Malcolm McInerney, CEASA rep on SACE Evaluation Reference Committee.

PROCESS AND

PROGRESS

SACE EVALUATION REFERENCE COMMITTEE

• Three meetings have been held (approx. 2 hour meeting) since 21 March

• Meetings chaired by Bill Cossey and attended by Evaluation Panel members:

• Professor John Bennett (Professor of Education University of NSW)

• Mrs Miriam Silva (Deputy Chair of the SA Training and Skills Commission)

• Dr Petra Lietz (ACER Principal Research Officer)  

• The role of the Reference Committee was to guide the Evaluations Panel’s work.

AN EVALUATION

“The purpose of the SACE First Year Evaluation is to analyse and interpret the initial effects of the new arrangements for the SACE following the first year of full operation.”

“an evaluation is to gather data evaluate current processes and a review is to

make changes to structures and fundamentals.”

SUBMISSIONS

• The panel received about 100 submissions: the majority of submissions from schools, associations and individual educators.

• Final report due at the end of June.

• “Whether the evaluation becomes a government report depends on the Government.”

BIG TICKET ITEMS

• The Research Project• Concerns over research fatigue with all subjects

still having research assignments.• The difficultly using performance standards to

discriminate grades• The standard of exemplars and professional

learning support to schools. • Impact on teacher workload of new assessment

models/procedures.• The quality of moderation feedback• Impact on Humanities subjects

BIG TICKET ITEMS

• Concern about the impact on students with special needs and disabilities.

• Impact of New SACE on Aboriginal students.• Impact of New SACE on country students.• Lack of support for teacher implementation. • The issues raised by the removal of statistical

moderation.• PLP less of a concern but still to be evaluated.• VET in SACE

STUDENT SURVEY

• 800 student surveyed in May. • 55% female and 45% male.• 57% government, 72% metro and 89%

completed.• Asked what they liked about SACE, suggestions

for improvement, how they would have done things differently, usefulness of the Research Project

NEXT STEPS

The report is to be released at the end of June this year and it will be interesting to see how the panel has responded to the big ticket items such as the :•Research Project•Professional learning to support the teaching of SACE subjects.•Performance Standards. •Moderation procedures.•The impact on the Humanities as a result of the changes to the number of subjects and pattern at Stage 2 (response to this issue is likely to be too radical for the evaluation. Does not fit the definition of evaluation).