Victorian schools get wrong recordings for music exams

Victoria’s curriculum authority faces another major mistake with year 12 VCE exams, this time with music recordings sent to schools that don’t align with the questions on the exam paper.

Victoria’s education system is facing another bungle, this time involving music recordings.

Victoria’s curriculum authority faces another major mistake with year 12 VCE exams, this time with music recordings sent to schools that don’t align with the questions on the exam paper.

The mishap affects next week’s music repertoire performance and music contemporary performance exams, leaving schools scrambling to adjust to the blunder.

This latest error follows a string of mistakes for the Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), which recently suffered a leak involving exam cover sheets for 22 subjects, giving thousands of students unauthorised access to exam details.

In light of the botched music recordings, a VCE co-ordinator told The Herald Sun that exam supervisors were allowed to test CDs for only a few seconds.

“With so many stuff-ups, ­supervisors are only allowed to play first seconds of CDs to test. Not listen,” the co-ordinator said.

He said he “can’t recall a time where VCAA have ever resent or asked for material to be returned”.

The VCAA has issued ­urgent instructions for schools to return all previously received music exam materials unopened, with fresh materials set to arrive via secure courier on Monday.

A letter obtained by The Herald Sun from Justin Seabury, VCAA director of enrolments, assessments and results, outlines strict procedures for handling the returned material, instructing that it be marked “Confidential” and handled with utmost care.

The letter sent to schools confirming new exams are hurriedly being written and sent out to schools.

“Materials should be included in a separate sealed gold envelope marked ‘Confidential: ­Attention Maria Fragale’, placed in a pink bag and provided to the courier by your Chief Supervisor with the completed papers – in a different pink bag(s) – for the ­examinations you have administered on that day, as per normal collection procedure,” the letter said.

Meanwhile, teachers have raised concerns over a separate issue with the Year 12 media exam, in which a 10-mark question on science-fiction conventions was reportedly not covered in the study design.

The case study in question, “Sci-Fi High”, asked students to describe a sci-fi convention – a genre some students were never exposed to during their lessons.

Teachers argue the question put students at a disadvantage, especially those from culturally diverse backgrounds who may be less familiar with science fiction.

“There is nothing in the study design that specifically mentions sci-fi conventions,” one teacher said.

“VCAA copying answers is one thing, but expecting students to demonstrate a knowledge about a topic that is not even in the study design is incomprehensible.

“I know teachers who were deeply distressed, angry about the SAT section of the exam and felt that it gave an unfair advantage to schools who had either studied sci-fi as their narrative film, studied it for their production or watched it in their own time.

“It was clear that students from culturally diverse backgrounds were disadvantaged, and many either did not understand what ‘sci-fi’ was, or hadn’t been exposed to the genre ­before.”

Victorian Education Minister Ben Carroll ordered a full review into this year’s VCE exam bungle and a team of external reviewers will be appointed to examine all elements of the VCAA’s operating model.

The government will also ­install an independent monitor to oversee exams next year, after a third consecutive year of blunders.

“Students deserve better,” Mr Carroll said on Thursday.

“It is clear to me that some students have been let down as a result of these errors, and that is completely unacceptable.”