G1 Board of Senior Secondary Studies

Board of Senior Secondary Studies

Annual Report 2013-2014

Section B: Performance Reporting   

B.1 Organisational 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.

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.

The Board delivers year 12 certification services to 24 ACT colleges and six schools located in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Fiji. These are listed in Appendix C. Kimbe International School, West New Britain, PNG commenced delivery of Board accredited year 11-12 courses in February 2014. In June 2014 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart International School, New Ireland, PNG received Board approval to commence delivery of Board accredited year 11-12 courses from February 2015.

The Board's goal is 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.

In 2013 the Board developed a new strategic plan to guide its activities for the period 2014-2016. The key focus areas for the Board are:

• an informed and effective response to international, national and local initiatives; and
• a high quality, high equity curriculum, assessment and certification system that caters for all students.

During 2013-2014, the Board continued to provide advice to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) on the senior years' Australian Curriculum and to discuss with ACARA implementation of the curriculum in the ACT. The Board commenced a trial implementation of ACT year 11-12 courses embedding the Australian Curriculum from the beginning of 2014. Seventeen colleges have volunteered to be involved in this trial. The ACT is the only jurisdiction to have commenced delivery of year 11-12 courses embedding the Australian Curriculum.

In August 2013, the Board hosted the annual conference of the Australasian Curriculum, Assessment and Certification Authorities (ACACA) at Old Parliament House in Canberra. The agenda included the following topics: literacy and numeracy, the Australian Core Skills Framework, senior secondary Australian Curriculum and national collaboration.

The Board commenced a Review of Year 12 Certification in 2014 and appointed a committee to investigate a range of key issues including the types of certificates, the minimum requirements, the literacy and numeracy requirements and the recognition of outside learning. The committee will report to the Board in August 2014.

Processing of year 12 results occurred on schedule and certificates were issued to ACT colleges on Tuesday 17 December 2013 for distribution to students. Over 11,000 certificates were produced by the Board for students in year 12 and over 1,000 vocational qualifications were issued for students in year 10.

Key focus areas over the next year will include preparation for the full implementation of courses embedding the Australian Curriculum, the implementation of recommendations coming from the Review of Year 12 Certification and the introduction of a Unique Student Identifier (USI) for all students seeking VET qualifications.

B.2 Performance Analysis

An Informed and Effective Response to International, National and Local Initiatives

The Board has continued to provide and facilitate ACT feedback on national curriculum and reporting initiatives through formal responses, teacher participation in curriculum development and surveys, consultation and membership of national working parties.

Thirteen courses across the four senior secondary Australian Curriculum subjects were written by teachers. They are; English, Literature, Essential English, Ancient History, Modern History, Specialist Mathematics, Mathematics Methods, Mathematics Applications, Essential Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science and Physics. Seventeen colleges have agreed to trial at least some of these courses with a view to full implementation in 2016. Courses in English as another Language or Dialect and Geography are currently under development.

The Board has agreed to work with ACARA on a project to validate the Australian Senior Secondary Curriculum achievement standards and to provide feedback on the trial of the Australian Curriculum.

A High Quality, High Equity Curriculum, Assessment and Certification System That Caters for All Students

In 2013-2014, course frameworks in Community Learning, English, History, Languages, Mathematics, Religious Studies and Science have been revised and endorsed by the Board. Thirty three courses were approved for delivery to year 11-12 students from 2014 and 18 teams are currently developing courses for implementation from 2015. 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 2013-2014 is included in Appendix B.

The Board has continued its focus on the enhancement of assessment in colleges. Feedback on the quality and effectiveness of school-based assessment and consistency in the application of grade achievement standards has continued to be provided to colleges through system wide moderation. Over 1,000 senior secondary teachers participated in each of the Moderation days in August 2013 and March 2014.

Redevelopment of the Board's assessment and certification software to accommodate changes in the VET area was completed and underwent testing in 2013 and was implemented from the beginning of 2014. The new system has performed to expectations.

Year 12 Outcomes 2013

In 2013, 4,404 students met the requirements for an ACT Year 12 Certificate. This included 4,283 students enrolled in ACT colleges, including CIT Vocational College, and 121 students enrolled in overseas colleges. In the ACT, this represented 94.6 percent of year 12 students compared with 92.3 percent in 2012. There was a decrease in the percentage of males and an increase in the percentage of females achieving a Year 12 Certificate from 2012 to 2013.

Of the Year 12 Certificate receivers, 2,802 students also achieved a Tertiary Entrance Statement (TES), having met the requirements for university entrance and calculation of an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). This included 2,715 students enrolled in ACT colleges and 87 students enrolled in overseas colleges.

One hundred and seven students (48 females, 59 males) from 19 colleges completed an H course through the Australian National University Secondary College or the University of Canberra Accelerate Program in 2013. Of these students, 12 completed a course in Mathematics, 16 in Physics, 31 in Chemistry, 24 in Conservation Biology, 17 in Japanese, 3 in Accounting and 4 in Design. Seventy one students (66 per cent) used their scaled H course score in their ATAR calculation.

To achieve an ACT Year 12 Certificate, students are required to study a minimum of 17 standard units, which form at least three accredited courses from different course areas. However, it is pleasing to see that a large majority of students are studying more than the minimum number of units across a broader range of course areas. In 2013, 76.1 percent of Year 12 Certificate receivers (Standard Package) completed 20 or more standard units and 75.1 percent of Year 12 Certificate receivers completed five or more accredited courses from different course areas. These percentages have decreased by 3 percent and 2.6 percent respectively when compared to 2012.

Figure BSSS 1 displays the percentage of Year 12 Certificate receivers achieving a TES from 1999 to 2013. In 2013, 63.6 percent of ACT students receiving a Year 12 Certificate also received a TES. This is slightly higher than 2012.

Figure BSSS 1: Year 12 Certificate receivers with a Tertiary Entrance Statement, 1999 to 2013

Source: ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies
Note:  From 2006 students classified as Mature Age are included in the data.

Figure BSSS 2 illustrates the range of ATARs across colleges for 2013.

Figure BSSS 2: Australian Tertiary Admission Rank by college, 2013

Source: ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies

Note:

1. The names of the colleges are listed in Appendix C.
2. The central line in the box represents the median ATAR.
3. The block indicates the spread of 50 percent of the scores.
4. The single vertical line indicates the spread of the next 15 percent of scores.
5. Circles represent individual results in the top and bottom ten percent of ATARs.

The horizontal lines show the 2013 main round general ATAR cut offs for the Australian National University (80) and the University of Canberra (66).

Of the 2,748 students in the ACT who achieved an ATAR, 74 percent were at or above the University of Canberra main round general ATAR cut off of 66.

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

Table BSSS 1: Selected courses on Year 12 Certificates and Tertiary Entrance Statements, 2013 and 2012 

Source: ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies

Whilst the minimum number of courses from different course areas required for an ACT Tertiary Entrance Statement is two T and/or H courses, 63 percent of ACT students used scaled course scores from four different course areas in the calculation of their ATAR. This is a decrease of 3.3 percent from the 2012 cohort.

There are no compulsory courses in the ACT, however, the above data shows that 97.8 percent of ACT Year 12 Certificate receivers and 99.7 percent of TES receivers completed a course in English/ESL, and 90.6 percent of ACT Year 12 Certificate receivers and 91.7 percent of TES receivers completed a course in Mathematics.

The Board recognises on a student's Year 12 Certificate the contribution of learning undertaken outside the college environment during years 11 and 12. In 2013, 1,219 students received such recognition under Recreational Activities, 917 students received recognition under Community Involvement and 198 students received recognition under Recognition of Outside Learning.

The Board issues vocational Certificates to years 10 and 12 students who have completed vocational qualifications through colleges as Registered Training Organisations (RTOs). In 2013, this included 547 year 10 students and 1,111 year 12 students. Of these students, 33 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 2013. It should be noted that students may have received more than one vocational Certificate.

Figure BSSS 3: number of students receiving vocational certificates, 2013 by college and year level

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 2013, vocational qualifications achieved through an external RTO and registered by the Board were recognised on the Year 12 Certificate as an E course. In 2013, five students were awarded an E course. The E courses were in the areas of Business, Hairdressing and IT.

In 2013:

• 325 year 12 students achieved a vocational qualification through an external RTO, which was recognised on their Year 12 Certificate
• this is a decrease compared to 2012 of 158 students.

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

B.3 Community Engagement and Support

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

In 2014, the Board commenced a Review of the Requirements for the ACT Year 12 Certificate. Two public forums were held and the Executive Officer met with the ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Executive. Written submissions were called for and fourteen were received from a diverse range of individuals and organisations. The Board will consider the recommendations stemming from the review in August 2014.

The Board encourages and welcomes both positive and negative feedback and is committed to responding to complaints in a timely and positive manner. This enables staff, students, parents and community members to contribute to the Board's continuous improvement strategy. The Board's Feedback and Complaints policy is available on its website. The Board received no formal complaints in 2013-14.

Section C: Governance and Accountability Reporting

C.1 Internal Accountability

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 Director-General of the Education and Training Directorate, are appointed by the Minister for Education and Training for a period of up to three years. Members can be reappointed if they are eligible. Two new members were appointed to the Board in November 2013 and three new members in April 2014 with one member reappointed.

The ACT Principals Association nominee appointed from 2013-2015 resigned in June 2013 and a new nominee from that organisation was appointed from November 2013. The Canberra Institute of Technology nominee appointed from 2011-2013 resigned in September 2013 and the nominee from the ACT branch, Australian Education Union appointed from 2013-2015 resigned December 2013, nominees from both organisations were appointed from April 2014. The ACT and Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry nominee appointed from 2013-2015 resigned in February 2014, we are seeking a new nominee from that organisation.

Remuneration for Board Members

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

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.

Table BSSS 2: Board membership as at 1 July 2013

The Board has six scheduled meetings each calendar year. The Board met on three occasions from July-December 2013.

Details of Board Members in 2013

The Board had two members resign prior to the December meeting. Details of the new members are provided below.

Ms Rosemary Follett AO

Ms Follett was Chief Minister and Treasurer of the ACT in 1989 and 1991-1995. She was the ACT's Discrimination Commissioner 1996-2004. Ms Follett has served on a number of boards and committees including the ACT Skills Commission (Deputy Chair), Canberra Institute of Technology Advisory Board 2004-2007 and University of Canberra Council (Deputy Chancellor) 2008-2011. She is currently a Director of the University of Canberra College.

Qualifications: BArts (Administration)

Ms Carolyn Grayson

Ms Grayson is the Executive Director, Academic at the Canberra Institute of Technology and was previously Director, Centre for VET Practice at Swinburne University of Technology. She has over 25 years' experience working in the tertiary sector and previously held positions in the Victorian State Training Authority and the Australian National Training Authority.

Qualifications: BArch(Hons), BSci(Hons), Dip Ed, MEd, GradCertBusAdmin

Ms Louise Mayo

Ms Mayo is a Director at Bull&Bear Special Assignments P/L and was a founding Director of the Australian Business Academy. She was a member of the ACT Accreditation and Registration Council from 2005 to 2012, a Steering Committee member for the Australian College of Educators, and Chair of the Board of Governors at the McGrath Institute of Business & Technology since 2009.

Qualifications: BBus, GradDip Bus, MBus, MMgt, DBusAdmin

Professor Richard Baker

Professor Baker is Pro Vice-Chancellor Student Experience at the Australian National University. His main research interests are in the fields of environmental education, community participation in environmental planning and management, Indigenous land management issues, and university teaching methods. He has a number of awards for university teaching.

Qualifications: BA(Hons), PhD

Professor Robert Fitzgerald

Professor Fitzgerald is Director of the Inspire Centre and Associate Dean Education Innovation in the Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics at the University of Canberra. He has been a leader and innovator in the field of Information and Communication Technology Education for over 20 years working with schools, universities and community groups.

Qualifications: BEd(Primary), BEd(Secondary Mathematics), MEd(Hons), PhD

Ms Rita Daniels

Ms Daniels is the Principal of Daramalan College and was previously Principal of St Clare's College. She was a Board member from 2000 to 2006. She Chairs the Board's Assessment and Certification, and Appeals Committees. She has been teaching since 1977.

Qualifications: BA, DipEd, MEd

Ms Lynne Bean

Ms Bean is an Executive Teacher, Assessment and Certification at Dickson College. She has over 30 years experience in teaching sciences and mathematics in colleges and high schools, and has been involved in ACT and national curriculum development. Assessment and moderation have been key areas of focus in her work in colleges.

Qualifications: BSc, DipEd, GradDip(Geology)

Mr Angus Tulley

Mr Tulley has been Principal of St Francis Xavier College since 2003. Prior to that he held Assistant and Deputy Principal/Headmaster positions at several ACT catholic colleges. He has taught mathematics and religious education in secondary schools for over 30 years and was a member of the BSSS Religious Studies Accreditation Panel from 1994-2001 (Chair from 1999-2001). He is Chair of the Curriculum Advisory Committee.

Qualifications: BSc, GradDipEdMaths, GradDipRE, MEdAdmin, GradCert Education Law

Mrs Kerrie Grundy

Mrs Grundy is Principal, Narrabundah College, prior to that she was Deputy Principal at Canberra College, and was the Executive Teacher, Humanities Faculty. She has over 30 years experience in ACT high schools and colleges. She has held leadership positions on several committees and was on the ACARA English Advisory Panel for development of Australian Curriculum for BSSS.

Qualifications: BA, DipEd

Mr Hugh Boulter

Mr Boulter is a 30 year career banker with a wide range of business experience. He is currently a District Manager and Team Leader for the Suncorp Metway Bank Limited. He is Treasurer of the ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Associations and was President of the Miles Franklin P&C. In 2013 he was appointed a member of the ACT Government Schools' Education Council. He is Chair of the Discipline Committee.

Ms Kirsten Wilkinson

Ms Wilkinson has worked at the Australian Bureau of Statistics either full or part-time for over 20 years. Prior to this she gained a teaching degree and has worked in primary schools in the ACT.

Qualifications: BEd, DipTeach

Mr Trevar Chilver

Mr Chilver is the Director of Employment, Education and Training at the ACT & Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry and held the previous position of Regional Industry Career Advisor with the Chamber. Prior to this he was an English teacher at Trinity Christian School. He has been a member of the Board's Curriculum Advisory Committee since 2008.

Qualifications: BA, GradDipEd, GradDipA, DipMgt

Ms Judy van Rijswijk

Ms van Rijswijk is the Executive Teacher, Humanities, ESL and Languages at the Canberra College and has worked in colleges and high schools since 1980. Her key interests are in English and humanities curriculum and quality teaching. She has been an AEU Councillor since 2000.

Qualifications: BEd, GradCertEduc, MEdLeadership

Ms Leanne Wright

Ms Wright is Director of Learning and Teaching in the Education and Training Directorate with responsibility for curriculum support, professional learning, literacy and numeracy, and early childhood education. She is Chair of the ANU Secondary College Operational Sub-committee. She has had considerable experience as a primary school principal and teacher in the ACT.

Qualifications: BEd, BTeach

Table BSSS 3: Board membership as at 30 June 2014

The above Board has met on three occasions from January to June 2014

Details of Board Members in 2014

Nine members are the same as for 2013. Details of the new members are provided below.

Ms Louise Mayo

Ms Mayo is a Director at Bull&Bear Special Assignments P/L and was a founding Director of the Australian Business Academy. She was a member of the ACT Accreditation and Registration Council from 2005 to 2012, a Steering Committee member for the Australian College of Educators, and Chair of the Board of Governors at the McGrath Institute of Business & Technology since 2009.

Qualifications: BBus, GradDip Bus, MBus, MMgt, DBusAdmin

Ms Sue Maslen

Ms Maslen is the Director, Education Services (Student and Academic Services) at the Canberra Institute of Technology and has held several positions at CIT including committee positions since 1991. Prior to this was at Tea Tree Gully College of TAFE, Adelaide. She has over 25 years' experience working in the tertiary sector. She was recently appointed Chair of the Vocational Education and Training Committee.

Qualifications: BASec Studies, GradDipEd, MEdLead, AdvDipMgt

Mr David Wentworth-Perry

Mr Wentworth-Perry is a teacher at Kingsford Smith School. He has over 30 years experience in teaching sciences in high schools and college, has worked in the ACT Education and Training Directorate office and has a taught in several schools in New South Wales and Northern Territory.

Qualifications: BEd, BAppSc, MEdLead, Cert IV Training and Assessment

Ms Julie Sengleman

Ms Sengleman is the Executive Officer of the Association of Parents and Friends of ACT Schools. She has worked in various government departments and private business in the area of Human Resources and Recruitment.

Qualifications: HNCBus&Fin, MCom, Cert IV Training and Assessment

Standing Committees

The Board appoints committees and panels to provide advice on specific matters. The main standing committees and their roles are listed below. Membership of these committees in 2013 and 2014 is included in Appendix B.

Table BSSS 4: Board Standing Committees and their roles

Board Secretariat

The Board secretariat is managed by the Executive Officer of the Board and consists of 10 other staff; six teachers and four administrative officers, all employed through the Directorate. The Executive Officer reports to the Board on its legislated functions and to the Directorate on ministerial, financial, audit, human resource and other corporate functions.

For more information contact:

The Executive Officer
Board of Senior Secondary Studies
GPO Box 158
CANBERRA ACT 2601

(02) 620 57181

bsss.enquiries@act.gov.au
http://www.bsss.act.gov.au

Appendix A: Sections Not Covered Elsewhere in This Report

Appendix B: Board Committees That Operated in 2013-2014

Appendix C: Institutions Delivering Courses Certificated by the Board