Senior secondary assessment methods in Tasmania
Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification (TASC) accredited senior secondary courses use criterion-based assessment methodology.
Provider-based internal assessments are quality assured by TASC and used by TASC to calculate awards and issue qualifications. Courses at Levels 3 and 4 that contribute to the calculation of ATAR are also subject to external assessment managed by TASC.
Senior secondary reporting in Tasmania
A Qualifications Certificate is issued to learners at the end of their senior secondary studies. This certificate is a formal record of senior secondary, recognised and VET qualifications/Unit of Attainment gained to that time. The certificate can be updated to form a record of life-long learning.
Learners who reach the required standards are also issued with a Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE).
Reporting at the end of the compulsory years in Tasmania
Principals establish clear processes in their schools to support both formative assessment for the purpose of providing regular feedback to students, and summative assessment for the purpose of reporting to parents and at a system level against the Australian Curriculum according to the implementation timeline.
Teachers must assess student progress against the achievement standards of the Australian Curriculum according to the implementation timeline and the internal processes of their school. Teachers assess and report student achievement Years 3–10 using the letter ratings A–E. Students F (Prep) to Year 2 receive corresponding achievement descriptors.
Principals establish clear processes in their school to support teachers of those subjects not yet implemented under the Australian Curriculum and still being assessed against the Tasmanian Curriculum.
Principals provide opportunities for moderation which involves collaborative teacher discussion of student work samples, assessment of the samples according to standards, and processes to discuss and reconcile assessment judgements to occur in their schools.
The Department of Education has produced the Good Teaching: Quality Assessment Practices Guiding Learning to support teacher practice. This hard copy resource is available upon request.
Department of Education Assessment and Reporting Policy and Procedures
