Year 11 QCE Assessment Booklet 2019

SENIOR SCHOOL ASSESSMENT POLICY

PROCEDURE FOR ACCESS ARRANGEMENTS AND REASONABLE ADJUSTMENTS (AARA) OF ASSESSMENT ITEMS Students and/or parents/ guardians can apply for reasonable educational adjustments if they consider that the student’s learning or assessment has or will be seriously affected. As stated in the QCAA QCE and QCIA Policy and Procedures Handbook 2019, grounds for AARA are to minimize, as much as possible, barriers for a student whose disability, impairment, medical condition or other circumstances may affect their ability to read, respond to or participate in assessment. Students are not eligible for AARA on the following grounds: • unfamiliarity with the English language • teacher absence or other teacher-related difficulties • matters that the student could have avoided (e.g. misreading an examination timetable or misreading instructions) • matters of the student’s or parent’s/carer’s own chosing (e.g. family holidays) • matters that the school could have avoided (e.g. incorrect enrolment in a subject) Students and/or parents/guardians need to contact the Dean of Studies to arrange an interview and formally apply AARA. AARA does not exempt the students from completing or submitting assessment items. Students who have permanent disability or chronic illness, which affect their general performance, cannot receive special treatment in the calculation of exit achievement levels. It is not possible to tell how much better students would have performed had they not incurred this circumstance. In these cases, Year 12 students are able to apply for special consideration through QTAC (Queensland Tertiary Admission Centre) if they intend to apply for tertiary courses . The Dean of Studies can assist these students with this process. PROCEDURE FOR STUDENTS WITH DOCUMENTED LEARNING DIFFICULTIES 1. Identify eligible students on the current support list 2. Provide eligible students with AARA as appropriate to their needs. 3. Extra time will be allocated on the basis of 5 minutes for every 30 minutes of testing, all or part of which may be used for extra perusal time or extra completion time. This determination will be made in consultation with the Dean of Studies. The principle of providing extra time for learning support students with documented need for AARA will be maintained in Units 1 and 2, however will need to be approved by the QCAA for Units 3 and 4 via an application process. Teachers will be made aware of which students are eligible for extra time in each class/subject area. Heads of Departments and the Learning Enhancement teacher will make suitable arrangements for the administration of extra time.

Eragon looked back at him, confused. “I don't understand ". “Of course you don't," said Brom impatiently. "That's why I'm teaching you and not the other way around.” ~ Christopher Paolini

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