Assistant Principals' Report

Positive habits of VCE students

Each year, our VCE teachers reflect on the results of their students from the previous year. They consider each student’s study score compared to a predicted score. 

A student’s predicted score is based on their results in the GAT, a general achievement exam completed by all VCE students. The GAT assesses students’ literacy, numeracy, critical reasoning skills and general knowledge. It indicates each student’s academic readiness for the VCE.

In contrast, a student’s study score is based on assessments of the specific skills of a VCE study design. It indicates how well the student has been able to apply their general skills and knowledge to learn the specialist skills and knowledge of the study.

The graph below shows some of the predicted and achieved scores of our past students. A group of students with similar predicted scores have been highlighted.

The first observation that can be made about the highlighted group is that their achieved scores are spread over a wide interval of 20 study score points. From this, we can infer that a student’s study score is not purely the result of their general academic ability or preparation. The behaviours and study habits of students in Year 12 can have a significant impact on their study scores.

When I meet with Year 12 teachers, I ask them to consider the students who achieved well above their predicted score and consider whether they had any common habits. Some of the common observations they make are that these students:

• Completed all of the set homework
• Asked the teacher questions in class that helped them to better understand what they were learning.
• Worked as a team with another student, who helped them focus on their study
• Completed practice exams and got feedback on them

I also ask teachers to consider the students who achieved well below their predicted score and consider whether they had any common habits. Some common observations they make are that these students:

• Did not complete the classwork, or fell significantly behind
• Prioritised other subjects
• Were absent from a lot of lessons

As we go into Term 3, I would like our students to consider how they can apply the lessons that can be learnt from our past Year 12s. Regardless of your preparation coming into Year 12, your engagement and study habits can make a significant difference to your VCE results. The mid-year break provides you with an opportunity to catch up on topics that you may have fallen behind on and to read ahead on topics that will be studied in early Term 3. In some subjects, like Further Mathematics, you can start practising sections of the exam. This exam practice can have a big impact on your results.

Gregory Breese

Assistant Principal