MAITLAND HIGH SCHOOL - Millennium

PREAMBLE
2011 PRELIMINARY COURSE ASSESSMENT POLICY
Introduction
This material incorporates NSW Board of Studies Assessment requirements, and is provided for
the information of Preliminary Course senior students at Maitland High School.
The formal assessment program for the Preliminary courses delivered by Maitland High School
in 2011 is described within this booklet, and all information is accurate at the time of printing.
The specific time of some assessment tasks detailed within the various course entries may need
to be modified, but students will receive appropriate advance notice of any variations in class.
What are the Board of Studies requirements for completing courses satisfactorily
Preliminary Course work in a subject must be completed satisfactorily in order to gain a Board of
Studies Preliminary Course Record of Achievement. Students may not be admitted into a
Higher School Certificate (Year 12) Course without satisfactory completion of the relevant
Preliminary Course.
To satisfactorily complete the Preliminary Course, students must have:
Followed the course developed or endorsed by the Board;
Applied themselves with diligence and sustained effort to the set tasks and experiences
provided in the course by the school; and
Achieved some or all of the course outcomes.
The Board further requires that where a student has been given zero marks for failure to
complete assessment tasks totalling more than 50% of the final course assessment mark, the
Principal must certify that the course has not been studied satisfactorily.
What is assessment
Assessment is a compulsory feature of Preliminary and HSC Courses. The purpose of
assessment is to evaluate student achievement of course outcomes which cannot easily be
tested in formal examination situations, as well as of those skills tested by examinations.
On their HSC Result Notices students receive an assessment mark for each of their courses.
These marks are based on the quality of student performances in specified course assessment
tasks, undertaken whilst completing the relevant HSC course. Similarly, in Preliminary Courses
student achievement of learning outcomes is assessed through specified tasks.
The Board of Studies has identified components that must be included in the assessment
program of each course and the proportion of marks to be allocated to each component. These
vary from subject to subject, relating to the learning outcomes of each course. Assessment
tasks are developed by the school to measure student performance in the course components
and outcomes. Some of the outcomes can be tested by a formal exam, so a certain proportion
of the assessment is derived from major exams.
The purpose of this booklet is to summarise the assessment tasks, outcomes and components
that will be required for each Preliminary Course.
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Maitland High School 2011 Preliminary Assessment Booklet