http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/correspondence/bulletins/2012/April/CEOs_column.htmlNothing too new about the changes for next year (other than a few dates etc), but the Aust curriculum timeline is interesting.
CEO’s Column
Amendments to VCE Study Designs for Sciences and Accounting and the Australian Curriculum
Since the announcement in December 2011 that VCE mid-year examinations would be discontinued in 2013, the VCAA has worked closely with science teachers and their associations on the scope and duration of the exams and options for weighting of the assessment components. The proposed changes to Accounting were minimal and strongly supported in the online surveys.
Options for the weighting of external examinations and school-assessed coursework, the length of exams and proposed content changes for the subjects were posted online at the end of January for consultation. The online surveys received a high level of response. The Science Curriculum Manager, Maria James, spoke at each of the major science subject group meetings, which occurred in February. She distributed copies of a further survey and received substantial additional feedback. We are very appreciative of the quantity and quality of the responses we received. The feedback was the key determinant of the decisions taken by the Board in finalising the changes to the study designs.
The clear majority feedback from teachers of the four largest Science subjects was that the exam needed to be of 2½ hours duration to adequately assess the key content and that this warranted a 60 per cent weighting. Each of these exams includes a considerable variety of questions and question types, e.g. multiple choice, short answer and extended response. This means that each paper is actually a collection of assessments, which spreads the ‘risk’ associated with an incorrect response.
Environmental Science and Accounting will each have two-hour exams with 50 per cent weighting. Accounting will share the same exam time and weighting as all other business subjects. Teachers of both of these subjects strongly supported this position in the online survey. Students of each of the six subjects will receive three grades in total for each subject, two for school-assessed coursework and one for the examination.
The VCAA plans to publish the amended study designs on the VCAA website in Term 2, 2012, and develop sample examination papers and run professional development with teachers in Term 3.
The VCAA Board signalled an intention to review mid-year exams three years ago when the original timeline for the Australian Curriculum was introduced. The delay in the development of the Australian Curriculum would have meant deferring this review for up to another five years, which the Board considered to be inappropriate.
The current timeline for the Australian Curriculum is as follows:
April–July 2012 Consultation on draft courses in English, Maths, Science and History.
August–November 2012 Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) collates feedback, prepares revisions, consults key stakeholders, prepares final drafts.
December 2012 ACARA Board recommends to Ministers final courses for approval.
February–June 2013 VCAA adopts the approved Australian Curriculum and prepares revised VCE study designs.
July–October 2013 VCAA consults with Victorian education community on revised VCE study designs. Note: This will provide the opportunity to further review the assessment arrangements for these studies.
November 2013 VCAA recommends revised VCE studies to the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) for accreditation.
2014 Schools prepare for implementation of new VCE studies using the Australian Curriculum.
2015 Units 1 and 2 implemented.
2016 Units 3 and 4 implemented.
This assumes the Australian Curriculum will most likely involve a significant amount of resequencing that will require a staggered implementation. If it does not, the final two steps could be brought together and all of the new study designs would commence in 2015. That judgment cannot be made until the VCE studies are being developed in 2013.
The VCAA will be engaging teachers and other key stakeholders in the development of the VCE studies that will be adopting the Australian Curriculum content. Notification of these consultations will be conveyed through the VCAA Bulletin.
John Firth
Chief Executive Officer
April 2012
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