Equitable Assessment and Special Consideration in Assessment in Year 11 & 12
Student Guide
ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies March 2006
Equitable Assessment
All students, including those with disabilities, must have equal opportunities to show their achievement whether it is in class assessment tasks, assignment work, major end of semester tests or the Australian Scaling Test (AST).
It is NOT a question of giving students with a disability something extra - it is a question of giving them what is rightfully theirs - an equal opportunity to demonstrate their full capabilities.
(Universities and TAFEs also make provisions for students with special needs. The special provisions for Years 11 and 12 are in line with these.)
Disability
The Disability Discrimination Act (1993) defines disability very broadly to include physical, intellectual, psychiatric, sensory, neurological or learning disabilities and special needs. It includes physical disfigurement, the presence in the body of a disease-causing organism (eg the HIV virus) and any other chronic or short term illness.
Special Needs students are those with functional difficulty caused by a disability or an impairment.
What kind of provisions can students ask for?
- Braille and enlarged print papers
- Use of a computer
- extra time for reading and completing test papers
- signing interpreters
- scribes for test and/or note takers in class
- specialised furniture such as ergonomic chairs and slope boards
- audio-taped questions
- being able to take movement and / or sustenance breaks
- being able to take a test in a separate venue, with an independent supervisor
- alternative assignment formats
- negotiated extensions of time for assignments
- early feedback to let the student know that they are not reaching required standards
- oral examinations of written material.
Requests for special arrangements will be considered carefully to ensure fairness and equity for all students. These will not necessarily be granted for some / all assessment tasks.
School counsellors
The school counsellor can assist with a number of issues:
- providing advice and a support network
- suggesting ways to reduce stress and anxiety
- increasing self-esteem and self-confidence
- developing self-advocacy skills and time management strategies.
Special consideration for the Australian Scaling Test
Students with disabilities/special needs should apply for assistance in undertaking the Australian Scaling Test (AST). Some of the special accommodations mentioned before may be applicable to the sitting of the AST.
Students should discuss their needs and eligibility for assistance with the school counsellor and/or the Special Needs Team early in the year they will be sitting the AST.
Note: Because of the nature of the AST some support given for college assessment may not be relevant/granted for the AST.
What you need to do
Special forms are available from the Australian Scaling Test Coordinator (AST) in your school. These forms comprise two parts.
Part 1 is to be completed by you and handed to the AST Coordinator / School Counsellor to be completed and sent to the Assessment Officer of ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies.
Part 2 is to be completed by your doctor or other suitable medical professional and sent directly by them to the Assessment Officer of the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies with relevant documentation. You will need to support your request for special provisions with detailed documents from a doctor or other suitable professional.
The school counsellor and / or Special Needs Team will make recommendations to the principal who will then apply on your behalf for Special Consideration to the Board of Senior Secondary Studies. This application must be submitted by the due date.
People to seek help from in your school/college
- Counsellors
- Class Teachers
- Special Needs Coordinator/Team
- Year Advisors/Supervisors/Coordinators
- Careers Advisors
Short term misadventure / special consideration
This information also applies in part to situations where a student's ability to demonstrate achievement is impaired by a circumstance of a short-term temporary basis. This includes situations such as bereavement, depression, illness or injury. In these situations, a student would be entitled to:
- alternative assessments
- extensions on submission of work
- sitting assessments at times different to other students
- extra time allowed for assessment items
- exemption from completing items (status for individual items)
- status for a semester or half- semester unit.
In these circumstances, a student needs to apply for Special Consideration and must supply appropriate and current documentation to the college.
See your year advisors, welfare team or counsellors for advice. Further information can be obtained from:
ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies
Lyons Education Centre
Phone: 02 6205 7181
www.bsss.act.edu.au/
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