The comparability of SACs between schools

[costargh]

I really really really don't have faith in the VCE system when one school (Melbourne High) can get...

Thirteen 50's in Business Management out of the possible thirty-six.
Six 50's in Accounting out of the possible fourteen.

Just as examples.. (Yes I know that they are only people who have chosen to reveal their scores to the public but its a good indicator)

I can't explain how I can be suspicious, why I am suspicious or what drives me to feel pissed off about the system but to me it all just makes me raise an eyebrow.
I thought you basically had to be the top ranked student in your school to get a 50... so how can 13 students get 50's in Business Management? Maybe they are just really really really smart lol I don't know.

[/0]

Your study score isn't based on your rank in the school, isn't it? It's just based on your test scores right? But yeah the kids at MHS are really really really smart.

[Toothpaste]

Your study score isn't based on your rank in the school, isn't it? It's just based on your test scores right? But yeah the kids at MHS are really really really smart.

SACs rely on ranking at your school. But they're moderated according to exam marks anyway.

[Ahmad]

If the top 15 students in the study group gun the exam, then there's no reason why their SAC marks should be moderated to any less than 100%, ergo making 50 possible.

[excal]

Which is where the major flaw in statistical moderation is - a cohort can do 'badly' at SACs but if that cohort as a group gun the exam, it means that everyone wins in that group.

[costargh]

Which is where the major flaw in statistical moderation is - a cohort can do 'badly' at SACs but if that cohort as a group gun the exam, it means that everyone wins in that group.

But the problem is not fact that a cohort can go 'badly' on SAC's, but the fact that SAC's vary from school to school rendering any way of comparing results properly inaccurate.

[brendan]

I thought you basically had to be the top ranked student in your school to get a 50... so how can 13 students get 50's in Business Management? Maybe they are just really really really smart lol I don't know.

no? maybe those 13 students were the best in the state. the SS is your ranking in the state not your school. MHS is a good school.

[brendan]

the problem is not fact that a cohort can go 'badly' on SAC's, but the fact that SAC's vary from school to school rendering any way of comparing results properly inaccurate.

that's where statistical moderation comes in to ensure cross-school comparability:
http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/exams/statisticalmoderation/statmod.html
http://australianpolitics.com/course/statistical-moderation.doc

It's not as good as the comparability of having common exams, which i'd like to see greater weight placed on, but neither is it wholly "inaccurate".

[costargh]

I know what statistical moderation is but its not the best way of comparing students.

[brendan]

I know what statistical moderation is but its not the best way of comparing students.

What is the best way?

[costargh]

All students doing the same assessment of course
From a comparative view, not necessarily convinent though.

[brendan]

All students doing the same assessment of course
From a comparative view, not necessarily convinent though.

I would support that. I think it would more convenient for teachers, that way. you could also do it by weighting exams more than SACS than it is now.

[abcat]

makes exact sense though, doesn't it? melbourne high school is kind of supposed to get those results. statistical moderation does work, as the true measure of your score is strongly affected by the exam result.  your results from your school, or your ranking, doesn't matter as much when your score is in the upper echelons (i.e. 50)

[costargh]

I am all for the idea of their being more than one piece of assessment being used in the calculation of an SS. If exams moderate sacs then whats the point of doing exams. It is in a sense a conflict of interests for one assessment to either move your sac marks up or down.


All assessments should be independent from one another and their should be more than one "exam" that pretty much determines your mark (due to the moderation on sacs by exams).

[brendan]

I am all for the idea of their being more than one piece of assessment being used in the calculation of an SS.

yeah most (if not all) subject should have two exams one for each semester/unit like physics and accounting. which would make like up 45%, and 45% of the study score whilst SACs would be 10%.