Senior School: Years 7 to 10

All curriculum in the senior years at Westbourne Grammar School are based on:

• Essential Understandings or knowledge
• Key Questions to drive learning towards achieving the essential understandings
• Assessment tasks which provide evidence of learning the essential understandings
• Design and implementation of learning/lessons tasks

All learners require feedback that is timely, accurate and specific. Assessment at Westbourne Grammar School is in three forms:

1. Assessment FOR Learning

This is done throughout a unit and occurs when teachers use inferences via feedback about student progress to inform their teaching. Students have the opportunity to improve their learning as a result of this form of assessment. Assessment is part of the process and not an end in itself. Examples of this include in class quizzes, peer assessment and feedback, group work, discussion, answering questions in class, short answer problems and homework.

2. Assessment OF Learning

This occurs when teachers use evidence of student learning to make judgements on student achievement against goals and standards. This can be in the form of tests, assignments, exams, presentations and projects which are usually done at the end of a unit, Semester or Year.

3. Assessment AS learning

This occurs when students reflect on and monitor their progress to inform their future learning goals. It is largely SELF and PEER assessment of performance against learning goals. In this way assessment is integrated with the learning. The learner is active in the process and uses learning situations which provide continuous feedback which drives learning and facilitates independent metacognition by the learner. Examples of this may include journals, log books and self directed evaluation.

Exams are conducted for most subjects each Semester and commence at Year 7 (usually of short duration and in classrooms) through to Year 12 with the formal VCAA end of year exams essential to gaining an ENTER score and achieving a place in the student’s tertiary course of choice. The timetable for exams is published well in advance and made available to students and parents.

Assessment for Years 11 and 12 (VCE Units 1 and 2 and 3 and 4)

VCE Units 3 and 4 are assessed as laid down by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA). VCE Units 1 and 2 are assessed by the School.

The assessment at VCE level follows much the same processes as those adopted for the earlier years but the procedures are different. Details of those procedures are available from the VCE Handbook issued to all Year 11 and 12 students and their parents.

More information can be found on the VCAA website: www.vcaa.vic.edu.au