New WACE

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New WACE Courses of Study

• Implications For Year 10 Students of 2006

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Discussion points

• Reasons for new system
• Features of new system, Course list
• Comments about OBE other issues
• What are the transition arrangements?
• What will Year 10 students face?
• What should I do in preparation?

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Reasons for Post-compulsory Review

• Too many courses 66 TEE, over 350 Wholly School
  Assessed and VET
• Minimal choices for Year 12 students, esp. TEE
• Dual system TEE v Wholly School Assessed
• Variety of approaches some content-driven some
  outcomes-focussed
• No recognition of level of achievement across
  courses complex statistical processes
• Perceived inflexibility for schools and students

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What Stays Much The Same?

• 32 TEE subjects remain Wholly School-assessed
  repackaged and more flexible
• Content is mandated and will be a focus in all
  assessment
• There will be an external examination which will
  be in Oct/Nov and will count for 50
• School assessment will be worth 50
• University entrance will be relatively similar
  and a TER will be used
• Students still need to count min of 4 courses
• VET maintained strengthened.

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What Changes?

• Outcomes provide the focus for learning
  assessment in ALL courses
• There will be about 50 courses ALL COUNT
  EQUALLY
• No year 11 and year 12 structure of subjects
• Scales of achievement define standards for all
  courses using levels
• Method of describing achievement focuses on
  levels and ratings
• WACE changes slightly more inclusive more
  detailed record of achievement

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Courses Of Study Model
Course Scale of Achievement
Curriculum Framework Progress Maps
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Assessment in New Courses

• Four outcomes in a course eg English Reading,
  Writing, Viewing Speaking/Listening
• Assessment tasks developed to cover the outcomes
• Each outcome can be achieved in five levels or
  stages of proficiency explicit standards
  described for each level
• At the end of a unit student is given a broad
  level for each outcome 4 to 8
• In addition, each broad level is broken down into
  three more detailed bands so that a student could
  receive a level 6.2 or 6.5 or 6.8.
• At end of unit levels are averaged to produce a
  course score out of 8.50
• This is used to add to exam score to produce a
  combined score

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Some Common Concerns

• Outcomes Based Education (OBE) is an
  inappropriate model that is unproven and
  unfamiliar

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Response about OBE

• Used in Curriculum Framework (K to 12) past 6
  years
• Elaborated in Progress Maps
• Used in all Primary schools
• Used in CAF courses in WA for past 8 years
• Used in current Drama Studies subject
• Slightly different to other models in that
• - Explicit standards
• - Essential content

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Some Common Concerns

• The new system will lead to a dumbing down of
  standards and encourage mediocrity

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Response to dumbing down..

• Content is essential
• Existing TEE courses all there
• Will be an external exam focus on content
• Clear and explicit standards
• Statistical monitoring adjustment
• Possible issue of upward creep in new courses

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Some Common Concerns

• The transition period will be very difficult for
  students

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Comments about Transition..

• Will be in three phases
• Alternate of all courses at once in one year
  is not sustainable for schools
• There will be difficulties between 2006 and
  2009
• No disadvantage to any student but there will
  be inconvenience in mixing old and new

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What does it mean to the Year 10 students?

• Will be in Year 11 in 2007
• Will be in Year 12 in 2008
• Phase two courses commence in 2007/8

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New WACE

• Will achieve the new Western Australian
  Certificate of Education (WACE) under the new
  criteria
• - Complete 20 units (some minor combination
  requirement and more flexibility)
• - Cover five courses
• - Achieve English Language Competence
• - Some breadth requirements
• - Community service

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New Uni Entry

• Still have a TER out of 99.95
• Still count best four courses
• Still have English Language competence (level
  5/6)
• Must achieve WACE
• No List One and Two
• Still have preferred/pre-requisite subjects
• 5 years to accumulate

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Mixing of CoursesNew and Old for Year 10s

• Will have new courses in Society and Environment,
  English, Science, The Arts, some of Health and
  PE, some of Technology
• Will have all current (old) subjects in Maths and
  LOTE
• Means that when picking their Year 11 subjects,
  the above will also be selected

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Example Double Maths and Science

• English or Texts, Traditions Cultures
• Physics
• Chemistry
• Economics
• _____________________________
• Intro Calc 11/Applicable Maths 12
• Geom Trig 11/Calculus 12

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Mainly Arts / SE Focus

• English or Texts, Traditions and Cultures
• History, Ancient and Modern
• Human Biological Sciences
• Music
• __________________________________
• Found. Maths 11/Discrete Maths 12
• Italian

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Totally New

• English or Texts, Traditions and Cultures
• Human Biological Sciences
• Geography
• Economics
• Applied Information Technology
• Physical Education Studies

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Summary of Mixing

• Current TEE students will have new current TEE
  subjects but not Maths and LOTE which will be the
  old
• WSA type students could have more mixing 3 new
  2/3 old at worst

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Brief Conclusions.

• Many elements of current system remain
• Uni entrance more flexible
• Course choice increases for ALL students
  breadth, flexibility
• Includes more students e.g. disabilities, ROSLA
  etc
• A new assessment system for many
• Short inconvenience during 3 year transition

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