Record of School Achievement:
Requirements for
Students with Special Education Needs
Key Messages
Eligibility
To be awarded the Record of School Achievement all
students must have:
 Attended a government school, an accredited nongovernment school or a recognised school outside NSW
 Undertaken and completed courses of study that satisfy
mandatory curriculum and assessment requirements
 Complied with any other regulations or requirements (such
as attendance) imposed by the Minister or the Board
 Completed Year 10
(ACE Website 4001)
Mandatory curriculum
requirements for the Record of
School Achievement



All students must undertake study in each of the 8 key
learning areas in Years 7-10 to be eligible for the award of
the Record of School Achievement.
Students may satisfy mandatory curriculum requirements
by following courses based on Life Skills outcomes and
content in each key learning area.
All time allocations are indicative and are related to the
course objectives and outcomes.
(ACE Website 4006 & 4007)
Key Learning Areas: Courses
Key Learning Area
Courses
 English
English
 Mathematics
Mathematics
 Human
History, Geography, Commerce, Work Education,
Aboriginal Studies
 Creative Arts
Visual Arts, Music, Drama, Dance, Photographic & Digital
Media, Visual Design
 Technological
Technology (Mandatory), Agricultural, Design &
Technology, Food, Graphics, Industrial, Information &
Software, Marine & Aquaculture, Textiles
 Science
Science
 Languages
one course (17 languages)
 Personal
PDHPE, Physical Activity & Sports Studies
Society and
Its Environment
and
Applied Studies
Development,
Health and Physical
Education
Mandatory curriculum requirements
for all students
(ACE Website 4007)
English, Mathematics
and Science
400 hours of each course throughout Years 7–10
Human Society and
its Environment
400 hours throughout Years 7–10 and must include:
Stage 4: 100 hours each of History and Geography
Stage 5: 100 hours each of Australian History and
Australian Geography
Creative Arts
100 hours of Visual Arts and 100 hours of Music each to
be taught as coherent units of study
Languages
100 hours to be completed in one language over one continuous
12-month period, preferably in Years 7–8
PDHPE
300 hours of the PDHPE course throughout Years 7–10.
To be studied in each of Years 7–10
Technological and
Applied Studies
200 hours of the Technology (Mandatory) course
Stage 5 additional (elective)
studies


Schools are not required to offer additional studies.
Additional courses can be credentialled for the Record of
School Achievement if they are taught in Stage 5.
(ACE Website 4009)


Students may undertake additional courses by following
Life Skills outcomes and content.
VET courses are also available to be accessed in Stage
5. See VET Courses and Students with Special
Education Needs for more information.
Course completion criteria
Students are considered to have satisfactorily completed a
course towards the award of the Record of School
Achievement if they:


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follow the Board Developed or Board Endorsed course
apply themselves with diligence and sustained effort to
the set tasks and experiences provided in the course by
the school and
achieve some or all of the outcomes.
(ACE Website 4016)
Non-completion of course
requirements

Students who have not complied with course completion
criteria can be regarded as not having satisfactorily
completed the course.

Two written warnings must be issued to students before
an ‘N’ determination is applied.
(ACE Website 4019)
Curriculum planning
All students with special education needs
should choose the most appropriate courses, and options within courses,
in keeping with their learning needs, strengths, goals and interests. (ACE Website
3004)
All students with special education needs
participate fully in learning experiences and assessment activities provided
by the Years 7–10 curriculum but may require adjustments to teaching and
learning activities and/or assessment.
For a small percentage of students with special education needs,
particularly those with an intellectual disability, it may be appropriate to
select Life Skills outcomes and content in one or more Years 7–10
syllabuses. (ACE Website 3001)
Collaborative curriculum planning


The decision-making process will identify the courses that
the student with special education needs should study.
Planning should take into consideration:
– the student’s learning needs, strengths, goals and
interests
– the adjustments and/or support required for the student
to access course work and demonstrate achievement
of outcomes
– the transition needs of the student.
(ACE Website 3005)
Courses based on Life Skills
outcomes and content
Students may follow Life Skills outcomes and content if it has
been determined that adjustments are not sufficient to
access some or all of the Stage 4 and Stage 5 outcomes.
The decision to access Life Skills outcomes and content is
made:
through the collaborative curriculum planning process
at any time through Years 7–10.
(ACE Website 3001)
Indicative time

In developing programs for those students who undertake
courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content, it may
be necessary to vary the time allocated for study of the
course(s).

When considering whether a variation is needed, the
principal should ensure that appropriate time is allocated
across the KLAs.
(ACE Website 3003)
Assessment
Schools award students with a grade for each course completed in
Stage 5. The grade should:
indicate the student’s overall achievement in relation to the course
performance descriptors
involve the teacher’s judgement on the basis of available assessment
information.
Students may require adjustments in order to demonstrate achievement
in both informal and formal assessment experiences.
Students undertaking a course based on Life Skills outcomes and
content are not allocated a grade in that course.
(ACE Website 4021)
Stage 5 Credentials
Students leaving school in Stage 5 and who have met the
mandatory curriculum requirements are eligible to receive a
Record of School Achievement.
The
Record of School Achievement lists the courses
completed in Years 7–10 as well as a grade for Stage 5
courses.
If
applicable, students also receive from the Board:
– the profile of Student Achievement
– VET credentials.
Stage 5 Credentials (cont.)

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Courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content will be
recorded on the Record of School Achievement with the
annotation ‘Refer to Profile of Student Achievement’.
VET courses will be recorded with the annotation ‘Refer to
Vocational Documentation’.
Students who are leaving school and are not eligible for a
Record of School Achievement receive a Transcript of Study.
Students are also able to download an electronic transcript
from the end of Year 10.
(ACE Website 4024)
Procedures for online entry of
courses
Students must be entered for courses in Schools Online in order for these to be
credentialled on the Record of School Achievement.
The Board of Studies has provided:
individual course numbers for all subjects on Schools Online. For each course
there is a number for:
– life skills outcomes and content
– regular outcomes and content
an auto enrol facility for Years 7–10 mandatory curriculum requirements.
Schools:
enter each student through Schools Online at the start of Year 10
enter students for each course they have undertaken in Years 9 and 10
if entering students for courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content,
cannot enter a student for any other course drawn from the same syllabus.
Profile of Student Achievement

Outcomes achieved in courses based on Life Skills outcomes and
content undertaken in Years 9 and 10 are recorded in Schools Online
at the time of the collection of Stage 5 grades.

Outcomes can be achieved with or without support.

Outcomes achieved will be presented in the Profile of Student
Achievement under syllabus headings.

The Profile of Student Achievement is printed and issued by the
Board when the student receives the Record of School Achievement.

For further information about entering outcomes, see:
Entering data for a Profile of Student Achievement for the Record of
School Achievement