Board of Senior Secondary Studies Annual Report 2009-2010

Overview

The Board of Senior Secondary Studies (the Board) was established in 1991 and the Board of Senior Secondary Studies Act 1997 (the BSSS Act) was enacted in January 1998.

The key functions of the Board are to:

• provide students with Year 12 Certificates, Tertiary Entrance Statements and vocational certificates
• maintain the credibility and acceptance of courses through a regular accreditation program
• monitor and support the validity of assessment in years 11 and 12
• improve the comparability of standards across the Territory through moderation procedures
• gain the widest possible recognition for the credentials awarded by the Board
• service the information needs of the community.

During 2009-10, the Board has continued to implement its strategic plan. Key initiatives have included a review of flexible learning and its implications for Board policy, the trialling of some alternative approaches in the peer review moderation process and a technical review of the ACT Scaling Test.

The Board has ensured that the ACT has been actively involved in development of the senior years’ Australian Curriculum through participation in the writing process and at consultation workshops. The Board responded to the draft position paper on National Curriculum in the Senior Years and is preparing a response to the recently released draft courses in English, mathematics, science and history. The Board is monitoring the implications of national curriculum on its policies and processes, and will consider a timeframe for implementation, in the next reporting period.

There was a significant change in the membership of the Board during 2009-10 as many of the appointments to the Board expired at the end of 2009.

Board membership

The BSSS Act (s8) creates a Board with a broad membership of 14 from the many stakeholders in senior secondary education. Members, other than the Chief Executive of the Department of Education and Training (the Department), are appointed by the Minister for Education and Training for a period of up to three years. Members can be reappointed if they are still eligible. The appointments of nine Board members expired in December 2009. Two of these members were renominated by their organisations and appointed for a further three years. Seven new members were appointed to the Board from 2010.

The Board has six scheduled meetings each calendar year. The above Board met on three occasions from July-December 2009.

Table 1: Board membership as at 1 July 2009

Details of Board members

Professor Stephen Parker (Chair)
Professor Parker is the Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Canberra. Professor Parker is a lawyer by profession and has worked in the higher education sector for many years. He has also chaired the board of a state secondary school.
Qualifications: LLB (Hons), PhD

Ms Kaye O’Hara
Ms O’Hara is Deputy Chief Executive, Academic at the Canberra Institute of Technology. Ms O’Hara has worked as an educator and manager in the TAFE system since 1978. Prior to this she was a teacher in ACT secondary schools.
Qualifications: BA, Grad Dip Ed, Dip Continuing Ed, Grad Cert Ed Management, MEd

Ms Jocelyn Vasey
Ms Vasey was the Director, Training and Tertiary Education in the Department to the end of April 2010. She has considerable experience in teaching and administration in the secondary and tertiary education sectors, and maintains her interest and involvement in these areas through her role as Chair of the Board’s Vocational Education and Training Committee, as well as community and consultation work.
Qualifications: BA, Dip Ed, Dip Special Ed, MEd

Dr Douglas Craig
Dr Craig is a Reader in History at the Australian National University (ANU) and has been lecturing in history since 1990. Dr Craig has been a member of a number of committees at the ANU, including as Chair of the ANU Admissions Standards Committee.
Qualifications: BA (Hons), LLB (Hons), MA, PhD

Dr Margi Böhm
Dr Böhm is a Lecturer in the School of Resource, Environment and Heritage Sciences at the University of Canberra. Dr Böhm works closely with ACT and local NSW colleges on outreach programs and has previously been a college and high school teacher in the ACT.
Qualifications: BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD

Ms Rita Daniels
Ms Daniels is the Principal of Daramalan College and was previously Principal of St Clare’s College. She was a member of the BSSS from 2000-2003 and 2004-2006, chairing the Board’s Assessment and Certification, and Discipline committees. She has been teaching since 1977.
Qualifications: BA, Dip Ed, MEd

Ms Jennifer Budd-Clayden
Ms Budd-Clayden is a School Leader C at Narrabundah College, teaching mathematics. She has been a secondary college teacher in the ACT since 1986.
Qualifications: BSc, Dip Ed, Grad Cert Career Education

Ms Catherine Rey
Ms Rey has been Principal of Merici College since 2003. Prior to this she was Assistant Principal of St Clare’s College. Ms Rey has taught French, Japanese and social science at several schools in the ACT.
Qualifications: BA (Hons), Dip Ed, MA

Mr John Stenhouse
Mr Stenhouse has been Principal of the Canberra College since 2005. He was previously Principal of Copland College and has worked in several colleges and high schools since joining the ACT education system in 1977.
Qualifications: BSc (Hons), Dip Ed, MSc, MEd

Mr Warren Müller
Mr Müller has worked with the CSIRO for over 35 years as a statistical consultant in the biological sciences. He has a strong interest in education issues and plays an active role in school communities, and parent and school representative bodies.
Qualifications: BSc (Hons), BA, MSc, Accredited Statistician

Ms Kirsten Wilkinson
Ms Wilkinson has worked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) either full or part-time for 21 years currently as a Collection Manager for survey work. Prior to this she gained a teaching degree and has worked in primary schools in the ACT.
Qualifications: BEd, Dip Teaching

Dr Christopher Peters AM
Dr Peters is the Chief Executive of the ACT & Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Dr Peters represents business on numerous ACT Government boards and committees, and is on the board of several public companies and community organisations.
Qualifications: Dip Corporate Directors, Senior Fellow Corporate Directors Association, Fellow Australian Institute Company Directors, Fellow Australian Institute of Management, Chartered Director

Mr John van Rijswijk
Mr van Rijswijk was a teacher at St Edmund’s College and has been in the educational arena for 30 years teaching in the ACT and NSW.
Qualifications: BA, Dip Ed

Ms Trish Wilks
Ms Wilks is Director of Learning and Teaching in the Department. She has had considerable experience as a school principal and teacher, and has been on the boards of several national educational associations.
Qualifications: BA, Dip Ed, Teachers’ Certificate, MEd, Associate of the Library Association of Australia, Fellow of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders

Table 2: Board membership as at 30 June 2010

The above Board has met on three occasions from January-June 2010.

Details of Board members in 2010

Professor Stephen Parker (Chair)
Continuing appointment; refer above.

Ms Kaye O’Hara
Reappointment; refer above.

Ms Jocelyn Vasey
Continuing appointment; refer above.

Professor Joan Beaumont
Professor Beaumont is Dean of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University (ANU). Prior to joining ANU, she was Dean of Arts (& Education) at Deakin University. Her key research interests are in the history of Australia at war.
Qualifications: BA (Hons), PhD, Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia

Dr Louise Watson
Dr Watson is an Associate Professor in Education Policy in the Faculty of Education, University of Canberra. She has undertaken research in education policy in a wide range of areas, including quality schooling, performance measurement and educational leadership.
Qualifications: BA (Hons), MA, PhD

Ms Rita Daniels
Continuing appointment; refer above.

Ms Jan Bentley
Ms Bentley is an Executive Teacher, Mathematics and Technology at Dickson College. She has 40 years’ experience in teaching mathematics in colleges and high schools in the ACT, and has been involved in course development for ACT colleges since 1974. She was recognised in 2009 with an Australian Education Union Public Education Award.
Qualifications: BA, Dip Ed, Dip in Using Computers in Education

Mrs Alison Jeffries
Ms Jeffries has been Principal of St Clare’s College since 2009. Prior to that she worked in Human Resources and Education Services in the Catholic Education Office and in various schools, including MacKillop Catholic College ACT and St Anne’s Central School, NSW.
Qualifications: BEd (Dist), MEd, M Cath Ed, Grad Cert in Ed Law, Cert IV Assessment and Workplace Training

Mr Martin Watson
Mr Watson is Principal of Lake Ginninderra College and was acting Principal and Deputy Principal at the college prior to that appointment. He has over 20 years’ experience in ACT high schools and colleges.
Qualifications: BA, Grad Dip Ed

Ms Josephine Dixon
Ms Dixon has worked in computing in various government departments and has taught in the area at the Canberra Institute of Technology. She was a member of the BSSS Assessment and Certification Committee from 2006 to 2009. She is currently undertaking a research Masters Degree at the University of Canberra.
Qualifications: BA Comp Studies, Grad Dip Information Science, Workplace Assessor

Ms Kirsten Wilkinson
Continuing appointment; refer above.

Dr Christopher Peters
Reappointment; refer above.

Mr Peter van Rijswijk
Mr van Rijswijk is a teacher at St Francis Xavier College and has worked in ACT and Victorian colleges since 1981. He has served on BSSS Media and Drama Accreditation panels and has been a Small Group Moderator.
Qualifications: BEd, Cert IV Assessment and Workplace Training, Cert IV Entertainment

Ms Trish Wilks
Continuing delegate; refer above.

Policies relating to the appointment and retirement of board members

The BSSS Act 1997 (s8, 10, 12) provides for the appointment and retirement of Board members.

Procedures for remuneration arrangements

The Chair is the only member eligible to receive remuneration, at a rate determined by the ACT Remuneration Tribunal.

Oversight of preparation of the entity’s financial statements and internal controls, composition and responsibilities of audit committees, risk management strategies

The Board has no financial functions under the BSSS Act and does not receive or expend funds in its own right. Funding for the operation of the Board secretariat is provided and reported through the Department, which also manages audit and risk management functions.

Policies for establishment and management of appropriate ethical standards

Prior to appointment, Board members are provided with the Bowen Code of Conduct as a guide to ethical behaviour. Members sign a declaration that they have read and agree to observe the principles of the code, and agree to disclose all conflicts of interest that arise during their term on the Board. The Board meeting agenda has declaration of conflicts of interests as a standing item. ACT public servants on the Board are also bound by the ACT Public Sector Management Act 1994.

Resources available to Board members to assist them to carry out their duties

The Department provides secretariat, research and advisory services and access to legal, ministerial, financial and audit services through a memorandum of understanding between the Department and the Board.

Board committees

Under the BSSS Act 1997, the Board can appoint the committees it considers appropriate (s6). The major standing committees of the Board are:

• Curriculum Advisory Committee
• Assessment and Certification Committee
• Vocational Education and Training Committee

The following were members of these committees in 2009:

Curriculum Advisory Committee

Assessment and Certification Committee

Vocational Education and Training Committee

The following are members of these committees in 2010:

Curriculum Advisory Committee

Assessment and Certification Committee

Vocational Education and Training Committee

Corporate and operational plans and associated performance reporting

Guiding principles

The Board is committed to:

• a general education of high standards providing equal opportunity for all students to the end of year 12
• freedom of choice of courses for students supported by expert advice
• senior secondary college responsibility for course development
• senior secondary college responsibility for the assessment of its students
• shared responsibility for education
• open access to information.

Goal

To provide a high quality curriculum, assessment and certification system that supports:

• all young adults to achieve a Year 12 Certificate or equivalent vocational qualification
• high levels of achievement in literacy and numeracy
• improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged students
• effective transitions from school to post-school pathways.

The following achievements are reported under the Key Focus Areas in the BSSS Strategic Plan 2008-2010

KEY FOCUS AREAS

An assessment and certification system that caters for all student pathways

Extension programs
The Board has continued to review its policies and procedures to ensure they support the varied needs, interests and pathways of senior secondary students. Following re-examination of its policies on extension programs, the Board published a booklet, What Extension Programs are Available? to highlight the opportunities existing for students who demonstrate particular aptitude in one or more subjects. These include, Accelerated Progression, university extension programs and higher level vocational education and training programs.

Flexible learning
In August 2009, the Board established a working party to review and make recommendations on policy relating to flexible learning. The group explored examples of flexible learning in secondary and tertiary education, and considered the implications of flexible learning for Board policy. The working party concluded that the Board’s definition of a unit of study did not preclude flexible learning, and that with minor amendments other policies on course delivery and student attendance would be consistent with changing approaches to delivery.

A high quality curriculum, assessment and certification system

Curriculum development

The Board has a five-year cycle of curriculum development to ensure that all schools deliver high quality contemporary courses in the senior secondary years. This involves the regular review of BSSS Course Frameworks, which outline the essential concepts and skills to be covered in courses, and the guidelines and standards for assessment and reporting of student outcomes. In 2009-2010, course frameworks in English, Legal and Political Studies, Cultural Studies, Behavioural Science and Theory of Knowledge have been revised and endorsed by the Board. In 2010-2011, the Board will review the function and structure of course frameworks in light of national curriculum.

In the ACT, courses are currently developed by teams of teachers and other professionals with expertise in the area, informed by current research, best practice teaching and national and international curricula. Nineteen teams operated in 2009 developing system-wide courses and fourteen teams are currently developing courses for implementation in 2011. These courses are reviewed by expert panels of teachers, representatives from tertiary institutions, industry and the community, which provide advice on accreditation to the Board. A list of the panels that met to consider courses in 2009-10 is included as Appendix A.

Redevelopment of courses in English, the sciences and mathematics has been suspended pending release of the Phase 1 Australian Curriculum in these areas.

Moderation
During 2010, the Board is trialling some alternatives processes for review of unit grades at its system-wide Moderation Days held in March and August each year. The trials include review of student portfolios of work with all college identification removed in Biology; review of student portfolios with all college identification, marks and grades removed in English; and review of student portfolios by expert panels in English, Mathematical Methods, Chemistry and Photography. The results of the trials will be available in October 2010. The purpose of system-wide moderation is to gain feedback on the quality and effectiveness of the school-based assessment and consistency in application of grade standards.

In addition to moderation of unit grades, the Board conducts the ACT Scaling Test (AST) to support statistical moderation of course scores for tertiary entrance purposes. To enhance the correlation of the AST with college-based scores, the weightings of the components of the test are determined each year. The weightings used at the end of 2009 were: Quantitative component 31 percent, Verbal component 14 percent, Writing Task 22 percent, and Short Response Test 33 percent. In 2009-2010, the BSSS has undertaken a technical review of the effectiveness of the AST to ensure that it remains a quality instrument for the scaling of school-based assessments.

Software support
The Board has recently introduced a common electronic markbook across all colleges as part of the redevelopment of its computer system for year 11-12 certification. The new facility includes validation of assessment data on entry and automatic transfer of students’ results from the markbook at the end of each unit, eliminating the need for manual re-entry of scores by teachers.

An informed and effective response to international, national and local initiatives

Australian curriculum
Following the release of the first draft Australian Curriculum senior courses in English (four courses), mathematics (four courses), science (four courses) and history (two courses), the Board has run a series of workshops to gain teacher feedback for reporting to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). A workshop for parents, students and other key stakeholders has been organised for 1 July 2010. The Board has also arranged for ACT college teachers to participate in national consultation workshops on each of the courses being run in Sydney by ACARA. Board Principals’ Meetings have been used to keep principals informed of developments in national curriculum and for discussion on the implications for the ACT.

Vocational education and training
The Board is committed to ensuring that its policies and procedures support a range of pathways for students and is continuing to review its policies on vocational education and training. Currently the Board is looking at the inclusion of Structured Workplace Learning in vocational programs.

In the 2010-11 ACT Budget, the Board received $1.1 million over four years for redevelopment of the VET component of its year 11-12 certification IT system. The current system was developed over ten years ago and requires significant revision to cope with the increasing flexibility in VET, changes in delivery and enhanced reporting.

Indigenous education
In support of local and national initiatives in Indigenous education, in 2009 the Board introduced a new category for recognition of student achievement, the Indigenous Student Award. The award is based on a sustained high level of achievement across all courses during years 11 and 12, and a significant contribution during years 11 and 12 to life in the college or broader community. In 2009, four year 12 Indigenous students from across ACT colleges received this award.

Community consultation

The Board facilitates community input through representation on Board committees, course writing teams, accreditation panels, working parties and consultation forums. Groups represented include parents, teachers, principals, tertiary institutions, industry, business and unions.

Year 12 outcomes 2009

Twenty ACT colleges and the CIT Vocational College were involved in the processing of year 12 results at the end of 2009. Six schools located in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Fiji also had year 12 students who were certificated by the Board.

ACT Year 12 Certificates were awarded to 4266 students. This included 4140 students enrolled in ACT colleges and the CIT Vocational College, and 126 students enrolled in overseas colleges. Of these students, 2800 students completed the requirements for an Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) and thus received a Tertiary Entrance Statement (TES). This included 2695 students enrolled in ACT colleges and the CIT, and 105 students enrolled in overseas colleges.

At the end of 2009, 90 students (49 females, 41 males) studying university extension programs approved by the Board were able to have those studies contribute to their Year 12 Certificate and ATAR. Of the students who completed courses, 25 studied Mathematics, 12 Physics, 22 Chemistry, 17 Conservation Biology and 14 Japanese. The students came from 16 different colleges. Seventy-two per cent of these students used their scaled H course score in their ATAR.

The proportion of year 12 students achieving an ACT Year 12 Certificate increased slightly. In 2009, 92.0 percent of year 12 students in ACT colleges achieved an ACT Year 12 Certificate compared with 91.2 percent in 2008.

To achieve an ACT Year 12 Certificate students are required to study a minimum seventeen standard units which form at least three accredited courses from different course areas. However, a large majority of students are studying more than the minimum number of units across a broader range of course areas. In 2009, 78.4 percent of Year 12 Certificate receivers completed twenty or more standard units and 76.1 percent of Year 12 Certificate receivers completed five or more accredited courses from different course areas.

Figure 1: Year 12 Certificate receivers with a Tertiary Entrance Statement, 1998 to 2009

Figure 1 displays the percentage of Year 12 Certificate receivers achieving a TES from 1998 to 2009. In 2009, 65.1 percent of ACT students receiving a Year 12 Certificate also received a TES. This is an increase of 3.1 percent compared with 2008, and is the highest percentage since 2003.

Of the 2595 students in the ACT who achieved an ATAR, 77 percent were above the University of Canberra main round general ATAR cutoff of 65.

Figure 2: Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank by college, 2009

Source: ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies
Note: The names of the colleges shown are listed in Appendix B.

Figure 2 illustrates the range of ATARs across colleges for 2009. For this chart:

• the central line in the box represents the median score
• the block indicates the spread of 50 percent of the scores
• the single vertical line indicates the spread of the next 15 percent of scores
• circles represent individual results in the top 10 percent and bottom 10 percent of scores.

The following table gives the percentage of Year 12 Certificate and TES receivers who completed an accredited course in the nominated areas.

Table 3: Selected courses on Year 12 Certificates and Tertiary Entrance Statement, 2008 and 2009

Source: ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies
Note: ESL refers to English as a Second Language

Whilst the minimum number of courses from different course areas required for an ACT TES is two tertiary accredited (T) and/or university extension (H) courses, 62.4 percent of ACT students used scaled course scores from four different course areas in the calculation of their ATAR.

The above data shows that 97 percent of ACT Year 12 Certificate receivers and 99.2 percent of TES receivers completed a course in English/ESL, and 88 percent of ACT Year 12 Certificate receivers and 88.8 percent of TES receivers completed a course in mathematics. There was an increase in the percentage of students completing courses in information technology (IT) and a decrease in the percentage of ACT Year 12 Certificate and TES receivers completing a course in the sciences, history and languages between 2008 and 2009.

The Board recognises the contribution of learning away from the classroom on a student’s Year 12 Certificate. In 2009, 781 students received a Year 12 Certificate with activities recognised under Recognition of Outside Learning. These included sporting and cultural activities, community involvement and apprenticeships.

Vocational education

The Board issues vocational certificates to year 10, 11, 12 students who have completed vocational qualifications through colleges as Registered Training Organisations (RTOs). In 2009, this included

• 559 year 10 students
• 317 year 11 students
• 818 year 12 students

Of these 1,694 students, 54 completed an Australian School-based Apprenticeship with their college as the RTO.

The following figure displays the number of students receiving vocational certificates issued by the Board for each RTO by year level in 2009. It should be noted that students may have received more than one vocational certificate.

Figure 3: Number of students receiving vocational certificates, 2009

Source: ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies
Note: The names of the colleges shown are listed in Appendix B.

In addition to vocational studies undertaken during years 11 and 12 in colleges, vocational programs undertaken with external RTOs can contribute to the requirements for year 12 certification and be included on the ACT Year 12 Certificate.

In 2009:

• 107 students received recognition on their Year 12 Certificate for vocational qualifications awarded by an RTO other than their home college
• 176 students who undertook an Australian School-based Apprenticeship with an external RTO received recognition for it on their Year 12 Certificate.

Note: Students may receive recognition for more than one vocational qualification completed with external RTOs.

For more information contact:

The Executive Officer
ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies
GPO Box 158
CANBERRA  ACT  2601
Telephone:  (02) 6205 7181
Email:          bsss.enquiries@act.edu.au
Web site:     http://www.bsss.act.edu.au

Appendix A: Accreditation Panels that operated in 2009-2010

Appendix B: Institutions Delivering Courses Certificated by the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies

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