REPORT OF THE BOARD OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDIES
TO THE
HONOURABLE THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION
In accordance with the provisions of Section 39 of the Education (Senior Secondary Schools Studies) Act 1988 and the Financial Administration and Audit Act 1977-1988, I hereby submit to you the First Annual Report of the Board of Senior Secondary School Studies. The Report covers the twelve months ended 31 December 1989.
K.E. Imison Chairman
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ANNUAL REPORT
I. INTRODUCTION
With the enactment at the end of 1988 of the Education (Senior Secondary School Studies) Act 1988, the year 1989 saw some major changes, some largely symbolic, others more substantial.
Hitherto, the Board had operated as the Board of Secondary School Studies, within the Education Act. From 1989, however, the Board was reconstituted as the Board of Senior Secondary School Studies, but under an Act of its own, one which contained some other changes, including:
a strong emphasis on the upper secondary level, with a maintenance only role for the Junior Certificate;
a re-structured Board, with a more broadly based membership, drawn from new areas such as industry and commerce;
specific provision for certain committees, already in existence; and
a range of provisions facilitating the types of activity normally conducted by statutory authorities, including some which had evolved over the life of the Board.
These changes have helped the new Board, depicted in a membership list and a photograph elsewhere in the Report and which was formally established on 6 February, better to fulfil, both in perceptual and in practical terms, its key role in maintaining and enhancing the quality of secondary education throughout the State, in government and non-government schools alike. In brief and general terms, it does this by
managing the production of syllabuses.for a wide range of subjects;
assessing a wide range of subjects for which the syllabuses have been written by the school(s) concerned;
reviewing the procedures employed by schools for the teaching and assessment of subjects;
maintaining records of the performance of each student and issuing a certificate (Junior or Senior) based on those results; and
calculating for each eligible student at the Senior level an index of overall achievement (TE Score), used for the purpose of the student's application for entry to an institution of higher education.
In this connection, the Board would like to set on record its appreciation of the major contributions by a large number of people, individually and/or as a member of one or more of the large number of committees listed in this Report, employed in the schools and elsewhere, without whose support the Board would be unable to function, particularly in view of its emphasis on peer assessment and review involving, annually, hundreds of meetings, many in locations remote from the Board's Brisbane office.
The starling establishment had been under review for some time; however, during this period, the need for a staff re-organisation was becoming increasingly pressing. By the end of the year, with the assistance of external consultants, a more effective structure had been developed, and recruitment action had almost been completed.
Other sections of this Report identify in greater detail both the modus operandi of the , Board and the issues with which it was concerned during 1989. These are, however, two : issues of on-going and major significance worthy of note at this point.
Firstly, for a variety of reasons, including the high and increasing proportion of students . continuing beyond Year 10, the Board completed a review, initiated by its predecessor, of the need for, and nature of the Junior Certificate. It concluded, in essence, that there was a continuing need for such an award, but with certain operational changes. A report was made to government, but a decision was awaited at the end of the year, both on the award itself and on the nature of its administration.
Secondly, the Board had been administering for many years a Tertiary Entrance Score system and was well advanced with a major review when a new government was elected at the end of 1989, with a commitment to change this system. The Board stands ready to assist in the development of a suitable alternative. In the meantime, the year ended on a successful note, with far fewer queries from the public, particularly on 1989 TE Scores.
II. ON-GOING ACTIVITIES
Certain activities are central to the Board's operations and, by tradition, have been the subject of regular reporting. These are covered in this section.
RE-ACCREDITATION OF WORK PROGRAMS IN SENIOR BOARD SUBJECTS Accreditation of work programs is a periodic process and 1989 marked the beginning of the second accreditation cycle under ROSBA. Work programs were to be developed from the 1987 Board syllabuses and then accredited for four years.
Some difficulties were experienced as schools were required to move towards the ideal model of criteria-based assessment.
While more than 90 per cent of work programs have been considered by District Review Panels, only approximately 50 per cent of school submissions have been forwarded to State Review Panels for the final stage in the accreditation process. Meetings of school representatives and District Review Panels have been organised for February 1990 so that more effective discussion, clarification and modification can be facilitated.
BOARD-REGISTERED SUBJECTS
Board-registered subjects are developed by individual schools to meet a need felt by the school. School work programs for these subjects are developed along guidelines provided by the Board and submitted for accreditation. Levels of Achievement in these subjects are recorded on Board certificates.
In 1989, approximately 16 per cent of Senior students were doing 'hybrid courses', that is a mixture of subjects from the three categories Board, Board-registered, and Recorded such that they did not fulfil the requirements for eligibility for the TE Score. Five years ago this figure was 3.5 per cent. These figures signify, amongst other things, a marked increase in take-up of Board-registered subjects.
SYLLABUSES
Eight syllabuses completed various stages of development and approval in 1989.
Seven schools implemented the Junior Syllabus in Chinese with Year 9 students during the first year of the formal trial of the syllabus throughout 1989. An additional five schools were approved to enter the trial in 1990 with Year 9 students while two additional schools were approved to enter the trial in 1990 with Year 8 students.
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n ormal rate with the thirteen schools.
I pilot with Year 11 students only m 1990.
T h i r t y- f o u r schools implemented the i g ^ ^ ^ K S J S S M
Trevealed that there was a neector » H y^ ^ t l 5 ^ r ! 2 « to? S S a r e "eachers for the subject and that some w e f e c o n v e y ed
pilot with Year 11 students only in 1990.
approximately 1 500 students in Year 12.
j f r r r ^z^sxrs'SS. lapses
tlial/piloting the re-written syllabus during 1991 and 1992.
T\ e interim evaluation report of the trial/pilot of the Junta^SyHabus ^ ^ S S ^
trial/pilot.
As a result of a successful trial/pilot throughout 1987 end l 9 8 M n e Senior Syllabus in Study of Religion was approved for general implementation in 1990.
seventeenschools throughout Queensland were approved to enter Ihe tnalfoM.
A start was made to combine the Senior Syllabus in Speech and Drama with the Sen,or Syllabus in Theatre to form a new Senior Syllabus in Drama.
Amajor review of Senior Health and ^
Education Advisory Committee.
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Schools were also surveyed in relation to the desirability and feasibility of developing a Senior Syllabus in the area of business studies and in relation to a possible major revision of Senior Home Economics.
In October and November, two-day conferences for teachers from schools involved in each of the trials and pilots of Board syllabuses were held. Previously, such conferences had been limited to one day. The two-day format proved to be popular with teachers and of great benefit in developing syllabuses and appropriate standards of assessment in the new subjects. Over 300 people from schools, subject advisory committees and review panels participated in the conferences.
It was decided that all Senior syllabuses will be revised in two overlapping six-year periods Approximately half the Senior syllabuses will be revised by the end of 1991 The remainder will be revised by the end of 1994.
REVIEW OFFICERS
In 1989, there were fifteen review officers seconded to. but paid by the Board primarily to assist in the procedures required for accreditation and certification. In performing their duties, review officers are required to liaise with district and State review panels to visit schools and facilitate the review of those aspects of work programs associated with the performance of practical work, and to facilitate review towards certification of student achievement. In accreditation of work programs developed from the 1987 Senior Board syllabuses, review officers were instrumental in assisting schools to meet the established time-lines for the submission of work programs for review panel consideration.
The subject areas covered by the review officers in 1989 were English, Foreign Languages History, Geography, Economics, Mathematics, Science, Manual Arts Art Home Economics, the Performing Arts, Health and Physical Education, Music, Accounting and Commercial subjects.
DISTRICT BOARD AGENTS
The district Board agents, representing the Board of Senior Secondary School Studies and facilitating within the districts the processes of accreditation and certification, functioned under the guidelines laid down by the Office of the Board.
To perform their duties, the agents are required to: liaise with the principals of schools in the district; arrange consultancy for schools when identified; maintain district panel registers; liaise with review officers; and assist in the organisation of district review panel meetings.
The close contact between the district Board agents and schools has increased the efficiency of the Board's interaction with schools.
SENIOR DATA C A P T U R E SYSTEM
The Senior Data Capture Sytem. previously known as the Senior Student Assessment Scheme, continued to be enthusiastically received by schools. In 1989, enhancements were made to the software to enable capture of Year 11 student data for the school's records.
E X T E R N A L EXAMINATIONS
In 1989 candidates for the external examinations were able to select from twenty-four Senior and fourteen Junior subjects.
The Senior external examinations attracted enrolments from 3 823 candidates which was consistent with previous years, but there was a continued decline in the number of Junior candidates. As in 1988, Junior Geography and Home Economics failed to attract any candidates. Other subjects attracted minimal numbers of candidates.
Candidates were offered a choice of 148 centres at which to sit (136 country and 12 metropolitan) and provision was also made for examinations to be conducted at interstate and overseas centres. Students with special requirements were occasionally accommodated at centres ranging from private residences to hospitals and State prisons.
Additional personnel, including 289 supervisors, 44 chief examiners, 56 assessors, and 132 assistant examiners (markers), were required for the examination period.
Certificates were issued to 3 226 Senior candidates and 214 Junior candidates, each of these numbers representing a reduction on the previous year's figures of 3 480 and 262 respectively.
ISSUE OF SENIOR C E R T I F I C A T E S
Senior Certificates and TE Scores were posted on Friday, 15 December 1989.
31 525 students received Senior Certificates and 26 216 received TE Scores. Equivalent TE Scores were issued to 310 visa students.
The minimum TE Score was 505 and the median 750. The figures for 1988 were 460 and 730, respectively. The increase in the median and minimum TE Scores was due to two factors:
i. the larger number of students allocated to each TE Score band because of the increase in the size of the State's 17-year-old population;
ii. the larger number of ineligible students: 5308 students (or 16.8 per cent of the Year 12 population) in 1989, compared with 4446 (or 14.5 per cent) in 1988.
Three toll-free 008 telephone lines were installed to assist students who had not received their certificates by Tuesday. 19 December. The lines operated on two days - 1 9 and 20 December - and were staffed from 8.00 am until 5.00 pm. These lines operated concurrently with the usual Board telephone lines. A total of 945 people availed themselves of the 008 service provided by the Board.
Free replacement certificates will be issued to students who received a damaged original and to those who have not received their certificate by 2 January 1990.
APPEALS
i. Appeals by schools
In recognition of the diversity of the types of schools offering secondary education and of the characteristics of the Year 12 population, the (then) Board of Secondary School Studies set up an Appeals Committee to consider applications from those schools which felt that standard procedures for TE Score compilation were not appropriate to them. The present Board has retained the Appeals Committee with the same functions and powers. A total of 22 schools made submissions to the Board in 1989. The appeals could be classified into three categories:
i. the Common Scaling Test (CST) mean underestimated the students' abilities;
ii. the subject was unique because of its nature, the way it was taught or the characteristics of its population;
iii. the school was unique because of the composition of its student population.
On the advice of the Appeals Committee, special procedures for TE Score compilation were applied to three schools.
ii. Appeals by students
Students were allowed four weeks from the date of posting of Senior Certificates to apply to have the information on their Senior Certificate (including levels of achievement) and TE Scores verified. Appeals close on 12 January 1990 although allowance will be made to process all applications received on the following Monday (15 January).
All appeals had to be initiated by the students concerned. After the Board ascertains that there is no calculation error, the student's application is referred to the school in the case of an internal student, or to the subject's Chief Examiner in the case of an ' external student. Changes to levels of achievement (both internal and external) are made only after a review of the student's examination paper or folio of work. Some changes to TE Scores are consequential upon changes to the students' levels of achievement although a change to the level of achievement does not necessarily lead to a change in the TE Score. Definitive information on the number of changes made to levels of achievement and TE Scores will not be available until early in 1990, after schools have resumed.
INFORMATION AND PUBLICATIONS
Most of the publications prepared and produced this year centred around the introduction of the Writing Task which combined with ASAT to form this year's Common Scaling Test (CST). They included: The Common Scaling Test - Directions for Administration:
Administrative Procedures for the Marking Operation: and Instructions Manual for Chief Markers and Markers for the Marking Operation.
The pamphlet, A.S.A.T. A n Explanation o f The A u s t r a l i a n Scholastic A p t i t u d e Test was updated and a new pamphlet called The Writing t a s k . I n f o r m a t i o n f o r Students was produced and distributed to all secondary schools.
Pamphlets on the Tertiary Entrance Score, updated in 1988, proved popular once again and many were distributed to interested parties who had general enquiries of the system.
The Office of the Board once again supported the annual Tertiary Studies Expo held at Brisbane City Hall in mid-June. In addition, staff from the Board's Tertiary Entrance Unit visited a number of schools and spoke at-public forums on all aspects of Senior assessment, especially assigning SSAs and compilation of the TE Score.
Throughout the period of administration of the Common Scaling Test and during the lead- up to the issuing of Senior Certificates and TE Score, the Board engaged a media monitoring service.
TERTIARY ENTRANCE
For many years, one of the Board's principal responsibilities has been the administration of procedures designed to produce a statewide order of merit list for people seeking admission to tertiary education. The procedures have been refined progressively, and are relatively complex, mainly in order to maximise validity and minimise any unfairness. In 1989, the new Board and its staff resumed a major review of the process, but had not finalised it by the time of the change of government in December. In view of the policy of the new government to conduct a major independent review, the Board discontinued its own review, but forwarded a statement to the Minister which emphasised the Board's wish to implement a new process, retaining the strengths of the existing one but incorporating a number of changes aimed at meeting legitimate criticisms. This statement volunteered assistance in the new review.
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t h ~ statement reflected lengthy deliberations which had led to the development of views I .n% w diTrange of facets V d in a context of producing significant changes a . m e d ^
- i ^ n i n n thp verv real strenqths of the existing system while minimising current T o n ems TrS s t a m e n S w l a s under three categories: those which the Board
^ S r e n d o r s e c f b y r S t i o n ; those on which there was general agreement but no formal endorsement; and those which required further discussion.
The formally endorsed recommendations included:
issue of a "student profile" which would be more than a mere statement of exit levels
• o, achtevement in specified subjects and could cover generic abilities wh.ch underhe the entire Senior curriculum;
in recognition of the Board's statutory responsibility to provide r a n| < or dh e; j ^ or the purpose of tertiary entrance, issue of such statements within bands of such S a X e r m i t appropriate discrimination within the rank order but discourage . meir widespread use as the single criterion for tertiary entrance - this r a n k o der approach1sPseen as an interim measure, pending development of more appropriate tertiary entrance procedures not in conflict with school-based assessment.
development of more valid procedures for the incorporation of external and mixed- mode students within the system.
The generally supported notions included:
continuation of the present type of mechanism (currently administered through the.
Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre), but with certain machmery changes to p S e more decis7on-making time for students between the dates of release, oI Year
12 results and of commencement of the ensuing tertiary education academic year.
retention of the existing system until a better one can be put in place, with suitable
• advance not 2 and a reasonable guaranteed life-span. The new systemi also could not offer more than any two of the three characteristics of simphcity economy and S n e s s It should place heavy reliance on appropriately scaled school results as part of a "student profile" designed to encourage the use of more than a single Criterion for tertiary entrance, and all the criteria should be pubhc knowledge.
Other aspects considered by the Board included:
the name, nature and compilation procedures for the new rank order to be developed;
the possible changes in the levels of achievement system, including the method of its recording on certificates;
the nature of the generic abilities to be tested and the methods of their testing and recording.
At the same time the Board recognises its responsibilities to the many students who will c o m p l e t e T e a l 1 2 in 1990 and 1991, and reserves the right to implement changes a,med at enhancing the existing system.
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III. SPECIAL ITEMS
Certain other activities proved to be of special interest during 1989. Two of these related in detail below, were a continuation of 1988 initiatives.
THE WRITING TASK
The Writing Task was the Board's major initiative for 1989.
S ' w ^ l f (°r m e r M i n i s t e r's endorsement of a recommendation by the Working Partv on, Tertiary Entrance (Tertiary Entrance in Queensland: A Review Report oHhe S ? r t ~ M ^ T T ^ T V E n t r a n C 6' C h a i r : Jonn A- P i t m a n. 1987), the W h t K a s k was pur^e^TE7ScT co^ErT 1 9 8 9 » *» C°™°" S ^ T « ^ t T e 5 ™ e n d a t i o n s concerning the design and marking of WT were made by a Steerina Committee consisting of people well-versed in test design together with teachers olEna ish at both tertiary and secondary levels. The work of the S t L i n g
discussed ,n the 1988 Annual Report) proved to be invaluable in s^ng^the parameSrs for markfnn 'JrfT^ V ™ " 9 ^ t 6 S t sPe c i f i^ t i o n s . the criteria9 a n d S a ds o marking, and the instructions to candidates.
d ecisions were made by the Board on the recommendation of the Steering Committee, they were mainly "in-principle" decisions. Details reqardina the ac ua^
organisation of WT were worked out by staff of the Board. r e9a rO 'n9 the actual Preparation for the test
I l ^ iah W cP ahp e? W 6 r e Sun t t 0 a" S C h 0 0 l s p r i o r 1 0 t h e a c , u a l s i t t i n9 0' WT Also made
aiab e 'o schools were the criteria and standards to be used by marke s to assess student work and the test specifications as provided for the test setters; A O L ^ T H ! Writing Task. Information f o r Students was distributedI widely
tShoCfn,|iiW a S B°a r d'S d e l i b e r a t e d ecision to have WT set and marked in Queensland
WT, the chief markers, ,n turn, conducted briefing sessions for markers o r t o r T ^ P commencement of marking but after the sitting of WT. markers prior to the Test design
™ f ° * e! es d e s' 9n aHows students freedom in selecting their personal best °esoonSP
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The marking operation-.- - •
Thicy-five chief markers and 225 markers were selected. More than 250 persons were successful in the marker trials. However, resources limited the number of non-metropolitan markers who could be used. An airline pilots' dispute further limited the number of non- metropolitan markers able to attend. A controlling group of five conducted agreement trials and gave advice on standards during the. marking operation. The chief markers acted as the conduit between the Board administrators and the markers.
The administration of the test was both technically sophisticated and labour-intensive.
27000 scripts had to be properly identified, coded, distributed "randomly" and allocated to folders, recorded, transported, and each marked four times by markers working independently. The work was split between the Board's office and the marking venue, Kelvin Grove State High School auditorium.
Barcode technology was used for the first time by any Australian certification authority. The specifications were developed by staff and a contract was let for the development of the necessary computer software. Board programmers developed the software for interfacing WT assessments with ASAT data.
Marking commenced on the Friday evening after the Tuesday when WT was administered to students. The marking was conducted over a period of eight consecutive days with the bulk being accomplished on Saturday, Sunday (day and night) plus the evenings of the working days of the following week.
A process of monitoring marker consistency was developed by a staff member who also wrote and tested the necessary computer software. The analysis was based on the extent to which a particular marker contributed to or detracted from the overall marking consistency. Thus markers who were out-of-step could be identified.
Where there were inconsistencies in marking, the folders were given to a chief marker to organise further marking, if necessary. Further to this, the marker was consulted and required to undertake an agreement trial. Where inconsistencies continued to occur, the marker was referred to the overall supervisor for consultation. A set of marks identified as 'unsatisfactory' was not used in the determination of students' WT results. On the whole markers were very consistent. Some fifth and even sixth markings were carried out in relatively few cases.
A few difficult marking decisions arose from illegible handwriting, offensive language, uncertainty with regard to relevance of the piece of writing to the stimulus material, and uncertainty with regard to the acceptability of the length of the response. Referral was made in the first instance by a marker to the chief marker responsible for the group. If the chief marker could not make a ruling, the matter was referred to a member of the controlling group.
The marking hall was divided into four areas (red, blue, green and yellow), defined by coloured flags. Each marker was assigned to exactly one colour. Each crate containing folders of student scripts visited each colour area once and was marked only once while it was there. Thus no marker could mark the same piece of work twice.
Also, each marker was informed as to whether to mark folders forward or backward throughout the entire marking operation. Thus the so-called "halo-effect" in marking could . be reduced.
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Marking
The type of marking used for the Queensland Writing Task is holistic assessment based on a cluster of broad criteria. Only one grading is given to a piece of writing, but the grading is based on specified criteria without assigning an individual grading to each of the criteria. This is not the same as pure holistic assessment which is also known as general impression marking where only one grading is given relating to the overall quality of writing.
The marking scale is a six-point scale with +,o, - qualifiers. Marking decisions are made in two stages reflected in the placement of marks onto the marksheet. This involves firstly, peeling off a label with a number (1 to 6, with 1 being the highest) on it and placing it in the appropriate column, and secondly peeling off a label with a qualifier ( + , o, -) on it and placing it in the appropriate column beside the student number. Markers were not expected to mark to a set speed or to reach a set quota per session. They were paid at paper rate.
After the test
Total scores for the CST were calculated as a 3:1 combination of scores on the ASAT multiple-choice test and the new Writing Task. Group scores obtained on the CST were used to scale school-based assessments for the purpose of calculating TE Scores.
An evaluation was conducted after the event as there were some theoretical issues that the Board had not - and could not - address fully, and whose validity could be checked out only using real data.
It aimed to: obtain feedback from school administrators as regards the practicality of the timing of ASAT and WT; gauge school reactions to the concept of WT as part of CST;
gauge school reactions to the test itself; gauge student reactions to the test itself; test the hypothesis that the stimulus material was biased in favour of one group or another; test the hypothesis that markers favoured some genres over others; obtain a more accurate picture of the pace of marking and the factors influencing it; obtain direct feedback on the practicality of criteria-based holistic assessment; obtain direct feedback on the suitability of the marking criteria and standards; obtain direct feedback from schools of the relevance of WT to the school curriculum.
The information gathered was analysed and will be used, where necessary, to refine the marking organisation for future years.
An analysis of the impact of the Writing Task will be published early in 1990.
The Director, who was also overall supervisor of the marking operation, recorded his sincere thanks to the staff for a job well done under quite difficult circumstances. These will be eased somewhat in future years by the appointment of staff as approved in the recent State budget. He also thanked the markers, chief markers and controlling group members for their professional involvement in an historic event - an occasion whereby much was learned about statewide testing of writing abilities of the senior school population.
ANOMALY DETECTION
A range of anomaly detection procedures was developed by the Board in 1988 for checking Ihe use of standard scaling procedures in calculating students' TE Scores. These procedures were again applied in 1989. Further work was done to improve the detection of possibly discrepant gaps in Special Subject Assessments (SSAs).
The data disk from every school was analysed by computer to identify anomalies or potentially excessive gaps in SSA distributions for subject-groups within the school.
As in 1988, a school data set where there seemed to be evidence of an identifiable and remediable anomaly was referred to the Appeals Committee.
The aim of the TE Score calculation procedures is to ensure that students' TE Scores ARE affected by their individual achievements and ARE NOT affected by virtue of their membership of a group. In practice, the procedures achieve this aim at least 85 per cent successfully - students' TE Scores are dominated by how well they achieve individually.
An anomaly is, therefore, a situation where the resulting TE Scores would be noticeably affected by some group characteristics.
The measures used to detect potential anomalies were similar to previous years, with the addition of a jackknife estimation of the standard error in a school's Rescaled Aggregate Scores. This noise estimation was used to flag any schools where the noise level was, for its size and based on the distribution of these values in 1988, unusually high.
A second addition to these procedures was explicit monitoring of the gaps in the SSAs assigned by schools. Where the numerical analysis suggested the presence of potentially inappropriate gaps in an SSA distribution, a check was made on the information from the review procedures to determine whether contact should be made with the school. In some cases, amended sets of SSAs were received.
A new procedure was developed for checks after the issue of TE Scores to test the basis for any concern that a particular student's TE Score was preternaturally low in terms of the Senior Certificate held by that student. The set of TE Scores and average Levels of Achievement of all other students in the entire file who studied the same or very similar set of Board subjects was analysed to determine whether there was evidence that the student in question was seriously misplaced. Where there was such evidence, which was, in turn, supported by evidence available through the review procedures, correction was made.
AUSTRALIAN C O N F E R E N C E O F A S S E S S M E N T AND CERTIFYING AUTHORITIES The 1989 Australasian Conference of Assessment and Certifying Authorities (ACACA) was held in Darwin from August 1 to 4 and hosted by the Northern Territory Board of Studies.
The conference was attended by thirty people and included representatives and observers from all States and Territories, as well as from the Pacific Basin. The focus of the conference was on tertiary entrance. Guest speakers included: Mr G. Spring, from the NT Board of Studies, who spoke on initiatives in national curriculum planning; Professor J.
Thomson, from the NT University, who presented a paper for a session on tertiary entrance (at which John Pitman also spoke); Professor W.G. Walker, from the Australian Management College, who delivered an address on business and education; Mr A. Ruby and Mr T. Wyatt, from the NSW Department of Education, who, together, spoke on performance indicators within the Australian context; Mr C. Walker, from the NT Department of Education, who outlined the National Indonesian Curriculum Project; Mr J. Kennedy and Mr J. Wilson, from the Asian Studies Council; and Mr T. Mercurio, who spoke about the National Assessment Framework for Languages at Senior Secondary Level (NAFLaSSL).
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The Director and the Principal Review Officer represented the Board. The Director's State report to the conference focused on a number of key events during the year: the new Education Act and its implications for the Board; syllabus development; issuing of Junior and Senior Certificates in 1988; the expansion of the Senior Data Capture system; major publications produced during the year; the findings on the review of Junior Certification; the Writing Task; and anomaly detection procedures. In addition, the Director presented a paper entitled Secondary to T e r t i a r y • M a n a g i n g the T r a n s i t i o n , a perspective of tertiary entrance in Queensland.
These conferences afford an excellent opportunity for bodies like the Board to share information, problems and perceptions, and have been held regularly for some years.
The 1990 Conference is scheduled for Brisbane.
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT
The fifteenth annual conference of IAEA, originally scheduled for Beijing, was held in Sydney in November 1989. Twenty-seven papers were delivered by educators from the UK, the USA, Malaysia, the Bahamas, Uganda, Hong Kong, Malawi, Israel, Iraq, Sweden, NZ and Australia. Queensland was well represented with six presentations.
The paper by John Pitman, the Board's Director, was entitled The Secondary • Tertiary Interface: the Need for a New Perspective. Reg Allen, from the Board's Tertiary Entrance Unit, addressed the conference on Continuous Quality Control of Written Expression Maries • A New Technique. Graham Maxwell from the Education Faculty of the University of Queensland, and Chairman of the Board's Tertiary Entrance Sub- Committee, delivered a paper which he had written in conjunction with Reg Allen, Investigating the stability of general achievement scaling through perturbation analysis.
Based on a research study conducted at the Board while the author (now a lecturer at BCAE School of Teacher Education) held the position of Research Assistant, Joy Cumming's paper carried the title Report on a s t u d y o f the setting a n d m a r k i n g of a w r i t i n g task. The remaining two papers with Queensland authors, while not directly related to work conducted by Board staff or through Board committees, were delivered by people closely associated with the Board's activities. There was a second paper by Graham Maxwell and one by Bruce McBryde, a researcher from the Queensland Department of Education who is also a member of the Board's Tertiary Entrance Sub- Committee. Both of these papers related to selection for higher education, the theme for the conference.
The challenge of that theme led the assessment experts through topics ranging from achievement tests to aptitude tests to spacial tests, all encapsulated, in the Australian context at least, by the first part of the title of the speech by David Hester, Classics Department, University of Adelaide, "Same Problem, Different Solutions..."
IV. CONCLUSION
By the end of the year, the new Board had settled down and feels confident about its capacity to address the issues which will confront it from either side of the secondary/tertiary education interface.
A. FUNCTIONS AND POWERS OF THE BOARD
The functions of the Board of Senior Secondary School Studies shall be - (a) to advise the Minister on senior secondary education;
(b) to issue Senior Certificates and, until otherwise determined, Junior Certificates, and such other certificates for senior secondary education as the Minister may approve from time to time, in accordance with the regulations;
(c) to maintain syllabuses for those subjects currently designated Board subjects on Junior Certificates until otherwise determined;
(d) to approve syllabuses for those subjects developed by schools, school systems, authorities, other institutions or the Board itself which are designated, or are to be designated, Board subjects on the Senior Certificate;
(e) to approve work programs for those subjects which are designated, or are to be designated, Board or Board registered subjects on the Senior Certificate and, until otherwise determined, for those subjects which are designated Board or Board registered subjects, on the Junior Certificate;
(f) to determine procedures and undertake such arrangements as are deemed necessary for -
i. the assessment of students in relation to Board subjects for the award of Senior Certificates and, until otherwise determined, Junior Certificates;
ii. the recording of results in Board subjects, Board registered subjects and recorded subjects on Senior Certificates issued to students; and
iii. until otherwise determined, the recording of results in Board subjects and Board registered subjects on Junior Certificates issued to students;
(g) to appoint, pursuant to .the provisions of this Division, a moderation committee and subject advisory committees, and to appoint such other committees as it deems necessary from time to time to assist it to perform its functions;
(h) to arrange with the Department and with such schools, persons and authorities as it thinks fit for the services of suitable persons as moderators for such periods and on such terms (including payment of salaries, fees and allowances, if any) as the Governor in Council may from time to time determine;
(i) to confer and collaborate with the Department, school systems, authorities, schools and other institutions, as it sees fit, in the performance of its functions and the
• exercise of its powers;
(j) to make recommendations to the Minister with respect to the annual appropriation of funds required for the purpose of adequately performing its functions;
(k) to make by-laws pursuant to the provisions of section 7;
(I) to direct and control the work of staff appointed to the Board in order to fulfill the Board's functions;
FUNCTIONS AND POWERS OF THE BOARD
(m) to furnish to the Minister as soon as practicable, but not more tha' four months after . 31 December in each year, a report of its work and activities dur'ng the year;
(n) to advise the Minister on principles relating to tertiary entrance;
(o) to undertake such procedures in relation to tertiary entrance, as the Minister may from time to time direct.
The Board shall have and may exercise such powers and authorities as are incidental to the proper discharge by it of any of its functions under this Act, including the powers and authorities to -
(a) produce materials in the performance of its functions and, with the approval of the Minister first had and obtained, to enter into an agreement with any person or body to sell such materials;
(b) impose and collect fees and charges for issuing Junior Certificates, Senior Certificates, and such other certificates for senior secondary education as are approved from time to time, or for any services associated with performance of its functions, such fees and charges being subject to the approval of the Governor in
• Council;
(c) enter into, with the approval of the Minister first had and obtained, an agreement with any person or body for leasing premises as accommodation for the Board.
B. MEMBERSHIP OF THE BOARD
Chairman, appointed by the Governor in Council Kenneth Imison, BA (Hons) MEd (Hons) Nominees of the Director-General of Education
Kenneth Robertson, BEd MEdAdmin PhD Denis Frederiksen, BEd BEcon
Robert McHugh, BA
Representatives of Teachers' Unions
John Walsh, BSc (Hons) GradDipLibSc BEd Phillip Adam, BA BEd GradDipEdAdmin Nominee of the Board of Teacher Registration
John Browning, BA (Hons) MA
Representaties of Community Groups involved in Education John McDonald
Robert Moritz, DipElectEng Patricia Waldby
Nominee of the Minister for Employment, Training and Industrial Affairs Peter Burroughs, BEdSt MEd, FACE (to September)
Peter Henneken, BBus BA (from November) Representatives of Institutions of Higher Education
Professor Diana Davis, BA MA DipEd BEd PhD, MAPsS D. Royce Sadler, LittB BSc BEd PhD
Representative of the Industry and Commerce Sectors Arthur Mosely
Vacancy
Representatives of non-State Secondary Schools Maxwell Howell, A.M., BA BEd MEdAdmin, FACE, FAIQ Garry Everett, BA MEd
Director of the Board
John Pitman, BSc BEd MA, ARACI, FACE
^COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD .
l ^ d e j ^ o j i £ f f l r n m i n ^ e . Functions and Powers
. to perform on behalf of the Board such functions as are necessary to give effect to '• the B o a ^ s policies regarding procedures for moderation.
, t o keep the Board informed about current assessment practices in Queensland
schools;
B. to advise the Board of persons qualified to act in various moderation capacities;
i v. to advise the Board on such matters as the Board refers to it.
Membership Chairman - Director
(5) State Review Panel Chairmen
(2) SAC Chairmen
(3) Board Members
(3) Sub-Committee Chairmen
Teacher/Subject Master in Senior School
Deputy Principal in Senior School
Principal in Senior School Tertiary Educator
Secretary to the Board (Secretary)
Mr J. Pitman Mr F. Fulton, B21 Mrs S. Crawford, A11 Mr M. Maher, B1 Mr R. Fehlberg, B3 Mrs F. Vickers, B10
Mr E. Siebuhr, Mathematics Mr D. Hanly, Arts
Mr P. Henneken Mr R. Moritz (vacancy) Br L. Charlton Mr N. McBrien Mr G. Maxwell
Mr J. Ridd, Innisfail SHS
Mr J. Breakspear, Trinity College
Mr P. Coughlin, Bremer SHS Dr R. Elliott, BCAE
Mr I. Creighton
Sub-Committees of the Moderation Committee Review ProcerinrAQ g . . h . rn r n m i t t r r
Functions
L S o S u r e s ; m M throu9hout *e a r t 0 r e v i e w all aspects of review
! , ° n S °r ,rhV i 6 W Pr o c e d u r e s a d° P t e d by District and State Review Panels and report
findings with recommendations to the Moderation Committee; P iii. to respond to requests from the Moderation Committee.
Membership
Chairman - Principal. Review Officer Coordinator
(2) State Review Panel Chairmen (3) Teachers in Senior School
Secretary (a Coordinator)
Br L. Charlton Mr J. Brunner Mr R. Jones, A01 Mrs L. Wallen, B13
Mr G. Dieckmann, Ipswich Grammar School Mr K. Kretschmer, Maleny SHS
Mr R. Harris, Clontarf Beach SHS Mr A. Drillis
Ejrt^niaJ_Exajrjjna^
Functions
i. to monitor the external Senior and Junior examinations;
ii. to develop policies and practices that will improve the quality of external assessment;
'"' LssTs'smem1 1'0 3' " * assessments °f aiternative procedures to external
Mr N. McBrien Mr I. Stehbens Mr G. Davies Membership
Chairman - Deputy Director (2) Chief Examiners
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TA^E College Teaching Institutions
Syllabus Officer Tertiary Institution Examinations Officer
Examinations Clerk (Secretary) Tertiary Entrance Sub-Committee Function
To tender advice to the Board, through the tertiary entrance in general.
Membership
Chairman - Board appointed Board Member
Research Officer - Dept of Education (2) Teachers in State Senior Schools Teacher - Non-State Senior Schools Tertiary Educators
Tertiary Entrance Unit Principal Review Officer (or his nominee)
Research Officer (Secretary)
Mr R. Millican, Principal Ithaca TAFE
Mr H. Peterson, S.D.E., Brisbane Mr S. McVie, Coorparoo CCSE Dr R. Dudley
Mr L. Page, University of Queensland Ms C. Gargan
Mr K. Gamack
Moderation Committee, on matters related to
Mr G. Maxwell Dr R. Sadler Mr B. McBryde
Mr P. Lund, Craigslea SHS Ms R. Wallace, Loganlea SHS
Mr R. MacDonald, Brisbane Boys' College Dr G. Huxham
Faculty of Medicine, University of Qld Professor J. Corderoy
Faculty of Engineering, QUT Mr R. Allen
Mrs G. Matters Br L. Charlton Mrs A. Nuyen
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Management and Finance Committee Functions
To advise the Board on administrative and financial policies associated with the functions of the Board of Senior Secondary School Studies as specified in the Education (Senior Secondary School Studies) Act 1988.
Chairman of the Board Mr K. Imison Mr D. Frederiksen Mr J. McDonald (vacancy) Mr M. Howell Mr A. Mosely Mr J. Pitman Mr N. McBrien Mr I. Creighton Director
Deputy Director
Secretary to the Board (Secretary) Appeals Committee
Functions
i. to tender advice to the Board on submissions from schools concerning the application of standard scaling procedures on specific groups of students;
ii. to tender advice to the Director on possible problems as identified by the Board's anomaly detection procedures.
Membership
Chairman - Board Member Board Member
Ministerial Nominee
Senior Education Officer - Dept of Education Tertiary Entrance Unit
Research Officer (Secretary)
Mr G. Everett Mr J. Browning Mr J. Butters Mr B. McBryde Mr R. Allen Mrs A. Nuyen
Curriculum Committee Functions
j. to keep the Board informed of current trends in curriculum development in secondary education;
ii. to review syllabuses and other materials submitted by subject advisory committees;
iii. to make recommendations to the Board additional to those made by subject advisory committees about the suitability of syllabuses and other materials in the context of the secondary curriculum;
iv. to assist in such other matters as the Board may from time to time determine.
Membership
Chairman - Board Member (3) Board Members
(3) Teachers - Senior/Junior school, one of whom is a Principal
Primary Educator
Tertiary Educators
Nominee of the State Catholic Education Office
Nominee of the Association of Independent Schools in Queensland Senior Officer of the Department of Education nominated by the Director-General of Education Officer of the Curriculum Services Division of the Department of Education nominated by the Director-General of Education
Nominee of the Chief Executive of the Department of Employment, Vocational Education and Training
Director
Professor D. Davis Dr K. Robertson Mr R. McHugh Mr J. Walsh
Sr E. Sesta, St Rita's College Mr G. Ginn, The Southport School Ms G. Munro, Palm Beach Currumbin SHS Mr B. Howden, Anglican Church Grammar School
Dr B. Cox, University of Queensland Dr N. Dempster, Brisbane CAE Mr B. McManus
Dr M. Evans, Somerville House Mr F. Peach, Assoc-Director Senior Secondary
Mr A. Clayton
Mr M. Clacherty Mr J. Pitman Syllabus Officer (Secretary) Dr R. Dudley
STATE REVIEW PANELS Functions
i. to recommend to the Board of Senior Secondary School Studies through the Assistant Director (Review), accreditation of work programs and certification of exit assessments submitted by schools;
ii. to assist and monitor the work of District Review Panels with a view to developing and maintaining Statewide standards for school work programs and student assessment;
iii. to provide further advice to a school when a school cannot agree with the advice given by a District Review Panel;
iv. to perform the functions of a District Review Panel, where no such panel exists in a particular district because few schools in the district offer the subjects concerned.
State Review Panel Chairmen Membership
PANEL C O D E : A01 - Senior Mathematics I; Senior Mathematics II CHAIRMAN: Mr K. Dan Anglican Church Grammar School
PANEL C O D E : A02 • Junior Advanced Mathematics; Junior Ordinary Mathematics CHAIRMAN: Mr C. Colston Nashville SHS
PANEL CODE: A03 • Senior Mathematics in Society; Junior General Mathematics CHAIRMAN: Mr P. Sutton Ingham SHS
PANEL C O D E : A04 - Senior Chemistry
CHAIRMAN: Mr R. Jones Coorparoo Centre for C.S.E.
PANEL C O D E : A05 - Senior Physics
CHAIRMAN: Mr G. Rossiter Pine Rivers SHS PANEL C O D E : A06 - Senior Biological Science
CHAIRMAN: Mrs J. Brockett Charters Towers SHS PANEL C O D E : A07 - Senior Earth Science
CHAIRMAN: Mr D. Morrison Brisbane Grammar School PANEL C O D E : A08 - Senior Multi-Strand Science
CHAIRMAN: Mr G. Klease Board of Senior Secondary School Studies
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(
PANEL C O D E : A09 - Senior Health & Physical Education;
Junior Health & Physical Education CHAIRMAN: Mr W. Keleher Longreach SHS
PANEL C O D E : A10 - Senior Agriculture & Animal Production;
Junior Agriculture subjects
CHAIRMAN: Mr M. Pike BCAE - Mt Gravatt Campus
PANEL CODE: A11 - Senior Home Economics; Senior Home Management;
Junior Home Economics CHAIRMAN: Mrs S. Crawford Everton Park SHS
PANEL CODE: A12 - Junior Shop A; Junior Shop B; Senior. Technical Studies CHAIRMAN: Mr D. McNeil Rockhampton Board Centre
PANEL C O D E : A13 - Senior Graphics; Senior Geometrical Drawing & Perspective;
Junior Graphics CHAIRMAN: Mr J . Buchan
PANEL C O D E : A14 - Senior Logic
CHAIRMAN: Mr D. McNamara Pioneer SHS
PANEL C O D E : A15 - Junior Science; Senior Marine Studies CHAIRMAN: Mr W. Nicholas Rochedale SHS
PANEL C O D E : A16 - Information Processing and Technology
CHAIRMAN: Mr A. Underwood Queensland University of Technology PANEL C O D E : B01 - Senior English; Junior English
CHAIRMAN: Mr M. Maher Central Regional Education Office PANEL C O D E : B02 - Senior French; Junior French
CHAIRMAN: Mrs A. Caston Marist College, Ashgrove PANEL C O D E : B03 - Senior German; Junior German CHAIRMAN: Mr R. Fehlberg Cleveland District SHS PANEL C O D E : B04 - Senior Italian; Junior Italian
CHAIRMAN: Miss J. Favretto Brisbane/Ipswich Board Centre PANEL C O D E : B05 - Senior Japanese; Junior Japanese
CHAIRMAN: Mr G. Murray The Southport School
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PANEL C O D E : B06 - Senior Russian; Senior Chinese; Senior Latin;
Senior Indonesian/Malaysian; Senior Modern Greek;
Junior Chinese; Junior Latin; Junior Indonesian/Malaysian;
Junior Modern Greek
CHAIRMAN: Mr R. Geise St Paul's School PANEL C O D E : B07 - Senior Ancient History
CHAIRMAN: Mr I. Ferguson Innisfail Education Office PANEL C O D E : B08 - Senior Modern History; Junior History;
Junior Citizenship Education
CHAIRMAN: Mrs L Carroll Northern Regional Education Office
PANEL C O D E : B09 - Senior Geography; Junior Geography; Junior Social Studies CHAIRMAN: Miss G. Mackay Ayr SHS
PANEL C O D E : B10 - Senior Economics
CHAIRMAN: Mrs F. Vickers San Sisto College
PANEL C O D E : B11 - Senior Study of Society; Junior Study of Society;
Junior Social Science
CHAIRMAN: Dr R. Gilbert James Cook University
PANEL C O D E : B12 - Senior Accounting; Junior Business Principles & Practice;
Junior Commercial Studies CHAIRMAN: Mrs G. Dunn Pine Rivers SHS
PANEL C O D E : B13 - Senior Secretarial Studies; Junior Shorthand;
Junior Typewriting
CHAIRMAN: Mrs L Wallen Kedron SHS PANEL C O D E : B14 - Senior Art; Junior Art
CHAIRMAN: Mrs A. Cassidy BCAE - Kelvin Grove Campus PANEL C O D E : B15 - Senior Music; Junior Music
CHAIRMAN: ' Mr B. May Brisbane Grammar School
PANEL C O D E : B16 - Senior Speech and Drama; Junior Speech and Drama CHAIRMAN: Mrs B. Tipper Clayfield College
PANEL C O D E : B 1 7 - S e n i o r Theatre
CHAIRMAN: Ms J. Wood Indooroopilly SHS
. _ L
PANEL CODE: B18 - Senior Film and Television CHAIRMAN: Mr P. Hadgelias Brisbane SHS PANEL CODE: B19 - Senior Dance
CHAIRMAN: Mrs V. Tickle Banyo SHS PANEL CODE: B20 - Senior Study of Religion
CHAIRMAN: Mr H. Thompson BCAE - Mt Gravatt Campus PANEL CODE: B21 - Senior Legal Studies
CHAIRMAN: Mr F. Fulton St Patrick's College, Mackay
S U B J E C T ADVISORY COMMITTEES
The functions of a subject advisory committee are
(a) to make recommendations to the Board concerning the broad framework of the syllabus or syllabuses in the subject or the group of subjects for which the committee is appointed;
(b) until otherwise determined, and where such matter is referred to it by the Board, to make recommendations to the Board with respect to the matter of syllabuses for those subjects maintained by the Board and which are designated as Board subjects on Junior Certificates;
(c) where such matter is referred to it by the Board, to make recommendations to the Board with respect to the matter of syllabuses for those subjects developed by schools, school systems, authorities, other institutions or the Board itself and which are designated, or are to be designated, Board subjects on the Senior Certificate;
(d) to make recommendations to the Board of such other matters as the Board refers to it.
A subject advisory committee shall have and may exercise such powers and authorities as are incidental to the proper discharge by it of any of its functions under this Act.
English Subject Advisory Committee Chairman
Chairman State Review Panel Practising Teachers
(State Secondary Schools) Practising Teachers
(non-State Secondary Schools) Nominee of the Chairman of the Board of Teacher Registration
Representatives of Institutions of Higher Education
Officer of the Department of Education Nominee of the Learned Society Nominees of the Subject Advisory Committee
Parent Observer
Mr F. Peach (Dept of Education) Mr M. Maher (Dept of Education) Ms L. Anderson, Inala SHS
Ms G. Armstrong, Browns Plains SHS Ms M. Swayne, Oxley SHS
Mr R. McGuire, Ipswich SHS Dr R. Stewart, St Hilda's School
Ms E. Banathy, Clairvaux Mackillop College Mr R. White, Richlands SHS
Mr J. Talty, BCAE (Kelvin Grove) Mr E. Vieth, CIAE
Mr R. Grice, University of Queensland Dr B. Horsfield, DDIAE
Mr J. Carr
Ms G. Munro, Palm Beach SHS Nil
Mrs Y. Breitkreutz
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F_oreign Languages Subject Advisory Committee Chairman
Chairman State Review Panel Practising Teachers
(State Secondary Schools)
Practising Teachers
(non-State Secondary Schools) Nominee of the Chairman of the Board of Teacher Registration
Representatives of Institutions of Higher Education
Officer of the Department of Education Nominee of the Learned Society Nominees of the Subject Advisory Committee
Parent Observer
Mr R. Whittington, Commonwealth Dept of Education
Mr R. Giese, St Paul's School Mr F. Arcidiacono, Stanthorpe SHS Mrs B. Keller, Wellington Point SHS Ms M. Lee, Redcliffe SHS
Ms L. Steel, Springwood SHS Miss J. Hughes, Lourdes Hill Cge Ms L. Seckold, Brisbane Girls GS Miss A-M. Ward, All Hallows School Dr G. Lorenzato, James Cook Univ Mrs J. Kumamoto-Healey, Griffith Univ Dr J. Montredon, University of Qld Ms 0 . Muta, University of Qld Mr K. Fairbairn
Ms B. Clarke, MacGregor SHS
Ms A. Vitale, The Redland Community College Ms C. Lee, The Southport School
Mrs H. Vial
Social Sciences Subject Advisory Committee Chairman
Chairman State Review Panel Practising Teachers
(State Secondary Schools)
Practising Teachers
(non-State Secondary Schools) Nominee of the Chairman of the Board of Teacher Registration
Representatives of Institutions of Higher Education
Officer of the Department of Education Nominee of the Learned Society Nominees of the Subject Advisory Committee
Mr N. Biggs, Ferny Grove SHS Ms F. Vickers, San Sisto College Mrs D. Henderson, Craigslea SHS Mr R. Doust, Mabel Park SHS Mrs M. Wong, Craigslea SHS Mr B. Stitz, Nambour SHS Ms F. Williams, Brisbane Girls GS Mr D. Bound, Ipswich Grammar School Mrs K. Spiller, Hillbrook Anglican School Assoc. Prof. R. Gilbert, James Cook
University
Mr J. Fien, BCAE (Kelvin Grove) Professor D. Nguyen, Griffith University Dr J. Goldman, Gold Coast CAE Mr R. Land
Mr G. Butner, Hendra CCSE
Mr R. Wilkes, University of Queensland
Parent Observer Mr B. Neil
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