Talking Point: Working to ensure TCE students face no disadvantage

JEREMY ROCKLIFF: Focus on fairness as we prepare for course quality and assessment

Keep learning, doing your assessments as advised by your school or training provider and most importantly look after yourself, whether you are at school or at home.

Over the past few weeks, COVID-19 has presented us with an unprecedented challenge — across the education sector, and for the Tasmanian and global communities.

This has been an extremely complex time for our schools, colleges and all those working in education, and I can’t thank my colleagues, principals, school leaders, staff and teachers enough for their leadership and commitment to providing a safe learning environment for our children and young people at this uncertain time. For Years 11 and 12 students in particular, this may be a more stressful time. I want to reassure these students and their families they will not be at a disadvantage as a result of COVID-19.

We are working with the Office of Tasmanian Assessment Standards and Certification (TASC) and the University of Tasmania to address issues that may affect the attainment of Tasmanian Qualifications Certificate, Tasmanian Certificate of Education and the calculation of ATAR scores.

Right now, our priority is the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff. However we are all working together to monitor the situation, to ensure a co-ordinated response for provision of high quality learning programs.

As always, the focus is on equity and fairness, ensuring no student is disadvantaged as we consider short and longer term options for internal and external assessment and final results, including the TCE.

I want to reassure senior secondary students and their families that if you meet the standards of the TCE, you will achieve it, with the knowledge that your senior secondary certificate is meaningful and comparable with those students who finished Year 12 in 2019 across Tasmania and mainland Australia.

At this stage TASC external assessments will proceed for Level 3 and Level 4 courses. We will provide students who are yet to achieve the Everyday Adult Standards in Reading, Writing and Communications in English, Mathematics and Use of the Computers and the Internet with opportunities to meet them later this year using online safety net tests for these three standards.

Investigations are under way regarding assessment of practical courses such as Drama, Dance, Music and Outdoor Leadership, as well as community engagement or workplace requirements, and TASC will provide advice as soon as is practicable.

While we do not know how the immediate future looks, the basic premise if is if you meet the standards, you will be able to achieve what you set out to this year. Whether that is accessing university, further education and training or employment, this will not change. Keep learning, doing your assessments as advised by your school or training provider and most importantly look after yourself, whether you are at school or at home.

Reach out to family, friends and your teachers or speak to your school if you need support.

There is enormous goodwill between education sectors at this challenging time, with more than 40 Year 11 and 12 online resources for TASC courses already available for teachers from all sectors. We are working hard to ensure everyone’s needs in online learning is considered, and finding ways to work together.

A cross-sectoral and co-ordinated approach for senior secondary queries from teachers and principals, which includes liaison with TASC and other relevant VET stakeholders, is in place.

In addition, professional learning across all senior secondary sectors is being provided. We are all in this together, and it is crucial that we support all Tasmanian learners.

The Extension School program is complemented by Virtual Learning Tasmania (VLT), which enables access to contemporary online learning for Years 11 and 12, no matter where students live. VLT is funded through the department to ensure learners are able to access a wide range of courses.

Teaching and learning resources have been created and I have committed to sharing these with non-government schools to support continuity of learning.

Thank you for being flexible and understanding as we navigate this together, and please be assured there is a mountain of work going on behind the scenes to support learners. I am committed to ensuring no student will be disadvantaged at this time, and our students’ critical year 11 and 12 studies will not be adversely affected this year.

For school related COVID-19 information, contact the Department of Education on 1800 816 057. The Service Centre is operating from 9am to 5pm on weekdays.

Jeremy Rockliff is Tasmanian Education and Training Minister.