Quality assurance of Stage 1 English and
mathematics subjects in 2016
Schools and the SACE Board use a range of quality assurance processes to assure the community that
students’ results are fair, valid, and reliable.
The SACE Board’s four-phase quality assurance cycle – planning, clarifying, confirming and improving –
will be enhanced in 2016. The enhancements will support schools and teachers to transition to the
redeveloped Stage 1 subject outlines in English and mathematics learning areas. Planning
Schools will continue to use a range of processes to support teachers to plan quality teaching and
learning programs.
In Term 1 and Term 3 2016, the SACE Board will re-run the Stage 1 English and mathematics
implementation workshops to provide additional support for teachers who are unable to attend
workshops in Term 3 this year.
In 2016, schools will have the option of using pre-approved or school-developed learning and
assessment plans (LAPs), or a combination of these two options. Examples of LAPs for 2016 will be
available during the Stage 1 English and mathematics implementation workshops in Term 3 this year.
Pre-approved LAPs for use in 2016 will be available on the SACE website in Term 4, 2015.
The SACE Board will allocate accession numbers for up to two learning and assessment plans for each
English and mathematics subject offered by your school. You can either:
 advise the SACE Board which pre-approved LAPs, if any, are being used; or
 submit school-developed LAPs that have been recommended for approval to the SACE Board; or
 use a combination of the above.
Your school can adapt pre-approved learning and assessment plans by using the addendum to record
and approve any changes made to the plan, without submission to the SACE Board.
Clarifying
The SACE Board will make available online clarifying support in Stage 1 English and mathematics
subjects to complement the clarifying activities that occur in schools.
The clarifying support will include a range of student work samples – at the task level – that teachers
can mark and discuss with colleagues. Teachers or faculties will be able to submit grades for the work
samples to the SACE Board and receive feedback about appropriate grades for each sample. Online
clarifying materials will be available in Term 1, 2016.
Confirming
Stage 1 Moderation
Moderation is used to confirm the C grade in Stage 1 English and mathematics subjects. Schools
currently on a triennial moderation cycle for a given Stage 1 English or mathematics subject will remain
on a triennial cycle for the equivalent English or mathematics subject in 2016 (see table below).
Subject name - 2015
Equivalent subject name – 2016
English
English as a Second Language
English Pathways
Literacy for Work and Community Life
Mathematics
Mathematical Applications
Mathematics Pathways
Numeracy for Work and Community Life
English
English as an Additional Language
Essential English
Essential English
Mathematics
General Mathematics
Essential Mathematics
Essential Mathematics
The following scenarios provide some examples of how Stage 1 moderation will operate in 2016.
 School A is currently on a triennial moderation cycle for Stage 1 English Pathways. School A’s
standards were confirmed at moderation in 2014. School A will not be due for moderation in Stage
1 Essential English until 2017.
 School B has not previously offered Stage 1 Mathematics Pathways or Numeracy for Work and
Community Life, but is offering Stage 1 Essential Mathematics next year. School B will be
requested to participate in moderation for Stage 1 Essential Mathematics in 2016.
 School C is currently on a triennial moderation cycle for Stage 1 Mathematical Applications. School
C’s standards were confirmed at moderation in 2013. School C is due for moderation in Stage 1
General Mathematics in 2016, in line with the triennial cycle.
 School D’s standards were not confirmed at moderation in Stage 1 English in 2014. School D
participated in moderation of Stage 1 English in 2015 and standards were confirmed. School D will
be requested to participate in moderation for Stage 1 English in 2016. If standards are confirmed,
School D will not be due for moderation in Stage 1 English again until 2019.
Benchmark samples
The SACE Board understands that schools will want to ensure their interpretation and application of the
performance standards in the redeveloped Stage 1 English and mathematics subjects align with the
state-wide standard.
To support schools to transition between the 2015 and 2016 subject outlines, benchmarking samples –
at the assessment type level – will be made available for each of the new Stage 1 English and
mathematics subjects towards the end of Term 1, 2016. In addition to the clarifying materials that
support assessment decisions at the task level, the benchmarking samples will provide schools with the
opportunity to calibrate their standards at the subject level. These benchmarks will support schools to
maintain standards during the transition to the new curriculum.
In line with the usual process, schools experiencing difficulty with interpreting and applying the
performance standards in a particular Stage 1 English or mathematics subject will be able to ‘opt in’ to
moderation for that subject. Schools electing to opt in to moderation should be prepared to provide a
moderator if requested.
Pending results
Schools can continue to use P (for pending) to report results for students who have not yet reached the
C standard in a given Stage 1 English or mathematics subject in 2015. The SACE Board will retain the
enrolments of students reported as ‘Pending’ at the end of this year.
A transition process will be in place to allow these students to be resulted in 2016. Schools will have the
option of either:
 supporting these students to achieve the C standard in the 2015 Stage 1 English or mathematics
subject according to the learning requirements, assessment design criteria and performance
standards for 2015; or
 transferring these students’ enrolments to the 2016 subjects and supporting them to achieve the C
standard according to the learning requirements, assessment design criteria and performance
standards for 2016.
Please note that results reported manually in 2016 against the 2015 subject outlines will be identified as
2015 results on the student’s Record of Achievement.
This arrangement for managing 2015 ‘Pending’ results is applicable for 2016 only.
Any 2015 ‘Pending’ results not finalised by the end of 2016 will be removed. All students will need to be
assessed according to the learning requirements, assessment design criteria and performance
standards of the current year’s Stage 1 English and mathematics subject outlines beyond 2016.
Schools can minimise the need to pend an entire Stage 1 English or mathematics subject cohort by
ensuring sufficient materials are available for moderation this year (i.e. all tasks, or all but the final task,
completed by the time moderation materials are collected).
Improving
As always, your SACE Officer – Schools will be available to discuss Stage 1 literacy and numeracy data,
and provide clarification and advice about Stage 1 quality assurance processes.
Subject assessment reports for the redeveloped Stage 1 English and mathematics subjects will be
developed in collaboration with moderators during 2016 and released in 2017.
Please feel free to contact the SACE Board for any further clarification.