Students are expected to take considerable responsibility for their learning by participating actively in and reflecting upon their work.
It is their responsibility:
The Senior Sub School at Diamond Valley College includes Year 10 and the VCE years of 11 and 12. Students enrolled in the Senior School are expected to display high standards of behaviour and due to their senior position in the school act as appropriate role models to junior students.
Most students will complete their VCE over two years. They need to plan carefully their program of subjects over the two years, in conjunction with the Sub School coordinators and Careers co- ordinator so that it meets the requirements of the Victorian Curriculum & Assessment Authority (VCAA) as well as any prerequisites for University entry, TAFE, traineeships, apprenticeships, career pathways or for employment.
A student’s enrolment at all levels depends upon having:
The College VCE Attendance Policy is fully supported by the VCAA and requires at least 90% attendance in each class to achieve an S for that unit, regardless of whether the student has satisfied the coursework outcomes for that unit or not. The 90% attendance applies to each class each semester. The determination of an N result for not meeting the attendance requirement will be made by the Sub School Leader and Year Level Co-ordinator in consultation with the relevant class teacher. In addition if a student has more than 5 unapproved absences from a class per semester they may not achieve that unit. An unapproved absence is any absence not approved by the College.
To avoid potential difficulties students should provide a note or medical certificate or other documented evidence to their coordinator if they have been absent. This should be provided immediately upon the students return to school.
It is the student’s responsibility to catch up on work missed because of an absence. If the absence was at a crucial time or was for an extended period of time, there are special arrangements that can be made through the Sub School. Further details can be found in the VCE assessment policy or from the relevant Co-ordinator. It is the responsibility of the student to follow the policy. Any absence for a SAC without a medical certificate will result in a “0” grade. Students will need to complete the SAC to meet the outcome.
It is important that students familiarise themselves with the assessment calendar and the contents of the College VCE Assessment Policy. A full copy of the policy and calendar will be distributed to students at the start of the year. The Sub School staff will assume that students are aware of their responsibilities when dealing with any issues that may arise in the area of assessment of student coursework.
If a SAC is being used to assess the satisfactory completion of an Outcome and the result of the SAC is not sufficient to satisfy the Outcome requirements, the student will have to separately demonstrate a satisfactory level of knowledge or skill by either resitting the SAC or participating in another activity. The class teacher, in consultation with the Sub-School, will decide if a resubmission is required.
Students absent from a SAC may apply to reschedule, only if they have provided a medical certificate or if authorised by the Sub-School. If no medical certificate is provided or the VCE Co-ordinator provides no confirmation, then the student will be awarded a zero grade for the SAC. If it is an extended SAC or SAT and a student misses part of the work then they will be graded only on the work done to that point. No extra time can be provided.
A student who misses a SAC may still be required to undertake the SAC, or an alternative task, to demonstrate that they have shown enough understanding to achieve the outcome. However, no grade can be given in this case.
Authentication is the term used by the VCAA to describe the process & rules whereby work submitted by the student for assessment is determined to be genuinely the work of the student concerned.
Work can only be accepted for assessment if the teacher can attest that, to the best of their knowledge, all unacknowledged work is the students own and there has not been undue assistance in the production of the work. Substantial penalties exist for submitting non-authentic work. All such work will not be accepted for assessment and further penalties such as receiving an unsatisfactory assessment for the unit may apply.
Most Year 12 students will have 5 private study sessions in their program. These should be used constructively for catching up on class work, homework, study etc. They are not "spares" and are not to be used for recreation or reading the newspaper in the library.
Students will work in the Study Centre during study sessions. There is a staff member on duty during the majority of the sessions and there will be a roll taken.
Year 11 students would not normally have private study sessions as part of their program and must stay at school for the whole day.
The College has an expectation that year 11 students will undertake 2-3 hours per subject per week of home study and year 12 students undertake 3-5 hours per subject per week. This should include homework, revision, completion of assignments, extension work, study and preparation for SAC’s and study for examinations. Students need to balance home study with part time employment and sporting and social commitments. Parents should be actively involved with their VCE student in determining an appropriate balance.
College experience on this matter is that students who are engaged in more than 12-15 hours per week of outside commitments find it extremely difficult to perform to the best of their ability in their VCE studies.
The library is a quiet work and study area for all college students. Year 12 students are expected to work effectively and quietly in the library and to lead by example on this matter. Inappropriate behaviour is unacceptable and will be seen as a serious issue.
Students who have study sessions may use the Senior Study Centre for quiet, private and productive study. Students are responsible for keeping the centre clean and tidy. As with the library, senior students are expected to lead by example and inappropriate behaviour will be dealt with as a serious issue.
No student may leave the college grounds without the express permission of their parents or guardian. If you have an appointment or matter that requires leaving, you must have signed permission to do so. This should be presented to either the Assistant Principal or the relevant Co-ordinator before signing the exit book.
Many Year 12 students gain their driver's licence and drive to school. The school council acknowledges this and provides limited parking for student drivers alongside the Technology building.
Student drivers must:
Student drivers will have their right to park on the College grounds withdrawn if they do not follow the above guidelines. Students must apply to the Senior Sub-School for a permit.
These will be held each day and are an important avenue of communication between students and co-ordinators. A variety of guest speakers and information relating to careers, employment, subject selection, university and TAFE selections, student functions, activities and events will be discussed in these meetings. Attendance is compulsory.
Year 11 students will have exams in each subject at the end of each semester. These exams form part of the assessment tasks for each unit and will be reported to parents in the Semester Report.
Year 12 students will have two exam periods during the year:
June: GAT Only
October/November: All subjects.
Students will receive an exam calendar early in the year. Practice examinations will be held in Term 3 and Term 4.
All students enrolled in at least one 3/4 unit are required to sit the General Achievement Test in June. The GAT is set by the VCAA and is used to help moderate school assessed coursework scores so that all schools are marking to a comparable standard.
An ATAR score is calculated by adding the Scaled Study Scores in your
VET subjects without scored assessment tasks attract 10% of the primary four subjects to the calculation.
Study scores are calculated from school SAC results plus exam results.
The maximum possible score is 50.
A score of 40 or more is excellent and puts students in the top 8% of scores in the state.
A score of 30 is the mean study score.
All subjects are scaled, some remain the same, some are scaled down a little bit, some are scaled up a bit, some are scaled up quite a lot!
Student reports will be issued at the end of Semester 1 & 2 for Year 11 students and at the end of semester 1 for Year 12 students. In addition Interim Progress Reports will be issued during terms 1 & 3.
Year 12 students will be provided with a College Reference on request at the completion of their studies.
Parent teacher meetings are held twice a year after the interim reports are distributed, generally in Terms 1 and 3.