For Parents
Home > For Parents
Assessment
What is assessment?
How is the school assessment mark used?
How can students and parents can find out about assessment tasks?
How are HSC results reported?
What is assessment?
The Board of Studies provides detailed information on assessment in the Higher School Certificate for students, their teachers, parents and caregivers. The information can be downloaded from the Board of Studies web site 
.
The new HSC requires that a standards-referenced approach be used for assessing and reporting student achievement. This means that a student’s progress is measured against clear syllabus and performance standards rather than against the progress of other students.
This approach must be used for both the Preliminary and HSC courses. In order that students satisfy requirements for both courses, they must have completed the documented faculty-based assessment programs.
The reason for having a separate school assessment mark is twofold:
- It is not possible to test all aspects of a subject (e.g. practical skills, oral tasks, fieldwork, projects) in an external examination.
- It is fairer to assess a student’s progress throughout a course of study rather than at a single examination.
Assessment through strategies such as formal examinations, tests, assignments, essays, and creative works is used to diagnose students’ strengths and weaknesses and inform parents. It is formalised for the Higher School Certificate examination.
A student’s final HSC school assessment mark is the combined result of all weighted HSC assessment tasks completed by the student throughout the course. To receive a result in any course the student must have satisfactorily completed that course. The weightings for the various tasks are determined by the course syllabus .
How is the school assessment mark used?
A student’s HSC school assessment mark in each course is submitted by the school to the Board of Studies. The assessment mark is then adjusted or “moderated” to fit the same spread of marks that the school’s candidates achieve in the HSC examination in that course.
This process ensures that students are not unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged by the pattern of marks chosen by their school.
Moderation ensures that marks given by one school are comparable with those awarded in other schools across the state. The school’s order of merit and the relative differences between students will be retained.
Your school submits your assessment marks to the Board of Studies, calculated from your results on each formal assessment task you undertake as part of your HSC course.
In the case of VET courses studied at school, there is no assessment mark. A student log forms a record of student achievement in the units of competency for each course. Your school submits to the Board a list of the units of competency you have successfully achieved. This information is used to produce your certificate or Statement of Attainment.
In most cases, the assessment mark for a satisfactorily completed course can be used in Illness/Misadventure appeals .
At the end of the Higher School Certificate examinations, you may ask for your position in the rank order in each course you have studied based on school assessments. If you feel that your rank in any course is not correct, you may apply to the school principal for a review.
Further details about reviews and appeals are on the assessment appeal form which may be obtained from your school.”
Studying for the new HSC – An Information Booklet for Year 10 Students 2000. Board of Studies, p. 15
How can students and parents can find out about assessment tasks?
The school’s responsibilities
Your school develops an assessment program for each course. This means your school is required to:
- set tasks that will be used to measure your performance in each component of a course;
- specify the relative value of each of these tasks;
- inform you in writing of:
- the components and their weighting for each course when assessment tasks will take place the mark value of each task in relation to the total number of marks for the course the nature of each assessment task (eg assignment, test, project, etc)
- the administrative details associated with each task (eg student absence, late submission of work, etc);
- provide adequate notice of the precise timing of each assessment task; keep records of your performance in each task;
- provide you with information on your progress.
Studying for the new HSC – An Information Booklet for Year 10 Students 2000. Board of Studies, p.14
The student’s responsibilities
You are expected to complete the tasks that are part of the assessment program, and you should ensure that you have a copy of your school’s assessment program for each course.
If an assessment task is not going to be done or handed in at the scheduled time, it is your responsibility to ask your teacher for an alternative task or an extension of time.
Every school has a policy on tasks that are not completed. Depending on the circumstances, a zero mark may be awarded, an extension of time granted or an alternative task set. Your principal may allow an estimate to be given for a task that has not been completed. This applies only in exceptional circumstances and only where an alternative task would be unreasonable or impractical.
When alternative tasks are set or an estimate awarded, the resulting mark will be a measure of what you have actually achieved in the relevant aspect of the course.
The Board does not compensate you for difficulties in performing or completing assessment tasks, even when they are caused by factors outside your control.
Some HSC courses have prescribed texts, topics, projects and works that must be considered or studied for the Higher School Certificate. You should ensure that you are aware of the requirements for your course. Board publications on prescribed texts, topics, projects and works for all courses in each examination year are available at your school. Ask your Year Adviser for information or check the Board’s web site .
Studying for the new HSC – An Information Booklet for Year 10 Students 2000. Board of Studies, p.15
How are HSC results reported?
Results of HSC courses which have been satisfactorily completed appear on the Higher School Certificate Record of Achievement and on a Course Report.
Results of Board Developed Courses are recorded under the following headings on the Record of Achievement:
Assessment Mark
This is the moderated mark that results from a moderation of the student’s school assessment mark.
Examination Mark
This is the mark awarded for the external examination.
HSC Mark
This is the average of the Examination Mark and the Assessment Mark.
Performance Band
This shows the student’s level of achievement in the particular course.
|