20 October 2015
Letter 7/2015 to Principals from Chief Executive SACE Board
Dear Colleague
Welcome to Term 4. I would like to extend my best wishes to all your Year 12 students as
they enter the important final assessment period for their Stage 2 subjects. I would also like
to thank you and your staff for supporting students throughout the year as they strive towards
achieving their desired results.
This edition of the Letter to Principals includes information about the end-of-year results
release, SACE pattern checking, and an invitation to learn more about the SACE Board’s
marking and moderation process.
FOR 2015:
End-of-Year Results Release
Important operational information about the 2015 results release is included in the attached
Leaders Update. Please forward it to relevant staff for their attention and use.
We confirm our previous advice that the target date for the 2015 results release is
Tuesday 15 December, from 8.30am.
SACE Pattern Checking
As part of the SACE Board’s commitment to maximising students’ completion of the SACE,
data on the patterns for Stage 2 students were checked late in Term 3 by SACE Officers —
Schools.
Schools should liaise with these officers if there are issues that can potentially be resolved in
Term 4 to support student completion. Schools are encouraged to use the Student Tracking
Summary report in Schools Online to perform their own pattern checking of students.
Invitation to Attend Moderation
The SACE Board would like to thank those of you who have been able to release staff for
marking and moderating in preparation for the 2015 SACE results release.
As you would be aware, teachers who act as moderators for the SACE Board often comment
on the valuable learning they gain from participating in a moderation panel. To support
school leaders’ understanding of the moderation process, the SACE Board is considering
hosting one or more sessions for school principals to attend moderation, and to view one or
more moderation panels in action.
Ref: A482473
Stage 2 moderation takes place between Monday 16 November and Friday 4 December.
We have identified three potential dates for these moderation sessions: Friday 20 November
(morning), Wednesday 25 November (afternoon), and Tuesday 1 December (morning). If
there is sufficient interest, respondents will be contacted and sessions arranged. If you are
interested in attending a moderation session, please contact Mandy Benton mandy.benton@sa.gov.au - by Thursday 5 November.
Governor of South Australia Commendations
Schools are invited to nominate one outstanding student for consideration for this year’s
Governor of South Australia Commendations.
The commendations recognise students who have demonstrated excellence in
Board-accredited subjects and in the development of one or more SACE capabilities.
A printed copy of the Nomination Guidelines for the 2015 Governor of South Australia
Commendations was posted to all South Australian schools in mid-August. Nominations
are due at the SACE Board by Friday 13 November 2015.
The Merit policy and procedures, nomination forms, and guidelines are also on the
SACE website.
The Governor of South Australia Commendations, including the Aboriginal Student
SACE Award, will be presented at the SACE Merit Ceremony at Government House in
February 2016.
Excellence in Modified SACE Award
In addition to the Governor of South Australia Commendations for excellence in Boardaccredited subjects and SACE capabilities, subject Merits, and other awards and prizes, the
SACE Board publicly acknowledges students with identified intellectual disabilities.
The Governor of South Australia Commendation — Excellence in Modified SACE Award is
presented to a student who demonstrates outstanding achievement while undertaking SACE
modified subjects. The award will be presented to the recipient by the Governor of South
Australia at the annual SACE Merit Ceremony.
Nomination forms, with details of the conditions, criteria for selection, and the nomination
process, were sent to schools with Modified SACE enrolments in early October 2015, and
are available in the Schools section of the SACE website.
Nomination forms are due at the SACE Board by Friday 13 November, 2015.
Research Project Student Expo 2015
The SACE Board extends its thanks to all schools and students who supported this year’s
Research Project Student Expo, held at the Adelaide Showground from 12 to 13 August.
A total of 121 student exhibitors staffed booths to provide inspiration and advice about their
Research Project experiences to about 4000 student visitors. The Expo featured a number of
organisations and government agencies, including universities, TAFE SA, and the State
Library, that delivered research tips and ideas to students about to undertake the subject as
part of their SACE.
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The event was extensively covered through the Board’s Twitter account at #RPexpo and we
encourage teachers and students to follow us at @saceboard.
Video highlights, including presentations and student stories, as well as handouts and
materials from exhibiting organisations, are now available on the Expo page of the SACE
website. We encourage teachers and students to use this information to support student
learning and success.
FOR 2016 AND BEYOND:
Introduction of Additional Community Studies Option — Community Studies B
As previously advised, the Board has approved the introduction of an additional option for
Community Studies at Stage 2 to be offered for the first time in 2016.
The new enrolment option — Community Studies B — provides an additional programming
option for schools, and enables students to be taught simultaneously with students studying
another Board-accredited Stage 2 subject. For example, a school may plan that in some of
their classes (e.g. Physical Education or Biology) that students will be able to study a
Community Studies B version of the subject from the beginning of the year.
Community Studies B also offers students who have enrolled in a particular Board-accredited
subject but are finding the subject challenging, the opportunity to remain in the original
subject class while approaching their learning in that subject area in a different way.
Students will be able to enrol in a 10-credit or a 20-credit subject, in up to three areas of
study:



Humanities and the Community
STEM and the Community
Interdisciplinary Learning and the Community.
Teachers can register to attend an implementation workshop this term. Additional workshops
will be offered in Term 1, 2016.
Integration of Senior Secondary Australian Curriculum
The Australian Curriculum is being integrated into senior secondary SACE subjects in two
phases.


Phase 1: English and mathematics subjects – Stage 1 will be taught in 2016 and
Stage 2 in 2017
Phase 2: four Science subjects, two history subjects, and Geography – Stage 1 will
be taught in 2017 and Stage 2 in 2018.
Below is an update on the drafting, consultation, and implementation of each phase, and a
timeline of key dates.
Phase 1 Subjects — English and Mathematics
Since last writing to you about progress on the integration of Australian Curriculum into
SACE subjects, more than 1300 English and mathematics teachers have attended
59 Stage 1 implementation workshops at metropolitan and country venues for the
redeveloped English and mathematics subjects.
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Stage 1 implementation workshops will be offered again in Term 1, 2016, specifically for
teachers new to Stage 1 English and mathematics subjects.
Stage 2 implementation workshops for the English and mathematics subjects to be taught in
2017 will be offered in Term 2, 2016. We will notify schools through the regular
communication channels when registrations for these workshops are open.
A range of learning and assessment plans, teaching and learning programs, and other
support materials for the redeveloped English and mathematics subjects are now available
online via the 2016 subject changes tabs on the English and mathematics minisites.
Early in Term 4 of this year, edited subject outlines will replace the Board-accredited, preedited draft subject outlines that were provided online to help teachers with their planning,
and used at the implementation workshops. For the first time, the Stage 1 and Stage 2
subject outlines will be published separately.
The new Stage 2 English and mathematics subject outlines will be watermarked ‘Draft — for
teaching in 2017’, to distinguish them from the current Stage 2 subject outlines, which will be
taught for the last time in 2016.
Phase 2 Subjects – Sciences, Histories, Geography
The SACE Board is continuing to work with subject experts, learning area reference groups,
and writing teams on the drafting of the Phase 2 subjects — Biology, Chemistry, Earth and
Environmental Science, Physics, Modern History, Ancient and Classical Studies, and
Geography.
In September, a Sciences Learning Area focus group comprising practising teachers met to
provide general and subject-specific feedback to the reference group and writers on the draft
documents for the four science subjects. This feedback will help to inform the drafts for
consultation in early 2016. Other focus group meetings are planned for Term 4 of this year.
Online consultation for the Phase 2 draft subject outlines will take place during February and
March 2016. After the consultation period the subject outlines will be revised and presented
to the SACE Board for accreditation in April and May 2016.
Immediately after accreditation, the Board-accredited, pre-edited draft subject outlines will be
made available on the SACE website. Teachers can refer to these drafts for planning
purposes, and they will be used at the Stage 1 implementation workshops planned for
Term 3, 2016.
Learning and assessment plans and other support materials for Phase 2 subjects will be
available online, via subject minisites, from Term 4, 2016.
The edited subject outlines for Phase 2 subjects will replace the Board-accredited draft
subject outlines early in Term 4, 2016.
2016 Timeline of Activities

Phase 1 subjects: English, Essential English, English Literary Studies, English as an
Additional Language; Mathematics, General Mathematics, Essential Mathematics,
Mathematical Methods, Specialist Mathematics
– Stage 1 subjects will be taught in 2016
– Stage 2 subjects will be taught in 2017.
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
Phase 2 subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Science, Physics,
Modern History, Ancient and Classical Studies, Geography
– Stage 1 subjects will be taught in 2017
– Stage 2 subjects will be taught in 2018.
Phase 1
Date
Term 1
(Feb–March)
Phase 2
Activity
Phase 1 — Stage 1
implementation workshops
(for new teachers) continue
Date
Term 1
(March–April)
Term 1–2
(April–May)
(May–June)
Term 3
(July–Sept)
Phase 1 — Stage 2
implementation
workshops begin
Phase 1 — Stage 2 learning
and assessment plans and other
support materials available online
Phase 2 — online consultation
(Feb–March)
Term 1–2
Term 2
Activity
Term 2
(late April and
late May)
Term 3
(July–Sept)
Term 4
(October)
Term 4
(October)
Phase 2 — feedback collated
and further revisions made to
subject outlines based on
feedback
Phase 2 — draft subject outlines
accredited by SACE Board
Phase 2 — Board-accredited,
pre-edited subject outlines
available online
Phase 2 — Stage 1
implementation
workshops begin
Phase 2 — Stage 1 learning and
assessment plans and other
support materials available online
Phase 2 — edited subject
outlines published online
For information on Tertiary Admissions Subjects (TAS) status, see the SATAC website
www.satac.edu.au.
We will continue to keep you informed of progress. Please contact Kate Cooper, Manager,
Learning and Assessment Design at kate.cooper@sa.gov.au for further information.
Examinations Timetable for 2016
The examinations timetable for 2016 is currently being finalised and will be provided to
schools in late November.
For school planning purposes, the following examination periods have been confirmed:
Written Examinations
Monday 7 November 2016 — Wednesday 23 November 2016
Oral Examinations
Monday 17 October 2016 — Friday 4 November 2016
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CCAFL Written Examinations
Nationally Assessed Languages — Wednesday 19 October 2016
Auslan — Wednesday 19 October 2016
Malay Background Speakers — Wednesday 26 October 2016
Beginners Level Languages and Interstate Assessed Languages — to be advised.
Institute of Educational Assessors
I am pleased to report that the Institute of Educational Assessors (IEA) has continued its
development and throughout the year has been working closely with a number of schools to
support teachers’ expertise in educational assessment.
The IEA team has delivered flexible, tailored professional learning to whole staff groups,
small teams, and individuals across South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Please take the opportunity to visit the SACE website to listen to principals and school
leaders reflect on their experiences in undertaking professional learning with the IEA.
The IEA is also pleased to offer a series of information sessions for individual school leaders
and classroom teachers. The sessions will give teachers an opportunity to learn more about
the IEA and the course to be offered in 2016.
For more information on the Institute of Educational Assessors please visit the IEA minisite
and consider encouraging some of the key leaders and educators in your school to register
for the IEA Information Sessions.
SACE Merit Ceremony
To help with your planning for next year we would like to advise you that the SACE Merit
Ceremony will be held on Tuesday 9 February 2016 in the grounds of Government House.
Yours sincerely
Dr Neil McGoran
Chief Executive
cc SACE Coordinators
Attachment: Leader Update 4/15 — End-of-year Results Release
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