Student Services

Everything you need to know!

Student Services comprises 5 teachers and a College Psychologist.

• Role of Student Services
• Support Systems
• Transition issues for Yr 10s
• Understanding Your Report
• Careers Information
• 80% Rule

Role of Student Advisors at Narrabundah College

Some of the issues we cover are:

• Course monitoring - Advisers constantly liaise with students about their study package, checking they will meet the requirements for an ACT year 12 Certificate or Tertiary Entrance Statement.
• Contact point for parents - Parents can ring the advisers to discuss any issues they may have regarding their child.
• College Psychologist - Our College Psychologist is a registered psychologist. Students can make an appointment to discuss a range of personal issues in a confidential setting. Parents are also welcome to ring or to visit.
• Attendance monitoring - Advisers regularly monitor student attendance and advise parents of concerns.
• Careers advice - All advisers have career training. There is a dedicated computer for students to use careers programs such as Careers Builder and Job Finder, which focuses on future career choices. Moving Forward Officer organises Work Experience and ASBAs.
• 'N' Groups - Advisors facilitate N Groups. N Group is a contact class that all students must attend. They run on Wednesdays from 12 – 12.20pm. Functions include health and welfare issues as well as a pathway for administrative issues.
• Transition issues - Advisers liaise with high schools to help with the transition to college as well as transition into work or further study.
• Enrolment - After an interview, advisers enrol all new students into courses.

Support systems offered by Student Services

Library Study Hub - After hours 4.00 - 5.30pm Monday and Wednesday.

Transition issues for students coming from Year 10 into college

Subject choice

Students' main advice comes from their high school teachers, then parents, siblings and friends.

Our advice is to pick subjects that you are good at, as you can gain high scores from all subject areas. Generally, the better you are at, and the more you like a subject, the more motivated you will be to put in a strong effort. However, all students should have an English or ESL course as well as a course in Mathematics.

Subject level

T Tertiary courses are Year 11 and 12 courses which are considered to prepare students for higher education. If you are thinking of going to University do at least 4 courses that are T level.

A Accredited courses have been deemed to be educationally sound and appropriate for students in Year 11 and 12. These courses will not be counted towards a UAI (University Admission Index).

V A Vocational course is a learning program which leads to a Vocational Certificate or Statement of Attainment as defined by the Australian Qualifications Framework. These course can be at T or A level.

R Registered classification is given to units or courses designed to provide personal development, recreational or community service activities.

Choosing a college that is right for the student

Go to the information sessions, as all colleges vary in the courses that they offer, as well as varying in their culture and college climate.

Assessment (norm and criteria referenced)

Assessment in T courses is norm referenced. Students that have coasted before now find they have to work and study to achieve the same results as they did in high school.

Issues about transition

• Working to strict deadlines can be difficult for some students. Late penalties apply at college.
• Time off - Students will have timetabled lines off. You must use your time efficiently to keep up-to-date.
• Travel to get to college on time.
• Work consistently throughout the units.
• Have clear expectations for yourself.

Generally, your Year 10 work habits follow you on to college!

Understanding Your Report

Grades

A - E: Your performance against the standards for the course.

V: You have not:

• Attended regularly enough
• Completed enough work to be assessed in the unit.

Unit does not count.

S: You have missed too much work through illness / misadventure to be accurately assessed.
Unit counts towards your package.
No score attached.

Z: You have completed some assessment, but for reasons of illness or misadventure you have missed other assessments.

Scores

• Your performance compared with other students in the course.
• Standardised to help you compare your results across subjects.
• Only a guide to final results.

How are scores derived

• Unit outline
• Assessment items, dates and weights are given.
• Moderation of raw scores to produce a comparative rank order list.
• This produces a RAW SCORE.
• Standardising of raw scores (open ended scale).
• Standardising of raw scores to a new mean and standard deviation. This creates a STANDARDISED SCORE.

Standardising

• In the case of year 11 we start off with historical data.
• Then OUS (other unit scores) checks the historical data.
• We rescale the moderation group if necessary.
• Linear restandardising. Rank order does not change.

Ultimately the Board of Secondary Studies will scale the courses based on the ability of the group in the AST and other courses.

Backscaling

• Used each session after session 1, year 11.
• Uses a common pool of marks. Standardises raw scores to the mean and standard deviation of common group of students in the previous unit.
• Ensures all units in a course are equally weighted in the standardising process.

Standardising can only be an estimate of final scores because:

• Based on previous students' achievements.
• Don't know how students will organise units into courses at end of Yr 12.
• Don't know how many students will complete courses in subject until end of Yr 12.
• Top 80% scores count.

Scores

Assessment item scores --> Unit scores --> Course scores --> Aggregate score --> UAI

Careers Information

In the student services area we have course, degree and institution information about every university in Australia and Britain as well as several other international universities.

Students are welcome to come and browse the material at any time.

University applications take place towards the end of September. Students apply through the admission centers. All states have their own admission centre to cater for the universities of that state. For example UAC (University Admission Center) caters for all ACT and NSW universities. All ACT year 12 students will be issued with a UAC guide. Victoria utilises VTAC; South Australia uses SATAC and so forth. Guides from other states are usually available at big newsagencies. Griffith newsagency orders a number of copies of all guides for our students. Each state is independent so a student can apply at a NSW university as well as a Victorian one and be offered two places, one for each state.

Applications are usually via the web or by phone.

Students should check out the web sites before they apply to see what courses are offered and by which unis.

Web sites are:-

NSW & ACT - www.uac.edu.au

Victoria - www.vtac.edu.au

South Australia - www.satac.edu.au

Western Australia - www.tisc.edu.au

Queensland - www.qtac.edu.au

Northern Territory - www.ntu.edu.au

Tasmania direct to University of Tasmania - www.utas.edu.au

CIT Canberra Institute of Technology - www.cit.act.edu.au

In Student Services we also have the Career Builder and Myfuture computer programs that help with career choices.

Websites useful to career information, application writing and resume writing are:

www.myfuture.edu.au

Course score calculations (80% Rule)

(BSSS Policy Manual 3.3.5.2)

• Students are awarded a course score for each T Course completed. These scores indicate the relative ranking of students within a group and are not designed to show a level of achievement in that course.
• Course scores are not reported on the ACT Year 12 Certificate. Scaled scores for T Courses are reported on the Tertiary Entrance Statement.
• The distribution shape and the rank order of the group given by the college are maintained.

The premises for calculating and reporting course scores are:

• course scores should be based on unit scores reported over the duration of the student's
• program of study
• at the Moderation Scaling Group level all units are to be of equal weight
• at the individual student level there should be discounting of lower unit scores
• the same method of calculation should be used by all colleges
• the final course ranking and spacing reflected in the course scores should be validated by professional judgement
• principals are responsible for ensuring that the course scores reflect the relative
• achievement of students in the course.

For all course types (minor, major, minor/major, double major), the top 80% of available unit
scores are to be used to calculate the course score. Once a course type is met any additional
units may contribute to course score calculation. Therefore, course scores will be based on the highest calculation determined from the following methods:

• Top 80% of the number units for minimum course requirements in that college
• Top 80% of all units completed by the student within that course…

Special attention should be given to the ranking provided by the course score of a student who
is eligible for special consideration (which may include the awarding of status) at any time
during a course.

2010 80% rule for students GAINING a ATAR - college explanation

The rules for calculating course scores have changed in a positive way and will apply from 2007 onwards for Year 11 and Year 12. Previously, a student's course score could potentially drop if they enrolled in an extra unit having already completed a course (minor, major, major-minor or double major) and achieved a low score in that unit.

Now, a student's course score cannot drop by completing more than the minimum requirements for a course, provided they do not raise the course type to the next level (ie from a minor to a major, or a major to a major-minor, etc). For example, if a student completes a major comprising 3.5 standard units by the end of session 2 in Year 12, they could complete an extra unit in Session 3 Year 12 to give 4.0 standard units. A course score calculation will be made based on the best 80% of the first 3.5 standard units (the minimum course requirement) and a second calculation will be made on the best 80% of the whole 4.0 standard units and whichever course score is better will count. This will be extended to all additional units over the minimum course requirement provided the next course type is not reached.

Best 80% of units calculated

Whichever is the best 80% calculation is the final course score.

For Year 12 students enrolling in the final session this means under the conditions above your course score cannot drop by completing an extra unit(s). This removes the dilemma of whether to enrol in a unit or whether to complete it for fear of lowering you scores. We encourage you to complete the full two years of study as any of the final units contain very useful material and are often some of the more interesting in the course.