COVID 19 - Curriculum and Assessment Advice for 2021
The School Curriculum and Standards Authority (the Authority) continues to monitor the impact of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and will be providing ongoing advice for students, teachers, school leaders, parents/guardians/carers and the community as the situation evolves.
The Board of the Authority continues to work from the premise that no student should be disadvantaged as a result of the COVID-19 situation.
We encourage everyone to stay up-to-date with our latest communications and resources as they become available.
Through this page, we will continue to provide advice and support that will enable teachers, students, school leaders and parents/guardians/carers to respond to the challenges of the COVID-19 situation.
The Authority is taking a flexible approach to meeting emerging issues and is relying on schools to be similarly responsive in ensuring continuity of learning and delivery of assessment to students.
We will continue to update you with advice and support that will enable teachers and school leaders to respond to the challenges, as required.
Use this section to find information that:
- provides advice to support implementation of the Western Australian Curriculum and Assessment Outline (Pre-primary to Year 10)
- provides advice in relation to the delivery and assessment of all ATAR, General, Foundation and Preliminary courses, VET and endorsed programs
- provides support for teachers in interpreting the accommodations that are provided in Year 11 and Year 12 syllabuses for authentication of assessment tasks, learning that take place beyond the classroom and tasks that involve collaboration.
Assessment tasks not administered under controlled conditions require appropriate validation/authentication processes. Student work submitted to demonstrate achievement should only be accepted if the teacher can attest that, to the best of his/her knowledge, all work is the student’s own.
Teachers of Pre-primary to Year 10 students, who continue to be actively engaged in their school work, yet are unable to physically attend school (eg medically vulnerable students) should work with the student’s parent/carer/guardian to determine alternative arrangements to authenticate their assessments.
Teachers of students who continue to be actively engaged in Year 11 or 12 courses, yet are unable to physically attend school (eg medically vulnerable students, international students who are enrolled at a Western Australian school but have not been able to return to Western Australia due to COVID-19 restrictions) should contact the Authority, via info@scsa.wa.edu.au.
When delivering curriculum in a remote environment, the use of formative assessments to maintain continuity of your teaching and learning program is important. Students will benefit from receiving feedback from their teacher. Appropriate feedback to students includes:
- identifying gaps in their understanding
- advising how they can improve their learning, rather than listing only what they got wrong
- teaching skills so that they can monitor and take responsibility for meeting their learning goals
- helping to identify their strengths and weaknesses
- giving examples of high-quality work along with opportunities for them to review and correct their own work.
Teachers should consider flexible ways for students to complete formative assessments particularly in a modified learning environment. These may include one or more of the following ways:
- photographic, video or audio evidence of the task being completed
- a discussion with the student about their understanding of the assessment task
- simulated, live online assessment
personalised feedback via email or telepresence.
The broadest definition of collaboration is appropriate, ranging from individual/paired interactions to teams working together to achieve shared goals.
Collaboration can be achieved face-to-face or in online interactions or communities. Where students are collaborating through emails or online networks such as ‘Teams’, it is appropriate for the teacher to be copied into emails or invited as a member of the group so that authentication is possible.
Collaboration, depending on the requirements in the course syllabus, may be with one or more students, members of the community, teachers or relatives. Again, this should be interpreted very openly and students and teachers should consider a range of opportunities for collaboration.
Useful links
- WA Department of Health: healthywa.wa.gov.au/coronavirus
- Department of Education: www.education.wa.edu.au
- Learning resources: www.education.wa.edu.au/learning-at-home
- Catholic Education WA: www.cewa.edu.au
- Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) update: https://www.cewa.edu.au/novel-coronavirus-update
Useful contacts
- Coronavirus Health Information Line: 1800 020 080
- Headspace: www.headspace.org.au
- Beyond Blue: www.beyondblue.org.au 1300 22 4636
- Kids helpline: www.kidshelpline.com.au 1800 55 1800.
- Parent helpline: 1300 1300 52
Pre-primary to Year 10
The Western Australian Curriculum and Assessment Outline sets out the mandated curriculum, guiding principles for teaching, learning and assessment and support for teachers in their assessment and reporting of student achievement.
Given the current situation with COVID-19, teachers are in the best position to use their professional judgement to make decisions on aspects of the curriculum that are suitable for those students who are working within a modified teaching and learning environment (e.g. online).
The Authority recommends the use of formative assessments to maintain the continuity of the teaching and learning program and that authenticated assessments should be completed by students on their return to school. This will also minimise concern for students and/or parents/guardians/carers.
Teachers of Pre-primary to Year 10 students, who continue to be actively engaged in their school work, yet are unable to physically attend school (eg medically vulnerable students) should work with the student’s parent/carer/guardian to determine alternative arrangements to authenticate their assessments.
For learning areas and associated activities that require groups/teams or access to specialised materials, or facilities such as workshops or kitchens, schools could focus on other aspects of the curriculum.
- Western Australian Curriculum
- Teaching Support Materials – access to a range of Pre-primary to Year 10 Learning Area Sample Teaching and Learning Outlines
- Assessment Activities – access to a range of Pre-primary to Year 10 Learning Area Sample
- Assessment Tasks
- Assessment Principles – access to information on summative and formative assessment
- Assessment Snapshots – the assessment principles embedded in sample assessment tasks
- Judging Standards – access to the assessment pointers, achievement standards and annotated work samples
- Department of Education Learning Resources: www.education.wa.edu.au/learning-at-home
Years 11 and 12
The following information and accommodations will assist to ensure continuity of learning, teaching and assessment for Years 11 and 12 students during 2021.
Teachers should continue to provide students with opportunities to engage with coursework and meet course completion requirements under the procedures described in the school’s senior secondary assessment policy.
The Authority will monitor the situation in schools and make further changes if they are necessary.
ASSESSMENT TYPES
- Be flexible in assessing each Assessment Type.
- Teachers are required to assess each Assessment Type at least once over the year/pair of units (rather than twice over the year/pair of units)
- Assessment types and weightings, as stipulated in the Authority’s course syllabus, must not be changed unless specified by the Authority
AUTHENTICATION OF ASSESSMENTS
- Where an Assessment Type has been completed out of school and cannot be validated, students will be required to complete an authentication task on their return to school.
- If assessments are unable to be authenticated, you will not be required to alter the Course Outline or Assessment Outline and communicate the changes to students at this stage. Teachers could provide the following advice to their students: It is possible we will need to update our assessment outline and weightings that I gave you at the start of the year. I will confirm any changes with you in due course.
- Teachers of students who continue to be actively engaged in Year 11 or 12 courses, yet are unable to physically attend school (eg medically vulnerable students, international students who are enrolled at a Western Australian school but have not been able to return to Western Australia due to COVID-19 restrictions) should contact the Authority, via info@scsa.wa.edu.au.
PRINCIPLES OF ASSESSMENT
- The Principles of Assessment as outlined in the WACE Manual 2021, continue to apply:
- Assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning
- Assessment should be educative
- Assessment must be fair
- Assessment should be designed to meet its specific purpose/s
- Assessment should lead to informative reporting
- Assessment should lead to school-wide evaluation processes
- Assessment should provide significant data for improvement of teaching practices.
Students, teachers, parents/guardians/carers and the community should be confident that the Board of the Authority continues to work from the premise that no student should be disadvantaged.
The Authority is:
- taking a flexible and agile approach to meeting emerging issues and is relying on schools to be similarly flexible and agile in ensuring continuity of learning and delivery of assessment
- working with the education systems/sector – the Department of Education, Catholic Education Western Australia and the Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia – to ensure the best outcomes possible for students
- providing advice and support to teachers and school leaders through this website, which will enable them to respond to the challenges, particularly in a modified learning environment
- working with the tertiary and training sector, at the state and national level, to clarify pathways to post-school options for Year 12 students at the end of the year
- providing advice and support to students through this website, particularly those Year 12s working towards the WACE in 2021.
Parents/guardians/carers of students in Pre-primary to Year 10 should refer to the Pre-primary to Year 10 tab above for further information.
Parents/guardians/carers of students in Years 11 and 12 should refer to the Years 11 and 12 tab above for further information
Useful links
- WA Department of Health: healthywa.wa.gov.au/coronavirus
- Department of Education: www.education.wa.edu.au
- Learning resources: www.education.wa.edu.au/learning-at-home
- Catholic Education WA: www.cewa.edu.au
- Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) update: https://www.cewa.edu.au/novel-coronavirus-update
Useful contacts
- Coronavirus Health Information Line: 1800 020 080
- Headspace: www.headspace.org.au
- Beyond Blue: www.beyondblue.org.au 1300 22 4636
- Kids helpline: www.kidshelpline.com.au 1800 55 1800.
- Parent helpline: 1300 1300 52