The HSC Year at Knox

1
The HSC Year at Knox

• Year 12 2003

2
Tonight

• The Refresher Course
• Expectations
• The Structure of Senior Study
• Finalising the Pattern of Study
• Da Vinci Programme Accelerant Options
• The Process

3
What do we expect of you in your HSC Year?

• In your HSC Year, we expect
• Commitment to academic success in all subjects.
• Attendance at all classes, all assessment tasks
  completed and all course requirements completed.
• Homework 3 hours plus study, 6 nights per week
• At least 18-21 hours of homework and study per
  week
• At least 3 hours of homework per 2 unit course
• Targeted and focused use of all study periods to
  support this homework loading
• Sport and involvement in the full life of the
  School.
• Leadership
• Positions
• Leadership by example

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Assessment Tasks in the HSC Year

• Meeting deadlines
• Illness/Misadventure
• Communicating with staff
• Mr OFarrell, Mr Cummins
• Heads of Department
• Teachers
• Tone
• Stress levels
• Supporting your son

5

• The Structure of Senior Study Preliminary, HSC,
  Units, Extension, Assessment, UAI, Scaling

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The HSC Year

• HSC Course Term 4 Year 11 to Term 4 Year 12
• HSC Assessment begins in Term 4 Year 11

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2 Unit HSC Courses

• All HSC courses have a unit value
• Most courses are 2 Units
• 2 Units 9/10 periods per 2 weeks 120 hours
  per year 100 marks

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1 Unit Extension HSC Courses

• Extension courses build on the content of the
  related 2 Unit course and are set at a more
  challenging level
• English and Mathematics have Extension 1 courses
  in the Preliminary Course you may choose a 3rd
  unit in each of them
• English and Mathematics have Extension 1 and
  Extension 2 in the HSC Course you may choose a
  3rd and 4th unit in each of them

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1 Unit Extension HSC Courses (Ctd)

• Indonesian, German, Japanese, French and Music 2
  have Extension Courses in the HSC Course you
  may choose a 3rd unit in each of them
• Ancient History and Modern History have Extension
  History in the HSC course you may choose a 3rd
  unit in either AH or MH but not both

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Understanding Your Results

• At the end of your HSC examinations, you will
  receive
• Examination Marks
• Assessment Marks
• HSC marks
• A scaled UAI
• What do these terms mean?

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Definitions

• The School Assessment Mark the mark submitted by
  the School to the Board of Studies showing a
  students performance in the schools Assessment
  Program in a course.
• The Assessment Mark the mark that appears on the
  HSC Record of Achievement showing a students
  performance in the schools Assessment Program in
  a course.

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Definitions (Ctd)

• The Examination Mark the mark that appears on
  the HSC Record of Achievement showing a students
  performance in the HSC Examination in a course.
• The HSC Mark the average of the HSC and
  Assessment Mark in a course. This also appears
  on the HSC Record of Achievement.
• The Universities Admissions Index (UAI) a number
  which shows the students rank in the state in
  terms of overall performance for the purposes of
  university entry.

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Calculating the School Assessment Mark

• Students complete Assessment Tasks in the
  schools Assessment Program.
• A total Assessment mark for each student is
  calculated by adding together the marks from all
  Assessment Tasks according to the weightings
  prescribed in the Assessment Program.
• This mark is sent to the Board of Studies (BoS)
  after the Trial HSC Examinations.
• Students are not told their School Assessment
  Mark, but may ask for their school rank at the
  end of the HSC Examination period.

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Calculating the Assessment Mark

• The BoS looks at all of the School Assessment
  Marks in a course.
• The BoS preserves the schools rank order but
  moderates (adjusts) the mark ranges in the school
  to match the level of achievement of the school
  in the HSC Examination.
• This corrects the effects of Assessment marking
  which is too hard or too soft.

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Calculating the Assessment Mark (Ctd)

• Usually
• Top exam mark top HSC Assessment Mark
• Total school HSC Examination Marks total school
  HSC Assessment Marks
• The BoS may also exercise professional judgement
  in adjusting the gaps between students.
• Therefore the mark that appears on the HSC Record
  of Achievement is usually different from the mark
  that the school sends in.
• However, this mark does reflect a students
  performance in Assessment Tasks moderated against
  the schools performance in the HSC Examinations.

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The Examination Mark

• Students sit the HSC Examination and their
  scripts are marked.
• The raw marks of the whole state are adjusted by
  judges to fit the standards bands
• A certain range of raw marks corresponds to each
  band. Judges decide where the cut-off marks apply
  according to the standards achieved.
• The raw marks allocated to a band are stretched
  over the 10 marks of the band.
• The rank order of the raw marks is preserved.
• The adjusted Examination Mark appears on the HSC
  Record of Achievement, showing the standard
  achieved by the students examination responses.

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Bands

• Bands divide student performance into different
  standards of achievement.
• Bands are reported as mark ranges.
• Band 6 90-100, Band 5 80-89, Band 4 70-79,
  Band 3 60-69, Band 2 50-59, Band 1 0-49
• Bands are also reported as verbal statements of
  outcomes. Achieving a mark within a band
  indicates for students in that mark range what
  they typically know and can do.

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The HSC Mark

• This is the average of the Examination and
  Assessment Marks.
• The HSC Mark is reported against a band of
  achievement to help students know their standard
  of achievement.

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Universities Admissions Index

• The UAI is a number which gives a rank in the
  state for tertiary entrance purposes it is
  based on a special scaling of your HSC marks by
  the Universities Admissions Centre
• The UAI is one way of measuring academic
  achievement in the HSC
• The UAI is not a mark
• Most students at Knox would aim for a UAI

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Universities Admissions Index (Ctd)

• To be eligible for a UAI, you must
• Complete at least 10 Units of Board Developed
  Courses including at least 2 Units of English
• Complete at least 3 courses of 2 Units or greater
• Complete at least 4 subjects

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Calculating the UAI

• The UAI is calculated by adding together scaled
  marks a students best 10 units.
• This best 10 units includes at least 2 units of
  English and no more than 2 units of Category B
  subjects (Industrial Technology and TAFE/VET
  courses).
• The resulting marks out of 500 for all qualifying
  students in the state are ranked.
• This rank is reported as a percentile number,
  rounded to units of 0.05.
• UAC does not report individual subject scaled
  marks nor the components of individual UAIs.

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Calculating the UAI (Ctd)

• A UAI of 92.15 means that the student
• performed better than 92.15 of the state
• came in the top 7.85 of the state
• It is not possible to calculate a UAI simply by
  adding up the marks that appear on the HSC Record
  of Achievement. This is because the the marks
  that appear on the HSC Record of Achievement are
  not scaled.

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What is Scaling?

• Scaling is the way that UAC adjusts marks to
  reflect the average academic quality of the
  candidature in an HSC course.
• Scaling ensures that students are neither
  advantaged nor disadvantaged by taking so-called
  harder or easier courses. (Report on Scaling
  1999 HSC)
• Scaling is redone each year previous years
  scaling is not necessarily indicative of scaling
  for 2003.

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Scaling 2 Unit Subjects

• All 2 Unit courses are scaled in the same way.
• HSC Marks for students in a course are given an
  initial average of 50 and spread out over a
  normal bell curve.
• The average and shape of the bell curve is then
  adjusted to compensate for average academic
  quality of the candidature.
• The rank order from the raw HSC marks stays the
  same.

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Scaling Extension Subjects

• UAC looks at the shape of the curve formed by the
  results of the Extension 1 students in the 2 Unit
  course (or courses in the case of Extension
  History).
• This pattern ( average) is used to determine the
  shape of the bell curve in Extension 1.
• Extension 2s relationship to Extension 1 is
  similar.
• The average academic quality of the candidature
  in Extension subjects is usually higher.

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Student 1 UAI 97.45(HSC 2001 Data)
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Student 2 UAI 93.05(HSC 2001 Data)
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Student 3 UAI 86.00(HSC 2001 Data)
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Student 4 UAI 75.40(HSC 2001 Data)
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Student 5 UAI 62.15(HSC 2001 Data)
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Student 6 UAI 47.40(HSC 2001 Data)
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• Finalising Your Pattern of Study

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What are Your Goals?

• The Big Questions include
• Family?
• Career?
• Personal Growth?
• Location?
• No decision is finite all decisions help take
  you to the next stage
• Sometimes clear decisions are not yet possible
  need for breadth

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Confirming Your Subjects

• You should maintain your study of subjects which
• You enjoy
• You want to study
• Support your goals, career aspirations and dreams
• Are relevant to you as an individual
• Are challenging and rewarding
• Provide you with balance
• Expect to study each of your subjects for the
  whole HSC Year.

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I Know What Im Doing

• The decision is personal but
• Are you fully informed about the consequences of
  your choices?
• Are you making choices for the right reasons?
• Are you happy with your decision?
• Will your plan work?

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A Knox HSC Program

• Preliminary Course a minimum of 12 units you
  are now doing this!
• (You must satisfy the requirements of the
  Preliminary Course before progression to the HSC
  Course)
• HSC Course we expect that most students will
  continue with a program of 10-12 units some
  students may choose an Extension course as a 13th
  unit

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A Knox HSC Program (Ctd)

• In both Preliminary and HSC Courses, you must
  include
• At least 2 Units of a Board Developed English
  Course
• At least 6 Units of Board Developed Courses
• At least 3 courses of 2 Units value or greater
• At least 4 subjects (including English)
• No more than 6 Units of Science can count towards
  HSC eligibility

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HSC Course Pattern A

• Steady as she goes
• Maintain current pattern of study and number of
  units

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HSC Course Pattern B

• Replace one or more courses with one or more
  Extension courses in
• Mathematics
• English
• History
• Languages
• Music
• Extension in one of AH or MH but not both
• Extension 2 courses available to students taking
  Extension 1 courses in English/Maths in both
  Years 11 and 12

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HSC Course Pattern C

• Replace a 2 unit course with 1 new Extension
  course
• Change from 12 units to 11 units OR
• Change from 13 units to 12 units
• A few may discontinue 2 2 unit courses and
  replace them with 2 Extension courses

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HSC Course Pattern D

• Discontinue a 2 unit course
• Change from 12 units to 10 units OR
• Change from 13 units to 11 units

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The Insurance Policy?

• Studying more than 10 units
• Do you need to keep extra units up your sleeve?
• Are you really committed to all your units?
• Research shows that the insurance policy usually
  does not pay off most students mentally drop
  the dead 2 units well in advance of the HSC
  examinations average of 20/100 marks lower for
  dead units across North Shore schools

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• HSC Course Option DV
• Da Vinci Accelerant Options

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Accelerant Options

• Every boy must have a plan approved by Mr Cummins
  and Mr Hill
• At least 10 Units (or equivalent)
• Options
• Distinction Courses
• Industry Accreditation
• Extension Courses
• Advanced Placement Courses

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Distinction Courses

• University level HSC courses
• Philosophy
• Cosmology
• Comparative Literature
• Competitive entry
• No news till December/January

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Extension Courses

• Add an extension course in
• English?
• Mathematics?
• History?
• Languages?
• Music?

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Industry Accreditation

• Most common examples are in computing studies
• Microsoft
• Cisco
• User-pays principle

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Advanced Placement Courses

• University courses
• Few details yet
• Still negotiating with universities
• Cant count on this yet

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The Process So Far
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The Process From Here