Specialist scaling in 2012

[Planck's constant]

OK - i'll clear up a few things.

Spesh scaling was supposed to be +11-12 the whole time. It was +11-12 in 2006 and before. However, what happened was that more and more of the spesh students started doing methods in year 11 rather than in year 12. When VTAC does scaling, they compare Methods and Spesh directly. What they did before was consider people who do Methods and Spesh concurrently only, and not ppl who do Methods in Year 11 and Spesh in Year 12. Because of this shift to Methods in Year 11, and VTAC's lack of consideration of that factor, scaling for Spesh started to drop from +11 to about +7.

Then, last year, VTAC realised their mistake and adjusted their scaling method to consider students who did Methods in Year 11 and Spesh in Year 12 and compare their raw scores in those subjects. As a result of this, the scaling returned back to the normal +11-12.

Prior to 2006, Spesh scaling was quite consistent, so I would say that this year the spesh scaling will also be about +11.

This would not have been such a big issue in itself, except for the fact that the Methods11/Spesh 12 cohort is significantly stronger than the Methods 12/Spesh 12 cohort. Typically, the stronger Maths students do Methods in Year 11, so their exclusion form the scaling comparison hurt the overall strength of the Spesh cohort.

[paulsterio]

Typically, the stronger Maths students do Methods in Year 11

Side note, though not relevant, this is a very unfair blanket statement, there are those who choose not to do methods in year 11 such as myself. There are others who go to a school which does not permit them to do methods in year 11 - i.e. MHS.

In relation to spesh scaling, it doesn't really matter, it should stay the same as last year

[Planck's constant]

Typically, the stronger Maths students do Methods in Year 11

Side note, though not relevant, this is a very unfair blanket statement, there are those who choose not to do methods in year 11 such as myself. There are others who go to a school which does not permit them to do methods in year 11 - i.e. MHS.

In relation to spesh scaling, it doesn't really matter, it should stay the same as last year

Thats why I said 'typically', because there are quite a number of MHS students who ought to have done Methods 3/4 in Year 11.
But at most other schools which are geared up for this sort of thing, all the advanced maths student do Methods in Year 11 as a matter of course.

PS. MHS should really get a kick up the arse imo. They get all these good students and they ought to be looking after them better. They should also be a School Centre for UMEP maths.

[paulsterio]

I personally don't think you're disadvantaged in any way by doing Methods in Year 12 instead of Year 11, regardless, I'd say that it's better to do it in Year 12 because Spesh gives you a whole heap of experience.

Just my own opinion, of course

[pi]

PS. MHS should really get a kick up the arse imo. They get all these good students and they ought to be looking after them better. They should also be a School Centre for UMEP maths.

They should, there has been a complaint pretty much every year - from students, parents and a couple of teachers too - but they won't budge. Not sure about the UMEP point (although it doesn't seem like a bad idea!), I only know a couple of kids who did uni maths last year, most did uni bio tbh.

MHS is pretty traditional, they only introduced Chinese SL into the curriculum this year for example.

[Planck's constant]

I personally don't think you're disadvantaged in any way by doing Methods in Year 12 instead of Year 11, regardless, I'd say that it's better to do it in Year 12 because Spesh gives you a whole heap of experience.

Just my own opinion, of course

Maybe if EVERYONE did Methods and Spesh in Year 12, the spesh cohort could become even stronger.

But this not the case, and the issue at hand is the fact that the omission of the Year 11 Methods students from the scaling comparison resulted in a weaker Spesh cohort. Their re-introduction blew the scaling out of the water.

Why? Because the Year 11 Methods cohort is a bloody strong one.

[Phy124]

This would not have been such a big issue in itself, except for the fact that the Methods11/Spesh 12 cohort is significantly stronger than the Methods 12/Spesh 12 cohort. Typically, the stronger Maths students do Methods in Year 11, so their exclusion form the scaling comparison hurt the overall strength of the Spesh cohort.

If I'm interpreting what you are saying correctly, it won't matter as you'll get the following years spesh students doing methods in the current year anyway, so they will be included instead.

i.e.

- the top bunch of maths kids doing yr 12 in 2012 will have done methods in 2011 and will do spesh in 2012

- the top bunch of maths kids doing yr 12 in 2013 will have done methods in 2012 and will do spesh in 2013

etc.

I don't actually agree with that I'm just going by what I think you were saying. As paul said, some schools aren't allowed to do it, so it wouldn't have a profound effect anyway.

*Note: It is possible I've misinterpreted what you said, which I'm happy for you to explain

[paulsterio]

They should, there has been a complaint pretty much every year - from students, parents and a couple of teachers too

This made me laugh a little, LOL! parents complaining - oh god! D: I remember helping out with my school on Open Night, parents ask the worst questions sometimes! =.="

If I'm interpreting what you are saying correctly, it won't matter as you'll get the following years spesh students doing methods in the current year anyway, so they will be included instead.

Nah, I think basically your scores are paired with your Year 11 score, as far as I know - something along those lines - one of my teachers explained it to me, but it doesn't work like how you said, because I thought that at the start as well

[Unknown_one]

In reality, the students that attempt to complete methods 3/4 in Year 11, only about half in some schools proceed on to specialist mathematics the year after. The scaling for 2012 A) will depend on the number of students performing it, the boost for SS points was mainly due to the declining number of specialist mathematics students the years after from traditional 6000 of the students completing VCE, to in 2011, the approximately 4000 students that are completing it. In addition, there is the assumption, that because you are generally good at maths, does not give the premise that you will automatically do high or get a higher study score at Specialist, merely for the fact. Specialist mathematics has difficult concepts that take a while to sink in and the fact that there are many things that need to be interpreted with good english rather than a fully fledged mathematics mind. In this case, there are ESL students that have attempted Methods and gotten mid/end 30-40's, yet only get 30 in specialist.

In addition, specialist mathematics has a greater workload, depending on the school, but contrary to that, then again, all books have many questions that take time to process and complete, and the expectation that every question is done in most schools.

Unlike further, which has maybe 10 minutes per excercise, per se, excluding the graphing excercises in the TIME Series chapters, it is evident through the scaling. Trust me, I've already done it.

The easier subject to get higher on, has very little scaling, but the subject that takes effort and time in this regard is rewarded. But compared to last year, it was slightly errerd. The fact that one could lose two marks for the further exam and only lose one study score point, in comparison to the specialist exam 1 mark per study score point.

There is also the point that methods in Year 11, is quite easy to get into. At most schools it is a C+ average in Year 10, which proceeds to Unit one and 2, and then in Year 11, Unit 3 and 4. At many schools, there are students that expect that as they were able to skip Unit 1 and 2 for the pressure of doing a 3/4 in Year 11, believe that it is quite easy to get a high 30's.
Evidently, they usually get low 30's, like the ones that I have heard at many schools.

Finally, my prediction is that spesh will stay at 12-13, only one up from last yaer. Methods last year suffered a -1, from the orginal scaling, the usual + 5 after 39 turned into a +4, no effect for further, but evidently, if specialist raisesd again this year, methods will most likely go to the +3, from the +4 last year.