Message from Interim Chief Executive

Dear colleague

Firstly, thank you for all you have done to ensure your students feel supported and have been able to focus on achieving their best, in what has been the most challenging of years. Of course, none of this would be possible without the amazing resilience and professionalism of your teachers in ensuring their students have been able to continue their learning and experience success. 

It is with anticipation that we look to the end of the academic year and the opportunity to recognise and celebrate student achievement with the release of SACE results on Monday 19 December. 

In terms of resulting activity, all school assessments and investigations have been submitted and marking is well underway. The quality assurance of students’ results through our marking and moderation process would not be possible without the dedication of our markers and moderators. Their commitment to this important work, particularly in what has been an exhausting year, is to be recognised and commended. 

I would like to thank those Principals that were able to attend one of the recent forums. I enjoyed meeting some of you for the first time and am grateful for the generosity and openness within which these conversations took place. There was excitement and commitment to the direction we are taking as well as productive debate as we grapple with the challenges associated with these innovative projects. 

In partnership with you we are committed to working together to provide the best learning outcomes for young people studying SACE. We remain focused on ensuring that teachers and schools will be well supported with professional learning opportunities and resources as we design this future together. 

Thank you again for your engagement and support and I look forward to celebrating your student success stories at the end of this year. All the best for the rest of the term. 

All the best

Michaela Bensley
Interim Chief Executive
SACE Board of South Australia

Back to top

---

Revitalisation of RP and PLP project update

The first pilot that tested the revitalised Stage 1 Personal Learning Plan (PLP), with the working title Exploring Identities and Futures (EIF), and the revitalised Stage 2 Research Project (RP), draft title Activating Identities and Futures (AIF), finished at the end of semester 1. The SACE Board worked closely with all participating schools and teachers, providing support and evaluating what worked well and what could be improved. 

Analysis and evaluation of the pilot identified whether the new subjects delivered the intended impact. This process also provided valuable insights and recognised refinements that will be adapted into the delivery of the subject to support the second pilot. Some key learnings include:

• pilot teachers suggested that students thrived when growing and learning occurred in an area of personal value (passion)
• students were able to transfer their learning of new skills and capabilities into their approach with other SACE subjects
• as pilot teachers stepped back from providing instruction and scaffolds, students stepped in and were able to authentically engage in learning that was of personal value and interest
• assessment processes emphasised the role of the teacher in using natural evidence of learning, agency, feedback and metacognition to progress student learning.

Learn more in the Innovating the SACE section of our website.

The second pilot will be conducted in partnership with participating schools during Semester 1 2023. Pilot 2 will extend the testing and learning from the first pilot to specifically focus on the risks, challenges and opportunities associated with broader implementation. These include: 

• pedagogical change required to successfully deliver the new subjects across a diversity of teachers
• development and testing of professional learning to support co-agency, metacognition, natural evidence of learning and feedback
• involving school teaching and learning leaders in the implementation of professional learning for their school’s teachers
• role of school leadership in sponsoring and resourcing the new subjects
• ensuring teacher practices support success for all students, including students who experience disadvantage.

Back to top

---

Capabilities and Learner Profile project update

The exciting first pilot for our Capabilities and Learner Profile project continues throughout term 4 this year. Pilot schools should be proud of the progress their teachers have made and congratulated for the testing and learning they have contributed for all schools. 

The project team are continuing to work collaboratively with pilot schools to gain feedback on and refine pilot activities and artefacts, including: 

• a refined suite of five SACE capabilities
• designing teaching and learning events and assessment tasks that elicit evidence of student capability development
• new functionality in Schools Online and Students Online
• Learner Profile data visualisation to develop a graphic representation of each student’s holistic educational achievement
• working with universities and employers to explore how the capabilities data may be of value in supporting their recruitment processes.

There are over 100 pilot students who will receive capability assessment data in the form of a Learner Profile visualisation at the end of this year. To support the confidence, consistency and reliability of this data, the pilot schools have been working with the SACE Board through a series of quality assurance activities including: 

• developing teacher assessment literacy
• making assessments of capability evidence presented by students
• benchmarking teachers’ assessment decisions to support making reliable judgements
• supporting within-school and across-school consistency and comparability.

The SACE Board will continue to work in partnership with school Principals to ensure the integrity of the pilot data provided in Students Online.

Analysis and evaluation will be undertaken in January, directly following the conclusion of the pilot. Learnings and insights will be shared with all schools via the Innovating the SACE section of the website and will inform further development and future pilot projects in 2023.

Schools who have expressed interest in participating in the 2023 pilot will receive an update about pilot #2 before the end of the 2022 school year.

Back to top

---

Recognition of Aboriginal Cultural Knowledge and Learning project update

The Recognition of Aboriginal Cultural Knowledge and Learning project is committed to fulfilling the learning entitlement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and is a core component of the Thrive strategic framework. 

As highlighted in the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration and the Shergold review into senior secondary pathways, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students should be able to draw on their cultural knowledge and competency to demonstrate their learning, in language, or on Country.

The Recognition of Aboriginal Cultural Knowledge and Learning project is currently preparing for a live pilot in Term 4 this year with five schools across South Australia and Northern Territory. The project team will work collaboratively with schools and their communities, to pilot in a live environment: 

• Community led learning - recognising students’ cultural knowledge and learning as part of their secondary education; and
• Self-directed cultural learning - students exploring their Aboriginal culture, identity and/or interests in a manner of their own choosing.

Learn more in the Innovating the SACE the SACE section of our website. 

Back to top

---

Who are your teaching and learning leaders?

The SACE Board’s Strategic Plan to shape education so that students thrive is heavily focused on transforming teaching, learning and assessment. We have a group of SACE Change Network schools that are partnering with us to achieve this mission.

As we near the completion of pilot programs in 2022 and envision next steps in 2023 and beyond, we are keen to direct relevant communications about our key strategic projects to the senior years teaching and learning leaders (also known as Curriculum Directors, Assistant Principal Curriculum, Director of Teaching and Learning). We recognise that this role is sometimes undertaken by the SACE Coordinator, however, if there is an alternative staff member in your school that undertakes this role, we would greatly appreciate it if you could provide us with their contact details by completing this simple online form.

Back to top

---

Preparing for end-of-year results release

The 2022 SACE results will be available in Students Online from 8.30am on Monday 19 December. Students can expect to receive hard copy documentation from this date onwards, in accordance with local, national and international postal schedules. 

On results release day, the homepage of the SACE website will direct students to Students Online. In order to prepare your students, please ensure that students are able to log in and that their personal details are up-to-date and correct.

To help ensure that all SACE students can access Students Online, SACE Coordinators can:

1. Run the Schools Online report to monitor that all students have activated their Students Online accounts
2. Work with their ICT staff to ensure that student’s school email addresses remain active for a minimum of two months after results release to ensure students can continue to access their results.* 

*The SACE Board recommends that students use their personal email address.

Our What is Students Online? web page is a helpful resource for students. Those who have trouble logging in can contact the askSACE team on +61 8 8115 7400 or via email. 

Back to top

---

Emergency contact details for student results

Mobile phone numbers and email addresses of principals and SACE coordinators have been collected via Schools Online to support the SACE Board throughout results processing, and on the day of results release.

If the principal and SACE coordinator are not the main contacts during this period, schools should update contact details via Schools Online by clicking on ‘School’ and then ‘School Information.’ 

Back to top

---

Access to SACE IT systems in lead up to results release

Schools Online
As part of the SACE Board’s normal preparation for end-of-year results processing, Schools Online will be unavailable from Friday 9 December until the official release of results from 8.30 am on Monday 19 December.

Students Online
Students Online will have a limited functionality from Friday 9 December until the official release of results from 8.30 am on Monday 19 December. Students will have access to reset their password and view their personal details over this period.

SACE website
The SACE website will be unavailable from Friday 16 December and will be back online on Sunday 18 December.

Back to top

---

VET results

VET additional submission opportunity
Similar to the temporary process that was available in 2020 and 2021, where it has been impossible for VET students to complete their VET course or work placement due to the continued impact of COVID-19, an additional opportunity to submit VET results is again available for 2022.

Resulting VET Skills Clusters in Schools Online
With the first year of the VET for School Students strategy now implemented, some students have undertaken “VET Skills Clusters” for the first time.  Where a student has undertaken a “VET Skills Cluster” please refer to the Department for Education’s Summary of VET Courses for School Students to identify the Source Qualification Name and Source Qualification Code to use when submitting results in Schools Online.

VET provider closure – Inspire Education Pty Ltd 
We are aware that a small number of students have been impacted by the closure of VET provider Inspire Education, and that their SACE/NTCET completion and future pathways may have been impacted. For the few students in this circumstance and who are intending to complete their SACE/NTCET this year, a VET Provider Closure process is available. Please contact askSACE via email.

Further information about VET results is available in the Getting ready for end of year section of our website.

Back to top

---

SACE Schools Data reports

SACE Schools Data reports provide information on Stage 1 and Stage 2 subjects, VET, and SACE completion for schools and the state. From 2022, these reports can be downloaded and viewed in PDF, Excel, and RTF formats by clicking the file format icons to the right of the report name, as shown below:

SACE Schools Data reports are available in Schools Online for principals and nominated principal delegates. Further information can be found on our website. 

Back to top

---

Subject outlines with changes for 2023

The SACE Board has approved changes to the following subject outlines for teaching in 2023:

• Biology (Stage 2)
• Chemistry (Stage 2)
• Locally assessed languages at continuers level (Stage 1 and Stage 2)
• Media Studies (Stage 1 and Stage 2)
• Nutrition (Stage 2)
• Physical Education (Stage 1)
• Specialist Mathematics (Stage 2)
• Physics (Stage 2)
• Scientific Studies (Stage 2)

Changes have been made following feedback from teachers, lead practitioners, and the previous quality assurance cycle.

The new subject outlines will be published online progressively throughout Term 4, 2022.

Download Summary of subject outline changes for 2023 [PDF 272KB] for an overview of changes. These are also reflected in each subject site.

Back to top

---

Subject updates

Final year of subject: 2022 is the last year of teaching Stage 1 and Stage 2 Religion Studies. These subjects will no longer be offered from 2023.

New subjects: Stage 2 Nepali (continuers) will be offered from 2023.

Transitioning subject outlines from print to digital: The Industry Connections subject outline will transition from print format to digital content in 2023. Please see subject outlines online for information on the transitioning of subject outlines to digital format.

Back to top

---

Governor of SA Commendation Awards – nomination deadline extended

Nominations for the prestigious Governor of South Australia Commendations are currently open, and schools are encouraged to nominate eligible students.

The commendations recognise students who have met the relevant criteria, achieved excellence in accredited SACE subjects and demonstrated the development of one or more SACE capabilities [DOC 46KB]. 

The Exemplar - nomination form [DOC 63KB] includes examples to guide you in completing the form.

There are three types of Commendation Awards:

• Governor of South Australia Commendation – Excellence Award
• Governor of South Australia Commendation – Aboriginal Student SACE Excellence Award
• Governor of South Australia Commendation – Excellence in Modified SACE Award.

Nominations extended to Friday 25 November.

Successful award recipients will have their achievements publicly recognised, and be presented with their commendation by Her Excellency, The Governor of South Australia, at the SACE Merit Ceremony held at Government House in February 2023.

For more information, please contact Karen Collins on (08) 8115 4775 or via email.

Back to top

---

Nominations open for 2023 SACE Art Show

The annual SACE Art Show is a celebratory showcase of SACE Art students, and the amazing creativity they have to offer.

Visual Art – Art and Visual Art – Design teachers are encouraged to nominate the work of Stage 2 students for inclusion.

Visit our website for further information and the nomination form.

Nominations close 5pm Friday 2 December.

Back to top

---

SACE International

Scotch College AGS opening at Ho Chi Minh City

In September an opening ceremony was held to celebrate the 2022-2023 school year at the new Scotch College Australian Grammar School campus based in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

It is the first time that the SACE qualification will be offered in Ho Chi Minh City and will be delivered by the only fully fledged Australian school in Vietnam.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the main gate of the Scotch College Australian Grammar School and was attended by (from L-R) Matt Clarke, Manager Business Development SACE International; Clive Swale, School Principal Scotch AGS; Richard Stone, CEO Scotch Enterprises; Dr John Newton, Principal and CEO, Scotch College, Adelaide; Sarah Hooper, Consul-General, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

For more information about the opening ceremony visit the Scotch College website.

Hillside Collegiate in South Korea

The SACE Board welcomes Hillside Collegiate International School as they join our SACE International community as the first school in the Republic of Korea to be accredited to deliver an Australian Secondary Certificate of Education through the SACE qualification.

The school was established in 2016 and is located in Jisepo on the picturesque Geoje Island, and it has chosen the SACE qualification for its new Senior Secondary Campus.

For more information, visit the Hillside Collegiate International School website.

Back to top

---