Chair of the NESA Board, Professor Peter Shergold today announced a number of key decisions about the 2020 HSC made by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) COVID-19 Response Committee to protect the health and safety of students, teachers and parents during this challenging time.
Effective immediately, the Committee has agreed to:
· give Principals and system authorities the power to determine the number, type and weighting of tasks for Year 11 school based assessment, in line with the decision communicated last week for HSC students
· lift the requirement for VET students to undertake NESA work placements
· cancel mandatory group performance exam in Drama and the mandatory ensemble performance exam in Music Extension.
· modify other performance exams that breach social distancing requirements.
The Committee will meet next week to provide advice on major projects for Visual Arts, Design and Technology, Industrial Technology, Textiles and Design, English Ext 2 and Society and Culture.
Professor Shergold said today’s decisions and every future decision made by the Committee will prioritise the adoption of arrangements for the 2020 HSC that are practical and do not disadvantage any student.
“The Committee is continuing to meet weekly to address issues and provide up to date advice.
“I can say with certainty that students will have the opportunity to receive their HSC credential this year, so students should continue to learn, complete their assessments and taking care of themselves.
“This year’s HSC students will be able to continue with the next chapter of their lives, whether that’s university, an apprenticeship or TAFE,” Professor Shergold said.
A Technical Advisory Committee of assessment experts and key stakeholders is currently working to establish a fair and equitable way to calculate a mark for each of the cancelled components of the HSC. NESA will communicate this process as soon as it is finalised.
Detailed advice about today’s decisions will be available on the NESA website next week:https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/about/news/novel-coronavirus
