VCAA Privacy Notes for Students

Extract from VCE & VCAL Administrative Handbook  

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) is a statutory authority established under the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority Act 2000.  

The VCAA has responsibilities relating to both curriculum and assessment across year levels Prep to 12 for all Victorian school students. The VCAA is committed to protecting student information and all personal information collected is handled in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2000.  

Collection of Student Data  

In order to perform its functions the VCAA collects the personal details of all VCAL  students and all students undertaking one or more VCE units of study, including performance data related to the VCE assessment program. It also collects personal details  of all International Baccalaureate (IB) students who are to sit the General Achievement  Test (GAT). The personal details of students other than those with VCE, VCAL or IB  programs are collected to supply support for these students or for reporting purposes. All  information is collected directly from students by the school.  

Where additional information is required, such as in the case of applications for Special Provision, this information is collected from individual students.  

The information on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origins is used by the VCAA to report to the Commonwealth and State Governments to assist in the planning of support for students who fall within these categories. No individual students are identified in such reports. 

All student data is submitted to the VCAA via the Victorian Assessment Software System  (VASS).  

Disclosure  

The VCAA will not provide identifiable student data to any other person or organisation without the consent of the individual student, unless required by law or other regulation to  do so.  

Notification, Access and Security  

Students will be notified of what information has been collected from them and the level of disclosure to which they have consented via a Student Full Details Report which will be available from the College, following lodgement of Personal Details forms at the time of enrolment or registration.  

Student information collected by the VCAA is stored on its database and access is limited to authorised staff at the VCAA and at the College.  

Data collected from students and the results awarded to them are retained permanently by the VCAA. These records are held in the database and backed up on microfiche. All records are held securely.  

Correspondence concerning access to student records held at the VCAA including individual assessment and contact details should be addressed to the Manager, Student Records and Results, VCAA, 41 St Andrews Place East Melbourne 3002.