Victorian School of Languages

Remote School Assessed Coursework Assessment Guidelines & Advice

2020 Student Handbook for Languages at Victorian School of Languages

Student Version

Term 2, 2020

Dear VCE student,

The Victorian School of Languages welcomes you to a diverse year of language study at the VCE level due

to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Remote School Assessed Coursework Assessment Guidelines & Advice:

Student Version & included VSL VCE Languages Student Handbook is especially designed to assist you with

the requirements of the VCE especially during remote learning taking place in Term 2 and for the remainder

of 2020.

The study of a Language other than English contributes to the overall education of students, most particularly

in the area of communication, but also in the areas of cross-cultural understanding, cognitive development,

literacy and general knowledge. It provides access to the culture of communities which use the language, and

promotes understanding of different attitudes and values within the wider Australian community and beyond.

The Study Designs located on the VCAA website (www.vcaa.vic.edu.au) contain information about prescribed

topics and sub-topics, text types, grammar, duration and structure of the written examination. This has now

been amended for 2020 to reflect the changes due to COVID-19.

This Advice to Students contains important information common to all VCE students in both Years 11 and

12.

In order to successfully complete the VCE, students must know the requirements and criteria of the course;

we therefore encourage all VCE students to read the information carefully. Also an invaluable resource that

all students should be familiar with is the VCAA website.

We wish you all the best with your 2020 VCE Language Studies.

Frank Merlino Angela Natoli

Principal Assistant Principal

Curriculum & Professional Development

Purpose of School-based Assessment

School-based Assessment consists of a set of assessment tasks that assesses each student’s level of achievement in Units

3 and 4 outcomes as specified in the study design. Schools provide a score for each component of coursework specified

in the study design. The VCAA aggregates these scores into a single total score for each student, which is then

statistically moderated against the examination scores in the study. The General Achievement Test (GAT) may also be

used in statistical moderation.

During remote learning, VCAA recommends the delivery of formative SACs to maintain the continuity of the learning

program and prevent concern for students that assessment is not being conducted. These formative SACs could be the

tasks already developed or a modified version that is more achievable through remote delivery.

The data collected from these formative assessment activities may be validated at a later date, when schools return, or

form the basis of a School-based Assessment derived score if a validation activity is not possible.

In conducting remote assessment of formative School-assessed Coursework, the VCAA recommends:

Revision / review of the intended School-assessed Coursework task and modification where required to support

remote delivery and completion.

Revision / review of the current instructions related to the activity to ensure they are clear and not open to

misinterpretation.

Teachers consider the length of time allocated to the activity; it is possible that time may need to be added to

compensate for the remote delivery. However, time allocation must remain within the allocated guidelines as

prescribed in the Study Design.

There is clear communication with students detailing when and how the assessment is to be conducted. These

instructions may also detail how important it is for the student to be in an environment free from potential distractions

or interruptions during the time allocated to the task.

Where delivering the activity by email a read receipt is used to ensure teachers can track when the SAC was accessed.

Students must be made aware they will have a limited window of time to complete and return the assessment

Every effort should be made to restrict access to the details of the task until it is scheduled to be delivered. Students

must be made aware of the limited window of time to complete the task and return for marking.

General Risks with Remote Assessment

Conducting online assessment is not risk free. The risks identified below may prevent students from successfully

completing online assessment:

Online assessment is not accessible and available to the entire class

Students do not have adequate online access

Inadequate preparation of students for the online assessment task (i.e. students are unfamiliar with technology, or

have not completed an assessment online before etc.)

A high number of users simultaneously submitting an individual assessment item

Ensuring integrity and authenticity of School-based Assessments completed at home

Teachers are responsible for judging a student’s satisfactory completion of a unit and for assessing each student’s level

of achievement in Units 3 and 4 outcomes, as specified in the relevant study design.

VCAA is putting the onus directly on the student, by highlighting the rule that the student must not have any direct

assistance with the completion of SACS.

By reporting satisfactory completion, teachers certify that the student has achieved the set of outcomes for the unit

according to the rules set out by the VCAA and the school. Schools can authenticate remote school-based assessments

through the following methods:

Release the school-based assessment to students at the beginning of a remote lesson, with instructions for students to

submit their responses at the conclusion of the lesson.

When delivering an assessment by email, use a read receipt to track when the student has accessed it. Students must

be made aware that they have a limited window of time to complete and return the assessment.

Students provide short-answer responses under timed sessions and email their responses to you to record.

Students present oral tasks using video technology or telephone.

Undertake video conferencing with individual students after the delivery of the school-based assessment to validate

their submission.

If the teacher believes that the SAC completed is not the student’s work, the teacher can then schedule a similar

task in Term 3.

Students with special examination arrangements must have these available during the SAC. Teacher needs to be

aware of these arrangements prior to the SAC.

Students are to keep the original task in a safe place at home and then submit the original to the teacher in Term 3.

Students can submit a range of set class work, learning tasks and school-based assessment tasks, including SACs, to the

teacher using the methods outlined above. This accumulation of work will provide the evidence that a teacher needs to

determine an S or an N result for the unit.

Revised remote SAC dates for Term 2 written SACs

As with VCAA and VSL VCE assessment policy, students must be issued a Student SAC Assessment Notice at least 2

weeks prior to the revised SAC assessment date. Further information is provided in Notice of Assessment to Student

section.

In response to remote learning in Term 2 the VSL has changed the Assessment dates for SAC 2 and SAC 3.

SAC 2 will now be scheduled on Saturday 23 May or equivalent date for Midweek Classes.

SAC 3 will now be scheduled on Saturday 13 June or equivalent date for Midweek Classes.

Special Provision for School Assessed Coursework will now be administered in Term 3.

Students will be sent a revised Term 2 calendar with these dates

Notice of Assessment to Student

As prescribed in the VSL VCE assessment policy, students must be issued a Student SAC Assessment Notice at least 2

weeks prior to the SAC assessment. This policy has not changed. The Student SAC Assessment Notice is available to be

downloaded and completed from the VSL website (www.vsl.vic.edu.au ) located in the teacher resource section. It is a

writable PDF, which can be saved on your computer and sent via email to your students.

The Student SAC Assessment Notice should include expectations specific to the conduct of the SAC for example, the

nature of the task, required materials, date and time. It should also have attached the SAC cover Assessment Sheet.

Teachers are reminded that the aim of these assessments is the correct ranking of students across the group rather than

the level of performance. These results will be statistically moderated by the GAT and other external assessments.

To remind students of statistical moderation, the following statement must be included in the Student SAC Assessment

Notice:

“Scores for School-assessed Coursework are statistically moderated against the examination scores by the VCAA.”

Preparation prior to SAC

To minimise the risks mentioned above, it is strongly recommend in the weeks prior, that a practice version of the SAC

is run. This could be a practice SAC or simply an opportunity for all students to use the selected technology at once.

According to VCAA guidelines, schools must provide students with clear written details of the school’s rules, the VCAA

rules and the procedures and authentication requirements relating to school-based assessment. In particular, schools

should highlight to students the rule that states ‘students must not cheat or assist other students to cheat, including taking

any action that gives or attempts to give them or another student an unfair advantage’.

Determining if a student completing work at home has met the outcomes for the S/N judgment

The decision about satisfactory completion of outcomes is based on the teacher’s judgment of the student’s overall

performance on a combination of set work and assessment tools related to the outcomes. Students should be given

multiple opportunities to develop and demonstrate the key knowledge and skills required for the unit outcomes.

Assessing levels of achievement in school-based assessment is separate from the decision to award an S for satisfactory

completion of a unit.

As per the VCE and VCAL Administrative Handbook 2020 (page 45), for all units in the VCE, schools must specify the

work that a student must do to achieve an S for a unit and the conditions under which the work is to be done. The school

must inform each student in writing of the following:

all work they need to complete to achieve an S for the unit

all work they need to complete for school-based assessment

flexible and remote learning class-attendance requirements, as determined by the school

how to submit work

timelines and deadlines for completing work

procedures for obtaining an extension of time

internal school appeal procedures.

Students can submit a range of set class work, learning tasks and school-based assessment tasks, including SACs, to the

teacher using the methods outlined above. This accumulation of work will provide the evidence that a teacher needs to

determine an S or an N result for the unit.

Student declaration

The Student declaration form requires students to sign a declaration, stating: ‘I declare that all resource materials and

assistance used have been acknowledged and that all unacknowledged work is my own’. There are a number of ways

that you can collect and maintain these declarations during periods of remote learning, including:

asking students to submit the declaration with their school-based assessment work, either on the cover or the work

itself, in their submission email or through a learning management system

asking students to record their declaration via video or audio, which they can submit using email or through a learning

management system

waiting until students return to school to sign the declaration. In this case, ensure students know from the start that this

will happen.

Please copy and include the following VSL Student Declaration at the bottom of the student's work:

Adult Supervisor declaration

I certify that this Assessment Task was completed in no longer than _ minutes and administered under the

specified test conditions on ______________ (date) 2020.

_______________________ ________________________ _________________

Adult supervisor signature (your name in BLOCK LETTERS) Date

Student declaration

I declare that this SAC/Assessment Task is my own work and all resource materials and assistance used have been

acknowledged. All unacknowledged work is my own.

_______________________ ________________________ _________________

Student signature (your name in BLOCK LETTERS) Date

Return the Assessment Task and the signed declarations by scanning and emailing to the teacher upon completion

of the task.

Keep the original task in a safe place in your home.

Breach of assessment rules

If you have reason to believe or observe a breach in the assessment rules, please keep a record of all observations.

• Allow the student to complete the SAC

• Do not engage in any form of discussion with the student during SAC

• After the SAC, collect the SAC (however appropriate) and inform the Area Manager

• Communicate to the student that the Area Manager and School VCE co-ordinator will be informed of the alleged

breach and if they wish to discuss it immediately they should contact the Area Manager.

• The issue will be resolved in collaboration with the Teacher, Area Manager and the appropriate VCE staff will be

contacted at their home school

Authentication of student work

Schools should also ask students to fill in an ‘Authentication Record for School-based Assessment’ form (Area Managers

will provide this you) for any school-based assessment work they complete outside of the classroom. This is in addition

to the declaration they submit with their completed SAC. There are a number of ways that you can collect and maintain

these declarations during periods of remote learning, including:

asking students to submit the declaration with their school-based assessment work, either on the cover or the work

itself, in their submission email

upon returning to school students sign will then sign the ‘Authentication Record for School-based Assessment’ form

Feedback

After assessment tasks are submitted and marked, teachers should provide feedback to students.

Appropriate feedback includes:

advising on particular problem areas

advising on where and how improvements can be made for further learning

reporting S or N decisions and/or written comments on students’ performance against each outcome.

Completing of SAC Assessment Cover Sheet (however no numerical score should be given just an indication of the

range).

2020 Student Handbook for Languages at Victorian School of Languages

1. VCE Languages

There are 49 languages available for VCE enrolment. Students may study more than one language; however,

students cannot count the same units of Chinese First Language, Chinese Second Language, Chinese

Language, Culture & Society and Chinese Second Language Advanced, or Indonesian First Language and

Indonesian Second Language, or Korean First Language and Korean Second Language, or Japanese First

Language and Japanese Second Language or Vietnamese First Language and Vietnamese Second Language

towards satisfactory completion of the VCE. Students who are enrolled to study the same language in both a

VCE Language study and a Certificate II or III VET language qualification (either simultaneously or

sequentially) will only receive credit for the VCE Languages study.

2. Students seeking enrolment in VCE Second Language studies

There are specific entry requirements for VCE Second Language studies in Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese,

Korean and Vietnamese. They are designed to cater for students who have learnt all they know of the language

in an Australian school or similar environment.

All enrolments in Units 3 and 4 of a VCE Second Language study must be approved by the VCAA. Enrolment

in VCE Second Language Units 1 and 2 studies does not need to be approved by the VCAA.

The home school is responsible for submitting the relevant VCE Second Language Studies Units 3 and 4

application form, which should be submitted, with the relevant supporting documentation, in the academic

year prior to enrolment. Schools should meet this deadline so that students are aware of their Second Language

status at the beginning of the academic year in which they are enrolled. If this is not possible, schools should

enrol students who may have difficulty meeting the required Second Language criteria into a First Language

class until approval is granted. If the school does not offer the relevant First Language, the student should be

enrolled in Distance Education at the Victorian School of Languages (VSL).

The student must provide sufficient evidence to support their application. The home school principal or their

delegate must then make an initial assessment, using criteria and advice that has been provided by the VCAA,

and complete the Principal’s Declaration section of the relevant VASS forms. All accompanying

documentation must be in English or have been translated into English by a recognised translation authority.

The responsibility for providing supporting documentation rests with the student. The VCAA may not permit

enrolment in the study if forms are not complete or the supporting documentation is incomplete or is deemed

insufficient.

3. Eligibility for Second Language studies

The criterion for eligibility for a VCE Second Language study is the number of years the student has been

educated in a school where the language is the medium of instruction. Students who have learnt all they know

of the language in an Australian school are eligible for VCE Second Language enrolment.

Indonesian Second Language

A student is eligible for Indonesian SL if they have had no more than seven years of education in a school

where Indonesian or Malay is the medium of instruction.

Japanese Second Language

A student is eligible for Japanese SL if they have had no more than seven years of education in a school where

Japanese is the medium of instruction.

Korean Second Language

A student is eligible for Korean SL if they have had no more than seven years of education in a school where

Korean is the medium of instruction.

Vietnamese Second Language

A student is eligible for Vietnamese SL if they have had no more than seven years of education in a school

where Vietnamese is the medium of instruction.

4. School Provider obligations to students

Schools should:

advise students in writing of the VCAA’s rules and school responsibilities

ensure that subject matter students investigate through self-directed research is consistent with community

standards, appropriate for study by school students, and does not place students at risk of contravening

Victorian and Australian law

ensure that teachers use the accredited VCAA curriculum and assessment documents as the source for the

teaching and learning programs

provide comprehensive course advice to students, including the consequences of receiving an N or a J result

for a unit

keep student personal details secure for unauthorised access

ensure that there are established procedures for making School-based Assessments and that these

procedures are applied consistently

allow for students appeal on adverse school decisions

ensure that students understand and have access to Special provision for VCE studies

issue examination timetables to students

5. Provision of accredited curriculum and assessments

Teachers must provide learning experiences and assessment opportunities that are in accordance with the

currently accredited VCE study designs.

VCE advice Students undertaking VCE units should be advised of the following in writing:

that initial school assessments for Units 3 and 4 may change following statistical moderation of School-

based Assessment

the procedures for requesting an extension of time for submitting a School-based Assessment

6. VCE Levels of Achievement

Levels of achievement for Units 1 and 2 are determined by schools and not reported to the VCAA. Levels of

achievement for Units 3 and 4 sequences are assessed using School-based Assessment and external

assessments including examinations. Each VCE study has three graded assessment components which

contribute to a study score.

7. VCE (Baccalaureate)

The VCE (Baccalaureate) is an additional form of recognition for those students who choose to undertake the

demands of studying both a higher level mathematics and a language in their VCE program of study. To be

eligible to receive the VCE (Baccalaureate) the student must satisfactorily complete the VCE and receive a

study score for each prescribed study component.

The VCE program of study must include:

a Units 3 and 4 sequence in English or Literature or English Language with a study score of 30 or above;

or a Units 3 and 4 sequence in EAL with a study score of 33 or above

a Units 3 and 4 sequence in either Mathematics Methods or Specialist Mathematics

a Units 3 and 4 sequence in a VCE language

at least two other Units 3 and 4 sequences

Upon satisfactory completion of the VCE (Baccalaureate) program of study, the student will receive a

notification (appellation) on their Victorian Certificate of Education. If a student has previously satisfied their

VCE and received a VCE certificate, they will not automatically receive a subsequent VCE Baccalaureate

certificate.

8. Eligibility for award of the VCE

The VCE is awarded on the basis of satisfactory completion of units according to VCE program requirements.

For VCE Units 3 and 4, evidence of achievement is collected by the teacher through a range of tasks, including

School-based Assessments that are designated for the study. The decision about satisfactory completion of a

unit is distinct from the assessment of levels of achievement. School-based Assessment may be used to

determine both satisfactory completion of the unit and assessment for a study score.

A student may be eligible for the award of the VCE if they have submitted School-based Assessments for

satisfactory completion of units, but have not been assessed for levels of achievement in the study and have

not completed examinations. In these cases, the teacher judges that the student has achieved the outcomes for

a study based on the work provided by the student, without assessing for levels of achievement. A student

must be assessed for levels of achievement in two of the graded assessments in order to receive a study score.

If a result is not provided for the unit, the student will not receive a study score. When making their enrolment

selection, students should consider the requirements for satisfactory completion and the award of the VCE.

Not achieving graded assessments may limit a student’s options for further training, study and work. Students

should be encouraged to attempt all graded assessments, as much as possible.

The VCE is normally completed over two years, but students may accumulate units over any number of years.

It is possible for students returning as adults, and students who have received credit equivalent to a full Year

11 in another jurisdiction, to complete their VCE in a single year.

9. VCE Student Enrolment

Students are enrolled with VCAA through their home school. For those few students who are only doing a

single VCE Language study, their VSL Centre is their home school. Students must submit a Student Personal

Details form that indicates their intended program for the year. This needs to be done with the student’s home

school VASS coordinator. Each student’s personal details (particularly their birth date), consent permissions,

subject enrolment details should be periodically checked and signed by their teachers. Students should be

advised that the address on their Student Full Details report is the one their Year 12 results will be mailed to

at the end of the year. Students must be enrolled on VASS using their legally registered name as per

Births, Deaths & Marriages.

When enrolling with the VSL, students must take an Assessing School Enrolment Notification form to their

home school VASS or VCE co-ordinator and check their student details to ensure that their Language

enrolment is included. Students must inform their VSL Centre if they change any details or if they wish to

transfer to another Centre, or to withdraw from a Unit.

When students enrol online they agree to enrolment conditions, the rules and instructions for the VCE at the

VSL and accept the school’s disciplinary provisions.

We advise students to complete a sequence of language studies from Unit 1 to Unit 4 in order to achieve the

best possible result in VCE. Continuity of language study is essential for Second Language students.

International students have a separate enrolment form and a process that is monitored by the DE&T

International Education Division.

10. Informing Students of VCE requirements

The Victorian School of Languages informs students about VCE requirements via the VSL VCE Student

Handbook which is available on the VSL website. The Student Handbook includes the following information:

The components of the VCE

General descriptions of outcomes and school assessment

General descriptions of the end of year examination

VSL procedures: enrolment, attendance, unit and assessment task completion, special provision, absence,

unit withdrawal, appeals

Planning calendar

Students should be reminded to refer to the handbook whenever they require clarification regarding VSL

administrative procedures, need a VSL form, or have a general question about the VCE. They should speak to

their teacher, Centre Supervisor or Area Manager for further clarification.

In addition to this, teachers should provide students with clear, written information specific to the VCE in their

language. This should include a general description of coursework assessment tasks and the assessment dates

for each assessment task.

Other VCAA information and VCE administrative information, such as examination advice slips, is

distributed to students by their home school.

11. Student observance of assessment and attendance rules

At the beginning of each academic year, students agree in a signed declaration to abide by the rules and

instructions relating to the conduct of the VCE assessment program. This includes school rules related to their

assessment, including both School-based Assessment and VCE external assessments.

Students must also sign a declaration that they will abide by their school’s policies and rules relating to the

appropriate use of the internet.

Schools should refer to the Scored assessment: School-based Assessment and Scored assessment: External

assessment sections for detailed information on VCAA rules relating to assessment, and what to do if there is

a breach of these rules.

All VCE units involve at least 50 hours of scheduled classroom instruction. A student needs to attend sufficient

class time to complete work. The school sets minimum class time and attendance rules. If a student has

completed work but there has been a substantial breach of attendance rules, and the school therefore wishes to

assign an N to the unit, the school must assign an N for one or more outcomes.

12. Attendance requirements

It is vital that students have regular attendance in order to complete coursework for VCE. Our school requires

80% attendance for the successful completion of VCE. All absences must be explained by a note from the

parent or guardian and be accompanied by a medical certificate if possible. Unexplained absences of three

sessions or more during a semester could lead to an unsatisfactory N score for the Unit. Where a student has

completed work but there has been a substantive breach of attendance rules and the school therefore decides

to assign Not satisfactory (N) to the unit, the school must assign ‘N’ for one or more outcomes and thus the

unit. See the VCE and VCAL Administrative Handbook 2019 for more detailed information.

Teachers are encouraged to make contact by phone and follow up student absences.

If there is a problem of students failing to complete a Unit, due to absence or any other reason, the Area

Manager should be informed and every attempt made to organise a meeting with the student together with

their parents/guardian.

When a student is absent from school for prolonged periods, or has been unable to complete all assessment

tasks because of illness or other special circumstances, the school may, upon application from the student,

grant Special Provision for School-based Assessments. In this case, the student should not be penalised for

lack of attendance. The Special Provision granted may allow a student to work from home for a period of time.

Schools should ensure they retain documentation about any decisions relating to granting provisions for

School-based Assessment, including supporting evidence. In the situation where the student is allowed to work

from home, the school must have in place additional measures to be able to authenticate the student’s work as

their own.

13. Satisfactory Completion of VCE units

For satisfactory completion of a VCE unit, students must demonstrate their achievement of the set of outcomes

as specified in the study design. The decision about satisfactory completion of outcomes is based on the

teacher’s judgment of the student’s overall performance on a combination of set work and assessment tools

related to the outcomes. Students should be provided with multiple opportunities to develop and demonstrate

the key knowledge and key skills required for the outcomes for the unit.

The assessment of levels of achievement is separate from the decision to award and S for satisfactory

completion of a unit. VCE unit results (S or N) contribute to satisfactory completion of the certificate and not

to study score calculation.

Final School-based Assessment scores contribute to the calculation of a study score. Where the assessment

item developed combines the demonstration of outcomes (S or N) and levels of achievement (scored

assessment), best practice would support students who did not meet the outcome through the completion of

the assessment item being afforded additional opportunities to demonstrate the outcome. For example a teacher

may consider work previously submitted, provided it meets the requirements. Students may not resubmit work

to improve a School-based Assessment score.

The student receives an S for a unit if the teacher determines that all the following requirements are achieved.

A student must:

Produce work that demonstrates achievement of the outcomes

Submit work on time

Submit work that is clearly their own

Observe the rules of the VCAA and the school.

Teachers must develop courses that include appropriate learning activities to enable students to demonstrate

achievement of outcomes specified in the currently accredited study design.

Schools must provide students with clear written details of both the VCAA rules (see below) and the school’s

rules and procedure as at the beginning of the school year. For all units in the VCE, schools must specify the

work that a student must do to achieve an S for a unit and the conditions under which the work is to be done.

The school must inform each student in writing of the following:

all work they need to complete to achieve an S for the unit

all work they need to complete for School-based Assessment

class attendance requirements

how to submit work

timelines and deadlines for completing work

procedures for obtaining an extension of time

internal school appeal procedures

Decisions about satisfactory completion of a unit are solely the responsibility of the school. Results for each

unit must be based on a judgment of satisfactory or non-satisfactory achievement of outcomes.

School procedures for satisfactory completion and delay of satisfactory completion decisions for the VCE

must be established and applied consistently across studies and units.

The teacher is responsible for judging satisfactory completion of a unit. By reporting satisfactory completion,

the teacher is certifying that the student has achieved the set of outcomes for the unit according to the rules set

out by the VCAA and the school.

Schools should refer to the Scored assessment: School-based Assessment section for more information.

Each VCE unit result must be determined on the basis of evidence of achievement of outcomes completed

during the academic year in which the student is enrolled. The criteria are an attempt to bring objectivity to

the assessment process.

School procedures for satisfactory completion and delay of satisfactory completion decisions for the VCE

must be established and applied consistently across studies and units.

A student must not submit the same piece of work for assessment in more than one study, or more than

once within a study.

Each VCE unit result must be determined on the basis of work completed during the current academic

year.

Students should be informed of timelines and conditions of School-based Assessment.

Teachers need to employ appropriate authentication procedures and ensure they do not provide undue

assistance to students.

If a student does not successfully complete an outcome, the teacher must

a) notify the Area Manager (see At risk letter in this manual)

b) ensure that the student is given the opportunity to redo the Assessment Task or SAC in order to redeem

the unit and

c) notify the parents that the student is at risk of failing the unit

14. Not Satisfactory VCE unit result

The student receives an N for the unit when one or more of the requirements listed above is not achieved:

• The work does not demonstrate achievement of the outcomes.

• The student has failed to meet a school deadline for the assessment task, including if an extension of time

has been granted for any reason, including Special Provision.

• The work cannot be authenticated.

• There has been a substantial breach of rules.

15. VCE unit result of J

If a student is no longer attending, but they have not officially withdrawn by signing a Student Exit form, the

symbol J is included on VASS.

The J result should be used if the student:

is no longer attending class

has not submitted work for assessment.

The J result is recorded on the VCAA database, but is not reported on the student’s Statement of Results. Units

with a J result are made available to the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) and are treated as

equivalent to those with an N result.

16. School-assessed Coursework

School-assessed Coursework consists of a set of assessment tasks that assess each student’s level of

achievement in Unit 3 and 4 outcomes as specified in the study design. Schools provide a score for each

component of coursework specified in the study design. The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority

(VCAA) aggregates these scores into a single total score for each student, which is then statistically moderated

against the examination scores in the study. The General Achievement Test (GAT) may also be used in

statistical moderation.

School policies and procedures, including the conditions and rules under which School-based Assessment will

take place, must be communicated to students and parents at the beginning of the academic year or when a

student enrols in any Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) unit at the school.

Each VCE unit result must be determined on the basis of evidence of achievement completed during the

academic year in which the student is enrolled.

Teachers must develop courses that include appropriate learning activities to enable students to demonstrate

achievement of outcomes. Undue assistance should not be provided to students while undertaking assessment

tasks.

Students should be clearly informed of the timelines and the conditions under which assessment tasks are to

be conducted, including whether any resources are permitted.

The VCAA does not take responsibility for teacher absence or a change of teacher within schools. These issues

should be dealt with by the school principal as an internal staffing matter.

All Languages School-assessed Tasks are conducted under supervision. Students must ensure that all work

submitted for assessment is their own. Students should acknowledge all resources used (text, websites and

source material) and should not receive undue assistance in the preparation and submission of work.

Unacceptable forms of assistance include use of, or copying from another person’s work or other resources

without acknowledgement and corrections made or dictated by another person.

Where practicable, teachers should train students to draft written work, edit in a systematic way and produce

a final draft. This process enables students to overcome frequently made errors in the language studied.

Drafting is still a valuable tool in developing written skills in the language.

The VSL SAC procedure is outlined in the following section. Teachers must ensure that they give students

the dates for completion of assessment tasks in advance taking into account the important dates as

required by both the VSL & VCAA and adequate feedback on School-assessed Coursework assessment

and that students are clear about why such assessments have been given. The feedback section on the front of

the SAC Cover Sheets included in this manual enables teachers to record evidence of written feedback given

to students.

17. Preparation of work for School-assessed Coursework

For each new or revised VCE study from 2015, information that was formerly contained in a separate

Assessment Handbook has been incorporated into a single Advice for Teachers publication. Studies accredited

prior to 2015 have an Advice for Teachers publication and an Assessment Handbook.

VCE Assessment Handbooks contain assessment information about Units 3 and 4 School-assessed

Coursework and administrative details of examinations for individual studies. Advice is provided on how to

construct and incorporate assessment tasks and how to grade these tasks using performance descriptors. VCE

Assessment Handbooks are not published annually.

Assessment Handbooks are available from the VCE study pages on the VCAA website. Notification of any

changes to assessment advice during the course of study will be made available to teachers via the VCAA

Bulletin and VCAA website.

18. Lost, stolen or damaged School-assessed Coursework

If a teacher or student has lost work or had the work stolen or damaged, they must make a written statement

explaining the circumstances. The statement must be signed, dated and filed at the school. Schools must keep

a record of the loss or damage, but should not report it to the VCAA. The principal, acting on advice from the

teacher, and on the basis of records kept, shall determine the unit result for the student.

19. Care in the use of technology

A student who uses technology to produce work for assessment is responsible for ensuring that:

there is an alternative system available for producing assessable work in case of malfunction or

unavailability

hard copies of the work in progress and back up versions are produced regularly

20. SAC Notification to Students

An assessment timetable should be given to students early in each semester, without any mention of dates

for Special Provision. A SAC Assessment Notice form needs to be given to Unit 3 and 4 students two weeks

prior to the date of each SAC.

21. Integrity of School-based Assessments

To ensure the integrity of School-based Assessment in all VCE units, schools should:

develop a process document that clearly states the schools expectations in relation to the development and

delivery of School-based Assessment and the steps teachers must take to ensure the security of the content

keep assessment tasks, including tasks in development, out of the reach, view or access of students until

they are delivered

where possible, avoid storing assessment tasks on open school networks and unsecured media such as

USB sticks, and avoid sending assessment tasks by unsecured means such as emails

have students sign a declaration that they will abide by their school’s policies and rules relating to the

appropriate use of the internet

when delivering the same School-based Assessment across several different discrete classes, minimise

the time lag between classes

ensure that tasks are not recycled from one academic year to another to prevent student use of other

student work from previous academic years

suitable modify commercially produced materials to ensure the school can authenticate student work

Decisions about satisfactory completion of a unit are solely the responsibility of the school. Results for each

unit must be based on a judgment of satisfactory or non-satisfactory achievement of outcomes.

In order to support student with additional opportunities to achieve a satisfactory result, schools should have

established process to support the delay of satisfactory completions for the VCE that is applied across studies

and units. The teacher is responsible for judging satisfactory completion of a unit. By reporting satisfactory

completion, the teacher is certifying that the student has achieved the set of outcomes for the unit according

to the rules set out by the VCAA and the school.

22. Access to Student Data

Schools registered with the VRQA are required to ensure that parents of student have access to accurate

information about the student’s achievement and performance. This information must include at least two

written reports per academic year relating to the student’s performance. This is a requirement of regulation 60

and Clause 3 of Schedule 4 of the Education and Training Reform Regulations 2017 (Vic).

23. Assessments under test conditions and authentication of student work

In addition, students must observe and schools must apply the following rules for authentication of School-

based Assessment:

1. A student must ensure that all unacknowledged work submitted for assessment is genuinely their own

2. A student must acknowledge all resources used, including:

Text, websites and source material

The name and status of any person who provided assistance and the type of assistance provided

3. A student must not receive undue assistance from another person in preparation and submission of work

4. Acceptable levels of assistance include:

The incorporation of ideas or material derived from other sources (eg, by reading, viewing or note

taking), but which has been transformed by the students and used in a new context

Prompting and general advice from another person or source, which leads to refinements and/or self-

correction

5. Unacceptable forms of assistance include:

Use of, or copying, another person’s work or other resources without acknowledgment

Corrections or improvements made or dictated by another person

6. A student must not submit the same piece of work for assessment in more than one study, or more than

once within a study

7. A student must not circulate or publish written work that is being submitted for assessment in a study, in

the year of enrolment

8. A student must not knowingly assist another student in a breach of rules

24. Approved dictionaries

Students are permitted to use an approved bi-lingual or monolingual dictionary in Language written tasks.

A VCAA approved dictionary is EITHER an English-Language, Language-English dictionary (which may be

in two separate volumes) OR a monolingual dictionary in the language being assessed.

The dictionary must be printed and should not contain any highlighting or annotation.

Electronic dictionaries are not permitted.

Dictionaries are not permitted in the oral component of any Language examination.

25. Word limits for Languages assessment

Word limits – Coursework

In Language studies, a word range is specified in the VCE Language Study Design and Advice to Teachers.

26. Administering School-Assessed Coursework (Term 1, 3 and 4. Please refer to remote advice for

term 2).

Written Assessment Tasks/SACs

Students attach the SAC cover sheet to their response paper

Teacher collects papers at end of supervised task

Teacher marks papers using the performance descriptors for each assessment according to the VCE

Languages Other Than English (LOTE) – Second Language Assessment Handbook 2005-2019 It is

important to be consistent

Teacher arranges for papers to be photocopied

Students receive original corrected copy with S/N mark

Teacher circles the appropriate score range of the Performance Descriptor on the back of the SAC Cover

Sheet as a guide to student performance

Teacher enters class scores in the record keeping section of this manual

Teacher keeps a copy of the SAC cover sheet and photocopied papers

Oral Assessment Tasks/SACs

Student receives a SAC cover sheet ready for the Oral SAC

Teacher and student complete the oral task as required. All oral tasks are recorded

Teacher makes assessment after each student’s performance using the VCE Student Record Sheet in this

manual. Especially in the case of large classes, the teacher may wish to record the task and then mark later

Teacher circles the appropriate score range of the Performance Descriptor on the back of the SAC Cover

Sheet

Teacher gives verbal feedback and discusses the outcome with the student. The student receives a copy of

the SAC Cover Sheet with the circled range of the Performance Descriptor, together with written feedback.

Students receive an S or N

Teacher keeps a copy of the SAC cover sheet and recordings

27. Redeeming Assessment Tasks and SACs

While wanting to give students every opportunity to successfully demonstrate the outcomes, teachers have to

set limits. As a result it is recommended that teachers do the following:

Attempt to get all students to do the Task/SAC at the designated time.

Requests to repeat a Task/SAC must be accompanied by appropriate Special Provision documentation.

Any Special Provision Tasks/SACs that do take place should cause minimal class disruption and should

not take place later than the designated period in the VSL Planning Calendar in this manual.

However, under VCAA regulations, if in the judgment of the teacher, work submitted by a student does not

meet the required standard for satisfactory completion, the teacher may consider other work relating to

outcomes undertaken and submitted by the student for the unit. This work may include class work, homework,

additional tasks or discussions with the student that demonstrate their understanding of the outcome. The

school may decide to delay the decision about satisfactory completion to allow a student to complete or submit

further work.

A student may only submit further evidence, or resubmit a School-based Assessment for reconsideration, to

redeem an S for the outcome. Students may not resubmit to improve a School-based Assessment score.

28. VCE Languages: Marking descriptors for Section 3

Descriptors that will be used to assess the extended piece of writing in Section 3 of the VCE First and Second

Languages written examinations are available on the relevant study pages of the VCAA website. There are no

changes to the assessment criteria, as published in the Languages Assessment Handbook. The descriptors

provide teachers and students with additional information about the expected qualities for each mark range.

29. Retention of VCE School-based Assessments

The decision about whether or not to return School-based Assessments to students rests with the school.

Schools should have access to work completed for assessment until the end of the academic year in which the

work was undertaken.

As part of the School-based Assessment Audit program, the VCAA may request copies of specific School-

based Assessment completed by students.

30. Feedback to Students

After assessment tasks are submitted and marked, teachers should provide feedback to students. Appropriate

feedback includes:

advice on particular problem areas

advice on where and how improvements can be made for further learning

reporting S or N decisions and/or written comments on students’ performance against each outcome

Schools may choose this as a basis for reporting to parents. In providing this feedback, teachers may give

students their marks on individual School-assessed Coursework tasks. If providing marks, teachers must advise

students that their total School-assessed Coursework scores may change following statistical moderation

Schools should include the following in student VCE handbooks:

advice about the ‘conditional’ nature of any School-assessed Coursework marks given to students

advise that total scores for School-assessed Coursework may change as a result of statistical moderation

Although schools may permit students to submit further evidence for satisfactory completion of a unit, students

may not submit further tasks for the reconsideration of School-assessed Coursework scores awarded by the

school.

*** No numerical scores are to be given to students for their Units 3 & 4 SACs/Outcomes as these are subject to statistical

moderation by the VCAA and may change.