Plans to support Year 12s

GEELONG region students are ‘remote learning’ again until at least September 2, without a guaranteed return date, however a plan for Year 12 students’ exam and assessment dates has been announced.

While dealing with the regularly changing pandemic situation, the state government has acknowledged the need to set a “pathway to ensure Year 12 students can approach their final months of school with confidence”.

However, the pathway remains “subject to ongoing public health advice and epidemiological conditions”.

The Victorian Education Department said last week, that the 2021 General Achievement Test (GAT) was re-scheduled for all Year 12 students across Victoria to Thursday September 9, with extra COVIDSafe conditions in place to keep students and school staff safe”.

School-based assessments that cannot be conducted remotely, for example, performance or practical assessments, may be completed in person at schools from August 30, in groups of no more than 10 students at a time.

VCE written and performance exam dates will remain as originally set at this stage, with performance and oral exams scheduled to begin on October 4, and written exams to continue until November 17.

These timetables will allow results and the ATAR to be released on December 16.

All examinations, onsite school-based assessments and the GAT will be conducted with extra health precautions in place including the use of face masks, enhanced cleaning of exam spaces and smaller-than-usual group sizes to allow students to be physically distanced.

Students who are unwell at the time of an assessment will be required to get tested and return home to isolate, and a Derived Examination Score will be calculated if a rescheduled assessment is not possible.

The Consideration of Educational Disadvantage will apply to every student completing one or more VCE or scored VCE VET Unit 3-4 subject in 2021, in response to the ongoing disruption to the 2021 school year.

The process, similar to 2020, will consider the individual impact of coronavirus on each student including school closures, students’ health impact, remote learning and mental health challenges, and will use data like the GAT, other assessment and school comparisons to calculate final VCE results.