Head of Senior School
Term 3 has sprinted to a finish! We farewelled Year 12 with their informal assembly and other creative celebrations followed by the Graduation Assembly and Evening, only to welcome them back for the intensive Study Camp! Students have attended a number of subject specific workshops and built the habit of independent study supported by access to their teachers for feedback.
Some may ask why we have brought this new initiative in and to fully understand parents need an education in the way the HSC works. If asked what key word relates to HSC marks, most parents may initially think…..Scaling! I tested this out by asking a number of current parents I know with students in Year 12 and below, and this was the first word that sprang to mind for most. Now don’t worry too much if you fell into this trap, but there are two equally important words and the first, and most important at this stage is Moderation. The other is Alignment.
These are very difficult to explain in print, but Eddie Woo explains them very well and recorded some videos that are available on YouTube.
If you watched the second video, you will have seen that the marks that students receive from us at school (School Assessment – SA) are not fixed until they have been moderated against students HSC Examination Mark (EM) to turn them into the Moderated Assessment (MA). More important than the mark is the spacing between the marks and the rank.
If students perform well in the HSC examination, their SA can be moderated up to a better MA that is then averaged with their EM and rounded up to their HSC mark.
Essentially there is a better outcome in each subject for ALL STUDENTS if all the students score between, for example 65 and 95 in their examination rather than between 55 and 85. To circle back to the point of this, we want the students to improve as much as possible between the submission of their SA marks and the HSC as this will help each individual perform to their best. Groupwork to help each other, plenty of practice papers and feedback are all key in the transition from learning mode to performance mode.
Alignment and Scaling is used by UAC to allow subjects, each of which are of a different level of difficulty to be compared when calculating students ATAR. We have guided students all along that by studying subjects that they enjoy, are good at, are passionate about or need for their future pathway they do not need to worry about scaling or alignment.
I wish each and every student the very best of luck in their HSC Examinations and to remember that the numbers that they will receive in December do not define the person that they have become.
There are a wide range of overseas trips and school camps that have either started or begin soon. Please encourage your children to step outside their comfort zone on these trips and to take the opportunity to discover more about what they are capable of. The trips are excellent way to build character and build connection.
The new College Student Leaders for 2025 were announced this afternoon and I look forward to working in partnership with them over the next year.
I wish everyone a restful break and look forward to the start of Term 4.
Warm regards
Mr Tristan Bevan
Head of Senior School