or
  • Unique Student Identifier (USI) transcript.

Your application will be submitted for processing by a member of the Data Services Team at dataservices@scsa.wa.edu.au . Once your application has been processed you will receive an email notification of the outcome.

Please note: The ‘Student’ button is for prior students who have left/finished school or who are intending to re-enter school and have VET achievements to be accumulated towards their WACE.

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

From 2018 a new national outcome identifier 41 – withdrawn/discontinued due to RTO closure has been included as part of the VET achievement reporting processes to the Authority.  

The result Code 41 is to be applied where training activity is incomplete due to the training organisation ceasing operation whilst activity is still in progress.

This result code will also assist the Authority in managing any special considerations applications that may arise due to partnership issues with an RTO.

For all data support queries please contact dataservices@scsa.wa.edu.au

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

From 2018 the VET declaration form will replace the VET industry specific declaration form currently located under Declarations in the Forms section of the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (the Authority) website.

https://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/forms/forms

The VET declaration form requires all schools who have students enrolled in VET for recognition within the WACE (whether through VET credit transfer or VET industry specific course recognition arrangements) to declare that all VET enrolments meet the specified conditions as set out in the VET declaration form.

The VET declaration form is required to be signed by the Principal of the school and returned to the Authority by the due date specified in the Activities Schedule.

VET declaration componentsThe VET declaration form comprises two main components:

• Part A – General
• Part B – VET industry specific courses.

Part A contains:

• reporting and record maintenance
• delivery and assessment
• RTO Partnerships.

Part B requires that for schools enrolling students in VET industry specific courses that they have considered all components and workplace requirements including the ability to:

• provide the appropriate human and physical resources to offer the course
• provide workplace details to the Authority, if required as part of the VET industry specific integrity check.

The VET declaration form will be sent as part of the information package sent to schools in January each year.

Principals and VET Coordinators should be aware that the VET declaration form may need to be included as an additional record keeping and reporting process to the Authority.