As from 1st January 2010 it has been compulsory, by NSW law, that all students complete Yr 10 and until the age of 17…•Remain at school or be registered for home schooling

OR•Enrol in a Cert 2 TAFE course or higher

OR•Undertake approved vocational training eg cadetship

OR•Employed full time ie 26 hours a week.

OR•Engage in a combination of work, educations and/or training.

School Leaving Age

Some food for thought!!!

• Today’s school leavers can have up to 6 different careers in their working lifetime … and many more job changes.

• It is predicted that 80% of primary school students will enter careers that don’t exist yet involving technology that is not yet invented.

• The commencing age for apprentices is moving from 15-16 years of age to 17-18 years of age.

Some important terms.

• ATAR: Australian Tertiary Admission Rank which is calculated by UAC (University Admission Centre).

• BOSBoard of Studies: develops the course content and oversees the examinations and issuing of the Higher School Certificate (HSC) or Record of Student Achievement (RoSA)

Studying for the HSC

• All courses have a unit value

• Most courses are 2 units in value

• 2 units = four hours per week

= 100 marks

• Most courses are studied over two years

o Preliminary Courses – Year 11

oHSC Courses – Year 12

Board Developed Courses•Have HSC exams (except for Life Skills)•May contribute to the ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank)•Include some VET courses•Includes Life Skills courses

Board Endorsed Courses includes Content Endorsed Courses

•No HSC exams – schools assessment used•Count towards the HSC •Cannot contribute to the ATAR•Includes some VET courses

VET Curriculum Frameworks are:

• Board Developed Courses• based on National Training Packages• provide dual accreditation

VET qualificationsHSC unit credit

• access to ATAR pathwayoptional exam & assessment requirements

• have a mandatory work placement requirement70 hours over the 240-hour/2-year course

TAFE Courses

• Mrs Martin (careers advisor) will talk more about TAFE options a little later.

• Students may elect to do ONE TAFE course as part of the six subjects they choose.

• Whether a TAFE course runs or not is at the discretion of TAFE.

Requirements for the HSC

• Preliminary CourseMinimum of 12 units

• HSC CourseMinimum of 10 unitsStudents must satisfactorily complete the

Preliminary course before they are eligible to commence the corresponding HSC course.

Requirements for the HSC

Both the Preliminary and HSC Courses must include:

•At least 6 units of Board Developed Courses, including at least 2 units of English (For the purpose of the HSC, CEC English Studies is included here.)

•At least 3 courses of 2 units value or greater

•At least 4 subjects (including English)

•At most, 6 units of courses in Science can count towards HSC eligibility

English Choices

• English Advanced

• Preliminary Extension English

• HSC Extension 1

• HSC Extension 2

• English Standard

• English as a Second Language (ESL) (strict entry conditions apply)

• English Studies – Content Endorsed Course (non-ATAR)

Mathematics Choices

Extension Courses

• Preliminary Extension Courses:

• English Ext 1

• Mathematics Ext 1

• HSC Extension Courses:

• English 1 and 2

• Mathematics 1 and 2

• History

• Music

Satisfactory Completion of a CourseStudents must:

•follow the course developed or endorsed by the Board

•apply themselves with diligence and sustained effort

•achieve some or all of the course outcomes

•complete work placement for VET courses

•make a genuine attempt at assessment tasks that total more than 50% of the available school assessment marks for that course.

The HSC and the ATAR

HSC•is for all students•reports student achievement in terms of a standard achieved in individual courses•presents a profile of student achievement across a broad range of subjects

ATAR

•is for students wishing to gain a place at a university•is a rank NOT a mark•provides information about how students perform overall in relation to other students •provides the discrimination required by universities for the selection process

The ATAR

To be eligible for an ATAR, a student must:•Complete at least 10 units of Board Developed courses, including

• 2 units of English (CEC English Studies cannot count towards an ATAR)

• 3 courses of 2 units or greater• At least 4 subjects

The ATAR will be based on an aggregate of scaled marks in 10 units •The best 2 units of English•The best 8 units from the remaining subjects – with only 2 units from Category B subjects to be included.

Calculating the ATAR

Board of StudiesRaw ModeratedExam + Assessment Marks

Universities Admissions Centre

Scaled

2 units of English + next best 8 units

ATAR

The scaled markfor each course is

based on the qualityof the candidates in that

course in that year

What are the right reasons for choosing a subject?

• You enjoy and are interested in the subject.

• You are good at it.

• You want to learn more about the subject.

• You might need it for a future career path.

What are the wrong reasons for choosing a subject?

• Your friends are choosing it, although you have little or no interest in it.

• You think your favourite teacher will be teaching it [or not teaching it].

• Relying on one person’s advice.

• You think it is essential for a future career.

Subject Fees• Please be aware that subjects with a practical

component have a fee to cover the cost of materials which the school purchases on your child’s behalf. Some additional material may need to be purchased. The practical projects belong to the students once they have been marked. The fees for these subjects are in the subject booklet.

• A small number of other subjects also have a small fee to cover additional resources and course material that cannot be covered by the school’s global budget. These fees are also included in the subject booklet.

Practical Considerations

• Syllabus requirements

• Exam expectations

• Practical/Major work components

• Subject combinations

Who can help me?

• Your parents

• Mrs Martin - the school’s Careers Advisor

• Other teachers – particularly Head Teachers.

• Year Adviser

• Yr 10 Mentor

• Subject selections through “Web Choice” are due by Friday 8th August. You have until 11pm to change your choices.

• These will be used to determine the line structure for the timetable.

• Extension subjects such as Mathematics and English will be off line.

• You will need your teacher’s recommendation to do certain subjects, particularly Extension courses .

How to submit your choices

How to submit your choices.

1) Tomorrow (Tuesday 29 July) you will receive a piece of paper with instructions and your individual “webcode”.

2) Click on http://web.edval.com.au – this is a direct link to the webpage.

3) Type in your “webcode”. Each webcode is individual and linked to one student only.

How to submit your choices1) Select the subjects you wish to do via

the drop down menus.

2) 6 subjects* (including TAFE) plus 3 reserves.

3) Submit

4) Print your form.

5) Get your parents to sign the form and hand to Mrs Strohfeldt.

6) Get the form signed by the HT of Maths or English if you have chosen Advanced English, 2 Unit Maths or an Extension course.

* or more if you are doing extension courses.

HSC: All My Own Work:• is a program designed to help HSC students follow

the principles and practices of good scholarship

• includes understanding and valuing of ethical practices when locating and using information as part of HSC studies.

Students MUST complete and pass HSC: All My Own Work before they can be entered for any Preliminary or HSC course.

This will be done with all Yr 10 students at the end of Term 4.

The RoSAIn February 2012 the Education Minister announced that a new certificate, called the Record of Student Achievement (RoSA), will:

•Be a record of the full range of student achievements right up to the day they do their HSC or leave school

•Provide an electronic record of achievements that students can use at any time

•Use assessment by teachers in schools, moderated by the Board of Studies

•Offer on-line literacy and numeracy tests, with particular emphasis on work readiness, that students will be able to undertake twice a year.

• Provide the capacity to record vocational courses and students’ vocational experiences as well as citizenship and leadership achievements.

Mr Piccoli said,

The formal RoSA credential will be awarded to eligible students who choose to leave school prior to receiving their HSC, while still allowing students to view and download a transcript of their achievements when applying for jobs or further education or training.

continued

The new credential will:

• Provide an ongoing, cumulative record for studentsIt will record grades for courses students complete in Year 10 (and in Year 11)

• Report results of moderated, school-based assessment

• Introduce optional, online literacy and numeracy testing for students who leave before completing the HSC.

• Provide the opportunity for students to incorporate extra-curricular achievements.

Who will get a RoSA?

• Students entering Year 10 in 2012 will be eligible for the new credential when they have completed Stage 5

• Students will need to have completed the mandatory requirements for Stage 5 (Yr 10) to eligible for a RoSA.

• It will only be issued to students when they leave school prior to completing the HSC.

Other Important Dates

Monday 8th December 2014Yr 10 School Formal

Wednesday 10th December 2012School Sports Presentation Assembly

Friday 12th December 2012School Presentation Day

Wednesday 17th December 2012Last day of year.

For more information:

NSW Board of Studies

WEBSITE

www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au

Universities Admission Centre

http://www.uac.edu.au/