From the Assistant Principal Teaching and Learning

  ASSESSMENT 7 - 10   2021

NESA requires every student to apply themself with sustained effort and due diligence. This means it is a mandatory requirement and expectation that ALL LEARNING within a subject matters, and contributes ultimately to the RoSA in Years 10 and 11 and then to the HSC. 

This year teachers will encourage greater emphasis on students using feedback for improvement. Parents will also receive at least one feedback on their child’s work via COMPASS per term for EVERY subject. It is important that parents are aware that their child(ren) receives both verbal, non verbal and written feedback every lesson so they can improve. Therefore when feedback is sent home, parents are encouraged to converse with their child to ensure they are striving for improvement via feedback. 

In conjunction with feedback for improvement, ALL student work will be aligned against the subject outcomes to determine where their learning aligns to the following:

It is important to understand that many students may be emerging or approaching stage outcomes during the year. It is important that students aim to reach MEETING by the end of Year 8 or Year 10 (stage outcomes). Many students will meet stage outcomes at various times throughout a year. All students are encouraged to strive to EXCEED stage outcomes. 

When students are at any stage, the teacher will support the student to reach further improvement through feedback. The ultimate aim is to reach MEETING - to demonstrate that the student has reached stage outcomes. When students reach EXCEEDING, teachers will ensure the student has opportunities for extension so they continue to exceed expectations.   

INQUIRY LEARNING AT ST ANDREWS

St Andrews is committed to inquiry learning. 

Inquiry Learning at St Andrews College is a pedagogy that supports effective development of students’ knowledge of self, knowledge of others and knowledge of their world, through student centred, teacher facilitated learning.

The three elements integral to the development and delivery of the inquiry process are:

• Questioning Frameworks

• Information Literacy and Information Seeking Processes

• Action Research Cycles

Our staff are involved in consistent professional learning in Inquiry Learning whereby staff are involved in providing feedback to each other, and developing and enhancing their inquiry learning skills. Students in turn will have consistency across subjects and the ability to be autonomous, independent and interdependent learners. 

It is important to understand there are three areas: Questioning, Investigating and Reflecting in our model. Questioning is fundamental to each phase. 

Inquiry, Assessment and Feedback 

and 

Home Learning

ALL LEARNING IS CONNECTED

It is important to understand that all learning at 

St Andrews is connected. 

NAPLAN 2021

NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills your child is already learning at school.

Teachers will ensure students are familiar with test formats prior to NAPLAN tests.

It is important to remember that NAPLAN is not about passing or failing, but about assessing learning progress. 

The best approach for preparing your child for NAPLAN is to encourage your child to do the best they can on the day.

Practice Test Dates

March 25 Year 7 and Year 9 Writing Test
March 29  Year 7 and Year 9 Omnibus Test

NAPLAN TESTING

Tuesday 11th to Friday 21st of May
(actual school timetable TBA)

The following public demonstration link includes practice NAPLAN tests for students.

Students will be supported to download the NAPLAN App for their device. Every student must have a device for NAPLAN. 

HSC Minimum Standards

Students have received a request via google classroom to download the HSC Minimum Standards Browser. This is compulsory in order for students to access the test. 

Year 10

HSC Minimum Standards Video

Students need reading, writing and numeracy for everyday life after school.

This is why students in NSW are being supported to meet a minimum standard of literacy and numeracy to receive the HSC from 2020.

To show they meet the HSC minimum standard, students need to achieve Level 3 or 4 in short online reading, writing and numeracy tests of skills for everyday life.

Some students with disability studying Life Skills courses may be exempt from meeting the minimum standard to receive their HSC credential.

Together with the NSW Literacy and Numeracy Strategy, the HSC minimum standard is part of an effort to improve the literacy and numeracy outcomes for students.

At St Andrews Year 10 students will do each HSC Minimum Standards tests this term. Each test will be staggered to enable each class to do the test. Should a student be absent or achieve a level lower than 3 or 4, they will be required to resit the test(s) in Term 4 2021. 

Year 11 and 12

Some students in Year 11 and 12 may not have attempted (due to absences) or passed one or more HSC Minimum Standards Test(s). On Google Classroom, these students have been asked to download the HSC MInimum Standards Browser on their device. 

Testing will only take place after school in the Learning Centre on either Tuesday or Wednesday, or at an arranged time before school time. Students will receive the invite shortly to remind them of testing times if they are required to complete the test, and the location. 

Should a student be absent or achieve a level lower than band 3 or 4, they will be able to resit the test(s) in Term 3.

Assessment Sites 2021

Year 7-11 Assessment Sites will be shared with students and parents in Week 2. Students need to check their Google Classroom and parents need to check Compass, for the site links. 

Students and parents will receive updates to the site, should there be any changes throughout the year.