Cohort...

[amirite?]

Right. Im a bit unaware as to how all this shit works out. Am I hoping everyone gets 90%+ on everything, will that help me or am I hoping that I get 100% on tests while they get 85% or something?
How does all that stuff about me getting someones SAC mark because I beat them in the exams and all that shit work out?
Im so confused.

[kyzoo]

You're hoping everyone gets 100% on the exam. And don't worry about SAC rankings, all you can do is try your best - that is the best way to work the SAC ranking system to your advantage.

[boysenberry]

You're hoping everyone gets 100% on the exam.

Yeah, that seems like the general consensus around here...

...though during my transition day to yr 12, my methods teacher said that if someone gets really poor SAC marks throughout the year and then in the last few weeks crams really hard and ends up acing the exams, they would get someone else's SAC marks in their cohort. Is this right? Can someone clarify?

[brightsky]

You're hoping everyone gets 100% on the exam.

Yeah, that seems like the general consensus around here...

...though during my transition day to yr 12, my methods teacher said that if someone gets really poor SAC marks throughout the year and then in the last few weeks crams really hard and ends up acing the exams, they would get someone else's SAC marks in their cohort. Is this right? Can someone clarify?

What do you actually mean by "someone else's SAC marks"? They would definitely get a higher SAC mark than what they would have got, but someone else's? Everyone getting 100% would definitely pull your mark up when you're measured against other schools, but I would've thought it would be "better" for you if everyone failed and you got 100%.

[*ryan777*]

You're hoping everyone gets 100% on the exam.

Yeah, that seems like the general consensus around here...

...though during my transition day to yr 12, my methods teacher said that if someone gets really poor SAC marks throughout the year and then in the last few weeks crams really hard and ends up acing the exams, they would get someone else's SAC marks in their cohort. Is this right? Can someone clarify?

What do you actually mean by "someone else's SAC marks"? They would definitely get a higher SAC mark than what they would have got, but someone else's? Everyone getting 100% would definitely pull your mark up when you're measured against other schools, but I would've thought it would be "better" for you if everyone failed and you got 100%.

isnt it better if everyone else does well? i dunno how it works but if ur schools performance in a subject is low then ur score can drop a bit

[stonecold]

This explains everything.  One of the best thing I have ever read. 

http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/vce/exams/statisticalmoderation/StatMod2001.pdf

Basically If you're ranked 1st for SACS, then you will get the best examination mark from your cohort as your moderated SAC mark, proving that it doesn't matter which school you go to, if you are good enough, you can still achieve high results.

To give another example, say you were ranked 7th in your cohort, and get the highest examinations result, your moderated SAC mark would be the 7th best examination mark.

This is where the ranking in your cohort is very important, as being 1st gives you a chance to have a study score calculated entirely based on your own work, if you also receive the top exam mark in your cohort.

[amirite?]

I read that booklet but its a little confusing.

If I ranked first in exam 1 and first in exam 2, but ranked 25th in SACs, would I still get the highest mark in the school? That cant be right because that'd mean SACs arent worth shit.

What if a school has 2 classes with one strict marker and one easy marker? DOesnt that throw out the balance of the moderation groups? Do teachers cross-mark SACs?

[IntoTheNewWorld]

My understanding of it is that the point of SAC moderation is to ensure that the spread of Exam marks matches the spread of the SAC marks.

Therefore a cohort with a spread of exam marks towards the top end will have SACs moderated to reflect this so that there are more SAC marks towards the top end. Thus, if you have a higher SAC rank, you will have a better position when the SACs are moderated.

Your SAC marks are not scaled because of your Exam mark alone, but are scaled according to the strength of your cohort as a whole.

crossmarking of SACs depends on the school.

[stonecold]

I read that booklet but its a little confusing.

If I ranked first in exam 1 and first in exam 2, but ranked 25th in SACs, would I still get the highest mark in the school? That cant be right because that'd mean SACs arent worth shit.

What if a school has 2 classes with one strict marker and one easy marker? DOesnt that throw out the balance of the moderation groups? Do teachers cross-mark SACs?

No that is incorrect.  If you were ranked 25th, and received the highest exam scores, your SAC mark would be moderated to the 25th highest exam score, and the person who was ranked first would receive a moderated SAC mark equal to your exam mark (because you got the highest).

And depending on the subject, marking should be fair.  For example Humanities and English should be cross marked, and Science and Maths have a strict marking criteria which must be followed by teachers. (i.e. key words required in answers/number of decimal places or significant figures required etc.)

[amirite?]

Ok. I guess all I can do is put in 100% and hope that gets me where I want.

[jimmy999]

I read that booklet but its a little confusing.

If I ranked first in exam 1 and first in exam 2, but ranked 25th in SACs, would I still get the highest mark in the school? That cant be right because that'd mean SACs arent worth shit.

What if a school has 2 classes with one strict marker and one easy marker? DOesnt that throw out the balance of the moderation groups? Do teachers cross-mark SACs?

No that is incorrect.  If you were ranked 25th, and received the highest exam scores, your SAC mark would be moderated to the 25th highest exam score, and the person who was ranked first would receive a moderated SAC mark equal to your exam mark (because you got the highest).

And depending on the subject, marking should be fair.  For example Humanities and English should be cross marked, and Science and Maths have a strict marking criteria which must be followed by teachers. (i.e. key words required in answers/number of decimal places or significant figures required etc.)

Although that's what's meant to happen, I don't think that is always the case. I was either rank 2 or 3 in my school for Chemistry. I ended up with the highest study score of 49, with the next highest being 46. Our rank 1 received a 40. Now my exam marks ended up being averaged to 96%. If our rank 1 had those scores as their sac mark, then they should've received a study score higher than 40 but they didn't. Sometimes the exam ranks end up being completely different to sac ranks so you think they'd change it a bit if they are very different.

Another example is with Methods. I was equal rank 1, lost 4 marks on the exam and got a 48. Whilst the person who got 50, was rank about 5 or 6 in our class. Now for me to get the 48, I would've guessed that his exam mark would've become my sac mark which is why I got higher than expected. However, for him to get a 50, he would've needed close to perfect scores as his sac mark to get it. Assuming he received my exam mark as his sac mark, then that should've given him a 50. Yet for that to happen his sac ranking would've had to be adjusted up to at least rank 2

[stonecold]

I read that booklet but its a little confusing.

If I ranked first in exam 1 and first in exam 2, but ranked 25th in SACs, would I still get the highest mark in the school? That cant be right because that'd mean SACs arent worth shit.

What if a school has 2 classes with one strict marker and one easy marker? DOesnt that throw out the balance of the moderation groups? Do teachers cross-mark SACs?

No that is incorrect.  If you were ranked 25th, and received the highest exam scores, your SAC mark would be moderated to the 25th highest exam score, and the person who was ranked first would receive a moderated SAC mark equal to your exam mark (because you got the highest).

And depending on the subject, marking should be fair.  For example Humanities and English should be cross marked, and Science and Maths have a strict marking criteria which must be followed by teachers. (i.e. key words required in answers/number of decimal places or significant figures required etc.)

Although that's what's meant to happen, I don't think that is always the case. I was either rank 2 or 3 in my school for Chemistry. I ended up with the highest study score of 49, with the next highest being 46. Our rank 1 received a 40. Now my exam marks ended up being averaged to 96%. If our rank 1 had those scores as their sac mark, then they should've received a study score higher than 40 but they didn't. Sometimes the exam ranks end up being completely different to sac ranks so you think they'd change it a bit if they are very different.

Another example is with Methods. I was equal rank 1, lost 4 marks on the exam and got a 48. Whilst the person who got 50, was rank about 5 or 6 in our class. Now for me to get the 48, I would've guessed that his exam mark would've become my sac mark which is why I got higher than expected. However, for him to get a 50, he would've needed close to perfect scores as his sac mark to get it. Assuming he received my exam mark as his sac mark, then that should've given him a 50. Yet for that to happen his sac ranking would've had to be adjusted up to at least rank 2

I'm pretty sure the reason why you are seeing this is because they are subjects where the exams count for more than the SAC's do.  Don't forget that you still receive your own exam mark, and in maths/science subjects they count for two thirds of your assessment, therefore a high SAC mark isn't as important as a high exam mark.

[jimmy999]

I read that booklet but its a little confusing.

If I ranked first in exam 1 and first in exam 2, but ranked 25th in SACs, would I still get the highest mark in the school? That cant be right because that'd mean SACs arent worth shit.

What if a school has 2 classes with one strict marker and one easy marker? DOesnt that throw out the balance of the moderation groups? Do teachers cross-mark SACs?

No that is incorrect.  If you were ranked 25th, and received the highest exam scores, your SAC mark would be moderated to the 25th highest exam score, and the person who was ranked first would receive a moderated SAC mark equal to your exam mark (because you got the highest).

And depending on the subject, marking should be fair.  For example Humanities and English should be cross marked, and Science and Maths have a strict marking criteria which must be followed by teachers. (i.e. key words required in answers/number of decimal places or significant figures required etc.)

Although that's what's meant to happen, I don't think that is always the case. I was either rank 2 or 3 in my school for Chemistry. I ended up with the highest study score of 49, with the next highest being 46. Our rank 1 received a 40. Now my exam marks ended up being averaged to 96%. If our rank 1 had those scores as their sac mark, then they should've received a study score higher than 40 but they didn't. Sometimes the exam ranks end up being completely different to sac ranks so you think they'd change it a bit if they are very different.

Another example is with Methods. I was equal rank 1, lost 4 marks on the exam and got a 48. Whilst the person who got 50, was rank about 5 or 6 in our class. Now for me to get the 48, I would've guessed that his exam mark would've become my sac mark which is why I got higher than expected. However, for him to get a 50, he would've needed close to perfect scores as his sac mark to get it. Assuming he received my exam mark as his sac mark, then that should've given him a 50. Yet for that to happen his sac ranking would've had to be adjusted up to at least rank 2

I'm pretty sure the reason why you are seeing this is because they are subjects where the exams count for more than the SAC's do.  Don't forget that you still receive your own exam mark, and in maths/science subjects they count for two thirds of your assessment, therefore a high SAC mark isn't as important as a high exam mark.

True, but 1 third of your score still counts as a lot. It can make a massive difference

[kyzoo]

I don't have a way to verify this (except by buying statement of results), but my teacher told me that any SAC total in the mid-90's for Methods gets scaled up to 100 for my school.

[Akirus]

I don't have a way to verify this (except by buying statement of results), but my teacher told me that any SAC total in the mid-90's for Methods gets scaled up to 100 for my school.

What, so all people with 95+ get the same SAC score? Or would their SAC score become the same as their individual exam scores? I heard something similar from my school as well.