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Coordinating the SACE Getting started
Learn what your responsibilities are as a SACE coordinator and get up-to-date with the latest changes in the SACE.
Create opportunities for students to thrive by helping parents, students, and your school understand how to make the most of the SACE.
On this page
- New in 2021
- Q & A session from 10 March 2021
- Start-of-year checklist
- Key dates and calendars
- Moderation, marking, and online submission
- Exams
- Resulting
- Systems, procedures, and policies
- VET and recognised learning
- Supporting student success
- Promoting the SACE
- School and student results reports
- Events and professional learning
- Get support
New in 2021
To help students thrive, we are continually evolving the SACE. This means our processes and curriculum also change over time. Make sure you're across the changes in 2021. You may also benefit from attending one of our SACE management events in March.
Subject changes
- New subjects being taught in 2021
- Summary of subject outline changes for 2021 [DOC 713KB]
- Community Studies - operational changes for 2021 [DOC 183KB]
- List of subjects and codes [DOC 336KB]
E-exams
- New e-exam subjects:
- New features in language exams: language keyboards
Q & A session from 10 March 2021
Start-of-year checklist
A list of administration tasks to get you and your school ready for the year.
| Task | Why is this important? | How do I do this? |
|---|---|---|
| Update your school details | For us to deliver the best service, we need your most up-to-date details. For more, see My school details. |
Confirm your school contact information using the form we send you early in the year. You can also update principal and SACE coordinator mobile numbers in Schools Online at any time. |
| Access school reports from last year | We provide a number of reports that can help you analyse trends in your school and across South Australia. For more, see School and student results reports. |
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| Transfer students who have completed the SACE or left your school | Students who have left your school should be transferred out of your student list. Knowing where students attend school helps us avoid duplicate students in our system. |
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| Rollover classes, teachers, and students | Save time by rolling over your classes, teachers, and students from the previous year to the current year. You can then make changes as needed. |
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| Add new teachers and update existing teachers | Keeping your teacher list up-to-date helps us manage their access to Schools Online and provide other support. For instructional videos and guides, see Schools online for school leaders. |
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| Create Stage 1 and Stage 2 classes and link your teachers | When we know which subjects a teacher is teaching, we can provide them with resources and keep them up-to-date with any changes. For instructional videos and guides, see Schools online for school leaders. |
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| Check eligibility of students to enrol in subjects | Language subjects and Modified Subjects have eligibility requirements. It is the school's responsibility to ensure students are eligible. | Make sure you understand eligibility requirements for: |
| Add new students | For students to be registered for the SACE, they must be added to our system. For instructional videos and guides, see Schools online for school leaders. |
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| Enrol all students in classes | Enrolling students allows your school to track student completion in the SACE and their ATAR (if applicable). For instructional videos and guides, see Schools online for school leaders. |
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| Identify combined classes (exam subjects only) | If you have a class of 3 or less for a subject with an exam, you'll need to combine with another class (at your school or at another school) to run a single assessment group. This is to make sure your student's work is moderated fairly. For more, see Assessment groups — Stage 2. For instructional videos and guides, see Schools online for school leaders. |
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| Check student enrolments will meet SACE completion (and/or ATAR) requirements | It's your responsibility to ensure enrolments for each student meet SACE completion (and/or ATAR) requirements. For instructional videos and guides, see Schools online for school leaders. |
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| Prepare for moderation of Stage 1 compulsory subjects | Stage 1 moderation doesn't happen every year, so it gives you and your school time to plan. For more, see Stage 1 moderation and Moderation — Stage 1 (information sheet 16). |
We will contact you early in the year and advise which subjects are required from your school. |
| Check key dates | Our calendars contain key dates for the SACE. Use this to plan your year and communicate with teachers about due dates and cut-offs. | Explore key dates |
Key dates and calendars
Use our calendars to find key dates and plan your year.
They are the best place to go for up-to-date information on the operations schedule, including enrolment, moderation, resulting, and more.
Moderation, marking, and online submission
Moderation is a quality assurance process that makes sure student work is graded consistently no matter where they attend school.
School-assessed materials are moderated and externally assessed materials are marked.
See Moderation for detailed processes.
Student materials are submitted online through Schools Online.
More about online submission, including how to prepare files and access to our practice area 'the sandpit'.
Exams
In Stage 2 of the SACE, there are three types of externally assessed exams:
- Electronic exams (e-exams). View the toolkit or learn more about the program.
- Oral exams
- Written exams
Learn more about exams, including how to prepare your school, where to access timetables, and what processes to follow.
Predicted examination results
Schools are required to submit predicted examination results for all students enrolled in a subject with a Stage 2 exam.
In certain circumstances (e.g. where a student can't sit an exam because of a significant illness), we use your school's predicted result — and other factors — to determine a student's final examination result.
Learn more about predicted exam results.
Resulting
'Resulting' covers processes related to students' final results. Topics include:
- how to submit results
- what to do when a student breaches the rules
- students leaving at the end of Semester 1
- how to analyse results
- request a clerical check
More about resulting, including detailed processes for the above scenarios and more.
Systems, procedures, and policies
Schools Online
Schools Online is the SACE Board's system for schools to enter and manage student enrolments, results, and reporting.
More about Schools Online, including user guides, instructional videos, and support.
Policies, guidelines, and procedures
This collection of documents contains requirements and guidance for the teaching and assessing of SACE subjects.
Forms
Forms are used for a variety of administration tasks in the SACE. They are often used with information sheets.
Information sheets
Information sheets cover a range of topics, from student enrolment through to submitting results. They provide detailed instructions for schools, and often include links to key dates.
Topics covered:
VET and recognised learning
We recognise learning that students have achieved outside of the SACE. Students can be granted SACE credits for appropriate qualifications, subjects, courses, or learning experiences.
Vocational Education and Training (VET)
VET enables students to acquire skills and knowledge for work through a nationally recognised industry-developed training package or accredited course. Students can gain recognition for up to 150 credits for completed VET courses. Exact recognition is dependent on many factors, up to the maximum credits listed on the VET Recognition Register (VRR).
Community learning
Community learning includes community-directed programs or self-directed programs approved by us. Students can count up to 90 credits for community learning.
More about community learning.
Other recognised learning
In addition to VET and community learning, we also offer credits for many other courses and learning experiences. This includes university studies, the International Baccalaureate (IB), language courses, exchange programs, and more.
More about other recognised learning.
Supporting student success
Special provisions
Special provisions supports students who have a disability, or have been affected by misadventure or personal circumstances beyond their control, to participate in the SACE.
More about special provisions, including eligibility and how students can apply.
Modified Subjects
Modified Subjects exists to meet the learning needs of students with significant impairment in intellectual functioning or adaptive behaviours associated with their disability. It is a highly individualised subject in which curriculum and assessment are designed around development of the SACE capabilities and personal learning goals appropriate for the student.
More about Modified Subjects, including eligibility, FAQs, and support.
Maximising student success
Every school aims to improve student success. A suite of tools and resources are available to assist you and the teachers at your school to monitor student progress — and turn the spotlight on your own systems — with the aim of improving learning outcomes.
More about maximising student success, including tools to monitor student progress.
Promoting the SACE
The marketing toolkit is designed to assist you in explaining and promoting the SACE to parents. There are a variety of resources to suit your needs, like videos, brochures, posters, and presentations.
School and student results reports
We provide a number of reports that can help you analyse trends in your school and across South Australia.
Your school's data
Your principal and principal's delegate can access your school's Stage 1 and Stage 2 subject data, VET data, and SACE completion data in Schools Online.
Learn more about your school's data.
SACE data
SACE data is publicly available and provides summary data about South Australian schools completing the SACE, including:
- subject enrolments
- subject results
- recognised learning
- special provisions
- completion
- pathways
These reports only include data from South Australian students.
Events and professional learning
SACE Management Conversations
Previously known as the SACE Managers Conference. In these sessions, SACE coordinators, managers, and school leaders can learn more about the SACE Board’s direction of travel and vision to shape education so students thrive.
Hear about the work being undertaken on the Learner Profile, capabilities, recognition of learning, revitalisation of the Research Project and PLP, learning transfer, and Aboriginal education projects. You'll also learn about the SACE Change Network and get a chance to delve into topics of interest during breakout sessions.
Sessions available:
- 17 March 2021 (face-to-face)
- 22 March 2021 (online)
- 24 March 2021 (face-to-face)
SACE Management Q&A — complete for 2021
In this online Q&A session, experienced SACE officers answered questions about managing the SACE within schools. This session is aimed at new and emerging SACE coordinators.
Other professional learning
Many of the professional learning opportunities we provide are aimed at teachers, but there are also workshops and meetings during the year for school leaders.
Stage 2 assessment panels
Teachers can apply to take part in Stage 2 assessment panels. This involves working with SACE staff and lead practitioners to ensure the assessment and moderation processes lead to fair, valid and reliable results for students. This is a valuable learning experience.
Learn more about Stage 2 assessment panels.
Get support
General support
Our askSACE team can help you with any questions you have about the SACE. If they don't know the answer, the'll get you in touch with the people who do.
askSACE@sa.gov.au
+61 8 8115 4700 (fax +61 8 8124 4553)
Monday to Friday, 8.30 am - 5 pm
Subject support
Each subject has an expert allocated to it. They should be your go-to person for subject-specific questions. You can use the subject search to find their details.