Highlights
- Every Victorian student appearing for VCE will be individually assessed in 2020
- “Consideration of Educational Disadvantage” process to calculate VCE scores
- Coronavirus pandemic to be taken into account
On August 7, the state government announced every Victorian student will be individually assessed, and any adverse impacts of coronavirus will be reflected in ATAR rankings.
Premier Daniel Andrews said, “The bottom line is that every student has been impacted in some way by this pandemic – the challenge is to make sure that it doesn’t decide their future.
"My message to VCE students is clear: you concentrate on doing your best, and we’ll take care of everything else.”
The State's Education Minister James Merlino said this new step was being taken as part of a wide-ranging process to ensure fair and accurate results in this unprecedented year of school.
The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) will introduce a wide-ranging “Consideration of Educational Disadvantage” process to calculate VCE scores, taking into account disruptions to learning caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
In a normal year, individual students are assessed for special consideration on a case by case basis.
This year, schools will provide the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) with information on every single one of their students.
These reforms will reach every Year 12 VCE student in the state, ensuring the experiences of the class of 2020 are factored into their results.
The VCAA will consider a range of data alongside exam results, including a student’s expected achievement levels before the impact of coronavirus, school assessments completed prior to remote and flexible learning, the General Achievement Test (GAT) and a range of statistical analyses to calculate final results.
This may include assessing the individual impact of coronavirus on each student, including school closures, direct impacts on the health of a student, students dealing with substantial extra family responsibilities, ongoing issues with remote learning and mental health challenges.
This will then be used to calculate a student’s final VCE results and ATAR rank.
This adds to the steps already taken by the VCAA, such as reducing course content for Unit 4, rescheduling the General Achievement Test (GAT) and extending Term 4 for VCE students with exams to be held later in the year.
The ATARs received by Victorian students will be equivalent to those received by students in other states.
Ms Aayushi Khillan, the board member of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) explains the various measures and processes taken by VCAA to support the final year school students including considerations for disadvantaged students.
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Metropolitan Melbourne residents are subject to Stage 4 restrictions and must comply with a curfew between the hours of 8 pm and 5 am.
The only reasons for Melbourne residents to leave home during these hours are for exercise, to shop for necessary goods and services, for work, for health care, or to care for a sick or elderly relative.
All Victorians must wear a face covering when they leave home, no matter where they live.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080. News and information is available in 63 languages at sbs.com.au/coronavirus
