160728
1 November 2016 Senior secondary Number: 078/16
QCAA contact with schools about subject achievement indicators (SAIs)
Purpose
To advise schools that a staff member with responsibility for final decisions about Year 12 subject achievement indicators (SAIs) must be nominated and available to speak to the QCAA staff until Tuesday 6 December 2016.
Background
Once the QCAA receives data submission 5 on Thursday 24 November 2016, officers from the Analysis and Reporting Branch will check all SAI data that will be used to produce Tertiary Entrance Statements.
Schools with Year 12 students are asked to ensure that a staff member responsible for SAIs is available for telephone discussions with QCAA officers, who may have questions about aspects of the school’s SAI distributions. The officers may also ask for folios of student work.
This staff member must be able to convey information to other school staff and implement decisions as the QCAA is unable to talk to teachers of individual subjects about SAIs. (A staff member responsible only for data entry is NOT a suitable contact person.)
Information
The QCAA expects that schools use BonSAI_2014 to assign and check SAIs. BonSAI_2014 is the only program produced or endorsed by the QCAA to help with assigning and checking SAIs.
The program and an easy-to-follow user guide are available at
www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/tertiary-entrance/sais-bonsai. Schools that have not installed BonSAI_2014 should do so immediately. If QCAA staff call to discuss SAIs, it will facilitate the checking process if the school contact person uses BonSAI_2014.
Five short video tutorials and six factsheets about using BonSAI_2014 to assign and check SAIs are also available to help schools. They can also be accessed at
www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/tertiary-entrance/sais-bonsai. The factsheets include information about SAIs and BonSAI_2014, how the QCAA checks SAIs, and what schools should do if they are contacted by the QCAA about SAIs. Please pay particular attention to Factsheet 5.
During the checking process, QCAA officers make comparisons between SAIs and the information on Forms R6. In recent years, potential problems identified with SAIs have often actually been the result of inaccurate information on Forms R6. Ensuring these forms are completed properly and checked carefully will reduce these problems and the likelihood of the QCAA needing to call the school.
Memo
Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority
Memo
QCAA contact with schools about subject achievement indicators (SAIs)
Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority 1 November 2016 Page 2 of 2
What you need to do
• Enter the details of the 2016 school SAI contact person in the online SAI school contact form (www.naplan.qcaa.qld.edu.au/naplan/saicontact.jsp). Details must be entered by 5pm Monday 14 November 2016.
• Ensure the contact person is available until Tuesday 6 December 2016 and is able to view all the school’s SAI distributions in BonSAI_2014.
Finding out more
Please email Margaret Veerman at [email protected], or phone 3864 0363.
Wayne Poole
Assistant Director, Analysis and Reporting Branch
