ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL'S 

 Year 7-10 Continuous Reporting 

Dear Students, Parents, Carers and our School Community,

For 2022 we have made a number of changes to the way we report on student learning and the way we deliver our teaching and learning to our students. We are shifting to ‘Continuous Reporting’ which will be delivered through our existing Compass system. The details of ‘Continuous Reporting’ are outlined below. 

We have high expectations for learning for all our students and these improvements will create consistency in assessment and expectations across all subjects and across the school. These improvements are not dissimilar to the processes and assessments that already take place across many classrooms. With Continuous Reporting we are formalising good practice and allowing for greater, more useful, timely and improved feedback on learning for students and families. Our aim is to work with our students to achieve growth in all their learning, and providing regular and targeted feedback, we will support students to achieve this. 

For Students in Years 7-10

• Students will complete a minimum of 4 assessments for each unit of learning in every subject
• These will consist of 3 Learning Tasks; which students are required to complete and have assessed by their teacher. Teachers, via Compass, will communicate either a S (Satisfactory) and N (Not Satisfactory) achievement for the task. These tasks are important learning tasks students need to complete to demonstrate their learning for the unit
• Students will be required to complete 1 Graded Assessment Task for the unit. This task reflects their level of achievement for the unit. Teachers will communicate, through Compass, the level of achievement (a percentage), as well as written feedback on what the student has achieved and what they need to do to improve
• Learning Tasks and Graded Assessments Tasks can be modified to ensure they are accessible to students, and a comment will be made via the feedback if the task has been modified
• Units will be 5 weeks in length for subjects with 4 or more sessions per week (eg Mathematics, English as examples) and 8 weeks for subjects with 3 or less sessions per week (eg Specialist Classes like Food Technology for example). All feedback and assessments will be available for students and parents by the completion of the unit
• If students are absent for Learning Tasks or Graded Assessment Tasks, they will have the opportunity to complete the task in a designated ‘Redemption’ session after school. There they will be supervised to complete the task. This is important so they do not miss out on any further in class learning completing the task. Teachers will communicate with parents and carers when these sessions are taking place. If a students Learning Task or Graded Assessment Task is N (Not Satisfactory), they will have the opportunity to complete the task during these sessions to a S (Satisfactory) level. Additional if a student wishes to improve their performance, they can also attend redemption for a task
• Attendance is vital to learning and we expect students in class for a minimum of 90% of scheduled classes. If a student falls below their required attendance, parents/carers will be notified and an ‘at risk’ meeting will be organised. Students who fall below 90% attendance, will be required to make up attendance and missed learning in redemption sessions. Parents and carers and asked to provide notification of absences. Approved absences with notification do not contribute against the 90% attendance requirement
• End of Semester Reports will now look slightly different. Teachers will still provide the students Victorian Curriculum achievement level. They will also provide an assessment of the students work habits and attitude. The feedback from the Continuous Graded Assessment Tasks will be included to demonstrate what the student has achieved and what they need to do to improve their learning 

We look forward to implementing Continuous Reporting and working with all our students and families to achieve their best in all their learning. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact classroom teachers directly. 

Thankyou for your ongoing support

Warwick Lamb

Assistant Principal 

VCE Continuous Reporting 

Dear Students, Parents, Carers and our School Community,

For 2022 we have made a number of changes to the way we report on student learning and the way we deliver our teaching and learning to our students. We are shifting to ‘Continuous Reporting’ which will be delivered through our existing Compass system. The details of ‘Continuous Reporting’ are outlined below. 

We have high expectations for learning for all our students and these improvements will create consistency in assessment and expectations across all subjects and across the school. These improvements are not dissimilar to the processes and assessments that already take place across many classrooms. With Continuous Reporting we are formalising good practice and allowing for greater, more useful, timely and improved feedback on learning for students and families. Our aim is to work with our students to achieve growth in all their learning, and providing regular and targeted feedback, we will support students to achieve this. 

For Students in VCE

• Students will complete a minimum of 4 assessments for each unit of learning in every subject
• These will consist of 3 S/N Tasks, which students are required to complete and have assessed by their teacher. Teachers, via Compass, will communicate either a S (Satisfactory) and N (Not Satisfactory) achievement for the task. These tasks are important learning tasks students need to complete to demonstrate their learning for the unit
• Students will be required to complete 1 SAC/SAT for the unit. This task reflects their level of achievement for the unit. Teachers will communicate, through Compass, the level of achievement (Letter Grade), as well as written feedback on what the student has achieved and what they need to do to improve. Please note, that for Unit 3 and 4 feedback, results are the reflection of the teacher, are indicative and may ultimately be changed by VCAA moderation processes
• Units will vary in length depending on the requirements of Subject Study Designs. Individual subject teachers will communicate assessment expectations at the beginning of the unit.  All feedback and assessments will be available for students and parents by the completion of the unit
• If students are absent for S/N Tasks or SACS/SATS, they will have the opportunity to complete the task in a designated ‘Redemption’ session after school. There they will be supervised to complete the task. This is important so they do not miss out on any further in class learning completing the task. Teachers will communicate with parents and carers when these sessions are taking place. If a students S/N Task or SAC/SAT is N (Not Satisfactory), they will have the opportunity to complete the task during these sessions to a S (Satisfactory) level. Due to the requirements of the VCAA, the initial score will stand, but the N will be changed to an S. 
• Attendance is vital to learning and students at VCE are required to attend 90% of scheduled classes. If a student falls below their required attendance, parents/carers will be notified and an ‘at risk’ meeting will be organised. Students who fall below 90% attendance, will be required to make up attendance and missed learning in redemption sessions. Parents and carers and asked to provide notification of absences. Approved absences with notification do not contribute against the 90% attendance requirement.
• End of Semester Reports will now look slightly different. Teachers will still provide the students with their completion of outcomes requirement. They will also provide an assessment of the students work habits and attitude. The feedback from the Continuous SAC/SAT will be included to demonstrate what the student has achieved and what they need to do to improve their learning. 

We look forward to implementing Continuous Reporting and working with all our students and families to achieve their best in all their learning. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact classroom teachers directly. 

Warwick Lamb 

Assistant Principal 

VCE Agreement 

At Western Heights College we have high expectations of all our VCE students to achieve to the best of their ability. Western Heights College takes pride in our VCE Program and strictly follows the process and protocols outlined by the VCAA. 

We expect all students:

• Attend 90% of scheduled classes: Students whose unapproved attendance falls below 90% will considered ‘at risk’ of achieving a N (Non-Satisfactory) based on attendance. Communication will made to parents/carers and an ‘At Risk Meeting’ will need to be held with the student, parent/carer and the VCE Panel. The student will need to attend additional time at school to make up the attendance to the required 90%. Students whose attendance does not meet the requirement, and missed time has not been made up, will achieve a N for the unit. 
• Absences Need to be Approved; Students who are absent will need to ensure absences are approved. This will require the presentation of a statutory declaration or doctors’ certificate for absence days. Approved school-based activities will be considered Approved Absences; with students able to only have a singular absence approved through college sporting teams per term.    
• School Based Tasks; Are scheduled by the classroom teacher. Teachers will endeavour, where possible, to place assessments to avoid multiple assessments on the same day, however in some circumstances this may be unavoidable. Students will be expected to complete their assessment at this scheduled time. Students who achieve a N (Not Satisfactory) for an assessment will have the opportunity to complete an alternate activity to achieve a S (satisfactory), but not alter their graded score. This must be done within a 2-week window of the original task and must be done at a time negotiated between the teacher and the student. If the task isn’t completed within this two-week timeframe, the student will achieve an N for the task. Any initial ‘N’ for an outcome will result in ‘At risk’ communication and ‘At Risk’ meeting.  

Grade Scale

*Note Unit 3 and 4 Grades letter grades are indicative only and may change during the moderation process conducted by VCAA

• GAT (General Achievement Test); All students completing a Unit 3 and 4 subject are required and expected to sit the GAT, set at a time determined by VCAA. The GAT is an important part of VCE process and is used by the VCAA to assist with moderation of scores and if necessary derived scores
• External Assessments: All students are required to complete and sit their external assessments (Semesterly Exams at Unit 1 and 2, and Final Exams Unit 3 and 4). This is part of the program delivered at Western Heights and expectations of the VCAA. All students will achieve Study Scores for their subjects and an ATAR. Students with exceptional circumstances can apply through the VCE Panel for Consideration of Educational Disadvantage (CED) and Special Examination Arrangements.