BOSTES Annual Report 2013–2014

2013–2014

BOARD OF STUDIES, TEACHING & EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS NSW

E X H I B I T I O N S A N D E V E N T S

Showcasing exemplary HSC major works and performances

A R T E X P R E S S ARTEXPRESS is an annual exhibition of artworks by Higher School Certifi cate Visual Arts students.

In 2014 bodies of work of 225 students from both government and non-government schools were selected for exhibition from more than 9300 submissions

for the art-making component of the 2013 HSC examination.

ARTEXPRESS was held from February to June 2014 at: Hazelhurst Regional Gallery and Arts Centre, Gymea; The Armory, Sydney Olympic Park; the Art Gallery of NSW; McGlade Art Gallery, Australia Catholic University; Tweed River Art Gallery; Wollongong Art Gallery; and Maitland Regional Art Gallery. Further exhibitions are scheduled for Goulburn, University of Western Sydney, Bathurst and Port Macquarie in the second half of 2014.

ARTEXPRESS visitors to 30 June 2014 Gallery Visitors

Hazelhurst 13 539

Sydney Olympic Park 12 317

Art Gallery of NSW 66 486

Tweed River Art Gallery 29 155

Wollongong Art Gallery 15 513

ARTEXPRESS sponsorsDesignation Sponsor

Major sponsor Australia Post

Associate sponsor S & S Creativity Unlimited

Associate sponsor The Academy University of Western Sydney

Television media partner TVS Television Sydney

Offi cial ARTEXPRESS Grace Fine Art carrier

Camera supplied by Foto Riesel

Patron The William Dobell Art Foundation

D e s i g n T E C H DesignTECH is an annual exhibition of Major Design Projects developed by Higher School Certifi cate students as part of their Design and Technology course.

The Powerhouse Museum displayed the exhibition from 22 February to 11 May 2014.

The exhibition provided a valuable resource for teachers and students, and gave the community an opportunity to view the talent, creativity and innovation emerging from the Design and Technology curriculum in New South Wales. In conjunction with the exhibition, DesignTECH seminars held during February and April 2014 attracted more than 1900 students and teachers.

Between May and July 2014 DesignTECH toured to Tamworth and Wagga Wagga.

DesignTECH sponsors

Powerhouse Museum

Shelston IP

Alan Broady Memorial Trust

Built Environment, UNSW

E N C O R E The annual ENCORE concert of outstanding performances and compositions from Higher School Certifi cate Music students was presented to full houses at both matinee and evening performances in the Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House on 24 March 2014. The concerts featured a diverse program representing all the HSC Music courses and comprising 16 performances and fi ve compositions.

O n S T A G E The 2014 OnSTAGE season at the Seymour Centre, Sydney, ran from 8 to 14 February 2014 and featured 49 performers and an exhibition of 23 projects that represented the diff erent syllabus categories for study in the Higher School Certifi cate Drama course.

Also on show was Writers OnSTAGE/OnSCREEN in the Everest Theatre, Seymour Centre, 12 to 14 February 2014, featuring three video drama screenings and two rehearsed readings of exemplary scripts.

W o r d E x p r e s s In July 2014 in collaboration with the State Library of NSW, Word Express launched Young Writers Showcase 13, the anthology of Major Works by 2013 HSC English Extension 2 students. The State Library will again host study days for students and teachers in October 2014.

Excellence from the 2013 Higher School Certificate

Performances and exhibition by HSC Drama studentsProgram 1

SEYMOUR CENTRE

Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW 117 Clarence Street Sydney NSW 2000 Tel: (02) 9367 8111 Fax: (02) 9367 8484 www.bostes.nsw.edu.au

Postal address: Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW GPO Box 5300 SYDNEY NSW 2001

© Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW 2014

This report is available on the BOSTES website at www.bostes.nsw.edu.au

20140542

Acknowledgements: Section 1 Image is from White day Dreaming by Leandros Pandoulis (Homebush Boys High School) 2013 HSC Visual Arts student.

Section 2 ENCORE photography Hamish Ta-mé

Section 3 OnStage photography Anna Warr

Section 4 Photography Tanja Bruckner

BOSTES ANNUAL REPORT 2013–2014 1

http://www.bostes.nsw.edu.au/

http://www.bostes.nsw.edu.au/

The Honourable Adrian Piccoli MP

Minister for Education

Dear Minister

I am pleased to present the first Annual Report of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for the year ending 30 June 2014 for your presentation to the NSW Parliament.

The report highlights the activities and achievements of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW over the reporting year and has been prepared in accordance with the Annual Reports (Statutory Bodies) Act 1984.

Tom Alegounarias President Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW


President’s message

I am pleased to present to you the first Annual Report of the new Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW (the BOSTES).

Established on 1 January 2014, the BOSTES brings together the functions previously provided by the Board of Studies NSW and the NSW Institute of Teachers, as well as a range of important new functions.

The NSW government has formed the BOSTES to bring a greater focus on the use of research, data analysis and experience in standards setting to better integrate policy and practice across the four educational pillars of curriculum, assessment, teaching and regulatory standards, in a way that will drive higher-quality teaching and help lead the continuing improvement of educational standards in NSW schools.

The BOSTES is the first authority of its kind within Australia and unique by international standards. With more than 30 percent of Australian schools, teachers and school students residing in NSW, we have been charged with a significant mandate to steer the effective delivery of high-quality teaching and learning by around 100 000 NSW teachers for more than one million NSW students enrolled at more than 3000 schools in Kindergarten through to Year 12.

In pursuing our goals we will work collaboratively and transparently with the school sectors. We will draw together expertise from within the school sectors and other key education stakeholders, including universities, teacher educators and other professional groups. Our goal of improving student achievement will be at the very heart of our activities as we promote evidence-based analysis, judgement and policy within and on behalf of the profession.

It is a complex and challenging time in education and our remit puts us in a unique position amongst Australian education jurisdictions. Government reforms, at both the Commonwealth and State levels, advancements in technology and globalisation are exerting a remarkable impact. Governments across Australia are seeking to make the pursuit of enhanced teacher quality and school education more nationally consistent, effective and relevant as part of a shared commitment towards improving educational outcomes for all young Australians as set out in the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians.

The centrality and strength of the NSW economy and the capabilities of its workforce, particularly its teacher workforce, make it pivotal to Australia’s cultural and economic wellbeing and future development. Our work to promote high-quality teaching and improved educational standards in NSW schools is therefore vitally important, not only for NSW, but for the development and productivity of our nation.

The NSW education system is significant in the national and international contexts. Australia’s knowledge economy relies on our education system achieving the highest possible standards on an international scale. To measure the progress of our success as we seek to further improve standards, we will look to those educational systems that consistently achieve the most outstanding results internationally, including in terms of equity. We will actively explore what underpins the exceptionally high educational performance of these school systems and identify how we can further build on the already high standards of schooling here in NSW.

The NSW State Plan NSW 2021: A Plan to Make NSW Number One outlines a range of key goals and targets designed to strengthen the NSW skill base, improve education and learning outcomes for all NSW students and foster greater opportunity and partnership with Aboriginal people. These goals and targets provide the key focus for the future directions and initiatives of the BOSTES.


The BOSTES is also coordinating implementation of the NSW government’s Great Teaching, Inspired Learning: a blueprint for action, and a range of related strategic initiatives, all designed to promote and foster world-class teacher quality as a central driver for improving the educational standards of NSW students.

The BOSTES recognises its significant responsibility to the people of NSW to ensure that future educational reforms build on the high quality of primary and secondary education currently enjoyed by NSW students. We recognise that there will always be more to pursue and more to be done. I believe that we have made a strong start towards realising our mandate and I encourage you to look through this Annual Report at the many initiatives and achievements of the BOSTES to date.

I want to acknowledge the work of all those who have participated in the achievements outlined in this report: the members of the BOSTES board and the Quality Teaching Council, as well as members of the many committees of the Board that have provided their support and advice.

Thank you to all the stakeholders and representative groups, including teachers, principals, school staff, parents and students who have engaged with the BOSTES and contributed to our collaborative achievements.

I would also like to acknowledge the professionalism and commitment of the staff of the BOSTES who have shown great patience, cooperation and flexibility during the merger of the Board of Studies NSW and the NSW Institute of Teachers, and who have made considerable contributions across all areas of our organisation. It is a pleasure to work with such a dedicated and enthusiastic team.

Finally, I’d like to pay tribute to Carol Taylor, our retiring Chief Executive, with whom I have worked closely during the past 4 years. During this time, Carol has shown unswerving commitment to the task of improving the education experience and outcomes of students at a time of major change and development. I know I speak on behalf of all those who have worked with Carol over her extensive career in education in saying that through her passion, professionalism and expertise she has made extraordinary contributions to education in NSW and that she will be greatly missed.

I embrace the ambitious educational agenda established by the NSW government and look forward to your ongoing support over the coming years as the BOSTES expands its leadership and support for improved educational standards of NSW students.

Tom Alegounarias President Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW


Table of Contents

Letter of submission .................................................................................................... 2

President’s message .................................................................................................... 3

Section 1: Our organisation and governance ....................................................... 8

1.1 The BOSTES Charter ............................................................................................. 9 Legislation and the establishment of the BOSTES ....................................................................................... 9 About us – our purpose, responsibilities and values .................................................................................... 9 Our key responsibilities .............................................................................................................................. 10 Values and principles ................................................................................................................................. 11

1.2 The Board and its Committees ........................................................................... 12 Membership of the Board ........................................................................................................................... 12 Appointed members ................................................................................................................................... 12 Standing Committees of the Board ............................................................................................................. 15

1.3 Members of the Board ......................................................................................... 16

1.4 Structure and Staff of the BOSTES..................................................................... 25 Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW Transitional Organisational Structure ........ 26

1.5 Strategic Planning and Goals ............................................................................. 27 Key Priority Areas ....................................................................................................................................... 29

Section 2: Our achievements ............................................................................... 39

2.1 Curriculum and Assessment ............................................................................... 40 Implementing the Australian curriculum for NSW students ........................................................................ 40 NSW curriculum ......................................................................................................................................... 43 The BOSTES syllabus development process ............................................................................................. 45 Syllabus evaluation .................................................................................................................................... 45 Supporting the Primary Curriculum (Early Stage 1 to Stage 3) .................................................................. 45 Supporting the Years 7–10 (Stages 4 and 5) Curriculum ........................................................................... 46 Supporting the Years 11–12 (Stage 6) Curriculum ..................................................................................... 47 Flexible Curriculum Pathways .................................................................................................................... 53 Promoting best-practice assessment and reporting ................................................................................... 59 Supporting Aboriginal education................................................................................................................. 61 Supporting Rural and Remote Education ................................................................................................... 63

2.2 Examinations and Credentials ............................................................................ 66 NSW Higher School Certificate .................................................................................................................. 66 HSC reporting and credentialling................................................................................................................ 66 2013 Higher School Certificate ................................................................................................................... 67 2014 HSC entries ....................................................................................................................................... 72 Record of School Achievement (RoSA) ..................................................................................................... 72 2014 National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)................................................ 74 Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) .......................................................................................... 79


2.3 Quality Teaching and Regulatory Compliance .................................................. 82 Great Teaching, Inspired Learning (GTIL) .................................................................................................. 82 National Developments .............................................................................................................................. 84 Initial Teacher Education ............................................................................................................................ 85 Standards and Accreditation ...................................................................................................................... 87 Continuing Professional Development ....................................................................................................... 94

2.4 Quality Schooling and Regulatory Compliance ............................................... 101 Responsibilities .........................................................................................................................................101 Best-practice policies and processes in the regulation of non-government schools..................................105 Registration statistics ................................................................................................................................106 Home schooling .........................................................................................................................................109 BOSTES Research, Evaluation and Development ....................................................................................111 Review of Languages Education ...............................................................................................................112 RoSA Data for Universities Program .........................................................................................................113 Overseas visitors to the BOSTES .............................................................................................................113 Consultation and Engagement ..................................................................................................................114 TES Australia ............................................................................................................................................115 Digital BOSTES .........................................................................................................................................115 BOSTES Communications ........................................................................................................................118 Acknowledging outstanding student achievements ...................................................................................119

Section 3: Management of our organisation .................................................... 120

Chief Executive Service (CES) and Senior Executive Service (SES) staff .... 121 Number of CES and SES Officers .............................................................................................................121 BOSTES CES/SES staff academic qualifications .....................................................................................121

BOSTES Executive Directorate descriptions ................................................... 122 Curriculum, Teaching and Assessment / Registrar of Teachers ...............................................................122 Regulation and Governance / Registrar of Schools ..................................................................................122 Research, Policy and Reporting ................................................................................................................122

BOSTES Directorate and Branch descriptions ................................................ 123

Management and governance of the BOSTES................................................. 127 BOSTES Strategic and Operational Planning ...........................................................................................127 Building and Managing Performance Program ..........................................................................................128 Recruitment ...............................................................................................................................................129 BOSTES full-time equivalent (FTE) staff 2013–2014 ................................................................................129 Workforce Diversity ...................................................................................................................................130 Workplace Health and Safety performance ...............................................................................................131 Public interest disclosures .........................................................................................................................131 Audit and risk management .......................................................................................................................131 Representing the BOSTES or Minister on external committees ................................................................134 Payment of accounts .................................................................................................................................136 Exceptional movements in employee wages, salaries or allowances .......................................................138 Personnel policies and practices ...............................................................................................................138 Industrial relations policies and practices ..................................................................................................138 Recreation leave and extended leave liability ...........................................................................................138 Contracting and market testing..................................................................................................................138 Consultancies ............................................................................................................................................139 Major works in progress ............................................................................................................................139 Code of Conduct and Ethics ......................................................................................................................139 Commitment to service ..............................................................................................................................139 Waste reduction and recycling ..................................................................................................................141


Section 4: Appendixes ....................................................................................... 143

Appendix 1 – Standing Committees of the Board ................................................. 144 Quality Teaching Council (QTC) ................................................................................................................144 Registration and Accreditation Committee ................................................................................................145 VET Advisory Committee ..........................................................................................................................145 Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee ................................................................................................147 Primary Curriculum Advisory Committee ...................................................................................................148 Special Education Advisory Committee .....................................................................................................149 Existing sub-committees to support the Examinations and Curriculum programs .....................................149

Appendix 2 – Board meetings and attendance of members................................. 154

Appendix 3 – Quality Teaching Council and attendance of members ................. 155 Quality Teaching Council (QTC) ................................................................................................................155 Members of the Quality Teaching Council .................................................................................................156 Quality Teaching Council meetings and attendance of members .............................................................157

Appendix 4 – Sub-committees of the Quality Teaching Council .......................... 158 Initial Teacher Education Committee (ITEC) .............................................................................................158 Moderating and Consistency Committee (MCC) .......................................................................................159 Professional Learning, Endorsement and Advisory Committee (PLEAC) .................................................161

Appendix 5 – NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Incorporated ...... 164

Appendix 6 – Multicultural Policies and Services Program.................................. 166

Appendix 7 – Disability Action Plan ....................................................................... 169

Appendix 8 – Government Information (Public Access) (GIPA) ........................... 170

Appendix 9 – Major assets ...................................................................................... 174

Appendix 10 – Statutory disclosure requirements ................................................ 175

Appendix 11 – Corporate card compliance ............................................................ 178

Appendix 12 – Privacy Management Plan .............................................................. 179

Appendix 13 – Acronyms ......................................................................................... 180

Appendix 14 – Financial Statements ....................................................................... 182 Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards Staff Agency ......................................................182 Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards ...........................................................................182


Our organisation and governance 1

1.1 The BOSTES Charter

Legislation and the establishment of the BOSTES

The Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW (the BOSTES) was established on 1 January 2014 following the passage in November 2013 of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards Act 2013 (the BOSTES Act) through the NSW Parliament. As well as establishing the new BOSTES, the BOSTES Act made requisite changes to the Education Act 1990 and the Institute of Teachers Act 2004 (renamed the Teacher Accreditation Act 2004).

Under the BOSTES Act, the BOSTES has assumed the previous functions of the Board of Studies NSW and the NSW Institute of Teachers. The BOSTES is the first authority of its kind within Australia and is unique by national and international standards.

The BOSTES works collaboratively and in consultation with the school sectors. The key purpose of the BOSTES is to support the already high standards of NSW schooling and to help lead the continuing improvement of educational standards in NSW schools. To achieve this, the BOSTES will cultivate and leverage the interrelationships between the four educational pillars of curriculum, teaching, assessment and educational regulation in a way that drives higher-quality teaching and improves the educational standards of NSW students.

The BOSTES works collaboratively and transparently with key education stakeholders and the broader community to place the goal of improving student achievement at the very heart of its activities. The BOSTES also draws together expertise from within the school sectors, universities, teacher educators and other professional groups and promotes evidence-based analysis, judgement and policy within and on behalf of the profession.

About us – our purpose, responsibilities and values

Our purpose:

To support the already high standards of NSW schooling and to help lead the continuing improvement of educational standards in NSW schools.

In fulfilling our purpose we will:

Keep the advancement of student achievement at the heart of our activities Be aware of and responsive to the perceptions and expectations of parents Work proactively and collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholder organisations and the

broader community, including school sectors, early childhood providers, non-government organisations, higher education providers and employers

Be open and responsive to the perceptions and expectations of other professionals and individuals who come into contact with us

Be a source of authority on curriculum, assessment, quality teaching and regulatory and accreditation compliance

Recognise, cultivate and leverage the interrelationships between curriculum, teaching, assessment and registration in a way that drives high-quality teaching and improves the educational standards of students

Draw together expertise from within the school sectors, universities, teacher education and other professional groups

Cultivate and support evidence-based analysis, judgement and presentation within and on behalf of the profession.


Our key responsibilities:

Curriculum and Assessment

Develop curriculum and curriculum support materials that articulate NSW educational standards at each stage of learning from Kindergarten to Year 12

Develop high-quality resources and provide expert guidance and support for teachers undertaking assessment of the educational standards of NSW students from Kindergarten to Year 12.

Examinations and Credentials

Develop and deliver HSC examinations and award the Higher School Certificate to eligible students

Award the Record of School Achievement (RoSA) to eligible students who leave school prior to completing the Higher School Certificate

Implement and administer the National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests in NSW

Administer the Australian Music Examinations Board (NSW) (AMEB).

Teaching Quality

Implement and oversee teacher accreditation processes against whole-of-career Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and accredit NSW teachers against those standards

Ensure the quality of Initial Teacher Education programs offered by providers against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

Support professional learning for beginning, returning and continuing teachers based on rigorous professional standards

Coordinate implementation of the NSW government’s Great Teaching, Inspired Learning: a blueprint for action across all NSW schools.

School Registration and Accreditation

Develop and implement school registration standards Register non-government schools seeking to operate in NSW and accredit non-government

schools to present candidates for the Record of School Achievement (RoSA) and Higher School Certificate (HSC)

Approve schools to deliver courses to overseas students Administer the home schooling program under delegation from the Minister.


Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG)

Provide corporate services support to the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc.

Our work will be underpinned by the following values and principles:

Educational Authority and Leadership

We will exercise a leading role in ongoing monitoring, research and development in school curriculum, assessment, teaching, registration and accreditation.

Focus on Stakeholders

We will provide optimal service to our stakeholders with professional competence and commitment.

Accountability and Transparency

We will actively promote community confidence in NSW education through activities that are ethical, sustainable, transparent and in the public interest.

Productive Relationships and Partnerships

We will foster rich and valuable relationships and partnerships across the community.

Equity and Inclusiveness

Our policies and programs will be underpinned by the principles of equity and inclusiveness and will be designed and delivered with fairness and consistency.

Quality and Effectiveness

We will implement best practices to provide high-quality services that are effective and respond to the needs of the community.

Innovation

We will encourage and promote innovation and creativity to encourage new ideas, products and processes.

Continuous Improvement

We will secure our own continuous improvement through active self-evaluation and independent external evaluation of our work and services.

BOSTES Officers will provide:

Exemplary representation of the BOSTES to education stakeholders and the broader community

High-quality professional advice and administrative support and services to the Board in order for it to fulfil its purpose and achieve its strategic goals.


1.2 The Board and its Committees

Membership of the Board

The Education Act 1990 (the Act) provided for 23 members of the former Board of Studies NSW. Under the Act, there were 19 appointed members, a full-time President and three persons who were members by virtue of their office (ex-officio members).

The Board of Studies NSW was replaced by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW (the BOSTES) on 1 January 2014 following the passage of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards Act 2013 (the BOSTES Act) through the NSW Parliament.

The BOSTES Act provides for the membership of the Board to similarly comprise a President, 19 appointed members and 3 ex-officio persons. Members of the Board are to be appointed for a period of three years.

Under Schedule 2, Clause 2 (3) of the BOSTES Act, each person that held appointment as a member of the former Board of Studies for a term that had been scheduled to extend beyond 31 December 2013 was “taken to be appointed under this Act as a member of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards for a period equivalent to the remainder of his or her term of appointment as a member of the Board of Studies and is eligible to be re-appointed at the end of that term”.

As the terms of the majority of members of the former Board of Studies had been scheduled to extend beyond 31 December 2013 these members were automatically taken to be members of the Board from 1 January 2014 for the remainder of their respective terms of appointment to the Board of Studies.

Membership of the new Board for the 2013–2014 reporting period (and, where indicated, the former Board of Studies until 31 December 2013) is listed below.

President Mr Tom Alegounarias

Ex-officio members Ms Janet Davy Ms Leslie Loble Mr Gregory Prior

Appointed members

One nominee of the New South Wales Vice-Chancellors’ Committee

Professor Jo-Anne Reid (Board of Studies until 31 December 2013)

Dr Michael Spence (BOSTES from 1 January 2014)

Two nominees of the Council of the Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of New South Wales: one nominee to represent parents of primary school children, the other to represent parents of secondary school children


Representing parents of primary school children: Vacant

Representing parents of secondary school children: Mr David Hope (Board of Studies until 31 December 2013) Currently vacant

One nominee of the Catholic Education Commission, New South Wales Dr Brian Croke

One nominee of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW, the Headmasters’ Conference and the Association of Heads of Independent Girls’ Schools Dr Timothy Wright

One non-government school teacher (other than a principal), being a nominee of the Independent Education Union NSW/ACT Mr Larry Grumley

One parent of a child attending a non-government school, being a nominee of the Council of Catholic School Parents and the NSW Parents’ Council Dr Angela Schulz

Two principals of government schools, one being a nominee of the New South Wales Council of Primary School Principals, the other being a nominee of the New South Wales Council of Secondary School Principals

Representing primary school principals: Mr John Mularczyk

Representing secondary school principals: Mr Gary Johnson

Two nominees of the New South Wales Teachers Federation, one being a primary government school teacher (other than a principal) and the other being a secondary government school teacher (other than a principal)

Primary school teacher: Mr Philip Cooke

Secondary school teacher: Mr Denis Fitzgerald

One person with knowledge and expertise in early childhood education Professor Sue Dockett

An Aboriginal person with knowledge and expertise in the education of Aboriginal people Ms Cindy Berwick

Six other persons having, in the Minister’s opinion, qualifications or experience that enables them to make a valuable contribution to primary or secondary education in New South Wales

Dr Meredith Martin Consultant in Special Education

Ms Jennifer Neary Business consultant and Chair of the Public Education Foundation

Dr Dan White Executive Director of Catholic Schools, Archdiocese of Sydney


Professor John Pegg Professor and Founder/Director of the Science, Information and Communication Technology, and Mathematics Education for Rural and Regional Australia (SiMERR) National Research Centre at the University of New England, Armidale

Mr John Azarias (BOSTES from 1 January 2014) Partner Tax Services Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu

The Hon Patricia Forsythe (BOSTES from 20 May 2014) Executive Director of the Sydney Business Chamber

Associate Professor Jacqueline Manuel (Board of Studies until 31 December 2013) Curriculum Coordinator, Secondary English Master of Teaching, University of Sydney



Standing Committees of the Board

1.3 Members of the Board

Mr Tom Alegounarias BEc, DipEd

Mr Alegounarias was appointed President of the Board of Studies NSW in June 2009. He was previously the founding Chief Executive of the NSW Institute of Teachers and was responsible for developing the Institute’s policy and legislative framework.

Mr Alegounarias is the NSW nominee to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) Board. He is an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney. Previously he has been Director of Equity and General Manager of Strategic Policy for the NSW Department of Education and Training, where he was responsible for national, cross-sectoral and cross-agency policy and liaison. He has been Chair and Executive Officer of a number of national policy committees, including the Schools Resourcing Taskforce of the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA). He was co-founder and inaugural chair of the Australian Centre for Equity through Education.

Mr John Azarias LLM (from 1 January 2014)

Mr Azarias is a senior partner at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and has been a member of the Board of Governance of the NSW Institute of Teachers since its establishment in 2005. Mr Azarias is also Federal Secretary of the French-Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a past President of Australian Business in Europe. He is an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. Mr Azarias has made a significant contribution to a range of corporate and charitable boards.

Ms Cindy Berwick BEd

Ms Berwick is the President of the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc. and chairs the Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee of the BOSTES. She is a secondary mathematics teacher and has spent considerable time teaching in schools as well as lecturing at the University of Western Sydney and University of Sydney.

Ms Berwick is a member of the Secretary’s Aboriginal Education and Training Reference Group for the NSW Department of Education and Communities. She represents Aboriginal people on a number of national committees, including First Peoples Education Advisory Group and the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Working Group. Ms Berwick has considerable knowledge and expertise in Aboriginal education and training, including policy development, and understands the cultural, social and economic factors that affect Aboriginal communities.


Mr Philip Cooke BEd (Primary)

Mr Cooke is a full-time classroom teacher at Cessnock Public School. He has been a teacher in the NSW Public Education system since 1990 and has taught in rural, regional and metropolitan schools.

Currently the President of the Cessnock Teachers Association and a member of the State Executive of the New South Wales Teachers Federation, Mr Cooke has conducted a variety of research activities on behalf of the Federation. This research has included a comparative study of teaching and learning conditions in schools across Australian states and territories.

Mr Cooke’s educational interests include curriculum development, pedagogical models and support models for teachers that enhance student outcomes.

In recent years, Mr Cooke has worked closely with the University of Newcastle on the MEGS (Making Educational Goals Sustainable) Project. MEGS aims to address the education and career aspirations of students from low SES backgrounds by providing access to, and knowledge of, higher education, particularly in the areas of science, mathematics and technology.

Dr Brian Croke BA(Hons), DipEd, DPhil, HonDLitt

Dr Croke is Executive Director of the Catholic Education Commission NSW. Brian is also a director of the Australian Council for Educational Research and Education Services Australia; member and Chair of the NSW Schools Advisory Council and member of the National Catholic Education Commission. He is also Adjunct Professor of History at Macquarie University, Honorary Associate at the University of Sydney and Visiting Fellow, Institute of Education, University of London.

Ms Janet Davy BEd, MEd

Ms Davy is the Executive Director, Office of the Secretary within the NSW Department of Education and Communities. Ms Davy commenced in this role in July 2012 after three years as Group Manager for Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching in the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Prior to this, Janet was Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Executive of the ACT Department of Education and Training.

Ms Davy started her career in NSW as a secondary Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) teacher in south-western Sydney and then went on to hold various senior curriculum roles in the NSW Department of Education and Communities and the Board of Studies NSW.

Ms Davy has also undertaken high-level change management roles with AusAID in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, including two years as Program Manager for the PNG Education Capacity Building Program.


Professor Sue Dockett BEd(Hons), MEd(Hons), PhD

Sue Dockett is Professor of Early Childhood Education at Charles Sturt University. Over a period of 30 years she has been actively involved in early childhood education as a teacher, academic and researcher. For the past 20 years, she has been involved in early childhood teacher education and research. Much of her current research agenda is focused on educational transitions, particularly transitions to school and the expectations, experiences and perceptions of all involved. Other educational transitions, including from primary to secondary school, and from school to work, are also components of her ongoing research. Professor Dockett’s research is widely published both nationally and internationally.

Mr Denis Fitzgerald BA, DipEd

Mr Fitzgerald has taught in a range of public schools across NSW as a classroom teacher and in a variety of promotion positions. He was a founder member of the NSW Board of Secondary Education and of the Board of Studies NSW and was a member of the Curriculum Corporation of Australia. Mr Fitzgerald has also been President of the NSW Teachers Federation, the Federal President of the Australian Education Union, and a writer and speaker on educational and social issues. More recently, Mr Fitzgerald was Director of Equity and Aboriginal Education in the NSW Department of Education and Training, a position he left in order to return to schools. Recently, UNSW Press published his history of education, Teachers and their Times. Mr Fitzgerald continues research work along with casual teaching and is the Director of the Centre for Professional Learning.

The Hon Patricia Forsythe BA, DipEd (from 20 May 2014)

Mrs Forsythe is the Executive Director of the Sydney Business Chamber.

Mrs Forsythe represents the Chamber on a number of NSW government committees and serves on a number of boards in the Government and not-for-profit sector, including the Council of Macquarie University, and is a member of the Advisory Board of the UTS Business School and an Honorary Associate of the Graduate School of Government at the University of Sydney.

Mrs Forsythe served as a Member of the NSW Legislative Council from 1991 to 2006, including over 10 years on the Opposition frontbench. Her first career was as a high school teacher in the NSW and independent systems.


Mr Larry Grumley BSE, DipEd, MA(Hons Eq)

Mr Grumley has 35 years teaching experience in secondary (government, independent, diocesan and TAFE) and tertiary sectors in both NSW and overseas. He has taught in co-educational, all boys and all girls schools over the course of his career. He has also been involved in Higher School Certificate and School Certificate marking as a Supervisor of Marking, a Senior Marker and a Marker, as well as being a part of examination committees and syllabus development.

Mr Grumley is currently Head Teacher of English at Catherine McAuley High School, Westmead. He works with current HSC students through the libraries in NSW and the SPARK program in primary schools, in an effort to give all students equal access to education and to promote independent learning for life after formal schooling.

He is a passionate advocate for equality and the rights of all to access education and learning, and the system’s need to facilitate that access.

Mr David Hope BE(Hons) (until 31 December 2013)

Mr Hope was a Vice-President of the Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations of NSW. He has held a range of leadership roles in the P&C movement at state, regional, district and school levels, and is a former P&C Journal editor.

Mr Hope’s interests in improving our education systems, and providing life opportunities for all children irrespective of social advantage, stem from the personal benefits that he obtained from the availability of a strong public education system. His belief is that such a system underpins a civilised, fair and productive society.

His interests in education, training and life-long learning have continued throughout his working life as a professional engineer, senior manager and now an independent consultant in the water industry.

Mr Hope is a life member of the Australian Water Association (AWA) and has held a range of positions, including NSW President and National Vice-President. As a director of AWA, David had portfolio responsibility for major conferences and technical publications, including the refereed journal Water.

Mr Gary Johnson BA, DipEd

Mr Johnson is currently Principal at Cherrybrook Technology High School and was formerly Principal of Jamison High School. He is an active member of the New South Wales Secondary Principals’ Council (SPC), being a member of the Assessment and Reporting Reference group and previously a member of the SPC executive. He has worked in public education for over 30 years in a variety of teaching and executive positions.

He has held leadership roles in HSC and School Certificate marking, examination committees and syllabus development. He is an occasional writer and speaker on educational issues. His interests include pedagogy, curriculum development, and assessment and reporting. He is committed to the preservation of strong, local comprehensive high schools.


Ms Leslie Loble BSc, MPubAdmin

Ms Loble is Deputy Secretary of the NSW Department of Education and Communities. Heading the Office of Education, she leads strategy and policy on cross-sectoral, state-wide and national developments in education, spanning early childhood education, schooling, training and higher education. She also funds and regulates the early childhood education sector and the NSW training market and directs the Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation. In 2013, she was named as one of the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence.

Associate Professor Jacqueline Manuel BA(Hons1), DipEd, PhD (until 31 December 2013)

Dr Manuel is an Associate Professor in secondary English education in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney. She holds a PhD in English Literature from the University of New England (1991). She has published widely in the fields of English education and teacher motivation and early career experience.

She has published six books in the field of English education, the most recent being Teenagers and Reading: Literary Heritages, Cultural Contexts and Contemporary Reading Practices (2012); Imagination, Innovation, Creativity: Re-Visioning English in Education (with Paul Brock, Don Carter and Wayne Sawyer, 2009) and The English Teacher’s Handbook A to Z (with Don Carter, 2009). She co-edited Drama and English Teaching: Imagination, Action and Engagement, published by Oxford University Press in 2008. She has been a member of the NSW Higher School Certificate English Examination Committee (Standard and Advanced, 2004–2006) and Chief Examiner of these courses (2007–2011).

Dr Meredith Martin BA(Hons), DipEd, MEd(Special Ed), PhD

Dr Martin is a consultant in Special Education. She was previously lecturer in Special Education, Macquarie University and Principal Education Officer in Special Education in the NSW Department of Education and Training.

Dr Martin is currently a part-time lecturer at the University of Sydney in the School of Education and Social Work. She is a senior member of the Guardianship Division of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), the Mental Health Review Tribunal and, until June 2008, was a member of the Administrative Decisions Tribunal.

Dr Martin has worked for more than 35 years in training and evaluation for government and non-government sectors that have programs for people with disabilities.


Mr John Mularczyk BEd, DipEd

Mr Mularczyk, in his role as Principal in several schools, has created a sustainable culture of improvement by developing strategic targets, using data to drive improvement and action plans that emphasise student learning.

He was seconded to the Professional Learning and Leadership Development Directorate to deliver the Team Leadership for School Improvement K–12 Program state-wide.

Mr Mularczyk has addressed national conferences on integrating internet technologies and critical thinking into K–12, sustaining student success and expanding teachers’ pedagogical knowledge. He is focused on building school capacity in leadership, developing talents to foster learning and growth for new and experienced principals. He was a member of the Institute of Senior Educational Administrators tour to Hong Kong and Singapore that studied school and university systems.

Since 2010, he has been a Member of the former Board of Studies NSW, the NSW Primary Principals’ Association (PPA) Primary Curriculum Reference Group and Australian Curriculum Working Party.

Ms Jennifer Neary BA, DipEd

Ms Neary began her career as a secondary mathematics teacher in NSW. She then worked for the Australian Government Department of Education, the Schools Commission, the Victorian Ministry of Education, and TAFE in both Victoria and NSW. She has had a long history in the development and implementation of public policy in employment, education and training. This has been at both state and federal levels, and internationally with the OECD Manpower and Social Affairs Committee.

Ms Neary has also been a senior executive in the financial services sector. She was the Managing Director of Horwath Chartered Accountants, a Director in Financial Risk Management at PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Head of Knowledge and Data Management at Insurance Australia Group Limited (IAG). She is the Chair of the Public Education Foundation in New South Wales and was a member of the Board of the former NSW Institute of Teachers.

Professor John Pegg BSc, DipEd, MMath, PhD

Professor John Pegg began his career as a secondary mathematics teacher. Currently, he is Professor and Foundation Director of the SiMERR National Research Centre at the University of New England, Armidale. His work is known internationally and nationally for his contribution to theory-based cognition research in mathematics education and assessment. He advocates equality of educational learning outcomes for students and teachers, regardless of their geographic circumstance. As a consultant/evaluator in a diverse range of educational contexts, he has strong links with schools, professional teaching associations and educational authorities in Australia and overseas.


In the past few years, he has been a team leader on many large-scale nationally and internationally significant projects linked to: underachieving learners in basic Mathematics and Literacy; state-wide diagnostic testing in science; developmental-based assessment and instruction; the validation of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers; investigating faculties achieving outstanding student-learning outcomes in the ÆSOP study; evaluations of the effectiveness of programs in education jurisdictions and the creation of the National Research Center for Teacher Quality in the Philippines.

Mr Gregory Prior BEd DipTeach, MEd

Mr Prior is Deputy Secretary, NSW Department of Education and Communities. His key responsibilities include driving strategic directions and policy across public schools in NSW. He leads the implementation of a number of significant initiatives in NSW in leadership, curriculum and assessment, literacy and numeracy, Aboriginal education, quality teaching and organisational effectiveness.

Mr Prior has worked in education for over 35 years and has held a number of senior positions across the state. He has been instrumental in building the capacity of teachers and leaders through the development of a culture of collaboration at all levels, including school, regional and central office. He places great value on instructional leadership at all levels, supported by a systems approach to facilitate continuous improvement and quality teaching to meet the needs of the students of NSW.

Mr Prior is an Adjunct Professor, School of Education, University of Western Sydney.

Professor Jo-Anne Reid BA, DipEd, Qld, GCertEd, Ballarat, BEd, PhD Deakin (until 31 December 2013)

Professor Jo-Anne Reid is currently Associate Dean, Teacher Education at Charles Sturt University. As a secondary English teacher, she served as a Curriculum Advisory Consultant for rural teachers in Western Australia before being appointed to Murdoch University, and has since worked as a literacy teacher educator in three rural universities (Ballarat, New England and Charles Sturt). She is committed to improving the preparation of teachers for schools in rural and remote locations. She has won a range of national competitive research grants over her career, several of which have focused on English teaching and teacher education, rural teacher education, the experience of overseas-born and Indigenous teachers, as well as on classroom practice related to literacy and the environment. She has published in these areas and has served as co-editor of the Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education. She is a past president of the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE), Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA), the NSW Teacher Education Council, and was an inaugural member of the NSW Quality Teaching Council.


Dr Angela Schulz BSc(Hons), PhD

Dr Schulz joined the former Board of Studies NSW in 2010 as the joint representative for the Council of Catholic School Parents and the NSW Parents’ Council.

Dr Schulz has come from a background of tertiary education and biomedical research at the University of Sydney and the Save Sight Institute at Sydney Eye Hospital. As a mother of two primary school-aged children, she has a keen interest in ensuring quality and engaging educational experiences for all children. She believes that all children are entitled to an education that will help them to reach their full potential and that parents have the right to exercise choice to achieve this. She believes that providing quality educational experiences and resources to all children is fundamental to successfully encouraging children to develop inquiring minds and become lifelong learners. Dr Schulz is an advocate for ensuring appropriate professional development for the teachers in our various educational systems to enable them to stay abreast of best educational practices.

Dr Michael Spence BA LLB Sydney DPhil PGDipTheol Oxf (from 1 January 2014)

Dr Michael Spence is Vice-Chancellor and Principal, University of Sydney.

As Vice-Chancellor, Dr Spence is the University of Sydney's principal executive officer with responsibility for promoting the interests and furthering the development of the University. He took up the position in July 2008 and is the University’s 25th Vice-Chancellor.

Dr Spence is an alumnus of the University, having graduated with First Class Honours in English, Italian and Law (BA (Hons)’85 and LLB (Hons)’87). Before leaving for the University of Oxford in 1988 to undertake doctoral studies, Dr Spence lectured in Law at the University of Sydney and also worked for the Australian Copyright Council.

At Oxford, Dr Spence obtained his DPhil and continued to develop his career there over the next 20 years. He became a Fellow of St Catherine’s College and a Lecturer of the University of Oxford in 1992. He also obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Theology from Oxford. After a period as head of the Law faculty at Oxford, he was appointed as head of the Social Sciences Division, one of the four divisions that make up the University of Oxford.

Dr Spence is internationally recognised as a leader in the field of intellectual property theory. His work includes articles and books on both intellectual property law and the law of obligations, with a critical focus on suggested ethical and economic justifications of the existing regimes.


Dr Dan White BA, DipEd, Grad Dip(Religious Studies), MEd(Leadership), MEd(Religious Education), EdD (ACU), FACEL, FACE

Dr Dan White is currently the Executive Director of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Sydney. Prior to this, he was the Director of Catholic Education for the Archdiocese of Hobart for six years and has served in senior leadership roles in the Dioceses of Parramatta and Bathurst.

Dr White’s research interests include investigations into brain-based learning theory and its practical implications for classroom pedagogy, especially in the field of religious education. Dr White is the co-author of seven educational resource books focusing particularly on higher-order learning and thinking strategies.

Dr White is a Fellow of both the Australian College of Educators and the Australian Council for Educational Leaders. He is currently the Executive Officer of the Sydney Archdiocesan Catholic Schools (SACS) Board and represents Sydney on the Catholic Education Commission NSW. In 2010, he was appointed to the Board of Studies NSW. Dr White is also a member of the Board of Governors for the University of Notre Dame, and a member of the Senate of the Australian Catholic University.

Dr Timothy Wright BSc(Hons), DipEd, PhD, FACE, MRACI, CCHEM

Dr Wright is Headmaster of Sydney Church of England Grammar School (SHORE). Prior to this appointment he was Headmaster of All Saints’ College, Bathurst.

He has served as the Chairman of the GPS Headmasters’ Standing Committee, and as Secretary of this committee as well as Secretary of the Heads of Independent Co-Educational Schools group. He has been a member of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA) since 1993. He became chair of the Association of Independent Schools Leadership Centre in August 2013.

His educational interests include pedagogy, staff development and professional learning as well as a lifelong interest in effective pastoral care for young people. Personally he enjoys walking, swimming and sports of all kinds.

Dr Wright is an active member of the Anglican Church of Australia and a member of the Crusader Council, a Christian organisation that works with independent schools.


1.4 Structure and Staff of the BOSTES

The BOSTES Act provides for the amalgamation of the two staff agencies that supported the former Board of Studies NSW and NSW Institute of Teachers to form the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW.

The two staff agencies are located in offices in Clarence Street and Castlereagh Street, Sydney respectively. In order to support the smooth transition towards the establishment of an integrated and effective new BOSTES organisation, a high-level transitional BOSTES organisational structure and related administrative arrangements were implemented to take effect from 1 January 2014.

The transitional BOSTES organisational structure was designed to make the most of the complementary nature of the respective functions of the previous organisations and to reflect the integration of the following major functions:

Curriculum development from Kindergarten to Year 12 and extending into initial teacher education

The development of teaching standards and associated professional learning The regulation of school registration/accreditation and teacher accreditation standards Research, policy development and evaluation, and school performance reporting Corporate governance and services.

The transitional BOSTES organisational structure below reflects the interim organisation of the BOSTES from 1 January to 30 June 2014.

During this interim period, opportunities for synergies and economies of scale emerging from complementary activities and areas of duplication in the merged structures and staffing were identified. As a result, a revised BOSTES organisational structure took effect from 1 July 2014 for implementation during the next reporting period.


Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW Transitional Organisational Structure

1 January 2014 – 30 June 2014

Note: Descriptions of the functions of Executive Directorates, Directorates and Branches can be found in Section 3.


1.5 Strategic Planning and Goals

The NSW government’s ten-year strategic blueprint for further improving education and learning outcomes for NSW students provides the key focus for the future directions and initiatives of the BOSTES. The NSW State Plan NSW 2021: A Plan to Make NSW Number One outlines a range of key goals and targets designed to strengthen the NSW Skill Base, improve education and learning outcomes for all NSW students and foster greater opportunity and partnership with Aboriginal people.

Additionally, the NSW government’s Great Teaching, Inspired Learning: a blueprint for action (GTIL) is designed to promote and foster world-class teacher quality as the central driver of maintaining and improving the educational standards of NSW students. The BOSTES has been tasked with coordinating the implementation of GTIL as well as implementing and overseeing teacher accreditation processes against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers across the four whole-of-career teacher accreditation levels. The BOSTES will also have a responsibility to analyse data and consult experts, principals, teachers and parents to continuously improve policy settings for all NSW schools.

In May 2014 the Board members and senior officers attended a strategic planning day with a view to commencing the development of a new five-year BOSTES Strategic Plan. A new BOSTES Strategic Plan (2014–2019) has been developed as a direct response to NSW 2021, GTIL and other strategic government initiatives. The plan sets broad future strategic directions for the BOSTES over the forward period within an ever-changing context of significant global and national developments. The plan takes account of a comprehensive scan of the strategic environment which identifies the new or emerging key policies, trends, research and strategic variables that are likely to impact on NSW education over the next few years. The strategic plan will play an essential role in guiding the focus and work of the BOSTES towards the fulfilment of its core purpose and achievement of the NSW government’s education targets. Implementation of the new plan was scheduled to start early in the next reporting period.

A BOSTES Operational Plan (2014–2015) will also be developed to provide the detailed framework for the implementation of the new BOSTES Strategic Plan (2014–2019) over the initial 18-month period from July 2014 through to December 2015.

The Operational Plan will promote a direct alignment between the priorities in the BOSTES Strategic Plan, the ongoing strategic focus of the BOSTES staff and the responsibilities and priorities of each officer. For each strategic priority identified in the BOSTES Strategic Plan, strategic activities, key milestones and timeframes, accountabilities and targeted deliverables (by December 2015) will be incorporated into the Operational Plan and progress towards the achievement of these priorities will be formally reviewed at a dedicated meeting of the BOSTES executive staff each month. The Operational Plan will also provide the basis for the individual performance agreements for BOSTES Senior Executive Service officers, Corporate Development Plans, the Management Plans for each executive directorate, directorate and branch, the BOSTES Annual Report to Parliament and a range of other reporting requirements.

Implementation of the new BOSTES strategic and operational plans was scheduled to commence early in the next reporting period. As an interim measure, the work of the BOSTES to June 2014 was guided by existing detailed plans covering the full range of functions and responsibilities of the former Board of Studies NSW and NSW Institute of Teachers.

The following 11 Key Priority Areas provided the focus of the work of the BOSTES during the 2013–2014 reporting period:

Educational leadership and support for government policy implementation Curriculum and assessment Examining and credentialling Regulation (including registration and accreditation of non-government schools) NSW teacher accreditation, teaching standards and professional learning Pathways and credentials Technological innovation in assessment and examinations


Consultation and engagement Stakeholder services, ICT innovation and communication Governance Great Teaching Inspired Learning (GTIL).

Reports highlighting the activities and achievements of the BOSTES in the following Key Priority Areas over the reporting year from July 2013 to June 2014 follow in Sections 2–4 of this Annual Report.


Key Priority Area 1:

Educational Leadership and Support for Government Policy Implementation

Strategic Priorities Strategic Activities

1.1 NSW Languages Education Review

1.1.1 Final advice and recommendations provided to the Minister regarding the development of more effective NSW K–12 languages curriculum and implementation that meets the changing demand for languages education, including with regard to Asian languages

1.2 RoSA Data for Universities Initiative

1.2.1 Capacity of universities to recognise the breadth of achievement of NSW school students and the achievements of low- socio-economic status, regional, isolated and Aboriginal students strengthened

1.3 Strategic Student Participation and Performance Reports

1.3.1 Strategic reports produced and published to inform the NSW education community on the participation and performance of NSW school students

1.4 Research, Evaluation and Development

1.4.1 A Research, Evaluation and Development Plan and associated research projects developed and implemented in areas of strategic importance to the role and statutory functions of the BOSTES

1.4.2 Strategic investigation and analysis conducted, through research and evaluation of BOSTES data and by drawing on relevant external research studies, to inform the continuing development of evidence-based curriculum, assessment, certification and regulatory programs of the BOSTES



Curriculum and Assessment


2.1 NSW Curriculum

2.1.1 Additional K–6 resources (including an RTA contracted Road Safety Resource for Years 5 and 6 students) published

2.1.2 Identified range of updated K–10 and Years 7–10 syllabuses and/or support materials published

2.1.3 Identified range of updated Stage 6 syllabuses, Syllabus Prescriptions and/or support materials (including specimen examination materials) published

2.1.4 Identified range of new or revised VET Industry Curriculum Framework syllabuses and Board Endorsed Course descriptions published

2.1.5 Integrated Aboriginal histories and culture and other agreed cross-curriculum content within syllabus projects

2.2 The Australian Curriculum for NSW Students

2.2.1 Phase 1 (K–10) implementation support (including e-syllabus Program Builder, Assessment Resource Centre materials and targeted communications strategies) developed

2.2.2 NSW syllabus developed to support implementation of the Phase 2 K–10 Australian curriculum for Geography

2.2.3 School authorities, tertiary educators, professional associations, education sectors and the Australian Publishers Association appropriately briefed on developments relating to the Phase 1 (Senior Secondary) and Phase 2 (Geography) Australian curriculum

2.2.4 Phase 1 senior secondary and remaining draft Phase 2 and Phase 3 Australian curriculum materials accepted by NSW education sectors and stakeholders as being suitable for integration into NSW syllabuses

2.2.5 Process commenced for the consultation and development of new interactive NSW senior secondary syllabuses that incorporate the Australian curriculum for English, Mathematics, Science and History


Curriculum and Assessment (continued)


2.3 Equity – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education, Special Education Needs and Rural and Remote Education

2.3.1 Active partnerships promoted and collaboratively maintained with Aboriginal people and communities at state, regional and local levels

2.3.2 Advice and recommendations provided to the BOSTES on policy issues relating to the improvement of educational services and outcomes for Aboriginal people through the active Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee of the BOSTES

2.3.3 Enhanced Aboriginal Education support for teachers developed and published on the BOSTES website

2.3.4 Additional new resource materials developed and published to support implementation of the K–10 Aboriginal Languages syllabus

2.3.5 Guidance, resources and flexible approaches published to support enhanced student engagement and improved literacy, numeracy and vocational outcomes for Kindergarten to Year 12 students within schools in regional and remote areas

2.3.6 Additional K–6 and Years 7–10 resources published to promote high standards of support for students with special education needs

2.4 School-Based Assessment 2.4.1 Guidance and support materials published to support best practice school-based assessment and reporting



Examining and Credentialling


3.1 Higher School Certificate

3.1.1 The 2013 HSC Program effectively implemented and eligible students awarded credentials that meaningfully communicate their achievement in relation to NSW Higher School Certificate standards

3.1.2 The 2014 HSC Program effectively implemented and eligible students awarded credentials that meaningfully communicate their achievement in relation to NSW Higher School Certificate standards

3.2 Record of School Achievement (Implementation)

3.2.1 The 2013 Record of School Achievement (RoSA) Program effectively implemented and eligible students who leave school prior to the HSC awarded a modern and relevant new credential that records a broad range of curricular and other-curricular achievements

3.2.2 Development of the final components of the RoSA completed

3.2.3 The 2014 RoSA Program effectively implemented and eligible students who leave school prior to the HSC awarded a modern and relevant new credential that records a broad range of curricular and other-curricular achievements

3.3 Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB)

3.3.1 2013 AMEB (NSW) examinations successfully provided high-quality assessments in music and speech and drama to all candidates and ages in NSW and the ACT

3.3.2 2014 AMEB (NSW) examinations successfully provided high-quality assessments in music and speech and drama to all candidates and ages in NSW and the ACT

3.3.3 AMEB (NSW) office delivered efficient, professional and ethical service to customers, and quality training and support to examiners through face-to-face and online methods

3.3.4 AMEB (NSW) improved AMEB Connect accessibility, resulting in increased access by customers to services online, and a streamlined enrolment service

3.3.5 AMEB (NSW) Board membership coordinated according to the AMEB (NSW) Constitution (May 1996)

3.4 NAPLAN (National Assessment

Program – Literacy and Numeracy)

3.4.1 The 2014 NAPLAN Program effectively implemented, and students’ Literacy and Numeracy skills meaningfully reported to systems, schools and parents

3.5 National and International Collaboration

3.5.1 The standing and reputation of BOSTES leadership of NSW school curriculum, assessment and certification of student achievement enhanced through proactive collaboration with peak NSW groups and national and international education authorities

3.5.2 The technological innovations in examinations and assessment of the BOSTES adopted by other examining and credentialling authorities



Regulation


4.1 Non-government Schools

4.1.1 Program for regulating non-government school compliance with relevant legislative registration and accreditation requirements delivered

4.2 Home Schoolers 4.2.1 Program for regulating home schooler family compliance with relevant legislative requirements delivered

4.3 NSW School Providers of Courses to Overseas Students

4.3.1 Program for regulating NSW school provider compliance with relevant legislative requirements for approval to deliver courses to overseas students delivered


NSW Teacher Accreditation, Teaching Standards and Professional Learning


5.1 Standards and Accreditation

5.1.1 Australian Standards and nationally agreed principles incorporated into accreditation processes and communications

5.1.2 Voluntary accreditation processes for accreditation at Highly Accomplished and Lead levels are effective, robust and efficient

5.1.3 Accreditation systems efficiently manage current and future volumes of accredited teachers

5.1.4 Compliance with mandatory accreditation processes for Proficient Teacher is understood and improved

5.2 Initial Teacher Education

5.2.1 NSW initial teacher education programs are nationally accredited

5.2.2 The BOSTES is a leading contributor to strong national policy in initial teacher education

5.2.3 Initial accreditation processes, including assessment of qualifications, are more efficient

5.3 Professional Learning

5.3.1 Appropriate review and evaluation models for the professional development of teachers and for professional development providers are developed and implemented

5.3.2 Expand professional development support to teachers maintaining accreditation at the Proficient, Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher levels

5.3.3 Expand the range of Professional Development options available for teachers maintaining accreditation

5.3.4 Improved processes for teachers and other key stakeholders to meet professional development requirements

5.4 Accreditation Authority Regulation

5.4.1 Technology systems are customer focused and reliable

5.4.2 Financial systems are efficient and effective

5.4.3 Communication with teachers and the other key stakeholders is informative and timely



Pathways and Credentials


6.1 Record of School Achievement (Development)

6.1.1 Development of the final components of the Record of School Achievement completed

6.2 Impact of National Developments on NSW Credentials

6.2.1 High-quality advice provided to the NSW Minister for Education regarding the future credentialling of NSW student achievement of the Australian curriculum standards

6.3 Enhanced Curriculum Pathways and Student Transitioning

6.3.1 The 2013 School Developed Board Endorsed Courses (SDBECs), Vocational Education a Training Board Endorsed Courses (VETBECs), University Developed Board Endorsed Courses (UDBECs), Alternative Education and HSC-University Pathways Programs delivered

6.3.2 The 2014 SDBEC, VETBEC, UDBEC, Alternative Education and HSC-University Pathways Programs delivered

6.3.3 Enhanced Stage 6 English Content Endorsed Course successfully undertaken by Year 12 students throughout NSW and credentialled as part of the 2013 and 2014 HSC Programs

6.3.4 Policies and practices in relation to vertical delivery and early commencement of Preliminary courses reviewed and strengthened

6.3.5 A range of identified BOSTES rules and procedures and associated manuals evaluated and updated

6.3.6 Guidance and support materials published for parents to support the effective transitioning of students from early childhood education into Kindergarten



Technological Innovation in Assessment and Examinations


7.1 New Examination Technologies (Development and Implementation)

7.1.1 New examination technologies in test development, testing procedures and marking identified or developed and implemented through a planned research and development program to support the Technology in Examinations initiatives of the BOSTES

7.2 Onscreen Marking and Machine Scoring

7.2.1 Corporate and domestic onscreen marking of student responses to an expanding range of 2013 and 2014 HSC written examinations successfully implemented

7.3 Online Assessment Tools

7.3.1 Enhanced online Assessment Resource Centre website (incorporating Australian curriculum samples, updated HSC standards packages and new functionality) delivered


Consultation and Engagement


8.1 Key Stakeholders and the Community (including Students and Rural and Regional communities)

8.1.1 Strengthened partnerships established with the NSW education community, including with school communities, rural and regional communities, key education groups and employers

8.1.2 New representative Student Advisory Group established and actively engaged to formally advise the BOSTES and ensure a stronger ‘student voice’ in BOSTES decision-making

8.2 Resources for Parents 8.2.1 Identified range of updated K–6, K–10 and Years 7–10 guides, publications and advisory materials for parents published and promoted to support improved parental understanding of syllabus requirements and engagement with their children’s education



Stakeholder Services, ICT Innovation and Communication


9.1 BOSTES Websites 9.1.1 Revised BOSTES websites architecture and content launched to provide improved access to BOSTES programs and services for key audiences

9.2 Publications Program 9.2.1 Revised BOSTES publications processes implemented to ensure timely communication with key audiences

9.3 Communications and Marketing

9.3.1 Effective marketing plans that promote the BOSTES Bulletin and a range of key showcase events developed and implemented to enhance the profile and engagement of the BOSTES with key internal and external stakeholders

9.4 Online Facilities 9.4.1 Enhanced Schools Online portal with improved functionality delivered to provide improved online engagement with the BOSTES for teachers and schools.

9.4.2 Enhanced Students Online portal (with improved functionality and targeted information) delivered to provide improved online services for Years 10, 11 and 12 students.

9.4.3 Enhanced online systems developed to support the implementation of the regulatory programs of the BOSTES for approval of school providers for overseas students and registration for Home Schooling

9.4.4 The up2now 2014 pilot project to allow NSW students to record, organise and share other-curricular achievements

9.5 Information Communications Technology (ICT)

9.5.1 The Information and Communications Technology branch of the BOSTES effectively integrated and project managed through implementation of the Information Management and Technology Strategic Plan

9.6 Awards and Exhibitions 9.6.1 High-quality HSC Merit Awards programs and showcase exhibitions of outstanding HSC major works and performances conducted to enhance the standing of the 2013 HSC Program

9.6.2 High-quality HSC Merit Awards programs and showcase exhibitions of outstanding HSC major works and performances conducted to enhance the standing of the 2014 HSC Program

9.6.3 Resources, key events and/or exhibitions produced to showcase the outstanding quality of students’ achievement of the NSW K–10 standards



Governance


10.1 Governance and Workforce Planning, Management Reform & Organisation Development

10.1.1 BOSTES strategic priorities identified and associated Operational Plans developed and their implementation status actively monitored and reviewed

10.1.2 Comprehensive and informative Annual Reports for the 2012–2013 and 2013–2014 reporting periods submitted to the Minister for tabling in the NSW Parliament

10.1.3 Efficiency Improvement Plans (EIPs) and other savings measures for 2013/14 and 2014/15 implemented by November 2013 and November 2014 respectively

10.1.4 Final Branch Allocations and Workforce Plans for 2014/2015–2017/18 provided to Executive Directors, Directors and Managers by July 2014

10.1.5 Approved Recurrent Maintenance of Effort and Capital Funding Proposals for 2014/15–2017/18 submitted to Treasury

10.1.6 Finalise the establishment of the new Board, the integration of the Quality Teaching Council and Board processes and establish additional new Board committees to advise and support the Board in the strategic exercise of its functions

10.1.7 Compliance with statutory and government policy requirements achieved

10.1.8 New Internal Communications program implemented to support the development of enhanced organisational culture

10.2 Training and Development

10.2.1 New Performance Building and Measurement Program developed and implemented to support the delivery by the BOSTES of key priorities, capability development and business continuity



Great Teaching Inspired Learning (GTIL)


11.1 Pre-entry to the Teaching Profession (GTIL 1, 2, 3, 4)

11.1.1 Entrants into teacher education will be high academic performers, have well-developed literacy and numeracy skills and show an aptitude for teaching. (GTIL 1)

11.1.2 Teaching will attract more of the brightest and motivated school-leavers and career changers. (GTIL 2)

11.1.3 NSW teacher education programs will produce high-quality graduates with personal attributes suited to teaching. (GTIL 3)

11.1.4 All teacher education students will receive high-quality professional experience as part of their teacher education programs. (GTIL 4)

11.2 Beginning and Returning Teachers (GTIL 6, 7, 8, 9)

11.2.1 All beginning teachers will receive a high-quality induction program to support their entry into the teaching profession. (GTIL 6)

11.2.2 All beginning teachers will receive high-quality support to enhance their teaching skills during their first year of teaching. (GTIL 7)

11.2.3 Teachers returning to the profession will be required to refresh and update their knowledge of curriculum, pedagogy and educational expectations. (GTIL 8)

11.2.4 Accreditation and probation processes in NSW government schools will be aligned to create one system for beginning teachers. (GTIL 9)

11.3 Accredited Teacher Performance (GTIL 10, 11, 12, 13)

11.3.1 The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers will apply to all NSW teachers. (GTIL 10)

11.3.2 All teachers will be supported by high-quality performance and development processes. (GTIL 11)

11.3.3 The processes of the (former) Institute and school authorities will be streamlined to reduce duplication and give greater recognition to school-based, classroom-focused professional learning. (GTIL 12)

11.3.4 Underperforming teachers and school leaders will be treated in an efficient and fair way.(GTIL 13)

11.4 Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers (GTIL 14, 15)

11.4.1 Teaching excellence will be recognised and rewarded through mechanisms that include remuneration and new leadership responsibilities for accredited Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers. (GTIL 14)

11.4.2 Teachers who aspire to be principals will have achieved the higher levels of teacher accreditation and undertaken professional learning to prepare them to be leaders of a school. (GTIL 15)

11.5 Professional Collaboration and Evidence-Based Learning (GTIL 5, 16)

11.5.1 The quality of the teaching workforce in NSW will be informed by a strong evidence base. (GTIL 5)

11.5.2 Excellence in teaching and professional learning will be identified, shared and developed through professional collaboration and learning. (GTIL 16)


Our achievements 2

2.1 Curriculum and Assessment

Implementing the Australian curriculum for NSW students

Development of the Australian curriculum

In 2013 and 2014, the BOSTES continued to work collaboratively with the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), all states and territories, and the education sectors in New South Wales towards achieving a high-quality Australian curriculum.

In NSW, the BOSTES is working closely with the NSW Department of Education and Communities, the Catholic Education Commission NSW, the Association of Independent Schools of NSW, principals and teachers to ensure that the Australian curriculum enhances the already high standard of curriculum in New South Wales and that its implementation is well supported.

Implementation schedule: K–10 English, Mathematics, Science and History

In July 2012, the then Board of Studies NSW issued a joint memorandum with the NSW Department of Education and Communities, the Catholic Education Commission NSW, and the Association of Independent Schools of NSW, providing a timeline for the implementation of the new NSW K–10 syllabuses for English, Mathematics, Science and History for the Australian curriculum. The memorandum confirmed that 2013 would be a year of familiarisation and planning for teachers and schools, and that implementation would commence in schools from 2014.

The timeline for implementation of the new syllabuses from Kindergarten to Year 6 included some options for early implementation of Mathematics, Science and Technology, and History to accommodate the priorities and planning of individual schools.

In 2014, implementation of the new NSW K–10 syllabuses commenced with English in Kindergarten to Year 6, and English, Mathematics, Science and History in Years 7 and 9. In 2014, Kindergarten to Year 6 schools also have the option to implement Mathematics and/or Science and Technology syllabuses. From 2015, achievement in the new syllabuses will be reported for the first time through the Record of School Achievement (RoSA). In 2016, the English, Mathematics, Science and History syllabuses will be fully implemented from Kindergarten to Year 10.

On its website the BOSTES has provided additional advice for schools regarding how implementation requirements are to be interpreted in a range of school situations.


Support for implementation of the K–10 English, Mathematics, Science and History syllabuses

eSyllabuses

The new NSW K–10 English, Mathematics, Science and History syllabuses for the Australian curriculum were released in October 2012 in an interactive online format on the Board of Studies’ NSW Syllabuses for the Australian curriculum website. The interactive online presentation of the syllabuses provides online access to the new K–10 syllabuses on a variety of devices.

The website includes the four new K–10 syllabuses and a range of support materials, such as syllabus guides as well as advice on programming and assessment to support teachers in planning and programming for implementation from 2014. Currently, the NSW Syllabuses for the Australian curriculum website caters to more than 92 000 visitors every month.

Additional enhancements developed during 2013–2014 include machine-readable versions of the new syllabuses. Further development of the NSW Syllabuses for the Australian curriculum website will take place during 2014–2015 to accommodate the BOSTES review and development of senior secondary syllabuses in English, Mathematics, Science and History.

Program Builder

Program Builder is a programming tool designed and developed by the BOSTES to support primary and secondary teachers in New South Wales to implement the new NSW syllabuses for the Australian curriculum. The Minister for Education, the Hon Adrian Piccoli MP, launched Program Builder in April 2013.

In its first year of operation, more than 52 000 teachers have created over 43 000 programs and 330 000 units in Program Builder. These resources were shared with 17 000 of their colleagues.

A number of new features for Program Builder have been developed in 2014, including:

Providing NSW teachers with access to national resources through the integration of Program Builder and Scootle. This project has involved collaboration between Educational Services Australia, the NSW Department of Education and Communities and the BOSTES. Teachers are able to search options for resources by BOSTES syllabus outcome code or by keyword. Information about each resource, including name, subject, description, link and icon, are automatically added to the unit.

A coverage report providing details of outcomes addressed in each program and unit in a Microsoft Word format. The report also identifies the syllabus content ‘group’ and related content. A summary report is available for up to four programs, for multiple units or unit-by-unit breakdowns.

Automatic notification to make teachers aware of edits or amendments to syllabus outcomes they have used in their programs or units.

Development of new export options to enable more compact exporting to a Microsoft Word format.

Additional enhancements for development in 2014 include the availability of outcomes from all NSW K–6 syllabuses to be used in scope and sequences and units to support integrated approaches to teaching and learning.


Senior Secondary Australian curriculum

English, Mathematics, Science and History

In December 2012, the Australian English, Mathematics, Science and History curriculum for the senior secondary years was presented for approval to the Education Ministers of the Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC). The ministers approved the curriculum as the agreed and common base for the development of state and territory senior secondary courses.

In December 2013, the then Board of Studies NSW agreed to undertake the review and development of senior secondary courses in English, Mathematics, Science and History to incorporate Australian curriculum content. A review of the current NSW syllabuses in these learning areas commenced in 2014. Development of new NSW senior secondary syllabuses will continue in 2015 and will follow the established syllabus development process of the BOSTES, which includes broad consultation with NSW stakeholders. At this stage, there is no timetable for implementation of new senior secondary syllabuses for English, Mathematics, Science and History in NSW.

Other phases of the Australian curriculum

The BOSTES continued to conduct consultation with teachers, the public and education sectors to coordinate and provide NSW feedback to ACARA regarding the draft Australian curriculum for Phases 2 and 3. The NSW responses to the draft Australian curriculum for The Arts, Health and Physical Education, Technologies, Languages – Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Modern Greek, Spanish, Vietnamese and a framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages, Civics and Citizenship, Economics and Business, and National Trade Cadetships Work Studies Years 9–10 were provided to ACARA and published on the BOSTES website.

Development of the new Geography K–10 syllabus

In 2013 the then Board of Studies began development of the NSW Geography K–10 syllabus incorporating Australian curriculum content. The directions for syllabus development were endorsed by the Board in May 2014 and the development of the syllabus will follow the established BOSTES processes. Broad stakeholder and public consultation on the draft NSW Geography K–10 syllabus was scheduled to take place in July and August 2014.

An implementation schedule for the Geography K–10 syllabus will be developed in consultation with the NSW Department of Education and Communities, the Association of Independent Schools of NSW, the Catholic Education Commission NSW and other key NSW stakeholders.

Communication

The BOSTES website and the BOSTES Bulletin continue to be the main sources of information about the Australian curriculum in New South Wales.

The Australian curriculum in New South Wales site on the BOSTES website is updated with memoranda, news items and information about the latest developments relating to the Australian curriculum in NSW. Opportunities for teachers and the public to participate in consultation processes and provide feedback are published regularly on this website.


Commonwealth review of the Australian curriculum

A review of the Australian curriculum by the Australian Government commenced in January 2014. Professor Ken Wiltshire and Mr Kevin Donnelly were appointed to undertake this review.

The BOSTES coordinated the development of the NSW submission for the Review of the Australian curriculum. The submission from the BOSTES included feedback from the three education sectors in NSW – the NSW Department of Education and Communities, the Association of Independent Schools of NSW and the Catholic Education Commission NSW.

The BOSTES President and Executive Directors met with the reviewers in March 2014 as part of targeted consultation meetings held with state and territory government and non-government education authorities regarding the review.

A preliminary report on the progress of the review of the Australian curriculum was made available in June 2014. It is anticipated that a final report will be provided to the Commonwealth Minister for Education later in 2014.

NSW curriculum

Curriculum overview

The BOSTES is responsible, under the Education Act 1990, for developing courses of study for primary and secondary schools. A course of study, or syllabus, is that part of the curriculum that describes – in terms of aims, objectives, content and outcomes – what students are expected to learn.

NSW students from Kindergarten to Year 12 are taught according to a detailed common curriculum, which clearly describes what students should learn and be taught. The NSW syllabuses contain explicit descriptions of the subject content to be taught and the knowledge and skills that students should develop.

The syllabuses and related support materials also describe clear standards of achievement expected of students at each of the stages of learning, allowing for student achievement to be assessed and reported against these standards. The stages of learning are as follows:

Stages Years of Schooling

Early Stage 1 Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6

Kindergarten Years 1–2 Years 3–4 Years 5–6 Years 7–8 Years 9–10 Years 11–12

The NSW syllabuses have been developed after extensive consultation with subject experts, academics, teachers and the community, and ensure that common material is taught in both government and non-government schools irrespective of where a student lives or attends school.


Organisation of the curriculum K–12

Years Learning Areas Credential

K–6 English Mathematics Science and Technology Human Society and Its Environment Personal Development, Health and Physical Education Creative and Practical Arts

7–10

English Mathematics Science Human Society and Its Environment Languages Technological and Applied Studies Personal Development, Health and Physical Education Creative Arts

Record of School Achievement (available from the end of Year 10 accumulating to the point of leaving school prior to the completion of the HSC)

11–12 English (compulsory), plus a choice from more than 150 Board Developed Courses, Board Endorsed Courses, Vocational Education and Training Courses and Life Skills Courses

Higher School Certificate

Curriculum development

The BOSTES Syllabus Development Handbook (2006) guides those responsible for curriculum development in undertaking an inclusive approach to curriculum development. It details the policies that all BOSTES syllabuses and support materials are required to meet. These include:

the K–10 Curriculum Framework (2002) the Statement of Values (revised statement published in July 2010) the Statement of Equity Principles (revised statement published in February 2011).

The K–10 Curriculum Framework (2002) guides the evaluation and revision of syllabuses. It ensures that the curriculum is coherent, challenging and allows for developmental continuity.

In 2014, the BOSTES is undertaking a review of the Syllabus Development Handbook to ensure legislation, policies and guidelines are current and appropriate. The syllabus development process remains as outlined below.


The BOSTES syllabus development process

The BOSTES is committed to a syllabus development process that provides opportunities for consultation, establishes achievable timelines and ensures quality syllabuses.

The process uses a project management approach involving four phases:

1. Syllabus review 2. Writing brief development 3. Syllabus development 4. Implementation.

The ongoing strategic review and updating of the NSW curriculum provides syllabuses and support materials that meet the needs of the full range of students and operates within the context of national and international developments in curriculum, assessment, teaching and learning.

Full details about the process are available on the BOSTES website.

Syllabus evaluation

The BOSTES undertakes a regular cycle of syllabus evaluation as part of the syllabus development process. In 2013, a review of current syllabus provisions was conducted and priorities for curriculum development in 2014 were identified. These priorities were endorsed by the then Board of Studies NSW in December 2013.

Supporting the Primary Curriculum (Early Stage 1 to Stage 3)

Support materials for primary teachers

The development of support materials for primary teachers has continued to focus on supporting implementation of the new NSW English and Mathematics K–10 syllabuses for the Australian curriculum. Teaching kits for English K–6 and Mathematics K–6 include modules for each stage of learning and will provide additional support to teachers as they plan, program, teach and assess using the new syllabuses. These kits are scheduled to be published in the second half of 2014.

The K–6 writing competition WriteOn continues to attract high-quality entries from across the state. An anthology of the best entries is published each year and is considered by schools to be an excellent resource as they strive to improve the quality of students’ writing from Kindergarten to Year 6.

An innovative online resource called Safetytown, designed to teach young students about road safety and help prevent road-related injuries, was developed for Transport for NSW by the then Board of Studies. Safetytown was launched in November 2013 and can be accessed at https://www.safetytown.com.au/. The resource is designed to support the Safe Living strand of the current NSW K–6 Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) syllabus, incorporating activities that use outcomes from the new NSW English and Mathematics K–10 syllabuses. A Teachers Handbook of additional activities to promote safe behaviours has also been developed to accompany this resource.


https://www.safetytown.com.au/

Support materials for parents

The new online resource Safetytown also helps parents to complement the road safety messages their children are learning at school. These messages include safety around buses, pedestrian distractions, bike safety, safety around school drop-off and pick-up areas and seatbelt safety. The resource features video and interactive experiences and provides activities, discussion starters and links to explore road safety at home.

The Parents Guide to the NSW Primary Syllabuses, developed by the then Board of Studies, has been updated to include information about the implementation schedule for the new English, Mathematics, Science and Technology, and History syllabuses incorporating Australian curriculum for K–6. Examples of what students learn about in each stage from Early Stage 1 to Stage 3 were also reviewed to align with the content of the new syllabuses.

This guide assists parents to understand and follow their child’s progress through primary school. Copies of the guide are distributed to all NSW schools in September each year, and are also available for commercial sale from the BOSTES website.

K–6 support materials for students with special education needs

Online resources to support the learning of students in K–6 who are experiencing difficulties in the English and Mathematics learning areas are available on the BOSTES K–6 website. The resources provide advice and strategies for teachers to assist students who are experiencing difficulties with aspects of literacy and numeracy.

Both resources include case studies and videos to illustrate the strategies in action in authentic classroom contexts. The online materials also comprise a variety of ready-to-use resources that can be downloaded by teachers.

In 2013, the then Board of Studies undertook a review of the online resources in relation to the new K–10 syllabuses for English and Mathematics for implementation from 2014. Amendments have been made to the materials to align with the new K–6 outcomes and content in the new K–10 syllabuses. The revised English and Mathematics K–6 support materials for students with special education needs were published in 2014.

Supporting the Years 7–10 (Stages 4 and 5) Curriculum

Sample units of work for new History K–10 syllabus exemplifying incorporation of Aboriginal histories and cultures

The BOSTES is developing sample units that highlight the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures learning across the curriculum content in the new History K–10 syllabus. New units for Stage 4 and Stage 5 History referencing the new outcomes and content will be published in the second half of 2014.

History elective Years 7–10 syllabus

Life Skills outcomes and content for the History Elective course were endorsed by the then Board of Studies in June 2012. This provides the opportunity for students with special education needs to undertake additional study in History. The History Elective Life Skills course became available to students in 2014.


Curriculum support for student safety

Stage 4 and Stage 5 Anaphylaxis Amendments

A number of syllabuses were reviewed and modified to increase student knowledge of the risks associated with allergy and the appropriate action in the case of anaphylactic reaction. This initiative complemented a whole-of-sector response to support the health and safety of students in relation to this issue. Implementation of the revised syllabuses occurred in 2013, with the exception of the Science K–10 (incorporating Science and Technology K–6) syllabus, which will be fully implemented by 2015.

The syllabuses amended are outlined below:

Agriculture Stage 6 Food Technology Years 7–10 Personal Development, Health and Physical Education K–6 Personal Development, Health and Physical Education Years 7–10 Science and Technology K–6 Outcomes and Indicators Science Years 7–10 Science K–10 (incorporating Science and Technology K–6) Software Design and Development Stage 6 Technology (Mandatory) Years 7–10

K–10 Road User Distraction Amendments

In response to the increasing role of distraction as a cause of injury and accidents in all categories of road users, the K–6 and Years 7–10 Personal Development, Health and Physical Education syllabuses were amended in 2013 to support the development of students’ knowledge and understanding of the causes and impacts of road-user distraction.

The amended syllabuses were implemented by 2014.

Supporting the Years 11–12 (Stage 6) Curriculum

Stage 6 English Extension 2 course

The Stage 6 English Extension 2 course (undertaken by some 1900 students in 2013) requires the development of an individual Major Work in one of the following forms: short story(ies), poem(s), critical response, script, speech(es), radio drama, performance poetry, video or digital media.

In 2013 the Assessment and Reporting in English Extension 2 support document was reviewed to improve the clarity and consistency of advice regarding submission of the Major Works, to strengthen advice about ethical practice and to update presentation requirements relating to the formats for digital submissions. There was also a minor amendment to the Major Work Reflection Statement Marking Guidelines which now includes the syllabus requirement to refer to prior learning in the English (Advanced) and Extension courses. Implementation of the amended Major Work requirements and Reflection Statement Marking Guidelines commenced for the 2014 HSC.

In March 2014, the Board also approved changes to the word limits of two categories of Major Works in the print medium: Short Story(ies) and Critical Response. These changes included a reduction in the word range for the Short Story(ies) category from 6000–8000 words to 5000–6000 words and an increase in the upper word limit for the Critical Response category by 500 words to 5000 words.



The proposed changes were widely supported by stakeholders, and the feedback indicated that the changes would not represent a diminution of rigour in the English Extension 2 course. Rather, they were seen as an opportunity to refresh and improve these two categories of Major Works, and provide greater comparability with other Major Works in the print medium. These changes will be effective from the 2015 HSC.

During 2013 Fact Sheets were also developed for English Extension 2 Major Works, incorporating the current specifications. These Fact Sheets provide a handy reference for students and teachers, consolidating all key information for a particular category of Major Work on a single page.

Stage 6 English Prescriptions

The English Stage 6 Prescriptions: Area of Study, Electives and Texts for the Higher School Certificate document has been revised for the HSC cohorts from 2015 to 2020 inclusive.

The revision process was conducted between May 2012 and January 2013. It involved a working party of experienced practising teachers developing recommendations, which were then the subject of consultation with key stakeholders in the English teaching community. A wide range of expert and community groups also participated in consultation meetings. The then Board of Studies approved the revised document in February 2013.

The texts were selected using the following criteria: merit and cultural significance; capacity to cater for the needs and interests of the course candidature; support for the provision of challenging teaching and learning opportunities; and availability at a reasonable cost.

The document was released to schools in July 2013, to allow planning time for schools prior to implementation for the 2015 HSC. Support material for teachers in the form of brief annotations on selected texts were developed for texts prescribed for the first time and revised annotations for texts that are realigned to new electives.

The scope of the changes is greater than in previous versions of the document, providing opportunities for renewal through changed electives, the addition of new texts and the relocation of some current texts. This reflects feedback from NSW stakeholders and is also an acknowledgement that text turnover will in future occur only once every six years. The revised Stage 6 English Prescriptions reflect the need for stability in HSC English teaching and learning programs, and the majority of texts will be familiar from previous Prescriptions lists.

Schools determine which texts from the list their students will study, and no text is compulsory. Teachers are advised that they should consider the ethos of the school and its local community when selecting texts. In determining the new HSC English Prescriptions 2015–2020, the BOSTES applied its longstanding and highly regarded process of text selection which has successfully served students’ educational needs over many years in line with general community values and expectations.

Stage 6 English – Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

In December 2013, the new support document English Stage 6 – Answers to Frequently Asked Questions replaced the 1999 version which was issued to coincide with the then release of the Stage 6 English syllabus.

The new document reflects changes that have occurred to the range of English courses offered by the BOSTES and provides additional advice on matters that are of continuing interest to Stage 6 English teachers in 2014. It includes advice on Stage 6 English Studies, English ESL and English Life Skills and web links to other key Stage 6 English documents.

Stage 6 Mathematics

A new Mathematics General Stage 6 Syllabus was released in 2012. The syllabus incorporates a Preliminary course and two HSC courses. The Preliminary Mathematics General course was implemented in schools from the beginning of 2013. The Preliminary course allows students to then access either the HSC Mathematics General 2 course or the HSC Mathematics General 1 course in their HSC year.

Students following the Preliminary Mathematics General/HSC Mathematics General 2 pathway will be able to count their Mathematics study towards the calculation of an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). The first HSC examination for the Mathematics General 2 course will be conducted in 2014.

The HSC Mathematics General 1 course is a Content Endorsed Course and represents an additional course in the suite of Stage 6 HSC mathematics courses. It has been designed to better meet the needs of students who wish to study mathematics in Stage 6 but whose purposes are not accommodated in the HSC Mathematics General 2 course. As with other Content Endorsed Courses, the HSC Mathematics General 1 course will be subject to internal school-based assessment only and will not count towards the calculation of an ATAR.

Support materials were released progressively for the information and assistance of teachers. These materials include programming advice, support materials for the teaching of new syllabus content, and an HSC specimen examination package for the Mathematics General 2 course.

Amendments to Stage 6 Community and Family Studies

The Stage 6 Community and Family Studies Syllabus was amended in 2013 to ensure content remains current and contemporary. Amendments included:

a reduction of content to allow for greater depth of study updated content to provide a more contemporary approach to learning about the needs of

young children and families enhanced consistency of terminology and improved alignment of the Preliminary and HSC

courses.

Implementation of the amended syllabus commenced in 2014 for the Preliminary course, with the first HSC examination to occur in 2015.

New Stage 6 Society and Culture syllabus

The Society and Culture Stage 6 syllabus was amended in 2013 and endorsed by the then Board of Studies NSW in August 2013. The structure of the syllabus was maintained; the HSC course retaining its flexibility with a core study and elective depth studies. The Personal Interest Project (PIP) has been retained. Content has been updated to be more explicit and to reflect the contemporary nature of society. The objectives and outcomes were revised in line with changes to content, and the outcomes were reduced to ten. Minor changes were made to assessment and reporting requirements. Implementation of the amended syllabus commenced in 2014 for the Preliminary course, with the first HSC examination to occur in 2015.

Stage 6 Dance Course Prescriptions

The Stage 6 Dance Course Prescriptions developed for 2010–2012 were extended until the conclusion of the 2014 HSC. New prescriptions were developed and endorsed in 2013 for implementation with the 2015–2017 HSC. The revised course prescriptions include new works for Core Appreciation and Major Study Appreciation as well as new prescribed eras and artists.


Stage 6 Drama Course Prescriptions

The Stage 6 Drama Course Prescriptions developed for 2010–2012 were extended until the conclusion of the 2014 HSC. New prescriptions were developed and endorsed in 2013 for implementation with the 2015–2017 HSC. The revised course prescriptions include a new text list for Individual Projects, new group performance topics, new texts in the Contemporary Australian Theatre Practice topic and three new topics for Studies in Drama and Theatre.

Stage 6 Languages

A total of 63 HSC languages courses are currently examined for the NSW Higher School Certificate. The BOSTES has developed 40 of these courses. The remaining 23 courses are community language courses developed and managed nationally. The national candidatures for many of these community language courses are very small.

Since the early 1990s, a national framework of inter-agency collaboration between state and territory Year 12 curriculum and assessment authorities has supported these small candidature community languages. This national program is known as the Collaborative Curriculum and Assessment Framework for Languages (CCAFL). States host the program on a rotational basis. NSW will commence its two-year hosting of the program in December 2014.

The CCAFL program allows states to collaborate in developing syllabuses and conducting examinations for senior secondary students in languages where there are small numbers of students. Under the program, New South Wales offers 23 courses at a number of levels: 3 courses at Background Speakers level, 16 at Continuers level and 4 at Heritage level.

In 2013, the NSW Minister for Education approved the development of the Russian Continuers course to replace the existing Russian Background Speakers course. The new syllabus will be examined for the first time in the 2015 HSC. In 2014, the Minister approved the development of a Punjabi Continuers course which will be examined for the first time in the 2016 HSC.

Prescribed texts are an integral part of the study of languages in both Extension and Background Speakers courses. New prescriptions for Extension courses in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Modern Greek and Spanish, and Stage 6 Background Speakers courses in Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese and Korean will be examined for the first time in the 2014 HSC. Work has commenced on the next round of prescriptions through the development of an online registry for proposed texts on the BOSTES website. The new prescriptions will be effective from the 2019 HSC.

In 2012, a project was commenced to select new course prescriptions for the Stage 6 Classical Languages. The first phase to select prescriptions for Greek Continuers and Extension courses and Classical Hebrew Continuers and Extension courses has been completed and the new prescriptions are on the BOSTES website. The second phase to select new course prescriptions for Latin Continuers and Extension courses has commenced. Consultation with key stakeholders on draft prescriptions will be undertaken in Term 3, 2014.

Support for students with special education needs

A new Stage 6 Community and Family Studies Life Skills course was developed in 2013 and available for implementation with Year 11 students in 2014. The new syllabus was developed in response to increasing enrolments within the Stage 6 Community and Family Studies course and to broaden Life Skills course options within the PDHPE key learning area.

In addition, the Stage 6 Studies of Religion Life Skills course is available from 2014 as both a 1-unit and 2-unit course. Students are now able to undertake either Studies of Religion I Life Skills course or Studies of Religion II Life Skills course, facilitating course delivery in integrated settings.


In 2014, a review of the Stage 6 Work and the Community Life Skills course is being undertaken to enhance the currency and relevance of the course content and improve its alignment with the Stage 6 Work Studies Content Endorsed Course, which was revised in 2012. The revised Stage 6 Work and the Community Life Skills Syllabus will be released in 2015.

Syllabus Evaluation Report

The following table provides an overview of syllabus amendments and support materials developed during the reporting period:

2013–2014 Stage 6 syllabus amendments

Syllabus amendment/project Key features Status/completion

Stage 6 Community and Family Studies

Outcomes and content revised to ensure currency and relevance

Revised syllabus published on BOSTES website

Stage 6 Community and Family Studies Life Skills

New syllabus developed to broaden options in the PDHPE learning area

New syllabus published on BOSTES website

Stage 6 Dance Course Prescriptions 2015–2017

Revision of prescriptions including Core and Major Study Appreciation and new texts for prescribed eras and artists

New prescriptions published on BOSTES website

Stage 6 Drama Course Prescriptions 2015–2017

Revision of text lists for individual projects, new group performance topics and new texts for a range of topics

New prescriptions published on BOSTES website

Stage 6 English Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions were amended and revised to provide updated advice

New Answers to Frequently Asked Questions published on BOSTES website

Stage 6 English Assessment and Reporting in English Extension 2

Review of presentation requirements, word limits and marking guidelines

New requirements for assessment and reporting in English Extension 2 published on BOSTES website

Stage 6 English Prescriptions 2015–2020

Revision of texts for areas of study, electives and text study for HSC

New HSC prescriptions for English published on BOSTES website

Stage 6 Punjabi Continuers New course developed New syllabus to be published on BOSTES website in 2014

Stage 6 Russian Continuers

New course to replace Russian Background Speakers course

New syllabus published on BOSTES website

Stage 6 Society and Culture Outcomes and content revised to ensure currency and relevance


Stage 6 Studies of Religion Review of HSIE Life Skills syllabus to provide options for study as a 1-unit or 2-unit course



2013–2014 Stage 6 syllabus amendments (continued)

Syllabus amendment/project Key features Status/completion

VET Curriculum Frameworks

Stage 6 Automotive

Re-developed curriculum framework based on version 2 of the AUR12 Training Package

Re-developed framework published on BOSTES website

Stage 6 Business Services

Amended curriculum framework to version 9 of the BSB07 Training Package

Updated framework published on BOSTES website

Stage 6 Construction

Amended curriculum framework to version 9 of the CPC08 Training Package


Stage 6 Electrotechnology

Amended curriculum framework to version 1.3 of the UEE11 Training Package


Stage 6 Financial Services

Amended curriculum framework to version 5.1 of the FNS10 Training Package


Stage 6 Hospitality

Re-developed curriculum framework based on version 2 of the SIT12 Training Package


Stage 6 Human Services

Amended curriculum framework to version 4.2 of the CHC08 and version 5.1 of the HLT07 Training Packages


Stage 6 Information and Digital Technology

Amended curriculum framework to version 2 of the ICA11 Training Package


Stage 6 Metal and Engineering Amended curriculum framework to version 11 of the MEM05 Training Package


Stage 6 Primary Industries Amended curriculum framework to version 8 of the AHC10 Training Package


Stage 6 Retail Services

Amended curriculum framework to version 3.3 of the SIR07 Training Package


Stage 6 Tourism and Events Amended to allow students to access units of competency and qualifications from the new SIT12 Training Package

Syllabus amendment document published on BOSTES website

Stage 6 Tourism, Travel and Events

Re-developed curriculum framework based on the SIT12 Training Package (replacing Tourism and Events)



Flexible Curriculum Pathways

Board Endorsed Courses

In addition to the extensive suite of Board Developed Courses, there are four categories of Board Endorsed Courses:

Content Endorsed Courses (CECs)

Developed by the BOSTES to cater for a wide candidature in areas of specific need not served by Board Developed Courses. TAFE-delivered CECs and VET CECs are categories of Content Endorsed Courses.

School Developed Board Endorsed Courses (SDBECs)

Designed by an individual school or group of schools to meet the local needs of a group of students.

Board Endorsed Alternative Education Programs (BEAEPs)

Provided for a very small number of at-risk young people who are unable for social, cultural or other reasons to participate in formal education.

University Developed Board Endorsed Courses (UDBECs)

Developed by universities in conjunction with a school, a group of schools or a school system for the particular needs of high-achieving Stage 6 students.

Content Endorsed Courses (CECs)

A list of the Content Endorsed Courses may be accessed at http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/

School Developed Board Endorsed Courses (SDBECs)

School Developed Board Endorsed Courses are submitted to the BOSTES by schools for endorsement in Stage 5 (for the RoSA) or in Stage 6 (as Preliminary or HSC units). In Stage 6, completed courses are included in a student’s HSC pattern of study but do not contribute to the calculation of the ATAR. SDBECs may be endorsed for a maximum of four years.

In 2013, the Board Endorsement Panel considered 43 proposals for Stage 5 courses (42 of which were approved) and 31 proposals for Stage 6 courses (30 of which were approved).


Board Endorsed Alternative Education Programs (BEAEPs)

Since 2011, the BOSTES has delegated responsibility for the endorsement of alternative education programs. BEAEPs are provided for a very small number of at-risk young people who are unable for social, cultural or other reasons to participate in formal education. The aim of the BEAEPs is to support young people to return to school, other education or training, or to enter into employment.

The BOSTES has established a Board Endorsement Panel for the purpose of approving alternative education programs based on criteria for endorsement detailed in the Guidelines for Equivalent and Alternative Courses of Study. The panel consists of representatives from the NSW Commission for Children and Young People, NSW Department of Education and Communities, Catholic Education Commission NSW, Association of Independent Schools of NSW, TAFE NSW and Community Education, and agencies working with at-risk young people.

In 2013, 13 BEAEPs were being delivered across NSW.

University Developed Board Endorsed Courses (UDBECs)

University Developed Board Endorsed Courses supplement and extend the HSC curriculum for high-achieving students in Stage 6. The courses may be included in a student’s pattern of study but, as with all other Board Endorsed Courses, the results in these courses are not eligible for inclusion in the calculation of the ATAR. Some form of university credit is usually attached to these courses.

The criteria for endorsement of UDBECs are consistent with those used for any new courses developed or endorsed by the Board. Requirements are set out in the University Developed Board Endorsed Courses in the Higher School Certificate: Guidelines and Application Form, which is available on the BOSTES website.

In 2013, the Board Endorsement Panel considered eight courses. Of these applications, six were endorsed and two were declined. One hundred and forty-eight students in Years 11 and 12 were enrolled in twenty-five UDBECs.

HSC–University Pathways for Talented Students

The HSC–University Pathways program recognises and provides for the learning needs of talented students. The program offers flexibility for highly able students to begin university while still concluding their HSC studies. Successful students can access first-year university courses through a variety of delivery modes. 2013 is the third year that students were enrolled in university courses through the program.

HSC–University Pathways gives gifted students an opportunity to apply for entry to challenging first-year university subjects and fast-track their first university degree. Students undertake the study of a university subject concurrently with completion of the HSC. In previous years the program was made available only to students who had accelerated in at least one HSC course. In 2013, the selection criteria for the program has been broadened by one university to consider applications from highly able students who have not had the opportunity to accelerate their HSC studies but who have demonstrated outstanding academic ability in other ways.

The BOSTES continues to coordinate and monitor this program.

The University of New England, the University of New South Wales and Macquarie University have participated in HSC–University Pathways since its inception.


In 2013, 42 courses were available for study across a range of disciplines, including courses such as Advanced Mathematics, the Sciences, Law, Criminology, Microeconomics, Financial Accounting, Australian Indigenous Studies, Early Childhood Studies, Education, Psychology, Philosophy, Sociology and Music. Students can choose from a number of delivery modes, such as study by distance mode with the option of a weekend residential, or they might attend university on campus for an early experience of studying in a university environment. The experience of three years of the program indicates that courses delivered largely through a distance model are the most practical for students and therefore the most popular.

On completion of their university subjects, students receive relevant university credentials and appropriate cross-university credit. The program is independent of the HSC and does not contribute to the ATAR.

The up2now website

In 2012, the then Board of Studies launched a website as part of a pilot project for students to record their other-curricular activities as an adjunct to the RoSA. An up2now pilot project my ongoing learning portfolio continued throughout 2013 and involved over 44 000 Years 10, 11 and 12 students from 203 schools across NSW. The 2013 up2now website enables students to record, organise and describe their Results, Awards and Achievements and share this information with prospective employers or use it to access other education or training pathways. An expanded pilot project involving over 75 000 students from 250 schools is under way in 2014.

Vocational Education and Training (VET) Courses

The BOSTES continues to expand the range of VET courses available for students in Year 9 through to Year 12, providing students with access to more industry areas and to higher-level qualifications.

The BOSTES VET courses allow students to study and achieve vocational qualifications that are recognised nationally by employers and industry. They also allow such study to be given credit as part of the RoSA and HSC.

Industry Curriculum Frameworks

The majority of VET courses studied in the HSC are available through Industry Curriculum Frameworks developed by the BOSTES. In addition to the nationally recognised Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) VET qualifications available through the BOSTES Frameworks, students can also count the results from the HSC VET examination available in each Framework towards their ATAR.

There are currently 13 Industry Curriculum Frameworks covering the major areas of work and employment in New South Wales:

Automotive Business Services Construction Electrotechnology Entertainment Industry Financial Services Hospitality

Human Services Information and Digital Technology Metal and Engineering Primary Industries Retail Services Tourism, Travel and Events

Mandatory work placement requirements are a significant feature of Industry Curriculum Framework VET courses. The work placement that students undertake as part of their HSC VET courses underpins the quality of the outcomes they achieve in these courses.


As the national Industry Training Packages on which the Frameworks are based are revised, the corresponding HSC Industry Curriculum Frameworks are also revised. This provides students with access to the latest VET qualifications and industry competency standards.

The BOSTES has endorsed the re-developed Automotive, Hospitality, and Tourism, Travel and Events Industry Curriculum Frameworks for implementation from 2014.

Amendments were also made to the Business Services, Construction, Electrotechnology, Financial Services, Human Services, Information and Digital Technology, Metal and Engineering, Primary Industries and Retail Services Frameworks.

An Industry Curriculum Committee has been convened to oversee the re-development of the Entertainment Industry Curriculum Framework for implementation from 2015. Initial consultation on proposals for the revised Framework occurred during March and April 2014, with final consultation on the draft syllabus in June 2014.

Board Endorsed VET courses

Board Endorsed VET courses allow schools the opportunity to offer vocational courses in industry areas not available through Industry Curriculum Frameworks. Curriculum pathways provided through these courses cater for a range of student needs and interests within the HSC and RoSA, including those undertaking school-based apprenticeships or traineeships.

The suite of Stage 6 (HSC) and Stage 5 (Years 9 and 10) Board Endorsed VET courses were updated to align with the most recent version of their associated Training Package. In 2013, 142 VET courses were endorsed by the then Board of Studies for 2014, comprising:

130 Stage 6 VET courses 12 Stage 5 VET courses.

A new HSC VET course based on Certificate II in Skills for Work and Vocational Pathways from the FSK Foundation Skills Training Package was introduced. This course provides students with industry-specific vocational learning and training, as well as the opportunity to develop essential literacy, numeracy and employability skills in preparation for workforce entry and/or vocational training pathways.

VET curriculum provisions to enable pathways for Years 11 and 12 students to higher-level VET qualifications

The BOSTES continues to enhance curriculum provisions, enabling schools and school systems to offer VET pathways leading to Certificate III and Certificate IV AQF VET qualifications for students in Years 11 and 12.

Students undertaking HSC VET courses in Automotive, Business Services, Construction, Electrotechnology, Entertainment Industry, Financial Services, Hospitality, Human Services, Information and Digital Technology, Metal and Engineering, Primary Industries, Retail Services, and Tourism, Travel and Events have the opportunity to work towards, or obtain, a Certificate III AQF VET qualification.

Approximately 45 Board Endorsed VET courses allow students to work towards, or obtain, a Certificate III AQF VET qualification. These include: Air-conditioning and Refrigeration; Automotive Refinishing Technology; Aviation (Ground Operations and Service); Community Dance, Theatre and Events; Companion Animal Services; Dental Assisting; Early Childhood Education and Care; Electronics and Communications; Fitness; Marine Mechanical Technology; Meat Processing (Retail Butcher); and Public Safety (SES Rescue).

There are also six Board Endorsed VET courses that enable students to work towards Certificate IV AQF VET qualifications in: Advertising; Beauty Therapy; Human Resources; Marketing; School Age Education and Care; and Telecommunications Networks Technology.


VET Certificate II or higher qualifications and Statements of Attainment achieved as part of the HSC program

2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14

45 070 42 993 49 651 58 627 67 684 67 522

VET pathways for Years 9 and 10 students

Since 2009, undertaking a VET course in Years 9 and 10 (Stage 5) has been an option available to all students in NSW schools as part of a broad general education leading to recognised schooling and VET sector qualifications.

Access to VET courses for students in Years 9 and 10 can be a valuable strategy for schools seeking to improve student engagement, retention and participation in education and training. It provides options for developing training pathways from Stage 5 to Stage 6 and post-school. This is of particular benefit in planning pathways for students who will now stay on at school as a result of the increase to the school leaving age in New South Wales, which requires students to participate in education, training or employment until the age of 17 years.

Students in Years 9 and 10 can access VET courses through two curriculum pathways:

Stage 5 Board Endorsed VET courses early commencement of Stage 6 VET courses.

Years 9 and 10 Students – Stage 5 Board Endorsed VET courses

Number of entries in School Certificate/Record of School Achievement VET courses/qualifications by Training Package industry area (2009–2013):

Training Package industry area 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Manufacturing/ Metal and Engineering 38 112 160 259 354

Information Technology 20 130 178 327 230

Primary Industries 34 80 69 184 175

Business Services 46 135 100 109 147

Construction 0 0 31 48 103

Animal Care 0 0 9 0 6

Visual Arts, Craft and Design 0 0 0 0 5

Retail Services 0 0 0 0 1

Total 138 457 547 927 1021

Note: The School Certificate was replaced by the Record of School Achievement from 2012.


Years 9 and 10 Students – Early Commencement of Stage 6 Board Endorsed VET courses

In 2013, there were:

- 2274 students across Years 9 and 10 who undertook early commencement of one or more HSC VET courses totalling 2379 course enrolments

- 37 students across Years 9 and 10 who sat for an HSC VET examination - 12 students across Years 9 and 10 who undertook the Industry-based learning course.

Industry Areas with top 20 early commencement enrolments in Stage 6 Board Endorsed VET Courses in 2013

HSC course industry area 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Hospitality 217 366 448 593 674

Construction 148 230 217 303 257

Automotive 142 136 148 160 208

Metal and Engineering 91 139 177 320 217

Sport, Fitness and Recreation 2 46 125 164 149

Retail Services 98 91 49 197 132

Information Technology 149 125 96 146 111

Beauty 44 22 80 56 88

Community Services and Health 40 53 60 109 84

Hairdressing 37 70 93 106 84

Business Services 57 74 61 89 83

Primary Industries 110 119 118 123 60

Animal Studies 61 73 55 51 49

Skills for Work and Training 0 0 0 0 28

Plumbing 5 8 16 15 23

Electrotechnology 0 5 21 30 22

Aviation 0 1 2 1 19

Visual Arts and Contemporary Craft

11 20 14 9 17

Design Fundamentals 0 15 28 6 15

Furnishing 4 1 15 9 7

Other 106 108 46 103 52

Total 1322 1702 1869 2590 2379


Promoting best-practice assessment and reporting

During the 2013–2014 reporting period, the BOSTES continued to provide a range of resources to promote and support best practice assessment and reporting of student achievement in NSW schools.

Assessment Resource Centre (ARC) arc.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au

The Assessment Resource Centre (ARC) supports teachers in the assessment and reporting of students from Kindergarten to Year 12. While primarily developed for teachers, the ARC is also used by parents, students and other stakeholders.

The ARC contains resources to support quality assessment and reporting practices across three areas of schooling: Years K–6, Years 7–10, and Years 11–12. It is regularly updated as resources are developed and syllabuses and related documents are renewed.

The ARC provides support for teachers in their use of assessment to enhance learning. Activities and student work samples illustrate the curriculum standards of the BOSTES and assist teachers to apply the Common Grade Scale by awarding grades A–E to specific work samples. Brief commentaries and annotations are also provided to explain why teachers award a particular grade during alignment workshops.

The Years 11–12 section contains information on assessment for the HSC in relation to the HSC standards. Standards Packages have been produced to illustrate the performance standards in HSC courses. These include samples of responses typically demonstrated by students who achieved that standard.

The Standards Packages on the ARC are currently being re-developed for increased usability, and to include a larger number of student work samples for a range of subjects. The student work samples show the standard of work typically produced by students across the range of performances for the courses available.

The results obtained on searching the Standards Packages can be filtered on the basis of syllabus content or assessment component.

The ARC has been designed to allow for continual upgrading and expansion as further resources are developed. Samples of students’ work from previous HSC examinations are also available on the ARC website.

The collection of annotated work samples to support schools’ allocation of grades for Year 11 has been the focus during this reporting period.

To support the implementation of the new NSW syllabuses for K–10 English, Mathematics, Science and History a range of assessment materials on the ARC website were reviewed to align with the new syllabus outcomes.

English activities and work samples for K–6 and Years 7–10 that align with the new K–10 English syllabus

To support teachers in the first year of implementation of the new NSW English K–10 syllabus the BOSTES has undertaken a review of existing work samples and activities for K–10 English. Kindergarten to Year 6 work samples are being evaluated to determine their relevance and to ensure alignment with the new syllabus outcomes. The collection and publication of new work samples for K–6 will continue to be a priority for 2014–2015. For Years 7–10, 14 activities were reviewed, and annotations for 79 works samples have been written and will be published in the second half of 2014.


RoSA assessment support materials for Year 11 Preliminary

Throughout 2012 and 2013, various support documents and tools for schools to use to award and monitor their grades were prepared and published to complement existing materials. In August 2013, these various resources were integrated and linked from a new webpage entitled Awarding, moderating and monitoring grades, a one-stop-shop for both Stage 5 and Stage 6 A–E grades. This webpage covers all the steps and processes needed to award grades.

A support package for teachers has been developed and published on the BOSTES website to provide further assistance in awarding grades. The centrepiece is a video entitled Grading for RoSA – Getting it Right. The package is a two-hour presentation that can be delivered by BOSTES officers, teachers, curriculum coordinators or professional organisations. The material allows teachers to re-familiarise themselves with best practice in awarding grades. It is presented as an Adobe portfolio, which enables presenters to access each part of the package separately as required.

In 2013–2014, 58 new graded and annotated work samples illustrating a range of student achievement in Preliminary courses were published in a range of formats including written text, interactive text and audio files to support the allocation of grades for Preliminary courses. These new work samples complement existing materials on the BOSTES website,.

Grading workshops

In order to strengthen consistency in awarding grades, BOSTES officers conducted approximately 35 consistency of teacher judgement workshops across the state to consolidate best practice in the allocation of grades for Stages 5 and 6. Approximately 1385 teachers attended these workshops, representing all systems and sectors from regional and metropolitan centres. Most attendees were members of school executives or Head Teachers of faculties.

In addition to the consistency of teacher judgement workshops run across the state, eight course-specific workshops of a similar nature were hosted by professional teacher associations and run by BOSTES officers across the Sydney metropolitan area. These workshops enabled teachers to consolidate their understanding of grading in specific Key Learning Areas in relation to the Common Grade Scale for Stage 6 Preliminary courses. Approximately 120 teachers attended these workshops, including teachers from outside the metropolitan area who attended as part of an annual conference program.

The workshops, conducted in metropolitan and regional centres in NSW, also provided opportunities for teachers to re-familiarise themselves with best practice in awarding grades and school-based assessment.

Support for schools in allocating grades – work samples

To support the implementation of the new NSW syllabuses for K–10 English, Mathematics, Science and History, a range of assessment materials on the Assessment Resource Centre (ARC) website were reviewed to align with new syllabus outcomes. Additionally, work samples for Year 10 and Year 11 were developed, and a range of professional development activities provided, to assist teachers in making consistent judgements in the allocation of grades for the Record of School Achievement (RoSA).

Course Performance Descriptors for Years 7–10 English, Mathematics, Science and History are being reviewed and will be published in late 2014 for use with the Stage 5 RoSA grade allocation process from 2015.


Supporting Aboriginal education

The BOSTES has an ongoing commitment to Aboriginal education and, during the reporting period, has advanced a range of related projects.

Aboriginal Studies syllabuses and digital exhibition

The then Board of Studies revised the Aboriginal Studies Stage 6 Syllabus in 2010. Schools began implementing the revised syllabus in Year 11 in 2011 and the first HSC cohort commenced in 2012. In 2013, Aboriginal Studies was featured for the first time as part of HSC examination preparation support in the Sydney Morning Herald HSC Study Guide.

During the reporting period, the BOSTES continued its work to support the development of resources to assist teachers to implement both the Years 7–10 and the Stage 6 Aboriginal Studies syllabuses. Four new sample units of work for Stage 5 Aboriginal Studies were published in 2014.

The BOSTES has also collaborated with the State Library of New South Wales and schools to collect and digitise a range of exemplary Major Projects by HSC Aboriginal Studies students. The selected Major Projects have been placed in the State Library’s digital collection and can be accessed through the library’s website.

Aboriginal Languages K–10

The Aboriginal Languages K–10 Syllabus has been available for implementation since 2005. Since that time, the BOSTES has provided support to several local communities and schools to develop Stage 4 and Stage 5 units of work in the NSW Aboriginal languages of Gamilaraay/Yuwaalaraay, Gumbaynggirr, Paakantji and Wiradjuri.

During the reporting period, in response to the OCHRE plan (Aboriginal Affairs, 2013), the Aboriginal Curriculum Unit of the BOSTES in partnership with the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group and NSW Department of Education and Communities commenced two initiatives to provide support for Aboriginal languages education in NSW schools. The initiatives involved the development of:

a generic and language-specific Aboriginal Languages Scope and Sequences of Learning K–10 for the languages of the five NSW Aboriginal Language and Culture Nests: Bundjalung, Gamilaraay/Yawaalaraay/Yuwaalayaay, Gumbaynggirr, Paakantji and Wiradjuri.

a project to be announced in the second half of 2014 to develop a Stage 6 Aboriginal Languages Content Endorsed Course. This will enable students to access pathways in Aboriginal Languages after Stage 5.

an online compendium to support the teaching of Aboriginal Languages in, initially, the NSW Aboriginal Language and Culture Nests: Bundjalung, Gamilaraay/Yawaalaraay/ Yuwaalayaay, Gumbaynggirr, Paakantji and Wiradjuri.

NSW Consultation on the Australian Curriculum: Languages – Draft K–10 Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages

In 2013, the then Board of Studies undertook consultation with NSW stakeholders to seek feedback on the Australian Curriculum: Languages – Foundation to Year 10 Draft Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages. The consultation comprised meetings in four locations, in some cases incorporating links to other sites through videoconferencing. Stakeholders were also invited to provide submissions directly to the Aboriginal Curriculum Unit. In addition, a targeted focus group and a reference group meeting of system representatives was held.


During the reporting period, the NSW response was provided to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) and published on the BOSTES website. NSW stakeholder feedback captured by the BOSTES and the education sectors in NSW was represented in the ACARA consultation report.

Implementation of recommendations of the Report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody

The BOSTES has partial responsibility, in conjunction with the NSW Department of Education and Communities, for implementing recommendations 289, 290, 291, 292 and 298 of the Report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (Australian Government, 1991). The implementation of each recommendation is an ongoing process, as the syllabuses, support materials and digital resources of the BOSTES are developed and revised.

Through its work with local communities, teachers and other stakeholders, the BOSTES seeks to develop and showcase exemplary and innovative curriculum opportunities that contribute to positive learning conditions and enhanced educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. All NSW students continue to benefit from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures learning across the curriculum content within existing NSW syllabuses, and opportunities have been retained or enhanced in the development of the new NSW syllabuses that incorporate the Australian curriculum. Through these measures, the BOSTES contributes to meeting the aspirations of Aboriginal communities for social justice and cultural security.

During the reporting period, continuing work on the following initiatives seeks to improve the learning outcomes of Aboriginal students:

supporting the implementation of the mandatory cross-curriculum content within Years 7–10 syllabuses

assisting teachers in the implementation of Aboriginal Studies syllabuses for Years 7–10 and Stage 6

collaborating with other agencies on joint initiatives to further support Aboriginal languages K–10 programs

facilitating school and Aboriginal community partnerships.

Recommendations 289 to 292 of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody broadly relate to activities of the BOSTES

In response, the syllabuses and support documents of the BOSTES acknowledge the importance of prior learning and promote recognition of diverse learner groups as well as the importance of equity and inclusiveness. Curriculum writing is informed by the equity principles of the BOSTES. These principles recognise the importance of consultation with, and the direct involvement of, Aboriginal people in the process of curriculum development, along with the proper and appropriate inclusion of Aboriginal perspectives. These perspectives provide all students with the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures.

The Aboriginal Curriculum Unit of the BOSTES works closely with key stakeholder bodies such as the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc. (AECG) and other regional and local bodies. The unit attends, participates in and facilitates meetings and workshops in support of its own projects as well as in conjunction with other government and regional agencies. The unit provides opportunities for Aboriginal teachers, Aboriginal Education Officers and community members to take up roles in Aboriginal Curriculum Unit projects.

The Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee (AEAC) of the Board meets approximately once each school term to advise the Board on curriculum issues and Aboriginal education.


During 2013–2014, the AEAC provided advice to the Board in relation to:

its work with ACARA in connection with the development of the Australian Curriculum: Languages – Foundation to Year 10 Draft Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages

the Review of Languages Education in NSW the Aboriginal Language and Culture Nest projects that the BOSTES was invited to

facilitate, and initial teacher education initiatives relating to GTIL.

The President of the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) is Chair of the AEAC and is also a member of the Board.

All BOSTES curriculum committees include a member representing the AECG, the peak NSW body for advising the government on Aboriginal education. The HSC Aboriginal Studies Examination Committee also has an Aboriginal representative.

Recommendation 298 of the Royal Commission calls for the participation of Aboriginal parents and community members in decisions regarding the planning, delivery and evaluation of preschool, primary and secondary education services

The BOSTES promotes the participation of Aboriginal people in its core functions through:

inclusion, as a member of the Board, of an Aboriginal person with knowledge and expertise in the education of Aboriginal people

ongoing consultation with the NSW AECG and other relevant Aboriginal organisations inclusion of positions within the Aboriginal Curriculum Unit of the BOSTES for which

Aboriginality is an essential criterion employment of other Aboriginal people as project officers, curriculum writers, consultants

and administrative staff representation of Aboriginal people on advisory, planning and writing groups active engagement with parents and Aboriginal community members in Aboriginal

curriculum projects.

Supporting Rural and Remote Education

The NSW government is committed to improving educational outcomes for students in rural and remote areas. The BOSTES has developed a number of initiatives targeted at improving outcomes for all students, including those in rural and remote areas of NSW.

The BOSTES President and senior officers met with the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association in October 2013. This annual forum provides an opportunity for the views and concerns of parents of rurally and remotely located students to be heard and considered by the BOSTES.

HSC marking opportunities

A range of opportunities during the marking of the 2013 Higher School Certificate provided experience for teachers from rural and regional schools in NSW.

Regional marking centres were established in Wollongong, Gosford, Tamworth, Wagga Wagga, Coffs Harbour and Newcastle.

HSC marking simulation workshops were a new BOSTES initiative in 2014. Marking simulation workshops provided an onscreen marking experience for teachers across NSW.

The Rural and Remote Marking program is a joint NSW DEC and BOSTES program. Priority placement as HSC markers was given to country teachers who have previously had little or no experience marking these examinations.


Annual HSC Showcases and Exhibitions

During the first part of 2014, the BOSTES presented and supported the following suite of showcases and exhibitions that displayed outstanding student performances, artworks and projects from the 2013 Higher School Certificate.

ARTEXPRESS (HSC Visual Arts) Callback (HSC Dance) DesignTECH (HSC Design and Technology) ENCORE (HSC Music) InTech (HSC Industrial Technology) OnSTAGE (HSC Drama) Textstyle (HSC Textiles and Design) Young Writers Showcase (HSC English Extension 2).

Each of these exhibitions and showcases has provided a rich educational experience and resource for the many students and teachers across NSW who have attended from both metropolitan and regional centres. A number of exhibitions have taken place in regional venues and have permitted easier access for teachers and students in those areas.

In particular, ARTEXPRESS exhibitions have been staged in 4 regional galleries in the first half of 2014 – at Murwillumbah, Wollongong, Maitland and Goulburn.

DesignTECH was staged in Wagga Wagga and Tamworth in 2014, as well as in Sydney. The DesignTECH exhibition was accompanied by seminars for students at the Powerhouse Museum.

The BOSTES also supported the HSC Industrial Technology display and student seminars in Orange in April 2014. The events there were attended by more than 300 students.

Professional Development Workshops

The Professional Learning, Endorsement and Advisory Committee (PLEAC) makes recommendations to the Quality Teaching Council of the BOSTES about the endorsement of professional development providers, and provides strategic advice about professional learning.

The PLEAC places great importance on the needs of teachers in rural and remote areas, and is aware of the difficulties they may face in accessing high-quality professional development.

The provision of online courses allows these teachers to access the same high-quality professional development as their counterparts in urban areas. A total of 356 online courses were registered on the BOSTES professional development database during the 2013–2014 reporting period.

BOSTES officers also developed and delivered several information sessions online using Adobe Connect to reach out to teachers in rural and regional areas specifically. These sessions informed teachers in various remote locations about processes for accreditation at Proficient teacher and the higher levels, and about maintaining accreditation. Several information sessions were held as well by BOSTES officers in rural and regional areas, including Wollongong, Maitland and Bathurst.

In addition, throughout the year face-to-face professional development sessions were held with primary and secondary teachers across rural and regional NSW, to cover topics such as HSC marking and consistent teacher judgement.


Increased availability of online materials

The BOSTES is continually increasing the availability of online resources, materials and tools, giving teachers across rural and remote areas of NSW equitable access opportunities. For example, in this reporting period BOSTES has introduced a Scootle Resource Integrator into the Program Builder website. The Program Builder facility is an extremely valuable and popular tool that assists teachers in planning and constructing their teaching programs with electronic cross-referencing of syllabus outcomes. The addition of the Scootle Resource Integrator means that teachers can search for resources within the national resource repository.


2.2 Examinations and Credentials

NSW Higher School Certificate

The BOSTES is responsible for issuing the Higher School Certificate (at the completion of Year 12) and the Record of School Achievement (for eligible students who leave school prior to the completion of the HSC). The eligibility criteria for these certificates are specified in the Education Act 1990. The criteria require that students be assessed via internal school-based assessment and, for the HSC, via state-wide public examinations.

The credentials provide students with a comprehensive and meaningful report of what they have accomplished during their schooling. These credentials are important documents for students seeking employment, further education and university entrance.

HSC reporting and credentialling

The HSC portfolio

The Higher School Certificate portfolio

Students who meet all of the requirements for the Higher School Certificate receive a portfolio of credentials consisting of:

a testamur

a Record of Achievement listing all Stage 6 (Preliminary and HSC) courses completed and, where appropriate, the results achieved

a Course Report for each externally examined HSC course undertaken

a Statement of Attainment listing competencies achieved for school-delivered VET courses, if applicable

a Certificate for VET qualifications achieved under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), if applicable.


2013 Higher School Certificate

2013 HSC candidature

In 2013, the Higher School Certificate candidature was 74 280. Of this total, 66 921 students received a Higher School Certificate award. Students selected from 116 externally examined courses, one non-examined English course, a range of courses from 13 Industry Curriculum Frameworks, and 25 Life Skills courses. In all, these courses covered 83 subject areas. In addition, students elected from 104 Board Endorsed Courses (including VET courses delivered through TAFE and university developed and delivered courses) that do not include an external examination.

The examinable Board Developed HSC courses available in 2013 included 13 VET Industry Curriculum Framework examinations and 63 languages courses (including six Classical languages). Financial Services, a new VET Industry Curriculum Framework course, was examined for the first time.

In 56 courses, the examination consists of a written paper or papers only, while in 9 courses the examination also includes a major project or performance. In 51 of the 63 languages courses, the examination includes a speaking examination. In two courses – English Extension 2 and Music Extension – the examination consists solely of a major project or performance.

There were 1467 students receiving the Higher School Certificate who identified as having an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background, representing 2 per cent of the total HSC candidature.

In 2013, 85 619 students successfully completed Preliminary courses (typically studied during Year 11). Details of the courses completed by each student were reported on a Record of Achievement and, where appropriate, a Statement of Attainment and Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Certificate.

Students with special education needs

There were 1759 students who completed one or more Board Developed HSC Life Skills courses.

2013 HSC examinations

Examination setting

Examination papers and marking guidelines were produced by committees of practising secondary teachers and tertiary educators working under the leadership of a Chief Examiner, with the support of Senior Project Officers, in accordance with BOSTES principles.

BOSTES Inspectors and Supervisors of Marking also had a role in ensuring the quality of the examinations and marking guidelines. Each examination was assessed by at least one independent practising teacher with recent experience of teaching the HSC course.

The preparation of the 2013 HSC examinations involved:

84 examination committees 333 examination committee members and 126 assessors more than 1300 committee meetings printing more than 700 000 examination papers.


HSC Administration and conduct

The administration and conduct of the 2013 HSC examinations involved:

18 days of written examinations practical examinations/projects in Agriculture, Dance, Design and Technology, Drama,

English Extension 2, Industrial Technology, Music, Society and Culture, Textiles and Design, and Visual Arts

speaking skills examinations in more than 49 Languages courses more than 5000 examination supervisors 13 marking sites for written examinations more than 5800 markers assessing students’ written scripts, practical examinations and

submitted works more than 500 casual clerical staff 32 NSW students who sat their examinations under special arrangements outside of NSW –

3 students interstate and 29 students overseas (Chile, China, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Timor-Leste (East-Timor), UK, USA).

HSC marking

HSC metropolitan and regional day marking

For teachers who would not normally be able to participate in evening marking sessions, the metropolitan and regional day marking programs continue to provide an opportunity to gain insight and experience into the standards being achieved by students presenting for the Higher School Certificate. Each year BOSTES rotates day-marked subjects to give this opportunity to teachers in as many courses as possible.

In 2013, day marking made up approximately 9 per cent of the total marking hours in six marking centres in both metropolitan and regional areas: Sydney Showground, Bathurst, Wagga Wagga, Coffs Harbour and Tamworth.

Metropolitan day marking – Sydney Showground Regional day marking

Subject Subject Venue

Aboriginal Studies Food Technology Chemistry Primary Industries

Agriculture (part) English (Advanced) English (Advanced) English (Standard) English (Standard)

Wagga Wagga Tamworth Coffs Harbour Bathurst Wagga Wagga

The BOSTES meets the cost of employing casual teachers to replace teachers appointed to day-marked subjects.

Country Transfer of Duty Marking Program

In a joint initiative with the NSW Department of Education and Communities and the Catholic Education Office, Lismore, the BOSTES continued to conduct the Country Transfer of Duty Marking Program.

The program provided opportunities for marking to country teachers who have limited marking experience.


A limited number of positions were available for country teachers from targeted districts who were interested in teaching in a Sydney metropolitan school by day, while marking at a designated metropolitan marking centre at night.

In 2013, 12 teachers were appointed to participate in this program across a variety of subjects.

New examination technologies

During the reporting period, the BOSTES continued to progressively develop and implement technologies in testing procedures and marking to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the Higher School Certificate program.

In 2013, 54 HSC courses were marked totally or partially using secure on-screen marking technology developed by the BOSTES, representing over 44 per cent of the total number of HSC marks awarded. On-screen marking involves students’ examination responses being presented to markers as electronic files on a computer. The files can be a scanned image of a handwritten response, or a sound file from a language oral examination. On-screen marking allows markers to mark securely at home via the internet or at a corporate marking centre. The BOSTES's on-screen marking software allows for the efficient real-time electronic recording of marks into the examination system and enables senior markers to monitor the marking and advise their teams through the continuous provision of immediate data while the marking is taking place. In 2013, a total of 948 on-screen markers marked externally via a secure internet connection, representing 62 per cent of the total number of on-screen markers.

BOSTES further extended the use of netbooks or tablets (iPads) to record marks for a range of HSC major project and performance examinations conducted in schools and other centres throughout the state. These marks have traditionally been recorded on paper and then centrally collected and processed by the Board of Studies. Markers of Dance, Design and Technology, Drama, Industrial Technology and Visual Arts major works or performances used the technology. This allowed for marks to be quickly and securely transmitted to the BOSTES and for statistics on the marking process to be available daily, allowing senior markers to monitor and advise the work of their marking teams more effectively. In 2013, iPads were also used in a number of subjects by senior markers to review the marks awarded by markers in their team and to view statistics. They reported that the iPads made the monitoring and reviewing of the marking faster and more effective.

Standards-setting operation

The BOSTES reports student achievement in the HSC using a standards-referenced approach. This means that, in addition to reporting student achievement in terms of marks, achievement is reported in relation to performance bands that describe different levels of achievement.

The procedure used by the BOSTES for setting standards has a strong theoretical foundation and is based on the use of professional judgement informed by statistical reports and student responses. This standards-referenced approach was introduced with the previous School Certificate testing program in 1998 and with the HSC program in 2001. The procedure involves using teams of highly experienced markers (referred to as judges) to determine the examination mark that corresponds to the borderline between each performance band. The procedure is conducted over several stages depending on which standards-setting model applies to the course. This multi-staged process allows judges the opportunity to refine initial recommendations.

The Consultative Committee for the HSC has the responsibility to approve the final cut-off marks.

Once the band cut-off marks for each course have been finalised, they are used to produce the marks for each student as reported on their Record of Achievement.


Supervisor of Marking briefings

Briefings for 80 Supervisors of Marking, who manage the marking operation for an allocated subject/part subject, were held across the Sydney metropolitan area in 2013. These briefing sessions covered a range of topics encompassed in the administration and organisation of the marking as well as quality assurance of marking.

A series of briefing sessions were held for new Supervisors of Marking as well as for practical, language, written and on-screen Supervisors of Marking.

Student Support Services for the HSC

Disability provisions

Disability provisions are practical arrangements designed to assist candidates with a disability (verified by functional evidence) so that they can:

access the questions in the HSC examinations communicate their responses

The program’s aim is to offer practical help to students by providing support, including (but not limited to) a writer, a reader, extra time to write, breaks, and examination papers in large print. BOSTES policy on disability provisions complies with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) and its prescribed disability standards and requires that a student is neither advantaged nor disadvantaged through the allocation of provisions.

Comprehensive statistics on disability provisions application and approval rates have been provided for the period 2008–2013 on the BOSTES website. A breakdown of data for each school in the same period is also available.

The guidelines used to determine disability provisions are reviewed and updated annually.

The disability provisions program is reviewed regularly by education experts and independent auditors to ensure that decisions are fair, appropriate and consistent. Reports of past reviews are available on the BOSTES website.

HSC disability provisions applications

HSC disability provisions applications (2010–2013)

2010 2011 2012 2013

5117 5261 5464 6267

Modified examination papers produced for students due to approved disability provisions – for example large print and braille (2010–2013)

Disability provisions examination papers

2010 2011 2012 2013

Specially modified papers

1266 1435 1312 1483


HSC Illness and Misadventure applications

Students who are prevented from attending an examination (including speaking/listening or practical examinations) or who consider that their performance has been affected by illness and/or misadventure immediately before or during an examination, may submit an illness/misadventure application. For example, the bushfires affected 20 schools during the 2013 HSC examinations. All of these schools had their group appeals fully or partially upheld.

Application Type Individual Whole Group

2010 Total number 4631 65

Fully or partially upheld 4157 51







Release of HSC Results

The 2013 HSC students were able to access their HSC results via the internet and SMS services.

The web release via the HSC results websites and Students Online was highly successful, with 59 310 individual visits occurring by 9 am on 18 December 2013, the day of release of results. The traffic is stable year-on-year; however, there was a 50 per cent increase in page views on Students Online on results release day compared with 2012.

The total number of HSC result accesses on 18 December 2013 was 71 763. This indicates that a number of students accessed their results on more than one occasion during the day.

A total of 27 371 students registered via Students Online to have their results ‘pushed’ to them via SMS. These students received their results around 6 am on results release day. There was a significant increase in the number of students accessing results through this mechanism in comparison to 2012, when 20 337 students had their results ‘pushed’ to them. Also, 1349 students ‘pulled’ their results via SMS on 18 December 2013.

HSC Results Inquiry Centre

The 2013 HSC Results Inquiry Centre opened to coincide with the release of the HSC results and continued until 3 January 2014. The centre enables students to ask questions regarding aspects of their results. There were 4082 inquiries from students across the state.

HSC post-results services

The 2013 HSC post-results services for students allow students to access the results check, raw marks and examination responses services on payment of a fee. The 2013 services opened with the release of the HSC results check service on 20 December 2013. The raw marks and examination responses services were available on 24 December 2013. The services closed on 28 February 2014.


Altogether, 880 students ordered one or more of the results check, raw marks or examination responses services, with 3059 items requested in total (many students requested several items).

In 2013, there were HSC results check requests for 1390 HSC courses. Of these, 11 resulted in a change of results.

Anomalous results inquiries

Principals may seek explanation of an individual student’s or a group’s results where the performance of the individual or group does not fall within expectations. A thorough investigation of each inquiry is undertaken by BOSTES staff and, where appropriate, the Supervisor of Marking also reviews the case and provides feedback. Following the release of results for the 2013 HSC, 39 inquiries were received.

2014 HSC entries

At the end of Term 1, 2014, 79 418 students were enrolled in a Higher School Certificate course. Of these students, 1899 identified as having an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background, representing 2.4 per cent of all HSC enrolments.

Twenty-two per cent of students eligible for a Higher School Certificate are enrolled in, or have completed, at least one Extension course (this does not include students in VET specialist studies).

Thirty-two per cent of students eligible for a Higher School Certificate are enrolled in, or have completed, at least one Vocational Education and Training (VET) course as part of their total pattern of study.

Record of School Achievement (RoSA)

The Record of School Achievement (RoSA) replaced the School Certificate from 2012. The new RoSA credential is a major educational reform that has been made possible through the ongoing commitment of the BOSTES to work in close cooperation with education sectors. The RoSA provides students in NSW with a 21st-century credential that goes hand-in-hand with the internationally recognised NSW Higher School Certificate.

The RoSA is a cumulative, comprehensive credential provided to eligible students who leave school after Year 10 and before receiving their HSC. The credential recognises student achievement in all courses completed in Years 10 and 11, and aims to encourage retention into the senior years of schooling by providing an incentive for students to add to their Year 10 results incrementally.

The RoSA shows mandatory curriculum requirements completed by the student, additional courses completed with the school-based grade achieved, and a statement of the student’s eligibility for the RoSA. Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses are recorded as completed (with separate vocational documentation), as are courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content (with a separate Profile of Student Achievement).

Students leaving school who do not meet the RoSA requirements are issued with a Transcript of Study, containing the same information as the RoSA for those courses that have been satisfactorily completed.

School-based grades (A–E) are awarded for Stage 5 courses, as well as for Stage 6 Preliminary (Year 11) courses from 2013. This allows a broader assessment of student achievement that aligns strongly with the curriculum. The BOSTES continues to monitor moderation procedures carefully to ensure that school-based grades are awarded consistently and fairly.


To help school-leavers gain employment or transition to further training, optional BOSTES Literacy and Numeracy tests are offered in May and October of each year. The tests focus on the literacy and numeracy skills required by school-leavers for future employment and further education. The results are aligned to the Australian Core Skills Framework.

RoSAs issued for 2013–2014

From 1 July 2013 until 30 June 2014, approximately 6000 RoSAs were issued to NSW school-leavers.

2014 Year 10 Entries

At the end of Term 1, 2014, 90 292 students were enrolled for at least one Stage 5 course eligible for inclusion towards the RoSA. Of these, 2336 have identified as having an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background, representing 2.6 per cent of the total candidature.

Assessment for the RoSA

School-based assessment

Schools assess their students during Years 10 and 11 and award them grades – A, B, C, D or E – in each Stage 5 or Stage 6 Preliminary course, based on their performance in school-based assessment activities. These grades correspond to the Common Grade Scales of the BOSTES, which are used by schools and systems to record student achievement in Stages 1 to 6. For Stage 5 courses, teachers award grades in accordance with Course Performance Descriptors, which are Stage 5 level ‘professional elaborations’ of the Common Grade Scale and are specific to the outcomes and content of each syllabus. In each course, schools match the student’s overall achievement in the course to the Course Performance Descriptor that is most appropriate. The grade that corresponds to that descriptor is then awarded to the student.

The BOSTES monitors the award of grades in both Year 10 and Year 11 to ensure comparability in the grades awarded by different schools.

Monitoring of Stage 6 (Preliminary) and Stage 5 grades

Stage 6 (Preliminary) and Stage 5 grades are awarded to students by schools based on common state-wide standards. To further support the consistent implementation of the standards across the state, each year BOSTES officers monitor the awarding of grades to Year 10 students in Stage 5 courses, prior to the finalisation of Stage 5 grades. These monitoring procedures were also applied to Stage 6 (Preliminary) grades awarded in 2013.

The procedures used by the BOSTES compare grade patterns awarded in each course at a school with patterns of grades awarded by schools with historically similar cohorts, based on HSC performance in previous years.

Where grade patterns are identified as potentially anomalous, schools are asked to review the grades awarded in the course(s) identified, and to either confirm the grades awarded or submit changes.

Stage 6 (Preliminary) grades were due at the then Board of Studies via Schools Online on 25 October 2013. On Tuesday 29 October a team of 18 Board of Studies officers examined the grading patterns for each of the 831 schools that awarded these grades. A total of 72 schools were contacted by email in relation to 93 course groups whose grading pattern appeared anomalous. Of the schools contacted, 43 (about 60 per cent) made changes to their students’ grades in 55 course groups. In total, 665 grades were changed at an average of 12 per school course group.


Stage 5 grades were due at the then Board of Studies via Schools Online on 29 November 2013. On Monday 2 December a team of 14 Board of Studies officers examined the grading patterns for each of the 860 schools that awarded these grades. A total of 102 schools were contacted by email in relation to 118 course groups whose grading pattern appeared anomalous. Of the schools contacted, 59 (58 per cent) made changes in 69 course groups to their students’ grades. In total, 2390 grades were changed, an average of 35 changes per school course group.

up2now website

The BOSTES has developed the up2now website – which is a digital record of other-curricular achievements that allows students to showcase their aptitude beyond the academic curriculum. The up2now website has been piloted during 2012, 2013 and 2014 to now include over 75 000 Years 10, 11 and 12 students from 250 schools across NSW.

Literacy and numeracy tests

In November 2012, the then Board of Studies launched optional online Literacy and Numeracy tests for Year 10 students planning to leave school. In May and October 2013, the tests were available to students in Years 10 and 11 and in May 2014 included school-leavers up to Year 12.

Approximately 1650 school-leavers from Years 10 and 11 sat the Literacy and Numeracy tests in October 2013, and 1030 school-leavers undertook these tests in May 2014.

The tests are presented in an online program developed by the BOSTES and delivered through an internet browser. The program accommodates a range of student disability needs, including the use of screen-reading software for vision impairment.

The results are made available to students using the Students Online portal, and to schools using the Schools Online portal. Schools and students can print detailed reports indicating the marks obtained and the Australian Core Skills Framework level corresponding to their test performance.

Students may re-sit the tests if they decide to stay on at school so that their increased skills can be recognised.

2014 National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)

The NAPLAN Program

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is the measure through which governments, education authorities and schools can determine whether or not young Australians are meeting important educational outcomes.

The NAPLAN Program tests the types of skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life, such as reading, writing, spelling and numeracy. The assessments are undertaken nationwide, every year, in the second full week in May.

NAPLAN tests identify whether all students have the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for their learning, and for their productive and rewarding participation in the community. Students are assessed using common national tests in Reading, Writing, Language Conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and Numeracy.

Schools play a central role in ensuring the smooth running of NAPLAN tests. Each year, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) and the BOSTES, as the NSW Test Administration Authority, provide information and support to schools to ensure they understand what is required to support the administration of NAPLAN tests.


All states and territories administer the tests in accordance with nationally agreed protocols. The National Protocols for Test Administration detail information on all aspects of the administration of the tests. It specifies security requirements and uniform processes and procedures to ensure students complete the tests under similar conditions, which in turn ensure that the results of the tests are comparable across Australia.

NSW Test Administration Authority

From the 2013 test cycle, the responsibility for NAPLAN test administration in NSW was transferred from the NSW Department of Education and Communities to the BOSTES, which now is the Test Administration Authority (TAA) for all schools in NSW and for international schools registered with the BOSTES. Students who registered for home schooling may also elect to participate in the tests. By arrangement with the ACT Department of Education and Training, the BOSTES also provides the testing and reporting services to the ACT.

Contracts

In 2011, Pearson Research and Assessment (PRA) were awarded the contract for print, distribution, data capture, the marking of the writing component and the reporting of results for the 2012 NAPLAN cycle. The contract was for one year with two 1-year extension options. Following a successful 2013 program the option for a third year was executed for the 2014 program.

Governance

The governance of NAPLAN is managed through fortnightly meetings of the Literacy and Numeracy group chaired by the Director, Examinations, Reporting and Credentialling.

2013 NAPLAN test results

The distribution of the 2013 student reports to schools and parents was delayed from 16 September to 14 October to address errors identified in the Student Report Shell supplied by ACARA to states and territories for the printing of student results.

The NAPLAN National Report for 2013 was released on Friday 13 December 2013. NSW was ranked in the top three jurisdictions in all areas except Year 7 and Year 9 writing.

2014 NAPLAN tests

The 2014 NAPLAN tests were held from 13 to 15 May, with Friday 16 May as a designated catch-up test day. A small number of schools were given approval to conduct the NAPLAN tests the week commencing 19 May as a result of conflicting local annual events.

Test participation

Schools register to participate in NAPLAN testing and register their students who are eligible. The following table lists the number of schools registered in 2014 by sector:

NSW and ACT schools by sector NSW ACT

Government 2121 Government 77 Catholic systemic 574 Catholic systemic 29 Independent 353 Independent 19 Home school 102 Home school 1 International 18 International 3 Total 3168 Total 129


All students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are expected to participate in the NAPLAN tests. In 2014, the BOSTES was responsible for the administration of one or more tests to more than 365 998 students across the various sectors in NSW, internationally and in the ACT.

Student participation and registration website

A secure website has been established for schools to register details of all students participating in the NAPLAN tests. These student details are required to facilitate the smooth administration of the testing program.

Each school can only access and amend the details of their own students. Schools are provided with their usernames and passwords in a letter included in the package containing their Handbook for principals, Information for teachers and Information for parents.

In the registration phase, schools are able to add new students and review and edit student details. Schools can allocate students into classes according to their arrangements for administering the NAPLAN tests and select the order in which the test booklets are printed. This enables test booklets to be sorted and delivered as per school test administration requirements.

In the participation phase, schools are able to update student details by adding or deleting students, complete the test participation status for each student, indicate disability adjustments accessed during each test, confirm the number of test books and boxes being returned for processing and indicate the post office details where materials are lodged.

Registered NSW and ACT students for participation by sector NSW ACT

Government 230 909 Government 10 720 Catholic systemic 81 109 Catholic systemic 4 279 Independent 48 611 Independent 4 541 Home school 127 Home school 17 International 2 240 International 196

Total 362 996 Total 19 753

Participation of NSW and ACT students in one or more tests NSW ACT

Government 219 351 Government 9 602 Catholic systemic 79 459 Catholic systemic 4 100 Independent 46 659 Independent 4 330 Home school 119 Home school 17 International 2 180 International 181

Total 347 768 Total 18 230 For each test, students are placed in one of five categories:

Absent – students who were unable to sit for the tests because they were not present when the test was administered and did not complete a catch-up test

Exempt – students may be exempt because they have: - a language background other than English and have been in Australia for less than a

year before the tests - significant intellectual disability and/or significant co-existing conditions

Sanctioned abandonment – students who attempt one or more questions in a test but who abandon the test due to illness or injury


Withdrawn – students withdrawn from the testing program by their parent/carer

Present – students who are assessed because they were present for the test and not otherwise considered as abandonment.

The table below shows the number of NSW students in each of these categories for each test.

Absent Exempt Sanctioned abandonment Withdrawn Present

Language conventions 9 290 5 531 40 3 195 342 700

Numeracy 11 547 5 446 32 3 148 340 583 Reading 10 063 5 520 36 3 236 341 901 Writing 9 786 5 579 112 3 271 342 008

Disability adjustments

According to the test protocols, many disability adjustments for the NAPLAN tests can be organised at school level and do not need prior approval from the Test Administration Authority. These include the provision of rest breaks, extra time, oral/sign support and the use of black and white masters.

For adjustments where approval is required, schools were required to apply for Disability Adjustments prior to the week of the NAPLAN tests, and they were advised by the BOSTES if their application was approved. Schools must seek approval for scribe use in the Writing test or computer use. The BOSTES approved 94 students to have a scribe and 224 students to use a computer in the Writing test. In addition, 106 students were provided with electronic answer sheets to enable them to respond to all test questions on screen. There were 106 applications to use a scribe that were not approved.

In 2014, 22 students with severe disabilities were provided with the NAPLAN tests electronically, 13 students were provided with braille test materials and 249 students were provided with large print.

The table below shows the total number of NSW students who accessed one or more disability adjustments.

Disability adjustments

Number of students

Braille 54 Electronic test 137 Scribe 163 Computer 743 Large print 814 Reader 1 498 Black white 2 020 Support person 2 359 Rest break 3 514 Support class 4 660 Extra time 11 185

Total 27 147


Processing and marking of student responses

The processing and capture of student responses began on Saturday 17 May 2014. Approximately 100 schools were targeted for early pickup of their test materials on Friday 16 May and Monday 19 May. The early pickup of test material allowed the scanning of student test booklets to commence, emphasis being placed on ensuring sufficient writing scripts were loaded into the Pearson system before the marking of writing started.

Schools return their test materials via Australia Post to Pearson’s premises for processing, which includes scanning and capture of multiple choice and constructed responses. Approximately 1.1 million test booklets were scanned, resulting in approximately 18 million images with approximately 54 million responses across all test types captured. The scanning and data capture of student responses was completed by 13 June.

The writing task

The marking of the writing task is conducted on screen, and commenced with training on Thursday 22 and Friday 23 May 2014 and live marking from Saturday 24 May. There were two shifts per day (approximately 240 markers per shift), and BOSTES staff monitored the contractor’s implementation of quality assurance procedures.

In 2014, teams of home-based markers were drawn from the Hunter, Central Coast and Wollongong regions. The 90 home-based markers were trained in the writing rubric at either the Corporate Marking Centre at the Canterbury venue or at a training venue established in Newcastle. Home-based marking commenced from 26 May.

The marking of the writing scripts was completed on schedule on 15 June 2014.


Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB)

Role and structure

The Australian Music Examinations Board (NSW) is the agency responsible for administering practical and written examinations in Music and Speech and Drama in accordance with the Australian Music Examinations Board requirements. These examinations range from preliminary grades through to the Fellowship in Music Australia and Fellowship in Speech and Drama Australia. These credentials are awarded by the federal Australian Music Examinations Board, which is an incorporated body with representatives from each state.

The AMEB (NSW) processes around 38 000 examinations throughout NSW and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) each year in almost 80 categories, and services nearly 8000 teachers and 200 examiners and assessors.

Governance of the AMEB NSW AMEB (NSW) Board (as at 22 July 2014)

Dean, Sydney Conservatorium of Music Dr Karl Kramer (Chairperson) Private Music Teacher Representatives Dr Rita Crews OAM (Deputy Chairperson) Anne Harvey OAM Lina Petkova Private Speech and Drama Teacher Representative Victoria Clancy Examiner Representatives Lyn Morgan Richard Morphew Nominee of the NSW Vice-Chancellors’ Committee and NSW Representative of the Federal AMEB Board Professor Jennifer Shaw (since 6 May 2013) Nominees of the Secretary of Education and Communities Stephen Bull Rach Kirsten Roslynne Moxham Representative of the BOSTES Paul Hewitt

Management NSW State Chairperson Dr Karl Kramer – Dean, Sydney Conservatorium of Music NSW State Manager Ms Maree Lucas


Achievement highlights 2013–2014

The principal activities of the AMEB (NSW) during the 2013–2014 reporting period are outlined below. Further information about the AMEB is available from the address supplied at the end of this section.

Examinations

The AMEB (NSW) conducted around 38 000 examinations throughout NSW and the ACT during 2013–2014. These examinations involved almost 60 practical music syllabuses, three practical speech and drama syllabuses and four written syllabuses, each containing many grades.

An online enrolment system was developed in 2013 which allows teachers to enrol their candidates via the AMEB Connect website in three simple steps. In addition, the system was enhanced for examiner access which allows examination scheduling coordination and information to be available online.

Due to the success of online written examinations, developed by the federal AMEB office, the May written examination session was withdrawn. Face-to-face written examinations are now held nationally in August each year.

Annual Diploma Presentation Ceremony

The Annual Diploma Presentation Ceremony for 2014 was held on 9 March 2014, with

199 Associate Diplomas and 60 Licentiate Diplomas awarded to musicians, and 16 Diplomas awarded to Speech and Drama students.

Spectacular performances were given by a variety of outstanding musicians who received their diplomas with Distinction, along with a speech performance by Divya Iyer, a talented young performer who received her ADPA in Teaching with Distinction at the ceremony.

AMEB examiner and piano teacher Peter Yi-Bin Wang received his first shield win in the Seventh Grade to Licentiate Piano Teacher category, and an unprecedented 15 examiners (covering 5 different examination categories) were awarded a shield to commemorate 25 years as an AMEB examiner.

During the ceremony, AMEB shields were presented in the following categories:

Examiner Award for 25 Years’ Service

Brass Peter Walmsley OAM

Keyboard Ka-May Chu Erzsi Marosszeky Colin McDonald James Richard Muir Ann O’Hearn

Speech and Drama Judith Ann Burgess Elaine Hodda

Woodwind Dr Ian Cook Vicki Crozier Ros Dunlop Catherine Margaret Fluke Naomi Halls Patricia Stuart-Carberry

Written Dr Rita Crews OAM


Private Teacher Pianoforte Category Sherry Shen Preliminary to Sixth Grade

Private Teacher Pianoforte Category Peter Yi-Bin Wang Seventh Grade to Licentiate

Private Teacher Instrumental/Vocal Category Yan Zhuang Preliminary to Sixth Grade

Private Teacher Instrumental/Vocal Category Jocelyn Edey Fazzone Seventh Grade to Licentiate

Private Teacher Written Category Helen Lowry Preliminary to Licentiate

Private Teacher Speech Category Erin Joy Bubb Preliminary to Fifth Grade

Private Teacher Speech Category Victoria Clancy Sixth Grade to Licentiate

Schools Category Sydney Grammar School

Workshops

Regular professional development workshops are held for examiners in all instrument categories.

The annual Examiners’ Meeting included a guest presentation by Andrew Hiom from the BOSTES, who has developed the online enrolment and examiner access system. A Question and Answer session and panel discussion then took place with the State Manager and the category syllabus advisers. Examiners then participated in sessions for their specialist categories, organised and facilitated by the adviser for each group.

A successful Speech and Drama workshop was held in February 2014 with successful writer and director Melvyn Morrow as keynote speaker.

A play-through of the new Percussion syllabus was held in October 2013 for percussion examiners and teachers. The play-through showcased the material grade by grade, and this was followed by an information session. The new AMEB Percussion syllabus, examinable from 2014, provides percussionists with the opportunity to continue their studies through to the Licentiate level for the first time.

AMEB contact details:

AMEB (NSW) Level 6, 117 Clarence Street SYDNEY NSW 2000

Telephone (02) 9367 8456 Fax (02) 9367 8091 Email [email protected] Internet www.ameb.nsw.edu.au


2.3 Quality Teaching and Regulatory Compliance

Great Teaching, Inspired Learning (GTIL)

The NSW government’s Great Teaching, Inspired Learning: a blueprint for action was released by the Minister for Education, the Hon. Adrian Piccoli MP in March 2013.

Great Teaching, Inspired Learning (GTIL) is designed to promote and foster world-class teacher quality as the central driver of maintaining and improving the educational standards of NSW students.

The BOSTES is coordinating implementation of GTIL as well as implementing and overseeing teacher accreditation processes against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) across the four whole-of-career accreditation levels.

Key aspects of the Blueprint for Action that relate to the business of the BOSTES are:

strengthened entry requirements for Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programs

the introduction of a literacy and numeracy assessment within ITE programs

strengthened partnerships between ITE providers and schools relating to professional experience

alignment of teachers’ professional development requirements with annual performance reviews

legislation to be introduced to require the accreditation of all suitably qualified teachers in NSW schools and early childhood centres

coordination of higher-level accreditation with career pathways.

Many of the GTIL reforms have been implemented throughout the 2013–2014 reporting period and other reforms will be introduced throughout 2014 and 2015. The implementation of some actions is dependent on changes to the Teacher Accreditation Act 2004 expected to be introduced into the NSW Parliament during the next reporting period.

Great Teaching, Inspired Learning: a blueprint for action comprises a total of 16 Key Outcomes relating to reforms in the following areas of whole-of-career accreditation and related professional support:

pre-entry to the teaching profession

beginning and returning teachers

accredited teacher performance

Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers

professional collaboration and evidence-based learning.


GTIL Achievements

Pre-entry to the teaching profession (GTIL 1, 2, 3, 4)

The BOSTES has finalised the introduction of entry requirements for applicants for undergraduate initial teacher education (ITE) programs on the basis of an ATAR alone. The new requirement for entrants to have three HSC Band 5 results (one of which must be English), or a comparable alternative, will apply to entrants to programs from 2016. Further work will be done to provide comparable benchmarks for entrants who apply on a basis other than an ATAR.

All ITE students will be required to pass literacy and numeracy tests prior to undertaking their final professional experience placement from 2016.

In June 2014 the Minister released a Framework for High-Quality Professional Experience Placements in NSW Schools. The framework is a commitment by school sectors and universities to work in partnership to ensure all students receive a high-quality professional experience that benefits both the student and the school.

In consultation with the school employment sectors, the BOSTES developed a comprehensive submission to the Commonwealth Government’s review of ITE by the Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group (TEMAG).

Beginning and Returning Teachers (GTIL 6, 7, 8, 9)

The BOSTES has coordinated improved induction and mentoring processes for beginning teachers across all sectors.

Greater alignment has been implemented between the probation processes of the NSW Department of Education and Communities (DEC) and the accreditation processes of the BOSTES.

Anticipated changes to the Teacher Accreditation Act will require teachers returning after an absence of five years or more, and overseas-trained teachers working in NSW for the first time, to complete professional development covering the Australian curriculum, the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) and at least one other area during their first year.

Accredited Teacher Performance (GTIL 10, 11, 12, 13)

Anticipated changes to the Teacher Accreditation Act will require the accreditation of all teachers working in schools and early childhood centres in NSW.

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) and key accreditation processes will be incorporated into the Australian Teacher Performance and Development Framework (ATPDF) being introduced in NSW schools from 2015. Consultation with key NSW education stakeholders has confirmed a general consensus on a process and model for the accreditation of the pre-2004 teaching workforce.

These amendments to the Teacher Accreditation Act, in combination with compliance with the ATPDF and Working With Children Check clearances, will allow for all NSW teachers to be accredited and brought under the scope of the Act.

Consultation is ongoing to develop procedures for the accreditation of teachers working in early childhood settings.

Policy has been revised to streamline the process for registering and logging participation in school-based professional learning as well as processes for recording and evaluating all professional learning. The BOSTES is continuing discussions with employing authorities regarding school endorsement processes and the registration of school-based professional learning.


Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers (GTIL 14, 15)

Teacher career pathways have been expanded to provide new responsibilities and salary progression based on the attainment of the APST. In NSW government schools this will occur under the Salaries and Conditions Award from 2016 and include alignment of teaching standards, qualifications and professional learning with the national framework for performance and development, with revised teacher efficiency procedures.

The BOSTES is continuing to work with the school employment sectors to develop more structured professional learning pathways for school leaders and with tertiary education providers to develop school leadership credentials.

Professional Collaboration and Evidence-Based Learning (GTIL 5, 16)

The Department of Education and Communities (DEC) has developed a professional learning clearing house website which will be linked to the BOSTES website in 2015.

National Developments

During the period 2009 to 2012, the NSW government and non-government school authorities entered into National Partnership Agreements with the Commonwealth Government. These partnerships envisaged nationally consistent processes and requirements being developed in areas that correspond to the functions of the BOSTES regarding Teacher Accreditation. Partnerships included Teacher Quality and Rewards for Great Teachers. Many national developments were reflected in changes implemented within NSW.

The transition by all jurisdictions to the new Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, common procedures relating to the registration/accreditation of teachers, and a national system for the accreditation of initial teacher education programs continued for the period 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014.

The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) was a key mechanism for these national developments. Each of the teacher accreditation managers was involved in different work programs that aimed to produce new national approaches and procedures.

The framework for national consistency in teacher registration, agreed to by Ministers in 2011, established a timeframe for transition beginning January 2013. The application of this framework to NSW requirements applies to the processes for accrediting new scheme teachers. The key requirement for a more substantial process for assessing full registration (accreditation in NSW) against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers reflects existing NSW practice.

In addition to agreeing to national consistency in teacher registration, throughout 2011 AITSL led a consultative process that resulted in national Ministers of Education endorsing Principles for Certification of Teachers at Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher Standards at the April 2012 meeting of the Standing Council for School Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC).

AITSL also undertook development of support material containing evidence guides for standards at the levels of Proficient, Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher. Further work was undertaken by AITSL on a training program for assessors of teachers’ submissions for certification. A pilot of the assessor training was conducted between February and June 2013 with 13 participants from NSW representing key participants in the NSW accreditation process. Feedback from participants assisted AITSL with revision of the training program, which was made available to assist jurisdictions with their training processes if implementing a certification process. AITSL’s development work during 2013 focused on developing a framework for observation of teachers’ practice.


The new Australian Professional Standards for Teachers closely relate to the NSW Professional Teaching Standards and new national policies and procedures reflect existing BOSTES policies and procedures. However, the transition to national processes has required amendment to a number of existing BOSTES policies. In the latter half of 2013 this included Quality Teaching Council (QTC) endorsement of a revised Professional Learning Policy, and a revised Policy for Accreditation at Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher Level was endorsed by the QTC and the then Board of Studies.

The NSW process established in 2008/2009 for accreditation at Professional Accomplishment and Leadership levels contributed strongly to the development of the national certification scheme. While NSW is progressively making adjustments where needed to align with national certification, including the revised policy, the existing accreditation process was submitted to an AITSL ‘deeming’ process in August 2012. This was undertaken to ensure that teachers accredited under the existing NSW accreditation scheme would have automatic access to the Commonwealth Government’s payments for successful certification under the National Partnerships Rewards for Great Teachers. The deeming judgement was made on the basis that critical features of national certification exist in NSW accreditation, in particular the use of standards as the framework for decisions, the three sources of evidence required, with an external observation of the teacher’s practice and the training undertaken for observations and accreditation assessments.

The first payments were to have been implemented in January 2014, but a broad agreement introduced in 2013 between the Australian and NSW governments over the funding of schools ended the payment scheme and the National Partnerships. However, state and territory jurisdictions have continued to meet at AITSL’s Certifying Authorities Network to discuss the implications of a common approach to certification within the legal frameworks in place. To date, along with New South Wales, Western Australia, Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory and South Australia have implemented certification or are currently engaged in this.

In the Initial Teacher Education area, significant developments included:

completion of national elaborations of some key graduate standards in the areas of literacy and numeracy, special education, teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, classroom management and ICT, which were supported by Ministers for adoption within jurisdictions

describing appropriate literacy and numeracy competencies finalisation of professional development modules for teachers supervising teacher

education students on professional experience, and the release of the AITSL Initial Teacher Education: Data Report which consolidated several

existing data sets relating to teacher education entrants and employment of graduates.

Accordingly, during the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014 the BOSTES and its key stakeholders successfully ensured that the central functions of the BOSTES and associated policies and practices were incorporated into the emerging national frameworks authorised by Education Ministers.

Initial Teacher Education

Initial teacher education program approval process

Under Section 20 of the Teacher Accreditation Act 2004, the NSW Minister for Education approves initial teacher education (ITE) programs delivered in NSW in relation to meeting the professional teaching standards as described in the Act. Program approval enables graduates to be eligible for Provisional Accreditation.

The Policy and Procedures for the Accreditation of Initial Teacher Education Programs in NSW, approved by the Minister, describes the process by which ITE programs are assessed and approved.


The Policy is designed to ensure that:

program accreditation in NSW is consistent with Accreditation of Initial Teacher Education Programs in Australia: Standards and Procedures – April 2011 (the national Standards and Procedures)

programs in NSW meet the requirements of the professional teaching standards as approved by the Minister, namely the national Program Standards including the Graduate teacher standards, and NSW supplementary requirements in subject content knowledge, professional experience and a number of mandatory areas of study

program accreditation is a collaborative exercise involving the profession as a whole, and the profession and the community have confidence that NSW ITE programs meet minimum

standards.

The Initial Teacher Education Committee (ITEC)

The 2013–2014 membership of the ITEC is listed at Appendix 4.

The Minister approves initial teacher education (ITE) programs on the advice of the Initial Teacher Education Committee (ITEC) of the Board. The ITEC is appointed by the Quality Teaching Council (QTC) for a three-year term broadly coinciding with the tenure of the QTC. The ITEC met on six occasions during 2013–2014.

ITE programs are assessed by accreditation panels of principals, teachers and teacher educators in terms of the national Program Standards and NSW supplementary requirements. Approval is for a maximum of five years.

Consistent with the national Standards and Procedures, each accreditation panel includes an interstate representative nominated by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) and all accreditation panel members need to have undertaken a nationally developed training program. Consequently, NSW teachers, principals and teacher educators who have been trained will be eligible to be identified by AITSL to be on interstate accreditation panels.

The BOSTES delivered one panel training program in 2013–2014 based on the national training materials, involving 50 participants. A total of 173 NSW teachers, principals and teacher educators have been trained since 2011 and are eligible for accreditation panels both in NSW and nationally.

During 2013–2014, the ITEC oversighted the assessment of 31 ITE programs offered by 8 ITE providers by 13 separate accreditation panels.

A new policy relating to the minimum HSC achievement required of school-leavers seeking admission to undergraduate ITE programs (as measured by three HSC Band 5 results including English), will have effect from 2016. Consequently, the Minister determined that the approval of all undergraduate programs would be limited to 31 December 2015. The Minister also approved a process, administered through the ITEC, for the full five-year approval to be granted by the Minister to affected programs upon confirmation of how those programs would comply with the new HSC requirements.

Assessment of prospective teachers’ qualifications

A team of BOSTES qualification assessment officers are responsible for assessing the qualifications of prospective NSW teachers and for issuing Statements of Eligibility to these people. The Statement provides advice to teachers about their eligibility for provisional or conditional accreditation.

The qualification assessment process also involves:

providing advice on whether prospective teachers needed to comply with the English Language Proficiency Policy


supporting NSW ITE providers in deciding whether applicants for graduate-entry teaching programs had appropriate undergraduate qualifications

issuing Letters of Professional Standing for teachers seeking to work and gain recognition overseas

liaising with other jurisdictions in the administration of mutual recognition processes.

The integrity of the qualifications of the teaching workforce in NSW has increasingly been the result of the work of this team.

In the period from 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2014, 4066 prospective teachers had their qualifications assessed and were issued with a Statement of Eligibility.

Standards and Accreditation

Procedures have been established across all schools in NSW to support mandatory teacher accreditation.

Following their provisional or conditional accreditation, teachers receive information about the mandatory requirements, including details of the range of support documents available on the BOSTES Teacher Accreditation website. These include:

the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers Information for Teachers Progressing to Proficient Teacher Level Proficient Teacher Evidence Guide Summary of Accreditation at Proficient Teacher Level Support material for casual and experienced teachers.

Updated policy documents are also available on the Teacher Accreditation website.

To support these processes, BOSTES Officers delivered more than 40 presentations on accreditation to teachers, prospective teachers, teacher employers, consultants and stakeholders across NSW during the period 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014.

Transition to using the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers were approved for use in NSW teacher accreditation by the NSW Minister for Education in July 2011. The transition commenced in October 2012 and has continued, with the NSW Professional Teaching Standards for Professional Competence being phased out by the end of 2014. Teachers and schools have been supported in using the Standards with multiple newsletters and detailed online advice.

The transition continued in 2013–2014 with new applicants for voluntary accreditation (Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher) using the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers from 15 July 2013. To support greater alignment with national approaches, the accreditation policy was revised and then endorsed by the Quality Teaching Council and the Board.

Teachers who commenced undertaking accreditation at Professional Accomplishment or Leadership level before 30 June 2013 will continue their process using the NSW standards. Teachers who commenced voluntary accreditation at the higher levels after 1 July 2013 are using the Australian Standards.

A new Teacher Accreditation website was launched in May 2014. The new website includes user-focused navigation and easy-to-find, accessible, engaging content which steps users through the processes for teacher accreditation.

New updated information and support documents for using the Australian Standards have been published on the Teacher Accreditation website and through the publication of Accreditation Matters, a newsletter for teachers and school leaders.


Provisional/conditional accreditation at the point of employment/approval to teach

All teachers first employed in NSW schools from 1 October 2004, or returning to teaching in NSW after an absence of five years or more, must be accredited.

On employment, these teachers are to be provisionally or conditionally accredited by teacher accreditation authorities on the basis of their ITE qualifications. Teachers are provisionally accredited if they have completed an approved program of ITE from NSW, other Australian states and territories, or overseas.

Decisions to conditionally accredit teachers are based upon the teacher holding a subject degree only or having substantially completed a course of teacher education. Conditionally accredited teachers must gain a teacher education qualification or its equivalent, or complete their current program within a set timeframe of commencing teaching.

Completion of an approved teacher course is equivalent to attaining the Teaching Standards for Graduate teacher.

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers – Graduate Teacher Stage

Graduate teachers have completed a qualification that meets the requirements of a nationally accredited program of initial teacher accreditation. The award of this qualification means that they have met the Graduate Standards. On successful completion of their initial teacher education, Graduate teachers possess the requisite knowledge and skills to plan for and manage learning programs for students. They demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the implications for learning of students’ physical, cultural, social, linguistic and intellectual characteristics. They understand principles of inclusion and strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.

Graduate teachers have an understanding of their subject/s, curriculum content and teaching strategies. They are able to design lessons that meet the requirements of curriculum, assessment and reporting. They demonstrate the capacity to interpret student assessment data to evaluate student learning and modify teaching practice. They know how to select and apply timely and appropriate types of feedback to improve students’ learning.

Graduate teachers demonstrate knowledge of practical strategies to create rapport with students and manage student behaviour. They know how to support students’ wellbeing and safety, working within school and system curriculum and legislative requirements.

They understand the importance of working ethically, collaborating with colleagues, external professional and community representatives, and contributing to the life of the school. Teachers understand strategies for working effectively, sensitively and confidentially with parents/carers and recognise their role in their children’s education.


Australian Professional Standards for Teachers – Graduate Teacher Stage

Between 1 July 2013 and 30 June 2014, 7388 teachers were provisionally or conditionally accredited.

As at 31 December 2013 there were 34 955 conditionally or provisionally accredited teachers in NSW – this includes teachers who were on a temporary leave of absence from accreditation.

Mandatory accreditation at Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence

Following accreditation when first employed or given approval to teach by an employer, teachers are required to develop their practice to the point of demonstrating to their teacher accreditation authority1 that they meet the Standards for Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence.

Achievement of the Standards at Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence is designed to be a formative, developmental process, attained over time. It is expected that school personnel will support beginning and returning teachers during this process, including regular lesson observations and meetings with the supervisor or mentor.

Once a teacher achieves Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence, a report written by his or her supervisor and endorsed by the relevant teacher accreditation authority is forwarded to the BOSTES, together with documentary evidence of the teacher’s work.

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers – Proficient Teacher Stage

Teachers who achieve Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence meet the requirements for full registration or accreditation through demonstrating achievement of all the Standard Descriptors at this level. These teachers create effective teaching and learning experiences for their students. They know the unique backgrounds of their students and adjust their teaching to meet their individual needs and diverse cultural, social and linguistic characteristics. They develop safe, positive and productive learning environments where all students are encouraged to participate.

They design and implement engaging teaching programs that meet curriculum, assessment and reporting requirements. They use feedback and assessment to analyse and support their students’ knowledge and understanding. Proficient teachers use a range of sources, including student results, to evaluate their teaching and to adjust their programs to better meet student needs.

Proficient teachers are active participants in their profession and with advice from colleagues identify, plan and evaluate their own professional learning needs. Proficient teachers are team members. They work collaboratively with colleagues; they seek out and are responsive to advice about educational issues affecting their teaching practice. They communicate effectively with their students, colleagues, parents/carers and community members. They behave professionally and ethically in all forums.

1 Teacher accreditation authorities (TAAs) for Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence vary according to system/sector. In government schools they are School Education Directors; in Catholic systemic schools they are usually a senior officer at the Diocesan school office; and in independent schools they are usually the principal or the head of school. In some cases, small independent schools have nominated the NSW Association of Independent schools as their TAA.


The maximum time that teachers have to achieve Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence depends on the nature of their employment and whether they are provisionally or conditionally accredited. This is summarised in the table below:

Provisional accreditation Conditional accreditation

Permanent full-time employment

3 years 4 years

Part-time, temporary or casual employment2

5 years 6 years

The BOSTES issues a letter of acknowledgement to the teacher and sends a certificate signed by the Chair of the Quality Teaching Council to the relevant teacher accreditation authority to be countersigned and presented to the teacher.

A total of 3980 teachers were accredited at Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence in the period of 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014. A further 347 teachers were granted accreditation at Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence through recognition of their full registration gained in other Australian states and territories. At 30 June 2014, there were 24 866 teachers with the accreditation status of Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence either actively teaching in NSW or on a temporary leave of absence.

As most teachers start their careers as casual teachers, 2010 was the year that many teachers began reaching the date of the maximum period given for achievement of accreditation at Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence. At that time the then NSW Institute of Teachers began an annual notification by letter to teachers whose successful accreditation had not yet been notified by the TAA, and whose due date was within the next 12–18 months.

In March 2014, a letter was sent to more than 3888 teachers, reminding them of the timeframe. Teachers are able to apply for extensions of time if they are able to show reasonable grounds for such an allowance, often due to significant periods of time when they were not teaching.

A draft policy to enable teachers whose time to achieve Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence has expired to apply for a limited period of provisional re-accreditation was developed in 2011–2012. Implementation requires an amendment to the Teacher Accreditation Act 2004 which is anticipated to be introduced to the NSW Parliament in September 2014.

Quality assurance of Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence accreditation decisions

The accreditation decision is made by the teacher accreditation authority. Although the BOSTES does not alter any accreditation decision, it will return an Accreditation Report to the teacher accreditation authority if it breaches the BOSTES’s policy under the legislation. For example, this occurs if the Report has not been approved by the relevant authority or was based on Graduate Teacher instead of Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence Standards.

In addition to these routine checks, accreditation reports with teacher evidence of practice are used in a systematic quality assurance process to ensure that the standards are being applied consistently and fairly across the state. The process draws on very experienced teachers as External Assessors to review accreditation documents.

Teachers from all sectors have been appointed as External Assessors. These teachers attend a two-day training course. Following the course, External Assessors review Accreditation Reports in batches of 30 and report to the BOSTES on the quality and consistency of the process.

2 The BOSTES is able to extend the maximum period for these teachers in cases of genuine hardship.


The BOSTES aims to cultivate a culture of responsibility for supporting a quality process by the teaching profession, for the teaching profession. The position of External Assessor is one strategy designed to foster this, as well as providing a quality assurance process for accreditation at Professional Competence.

In the period of 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014, External Assessors reviewed 5970 Accreditation Reports and the accompanying evidence.

Voluntary accreditation at Professional Accomplishment and Leadership levels

Voluntary accreditation at the higher levels is available to all teachers who have achieved Professional Competence, including ‘existing teachers3’ for whom accreditation at Professional Competence is not mandatory.

There are two higher career stages in the Framework of Professional Teaching Standards – Professional Accomplishment and Professional Leadership. Accreditation at these Standards was first made available in August 2008.

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers – Highly Accomplished Teacher Stage

Highly Accomplished teachers are recognised as highly effective, skilled classroom practitioners and routinely work independently and collaboratively to improve their own practice and the practice of colleagues. They are knowledgeable and active members of the school.

Highly Accomplished teachers contribute to their colleagues’ learning. They may also take on roles that guide, advise or lead others. They regularly initiate and engage in discussions about effective teaching to improve the educational outcomes for their students. They maximise learning opportunities for their students by understanding their backgrounds and individual characteristics and the impact of those factors on their learning. They provide colleagues, including pre-service teachers, with support and strategies to create positive and productive learning environments.

Highly Accomplished teachers have in-depth knowledge of subjects and curriculum content within their sphere of responsibility. They model sound teaching practices in their teaching areas. They work with colleagues to plan, evaluate and modify teaching programs to improve student learning. They keep abreast of the latest developments in their specialist content area or across a range of content areas for generalist teachers.

Highly Accomplished teachers are skilled in analysing student assessment data and use it to improve teaching and learning. They are active in establishing an environment which maximises professional learning and practice opportunities for colleagues. They monitor their own professional learning needs and align them to the learning needs of students.

They behave ethically at all times. Their interpersonal and presentation skills are highly developed. They communicate effectively and respectfully with students, colleagues, parents/carers and community members.

3 Existing teachers are those qualified teachers who were teaching in a NSW school prior to October 2004 and have not had a break of five or more years from teaching.


Australian Professional Standards for Teachers – Lead Teacher Stage

Lead Teachers are recognised and respected by colleagues, parents/carers and the community as exemplary teachers. They have demonstrated consistent and innovative teaching practice over time. Inside and outside the school they initiate and lead activities that focus on improving educational opportunities for all students. They establish inclusive learning environments that meet the needs of students from different linguistic, cultural, religious and socio-economic backgrounds. They seek to improve their own practice and to share their experience with colleagues.

They are skilled in mentoring teachers and pre-service teachers, using activities that develop knowledge, practice and professional engagement in others. They promote creative, innovative thinking among colleagues. They apply skills and in-depth knowledge and understanding to deliver effective lessons and learning opportunities and share this information with colleagues and pre-service teachers. They describe the relationship between highly effective teaching and learning in ways that inspire colleagues to improve their own professional practice.

They lead processes to improve student performance by evaluating and revising programs, analysing student assessment data and taking account of feedback from parents/carers. This is combined with a synthesis of current research on effective teaching and learning.

They represent the school and the teaching profession in the community. They are professional, ethical and respected individuals inside and outside the school.

The process for accreditation at the two higher levels is necessarily more complex and requires that the teacher take more responsibility than for accreditation at Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence, which is an induction into teaching. In addition, the process has a different structure to that of accreditation at Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence. Application fees for teachers are derived from costs arising from the process.

The key features of the process include:

a preliminary assessment which helps potential applicants reflect on, or self-evaluate, whether they are likely to meet the requirements for accreditation

the use of multiple sources of evidence by the teacher, including an external observation of teaching to support an accreditation application

criteria to establish appropriate teacher accreditation authorities training for teacher accreditation authorities and the external observer making the

observation a committee with the role of advising teacher accreditation authorities to support moderation

of accreditation judgement made across all authorities.

Teachers are supported in selecting evidence for their accreditation submissions by evidence guides at each level. The sources of evidence required for an accreditation decision are:

documentary evidence – evidence of practice that the teacher has had a significant role in developing or substantially refining

referee reports – confirmation of the teacher’s achievement of the Standards by a range of professional colleagues

external observation of teaching practice – undertaken by external observers who are appointed by the BOSTES.

Each teacher’s submission is hosted on the Teacher Accreditation website. The teacher completes online proformas and attaches associated evidence. Referees and external observers complete online reports against specific teaching standards to support the accreditation submission.


In the period of 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014, 220 preliminary applications for accreditation at Professional Accomplishment and 121 preliminary applications for Professional Leadership were assessed, with feedback reported to each teacher. Submissions for accreditation at Professional Accomplishment were commenced by 74 teachers and at Professional Leadership by 63 teachers. External observations were completed for 39 candidates.

Once a teacher completes their submission, it is considered by the relevant teacher accreditation authority (Highly Accomplished/Lead) and a recommendation regarding accreditation is made. Each application is then assessed by the Board’s Moderating and Consistency Committee (MCC) – a cross-sectoral committee comprising representatives of key stakeholders of the accreditation process. The MCC provides advice to the teacher accreditation authority (Highly Accomplished/Lead) about the accreditation decision, based on the evidence provided against the standards and considering all decisions made. Although the teacher accreditation authority (Highly Accomplished/Lead) makes the final judgement, should they choose not to follow the MCC’s advice, a written response giving the reasons for this decision must be provided.

MCC membership comprises a Chair, seven teachers, three principals and three representatives of TAAs (Highly Accomplished/Lead) from the three education employment sectors. Members of the MCC in 2013–2014 are listed at Appendix 4.

The MCC considered 34 submissions for Professional Accomplishment or Leadership with consequent formal advice to the relevant TAAs concerning the quality of the candidates’ evidence and the consistency of each decision compared to the other TAA decisions.

By 30 June 2014, 19 teachers were accredited at Professional Accomplishment and 16 teachers at Professional Leadership.

Overview of ‘Standards and Accreditation’ Achievements 2013–2014

Provisional or conditional accreditation of 7388 teachers at the point of employment/approval to teach

Accreditation of 3647 teachers at Professional Competence (excluding recognition of interstate teachers’ proficiency)

Recognition of full interstate registration of 387 teachers for accreditation at Professional Competence

Review of 5970 teachers’ Professional Competence Accreditation Reports and evidence by external assessors

Reminders sent and follow-up with 3888 teachers within the last 18 months of provisional/conditional accreditation

Provision of data to employers regarding teacher compliance with accreditation procedures Accreditation of 19 teachers at Professional Accomplishment and 16 teachers at

Professional Leadership Provision of feedback to 220 teachers’ preliminary assessments for accreditation at

Professional Accomplishment and 121 teachers at Professional Leadership Active engagement with key employing authorities and teachers on processes to finalise

accreditation at Professional Competence within the maximum timeframes Commencement of Professional Accomplishment accreditation submissions by 74 teachers

and commencement of Professional Leadership accreditation submissions by 63 teachers Training an additional 9 External Observers to meet expected need from teachers likely to

complete submissions, making a total of 60 Completion of external observations for 39 candidates for Professional Accomplishment and

Professional Leadership Active support of networks established to promote teacher accreditation at Professional

Accomplishment and Leadership


Training of six teacher accreditation authorities including principal panel members on the process, principles and issues regarding assessing applications for accreditation at Professional Accomplishment or Professional Leadership

Consideration by the Moderating and Consistency Committee of 34 submissions for Professional Accomplishment or Leadership and provision of formal advice to relevant TAAs regarding the quality of candidates’ evidence and consistency of decisions

Presentations by BOSTES staff at more than 40 information sessions for teachers and principals, professional associations and employers about the accreditation processes for NSW teachers for Professional Competence, Accomplishment and Leadership

Presentations on key NSW reforms regarding teacher quality for national and international organisations

Partner researcher in Australian Research Council funded project on reassessing multicultural education resulting in survey of teachers’ learning needs and registered professional development linked to teaching standards

Consultation on an Australian Professional Standards Proficient Teacher Evidence Guide for supporting accreditation

Key contributions by BOSTES staff to national consultation and development forums regarding national consistency of teacher registration, evidence guides to support teachers’ accreditation processes, and development of a teacher observation framework, assessor training and guidelines for Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher certification procedures

Publication of the revised policy for Accreditation at Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher Participation of 12 NSW personnel in the pilot of the AITSL assessor training program for

national certification Endorsement of a revised policy for Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher accreditation.

Continuing Professional Development

Sections 7 and 20 of the Teacher Accreditation Act 2004 require advice to be provided to the Minister for Education on the approval of continuing teacher education providers, courses and programs for the purpose of accreditation against the Professional Teaching Standards.

In October 2005, the Minister approved a Continuing Professional Development Policy: Supporting the Maintenance of Accreditation at Professional Competence to address this section of the Act. The policy was revised in 2013 and became the Professional Learning Policy to incorporate the professional development for teachers accredited at the Highly Accomplished and the Lead Teacher levels and to incorporate the endorsement of schools as providers and the registration of school-based professional development.

The policy provides a framework to better support the allocation of existing resources to meet the needs of teachers, including the maintenance of accreditation at Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence.

All teachers who complete accreditation at Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence receive access to the electronic booklet, Maintenance of Accreditation at Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence. The booklet was revised to incorporate the nomenclature of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. This booklet summarises the requirements for maintaining accreditation at Professional Competence including the Maintenance of Accreditation Report and participation in continuing professional development. Teachers accredited through mutual recognition are also notified of these requirements.

Once accredited at Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence, full-time teachers must undertake a minimum of 100 hours of professional development over a five-year period (this is seven years for casual and part-time teachers). A minimum of 50 hours must be courses registered with the BOSTES. The other 50 hours may be BOSTES-registered courses or can be identified by individual teachers but must be linked to the Standards. The latter type of professional development is defined as Teacher Identified continuing professional development.


Teachers undertaking postgraduate study can have their study recognised for accreditation purposes. In the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014 the BOSTES considered 281 postgraduate applications, and 89 teachers completed their postgraduate study during the reporting period.

At the end of the maintenance period, teachers forward to the BOSTES their Maintenance of Accreditation Report signed by the relevant TAA. This Report is similar to that for Accreditation at Professional Competence but is written by the teacher, not the teacher’s supervisor or TAA.

In the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014, 3764 teachers completed their first maintenance of accreditation period and commenced their second maintenance of accreditation period.

Teachers accredited at the two higher levels of Professional Accomplishment and Professional Leadership must also maintain their accreditation through participation in continuing professional development. Twenty hours of the mandated 100 hours must be categorised as Professional Commitment activities. These are activities which support the professional development and practice of colleagues in the teacher’s school and in the wider education community.

If a teacher is undertaking postgraduate study, the 20 hours of Professional Commitment activities must still be undertaken except if the teacher can demonstrate that an equivalent component of their study could be classified as Professional Commitment.

The Minister has delegated to the BOSTES President the function of approval of providers of continuing professional development. Endorsement of these providers indicates the quality of courses and programs on offer and reflects the capacity of the provider to deliver these programs.

A workshop was held on 23 October 2013 which included a keynote speaker and presentations from current school-based professional development providers. The aim of the workshop was to receive feedback from schools on an endorsement process that would not be onerous but still ensure high-quality school-based professional development is available to teachers.

Following the workshop, the Professional Learning Policy was revised to facilitate school-based professional learning, in line with recommendations from Great Teaching, Inspired Learning: a blueprint for action. The revised policy was endorsed by the Quality Teaching Council on 12 December 2013.

The Professional Learning Endorsement and Advisory Committee (PLEAC)

Membership of the PLEAC is listed at Appendix 4

The Professional Learning Endorsement and Advisory Committee (PLEAC) works to a Quality Teaching Council (QTC) endorsed plan, and is responsible for providing advice to the QTC regarding:

the endorsement of professional learning providers for the purpose of registering courses

the renewal of provider endorsement the de-registration of courses and programs where appropriate teacher input and evaluation data regarding BOSTES-registered courses support of continuity and coherence between induction and continuing professional

development for the maintenance of accreditation at the level of Professional Competence

research and knowledge in the area of professional learning.


Endorsement of Professional Learning Providers The PLEAC met six times in the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014 and considered 97 applications:

79 applications to provide professional development at the Proficient Teacher level 9 applications to provide professional development at the Highly Accomplished level 9 applications to provide professional development at the Lead Teacher level.

Of the 97 applications considered, 76 were endorsed:

59 providers were endorsed to provide professional development at the Proficient Teacher level

8 providers were endorsed to provide professional development at the Highly Accomplished level

9 providers were endorsed to provide professional development at the Lead Teacher level.

A range of small, medium and large professional development providers were endorsed during the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014, including:

Australian Catholic University, Faculty of Education NSW/ACT Australian Children’s Music Foundation Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Catholic Education Office, Parramatta Crackerjack Education Growth Coaching International Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia Incorporated (MERGA) Rosemount Good Shepherd.

Previously endorsed providers include the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Royal Australian Chemistry Institute, NSW Department of Education and Communities, the Association of Independent Schools of NSW, Catholic Education/Schools Offices, the TAFE NSW, the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Olympic Park Authority (Wetlands course), Bell Shakespeare, the professional development arm of the Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Principals Australia, the National Institute of Dramatic Art, the Art Gallery of NSW, the Association of NSW Regional Conservatoriums, the Sydney Writers’ Festival and the Professional Teachers’ Council NSW.

In December 2013 the former Board of Studies commenced its endorsement of providers of school-based professional development in line with reforms from GTIL. This pilot will continue in 2014.

More than 5510 courses and programs have been registered and details made available through the teacher online account facility.


The table below compares courses delivered across the Standards for the last three financial years

Online professional learning logs

The period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014 saw the continued implementation of electronic professional learning logs for teachers accredited at Professional Competence level and the use of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

After logging into their account, teachers are able to:

browse BOSTES-registered courses and programs using various filters such as provider, stage and syllabus. Course information includes links to the provider’s website so that teachers can apply to enrol in a course or program

maintain a log of their continuing professional development. Providers confirm participation in BOSTES-registered professional development and teacher accreditation authorities or their delegates confirm completion of Teacher Identified professional development

view their professional development progress. This report indicates where requirements have been fulfilled and where they are still incomplete

evaluate BOSTES-registered professional development. This must occur before participation in a course counts towards the mandatory hours.

Teacher accreditation authorities, their delegates and principals have been able to access the BOSTES online database to monitor and validate professional development for teachers accredited at Professional Competence since 2009. They are also able to look up the database to find endorsed providers and to find BOSTES-registered courses and programs.

During the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014, BOSTES officers delivered 15 presentations to teachers, supervisors and principals on the professional development requirements for maintaining accreditation at Professional Competence. To support this, easy access guides were provided: one for TAAs and their delegates for monitoring and validating professional development; the other providing assistance for teachers in evaluating online, the BOSTES-registered courses they attended. These supplement the two PowerPoint guides which were revised in late 2013.


Providers have been able to validate teacher participation in BOSTES-registered professional development since 2008. There is a capacity for providers to bulk upload their BOSTES-registered courses and programs.

Information sessions for providers wishing to become an Endorsed Provider of BOSTES-registered professional development

The BOSTES conducted 11 sessions for providers who were interested in applying to become endorsed providers. These sessions also included information about how to apply to become endorsed providers to provide professional development at the levels of Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher.

The BOSTES Endorsed Provider of Registered Professional Development Manual

The BOSTES developed this manual to support endorsed providers in the online registration of their courses and programs and the online validation of teacher participation in their courses.

The manual highlights:

the purpose of provider endorsement and the purpose of registration of courses and programs

conditions of BOSTES endorsement as a provider of BOSTES-registered professional development

loading courses using both the NSW Professional Teaching Standards and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

the process of registration of courses and programs the process of validating participation in professional development the role of teacher evaluation of BOSTES-registered professional development.

The manual incorporates screenshots to assist providers in using the online database. It is distributed to providers when they are endorsed by the Board.

Information sessions for existing Endorsed Providers of BOSTES-registered professional development

During the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014, BOSTES officers delivered 11 presentations to existing professional development providers.

These sessions for existing providers were held to assist them with the transition to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. The two-hour sessions provided information about:

the transition to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers equivalence of the NSW Professional Teaching Standards and the Australian Professional

Standards for Teachers continuous improvement processes use of scope of endorsement statement and the BOSTES logo in the promotional material

relating to BOSTES-registered courses loading courses using both the NSW Professional Teaching Standards and the Australian

Professional Standards for Teachers loading participation data renewal of endorsement.


Overview of ‘Professional Learning’ Achievements 2013–2014

Six Professional Learning Endorsement and Advisory Committee meetings were held to consider approval of providers and their new courses

Registration of 5510 new courses Continued support for teachers accredited at Professional Competence/Proficient Teacher

level with online professional learning logs and evaluation of professional learning Completion of first maintenance period for accreditation at Professional Competence by

fourth cohort of teachers with professional development participation recorded on the BOSTES online database

Support for teachers beginning second maintenance period for accreditation at the Proficient Teacher level with professional development participation recorded on the BOSTES online database

Teachers’ professional development records converted from NSW Professional Teaching Standards to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

Assistance for schools and principals in the transition to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers

Support for providers in the transition to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers with new provider manuals for loading courses, sessions and participation data on the BOSTES website

Approval of 59 professional development providers to register courses at the Proficient Teacher level

Approval of 8 professional development providers to register courses at the Highly Accomplished Teacher level

Approval of 9 providers to register courses at the Lead Teacher level Consultation with stakeholders on school-based NSW Institute of Teachers-registered

professional development, including a workshop on 23 October 2013 Review of policy and processes for the approval of BOSTES-registered courses for

maintaining accreditation at Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher levels. This work was incorporated into the Professional Learning Policy (revised policy)

Review of the Continuing Professional Development Policy: Supporting the Maintenance of Accreditation at Proficient Teacher/Professional Competence to include endorsement of school-based professional development as required in GTIL. The policy is now the Professional Learning Policy

Support for teacher accreditation authorities, principals and professional development delegates with online monitoring and validation of teacher professional development

Revision of support manual for providers wishing to apply for endorsement (Becoming a BOSTES Endorsed Provider of BOSTES Registered Professional Development)

8 presentations to teachers, supervisors and principals on the professional development requirements for the purpose of maintaining accreditation at the Proficient Teacher level and the Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher levels

5 presentations to professional development providers to support them in the transition to the national standards, use of continuous improvement processes and using the BOSTES online database

Approval of 281 postgraduate applications Completion of postgraduate study by 89 teachers.


BOSTES professional development courses

In 2013–2014 the BOSTES continued to provide professional development opportunities to meet the professional learning needs and aspirations of Kindergarten to Year 12 teachers in NSW schools.

The BOSTES professional development activities supported the transition from the NSW Professional Teaching Standards and related Elements 3 and 6, and Standard 7.2.4 to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and Standards 3, 5, 6 and Descriptor 7.4.2 at the level of Proficient Teacher.

The BOSTES also provided professional development activities for Elements 3, 6 and Standard 7.3.4 of the NSW Professional Teaching Standards at Professional Accomplishment, and Standards 3, 5 and 6 and Standard Descriptor 7.4.3 of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Highly Accomplished level.

During 2013–2014, the professional development opportunities provided by the BOSTES increased and included 176 professional development sessions in relation to:

HSC Visual Arts and Textiles and Design marking processes; and Best Practice workshops HSC Marking Professional Learning workshops particularly targeting teachers from rural

and remote areas Support for Primary educators, Secondary beginning teachers and Special education and

Leaders workshops Standards-based assessment, reporting of student achievement and assessment best

practice Preliminary Record of School Achievement grading workshops using the BOSTES

Assessment Resource Centre (ARC) website Collecting data and using the Schools Online website Consistency in teacher judgement for K–6 and Stages 4, 5 and 6 NAPLAN writing and marker training workshops.

A breakdown of courses is shown in the table below.

Professional Development Course Number of sessions July 2013 – June 2014

2013 HSC Visual Arts Practical Marking Development Day 1 2013 HSC Textiles and Design Practical Marking Development Evening

1

HSC Best Practice Workshops 32 HSC Marking Professional Learning Workshops 5 BOSTES Information Workshops 12 New and Aspiring Executive Workshops 8 BOSTES Support for Primary Educators 23 Secondary Beginning Teachers Workshop 15 New Special Education Teachers and Leaders K–12 Workshop 2 Consistent Teacher Judgement Workshops for K–6 18 Using the Assessment Resource Centre Website K–6 7 Consistent Teacher Judgement Workshops Stages 4, 5 and 6 19 Preliminary Grading Workshop 15 Understanding Schools Online 15 NAPLAN Writing and Marker Training Workshops 3


2.4 Quality Schooling and Regulatory Compliance

Responsibilities

Under the Education Act 1990 (the Act), the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW (the BOSTES) is responsible for:

providing advice and making recommendations to the Minister for Education (the Minister) about the registration of non-government schools – that is, granting permission for schools to operate

accrediting registered non-government schools – that is, granting permission for schools to present candidates for the Record of School Achievement and/or Higher School Certificate

providing advice to the Minister about proposals from groups of schools to form registration systems – that is, granting permission for the formation of a system of non-government schools under the Act

monitoring compliance of registration systems with the requirements of the Act and providing advice to the Minister regarding the monitoring procedures of registration systems.

The BOSTES is also the designated authority for approving NSW schools delivering courses to students from overseas under the Education Services for Overseas Act 2000 (the ESOS Act) and associated legislative framework.

Major functions

The major functions of the registration program of the BOSTES are to:

inspect schools seeking registration and accreditation assess applications for proposed new schools and new Years of schooling monitor:

- schools by inspection - schools where concerns about compliance have been identified - the procedures used by registration systems to monitor the compliance of member

schools - the submission of annual school reports.

Since October 2010, the registration program of the BOSTES has also had the function to:

inspect school providers seeking approval to deliver courses to students from overseas assess applications for initial approval and to amend approval monitor:

- school providers by inspection - school providers where concerns about compliance have been identified.

The Board’s Registration and Accreditation Committee (the Registration Committee), under delegation of the Board, is responsible for making recommendations to the Minister regarding registration and for making decisions with regard to accreditation and approval.

Recommendations are based on the findings of school inspections or through the advice of registration systems.

The registration program is based on the requirements and evidence of compliance described in the Registered and Accredited Individual Non-government Schools (NSW) Manual and the Registration Systems and Member Non-government Schools (NSW) Manual (the registration manuals).


With regard to approval, the program is based on the requirements and evidence of compliance described in the Guidelines for Approved NSW School Providers Delivering Courses to Overseas Students (the Guidelines).

The BOSTES also grants recognition to schools from outside NSW to provide courses of study leading to the awards of the Record of School Achievement and/or Higher School Certificate.

Non-government schools

At the end of the 2013–2014 reporting period, there were 930 non-government schools comprising 335 individual schools and 595 systemic schools.

13 registration systems

There are 13 registration systems. Of these, 11 are administered by Catholic dioceses, one by Christian Schools Australia and one by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.


Making enhanced registration requirements operational

Enhanced registration requirements became effective for all non-government schools in 2005.

During the 2013–2014 reporting year, the requirements were made operational through the following processes:

briefings of registration systems, non-government schools and proposed new schools the online application process the review of curriculum documentation received with applications inspecting and monitoring schools and registration systems professional development of inspection teams handling complaints, and reviewing the annual reports from non-government schools.

Briefing of registration systems, schools and proposed new schools

Briefings for registration systems were held in November 2013 and March 2014. The sessions provided an opportunity to advise systems with regard to updated information, changes to legislation, emerging issues and plans for monitoring systems. Topics for discussion included evidence-based decision-making and the further development of five-year plans for monitoring registration systems.

Workshops were conducted in relation to:

curriculum for Primary Education, RoSA and the HSC monitoring compliance, and governance.

Presentations were provided by the BOSTES Accreditation Authority and the Archdiocese of Sydney regarding system monitoring processes.

With regard to briefing non-government schools, in 2013 the Board of Studies Inspectors participated in sessions for schools with registration expiring in 2014. The sessions, held in metropolitan and regional areas, focused on providing information about the registration and accreditation requirements, the online application form, the documentation required to support an application, and the inspection process. Of particular relevance to the sessions was advice about the application process using RANGS Online.

In February 2014, the BOSTES also conducted a briefing for proposed new schools seeking initial registration for 2015. The session aimed to provide an overview of the requirements for initial registration, the evidence of compliance and the process for assessing an application.

Online application process

In 2005, the then Board of Studies NSW introduced RANGS Online, an online facility for registered schools. Since 2009, all applications and notifications have been made electronically, using the online facility. Each year the facility has been enhanced with a range of improvements.

Reviewing documentation received with applications

The 2014 Key Learning Area (KLA) Review was held in April and May 2014. The review assessed the curriculum documentation submitted by schools applying for registration and accreditation in 2014. The School Registration and Accreditation Directorate officers of the BOSTES reviewed the curriculum documentation to assess compliance with the requirements of the BOSTES syllabuses and the registration manual.

In 2014, the documentation provided by school providers seeking renewal of approval or initial approval was reviewed by School Registration and Accreditation officers and officers from the Curriculum and Assessment Standards Directorate.


Inspecting and monitoring schools

During the 2013–2014 reporting period, 175 non-government schools that applied for registration were inspected. The registration statistics later in this report provide details of the inspections.

During the reporting period, BOSTES Inspectors reviewed the monitoring procedures of all 13 registration systems and confirmed that each system’s procedures are adequate for monitoring the compliance of member schools.

Professional learning for inspection teams

Inspection teams comprise BOSTES Inspectors from the School Registration and Accreditation Directorate and the Curriculum and Assessment Standards Directorate. Inspection teams are supported by Senior Registration Officers.

During 2013–2014, Inspectors and Senior Registration Officers participated in regular professional learning forums and workshops. Topics for discussion and/or input included:

requirements for approval implementation of new K–10 syllabuses changes to the Education Act 1990 changes to the child protection legislation five-year plans for monitoring registrations the Steiner and Montessori alternative curriculum frameworks inspection reports and the development of an evidence matrix based on the requirements

for registration and accreditation.

Handling complaints

During the 2013–2014 reporting year, the BOSTES continued to develop enhanced procedures to strengthen the investigative and reporting processes applied by BOSTES Inspectors in dealing with complaints.

Annual Reports

By July 2013, all non-government schools disclosed publicly and submitted annual reports to the BOSTES for the 2012 school year. The reports were submitted in electronic format using the Board’s RANGS Online facility. A review of a sample of the reports found that the significant majority met the requirement for specific measures to be reported. Publication of annual reports on school websites was the most common form of public disclosure.

School providers delivering courses for students from overseas

In October 2010, the then Board of Studies NSW became responsible for approving NSW school providers delivering courses to students from overseas. An approved provider may seek to be registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).

BOSTES Guidelines for approved providers and its Administrative Arrangements for Approved NSW Providers to Deliver Courses to Overseas Students were first published in October 2010. During the 2013–2014 reporting period, the Guidelines were updated in relation to changes to the NSW legislative framework.

The BOSTES also provided information for school providers by participating in briefings conducted by the Association of Independent Schools of NSW.


Inspecting school providers

During the 2013–2014 reporting period, 23 school providers were inspected in response to applications relating to approval.

NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal

The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) hears applications for review of recommendations by the BOSTES to the Minister that a non-government school not be registered and decisions by the BOSTES that a non-government school not be accredited.

There were no applications to the NCAT for a review of a BOSTES recommendation relating to registration or accreditation during the 2013–2014 reporting period.

Best-practice policies and processes in the regulation of non-government schools

During the 2013–2014 reporting year, the BOSTES evaluated the registration program for the 2013 calendar year to review key performance data in relation to its responsibilities for regulating non-government schools, registration systems and approved providers. A report on the evaluation was considered by the BOSTES at its meeting in February 2014.

The BOSTES also updated its registration manuals, the Registered and Accredited Individual Non-government Schools (NSW) Manual and the Registration Systems and Member Non-government Schools (NSW) Manual. The manuals were amended with regard to the commencement of the BOSTES on 1 January 2014, the Teacher Accreditation Act 2004 and new registration requirements relating to policies and procedures for proper governance and for maintaining enrolment and attendance registers, and a range of minor matters as identified in the relevant BOSTES Official Notice, 18/14.

In 2010, the Minister established a cross-sectoral attendance working party for all school sectors to work together in responding to legislative changes concerning school attendance. A focus of the working party, which includes representatives from the BOSTES, has been the development of common guidelines and processes for recording student attendance. The working party will continue to meet during the 2014–2015 reporting year.


Registration statistics

Recommendations of the Registration Committee in relation to registration

2010–2011 2011–2012 2012–2013 2013–2014

Renewal of registration (5 years)+ i s i s i s i s

Primary education 14 3 13 149 14 37 28 181

Secondary education 13 6 16 45 11 6 20 46

Primary and secondary education 46 4 60 20 38 2 49 17

Education of a kind, or for children of a kind 6++

0 6++ 0 5 0 1 1

Exemption from registration 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0

Total 79 13 95 214 69 45 99 245

+ The variation in the number of recommendations for renewal of registration for each reporting year reflects the number of schools with registration expiring in each reporting year.

++ Four of these schools also received registration for particular Years of schooling.

Initial registration for new Years of schooling (1 year)




Exemption from registration 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0

Provisional initial registration 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

Total 17 12 21 5 13 4 25 13

Extension of registration (1 year)




Total 11 0 10 0 16 0 4 0

Reduced period of registration (provisional) 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0

Cancel registration 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0

Initial registration of new schools 7 3 6 0 7 2+ 5 2

Registration of new campuses of existing schools 19 3 14 4 11 3 7 0

+ One of these schools received initial registration to commence in 2015.

i = Individual non-government schools s = systemic non-government school, belonging to a registration system


Recommendations of the Registration Committee in relation to other matters

2010–2011 2011–2012 2012–2013 2013–2014

Renewal of accreditation (5 years) + i s i s i s i s

Courses leading to the award of the Record of School Achievement 42 2 58 58 39 7 52 58

Courses leading to the award of the Higher School Certificate 33 3 46 53 30 7 53 39

+ The variation in the number of recommendations for renewal of accreditation for each reporting year reflects the number of schools with accreditation expiring in each reporting year.

Reduced period of accreditation (provisional) 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

Cancel accreditation 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

Recognition as a special school 5 0 5 0 5 0 4 1

Recognition as a special assistance school 5 0 15 0 8 0 5 0

School closed 6 4 8 6 5 0 3 0

Campus closed 2 1 8 2 8 0 8 0

Recognition for schools outside NSW

Courses leading to the award of the Record of School Achievement 0 1 0 0

Courses leading to the award of the Higher School Certificate 0 6 0 0

Approval of school providers of courses for students from overseas 2+ 28 31

i = Individual non-government schools s = systemic non-government school, belonging to a registration system

New schools granted initial registration to commence in 2015 calendar year

School name Location Years of schooling

Australian International Academy, Kellyville Campus Kellyville Kindergarten to Year 9

Clement College Cabramatta Years 11 and 12

International Chinese Christian School Chatswood Kindergarten to Year 2

Ngaruki Gulgul Kariong Years 9 and 10

St Brigid's Catholic College Lake Munmorah Years 7 to 10

Western College ALESCO Learning Centre Dubbo Years 9 and 10


Schools closed during the 2013–2014 reporting period

School name Location Years of schooling

Currawah Adventist Aboriginal College Gongolgon Years 7 to 9

International Chinese Christian School Chatswood Kindergarten to Year 2

Matthew Hogan School Canyonleigh Years 7 to 10

Complaints about non-government schools investigated by BOSTES Officers

2010–2011 2011–2012 2012–2013 2013–2014

Number of complaints about individual schools 14 8 12 9

Number of complaints about systemic schools 0 0 3 1

Number of complaints about schools with overseas recognition 0 0 0 0

Number of complaints substantiated 6 2 6 12

Number of complaints per requirement*

Governance 0 1 0 0

Teaching staff 1 3 3 1

Curriculum 3 1 2 6

Safe and supportive environment 13 4 8 8

Premises and buildings 0 0 0 0

Facilities 0 1 1 0

Discipline 7 2 2 4

Management and operation of the school 2 0 1 0

Educational and financial reporting 2 0 0 3

Investigations completed 12 9 12 13

Investigations ongoing into the next reporting period 4 3 6 3

* Note: For some schools the complaint related to more than one issue/requirement.


Home schooling

Under the Education Act 1990 (the Act), the BOSTES is responsible for administering the program for home schooling registration – that is, granting permission for a child to be schooled at home.

The Act provides for parents to home school their children. Authorised Persons assess applications and provide recommendations to the Minister for Education or delegate.

Children may be registered, or exempt from being registered, for a maximum period of two years. Children with exemption from registration on religious grounds must meet the requirements for registration.

The number of children registered for home schooling has shown a steady increase over recent years. From the commencement of the 2010 calendar year, applicants for home schooling registration have been invited to provide a reason for choosing to apply for home schooling. The most commonly cited reasons are philosophical choice or individualised approach to learning difficulties.

Increase in school leaving age

In June 2009, the NSW government passed legislation increasing the school leaving age effective from January 2010. In response to the legislation, registration for children up to 17 years of age and a process for parents to apply for a Certificate of Completion of Year 10 were introduced. During the 2013–2014 reporting period, 61 Certificates of Completion of Year 10 were issued.

During the 2013–2014 reporting year, the BOSTES Authorised Persons participated in two professional learning forums. The forums provided opportunities for professional dialogue on topics relevant to home schooling registration, including the use of digital resources for programming (particularly Program Builder and Scootle), implementation of the new BOSTES Kindergarten to Year 10 syllabuses, strategies for managing challenging home visits and home schooled children with special needs.

Home schooling statistics

Number of children with home schooling registration at the end of reporting period

2010–2011 2011–2012 2012–2013 2013–2014

Number of children with registration 2631 2802 3194 2927

Number of families 1538 1625 1853 1696

Number of children with exemption from home schooling registration at the end of reporting period

2010–2011 2011–2012 2012–2013 2013–2014

Number of children with exemption from registration 132 122 133 147

Number of families 73 61 69 70

Comment: The BOSTES collects, on an optional basis, the reason for choosing to home school. Since 2010, the most common reasons have been philosophical preference for home schooling and individualised approach to address special learning needs.


NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal

The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) hears applications for review of recommendations to refuse home schooling registration. One such appeal was lodged during the reporting period. As at 30 June 2014, the matter has not been finalised.


2.5 Policy Development, Consultation and Engagement

BOSTES Research, Evaluation and Development

Policy and Guidelines

The BOSTES recognises the importance of research, evaluation and data analysis in providing an evidence base to inform continuous improvement in policy and program design and delivery.

Research, Evaluation and Development Team

During the reporting period, a Research, Evaluation and Development (RE&D) team of senior BOSTES officers functioned to assist the Board and its committees to fulfil their respective responsibilities and functions through supporting the strategic identification of a research agenda and the commissioning and oversighting of appropriate research in areas of strategic importance as well as of topical interest.

The RE&D Team was chaired by the Chief Executive and comprised the directors, together with managers and other members of the Team as nominated by the Chief Executive. The Team monitored and evaluated both internal and external research and development projects that were conducted.

The Team met throughout the year to address the following terms of reference:

Identify, promote and facilitate research in areas of strategic importance and interest Commission, or approve the involvement of Board officers in, research into identified areas Commission Occasional Papers by Board officers Act as a steering committee for whole-of-agency research and development projects Evaluate research and development proposals and provide approval and direction Monitor progress of approved research and development projects Ensure research and development processes are appropriately structured, including the

documentation of methodology, timelines and resources Approve final research and development project reports Authorise the appropriate publication of Occasional Papers and research findings Oversee partnerships with other Australian and international curriculum, assessment,

examinations, credentialling and regulatory agencies Review and revise the BOSTES Research Policy and Guidelines, as required.

Development of new BOSTES’s research policy and guidelines

During 2013, a review of the BOSTES’s Research Policy and Guidelines was started in line with the RE&D Team’s decision to maintain a dedicated Research Application pathway that is separate from, but complementary to, the formal Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA) requirements.

Work began on development of a new BOSTES’s Research Policy and Guidelines and associated Application to Access BOSTES Data and Information for External Research Purposes.

Once finalised during the next reporting period, new BOSTES’s Research Policy and Guidelines and the associated data request documentation will be published on the BOSTES website.


New BOSTES Research and Development Committee

In early 2014, the BOSTES Board decided to establish a number of additional new Standing Committees to advise the Board on the exercise of its expanded functions.

As a result, a new BOSTES Research and Development Committee has been established to ensure a coherent and coordinated approach to the data available to the BOSTES, and to instigate appropriate analysis of data from across sectors, in cooperation with the sectors and with universities.

The new Committee will advise the BOSTES on research and development related to the Board’s statutory functions in curriculum, assessment, credentialling, and teaching and regulatory standards. It will develop and monitor protocols for sharing data, advise on effective developments with regard to learning measurement, and identify and consider research opportunities, including proposals for use of data from universities. The new Committee was scheduled to meet for the first time in the next reporting period.

Review of Languages Education

Following significant national debate about the need to equip young Australians with the knowledge and skills required for the 21st century, and concerns about the state of languages education in Australia, the NSW Minister for Education, the Hon Adrian Piccoli MP, in late 2011 requested that the then Board of Studies undertake a review of languages education in NSW.

Throughout 2012, the Board of Studies conducted preliminary discussions with key stakeholders and undertook research on best evidence in languages education. BOSTES officers then developed a consultation paper, reference paper and overview document to seek feedback on six initial proposals to provide NSW students with a broader and more inclusive languages education.

During Term 4, 2013, a Steering Committee with representation from key stakeholders in languages education was established to oversee the consultation process. Consultation began on 9 October 2013 and concluded on 13 December 2013. This involved meetings with key stakeholder and special interest groups; public consultation meetings with over 300 attendees across the state; more than 30 written submissions; and more than 400 responses to an online survey.

Findings from the consultation indicated widespread support in both the education and community sectors for the development of a dynamic, inclusive languages education policy for NSW. The main themes emerging from the research and consultation feedback were developed into a series of recommendations for BOSTES endorsement in February 2014. The recommendations were subsequently developed into proposals for further endorsement by the NSW Schools Advisory Council in May 2014.

The proposals, which incorporate short, medium and long-term goals to address demand and supply issues for languages education, were accepted by the Minister for Education and were announced by him at a press conference at Burwood Girls High School in June 2014.

As an initial step, a NSW Languages Advisory Panel, with high-level representation and expertise from key education sectors, community organisations, industry and business, will be established to oversee the development of a new languages education policy and the strategic coordination of the proposed actions.


RoSA Data for Universities Program

The Record of School Achievement (RoSA) Data for Universities program is a joint BOSTES/Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) initiative to amplify the basis of university entrance criteria by providing universities with students’ RoSA data. The data includes Year 10 and Year 11 RoSA Grades and, potentially, information about a wider range of the students’ achievements and accomplishments.

The program is also intended to establish more transparency and consistency about ways universities offer access to courses, particularly for students who can benefit from early and conditional entry schemes.

As a result of these initiatives, universities will have information which may encourage more equitable provisional offers and a greater number of them. Universities may be enabled to identify potentially high-achieving students who have proven accomplishments that are not necessarily reflected in their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).

The RoSA Data for Universities program will not impede existing arrangements such as educational access schemes or university equity scholarships.

Phases of the project concerned with transmitting students’ Year 10 and Year 11 RoSA results to UAC, with all corresponding agreements, legal obligations and administration, have been completed in 2013–2014. With regards to a wider range of achievements and accomplishments, the BOSTES has also developed an online vehicle – up2now – that allows students to upload a range of information about their achievements. The website has been piloted in a number of NSW high schools during the period 2012–2014.

Overseas visitors to the BOSTES

During the 2013–2014 reporting period, the BOSTES warmly welcomed delegations from Japan and the Sultanate of Oman. These visits assist in promoting the policies and initiatives undertaken by the BOSTES in meeting the challenges of 21st-century education. The exchange of ideas and experiences with international educators encourages better understanding of the developments in global education.

A nine-member delegation from Japan’s Council of Prefectural Boards of Education visited on Thursday 19 September 2013. The delegation, led by Mr Tsutomu Kimura, Chairperson, National Council of Prefectural Boards of Education, included chairpersons and senior representatives from the Fukushima, Shizuoka, Kagawa and Nara Prefectural Boards of Education.

The President, Tom Alegounarias welcomed the delegation before a series of presentations by Board of Studies officers focusing on the role of the then Board of Studies in the NSW education context, and curriculum and syllabus development. The delegation was particularly interested in eSyllabus and Program Builder initiatives.

On Tuesday 1 and Wednesday 2 April 2014, the BOSTES hosted a delegation from the Sultanate of Oman. Six representatives from the Ministry of Education, led by Dr Ziyana Salim Al Harthy, were interested in learning more about Life Skills content and outcomes in the NSW syllabuses as well as Vocational Education in NSW.

The BOSTES President, Tom Alegounarias welcomed the delegation before a series of presentations were delivered by Paul Hewitt, Executive Director, Curriculum, Teaching and Assessment, and BOSTES officers, Marina Laing and Catherine Tucker.

The delegation was impressed by the breadth of the NSW curriculum and the flexibility of the NSW curriculum structure that allows students to engage in learning relevant to their interests and abilities. The availability of resources to support the understanding and implementation of the NSW syllabuses was also of great interest.


Consultation and Engagement

Key stakeholders and the community

The BOSTES works collaboratively and transparently with the school sectors, key education stakeholders and the broader community to ensure that future educational reforms build on the high quality of primary and secondary education currently enjoyed by NSW students.

In addition to regular high-level collaboration with the school sectors and key education leaders, the BOSTES hosts regular formal information-sharing and consultation meetings with key stakeholders to communicate and showcase BOSTES initiatives and to gain stakeholder perspectives and feedback to inform BOSTES decision-making. During the reporting period, regular consultation meetings were held with the:

Association of Heads of Independent Schools Australia NSW Secondary Principals’ Council Association of Catholic School Principals Catholic Secondary Schools Association NSW/ACT NSW Primary Principals’ Association Professional Teachers’ Council NSW Christian Schools Australia Christian Education National Council of Catholic School Parents Federation of Parents & Citizens’ Associations NSW NSW Parents’ Council Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association (annual consultation meeting) English, Mathematics, Science and History Teachers Associations

BOSTES Student Advisory Group

Through the BOSTES Student Advisory Program, 15 students from Year 10 through to post-school were appointed to the Student Advisory Group (SAG) and given the opportunity to provide feedback to the BOSTES on a range of topics. They were also able to identify issues of concern to them. Four meetings of the SAG were held at the Clarence Street office during Terms 3 and 4, 2013 and Terms 1 and 2, 2014. As well as allowing the SAG members to express their views, the meetings constituted a forum where students could learn about the machinery and functions of the BOSTES, empowering them to disseminate this information and raise awareness about BOSTES programs once they returned to their schools.

The Student Advisory Program also involved a separate series of student meetings in both regional and metropolitan areas. For each of these meetings, groups of around 10 to 25 students, mostly from Years 10 and 11, were convened by BOSTES Liaison Officers (BOSLOs). These meetings raised awareness of the BOSTES among a wider group of students and allowed more students to have the opportunity to have a voice on matters related to BOSTES responsibilities.

HSC Student Feedback Survey

HSC students were given the opportunity to comment on their HSC experience through the HSC Feedback Survey conducted at the end of 2013. The 2013 HSC Feedback Survey was modified after a review of the previous year’s survey, with the aim of increasing student survey completion and capturing responses from a more widely representative group of students. There was a growth in the 2013 survey response rate – 3524 responses or 4.7% of the HSC candidature, up from 1945 responses or 2.7% of the HSC candidature in 2012. The demographics of respondents were very similar to those of HSC Exit Survey respondents in previous years.


TES Australia

The BOSTES has been working in partnership with TSL Education Ltd (TES), a leading UK educational publisher and the parent body of the highly regarded Times Education Supplement, to develop the website TES Australia for Australian teachers to connect and share resources. Other contributors to the development of TES Australia include the Australian Education Union and the Centre for Professional Learning NSW.

The TES Australia website (www.tesaustralia.com) was launched in July 2013 and is available to teachers globally. Currently, over 150 000 Australian teachers are registered with TES Australia.

TES Australia provides a platform for teachers to share teacher-developed resources, connect and network with other teachers through online forums, and review current employment opportunities in education.

During 2013–2014, the BOSTES continued to work with TSL Education Ltd to review the TES Australia site and provide advice regarding national and state curriculum development in Australia.

Digital BOSTES

2013–2014 website developments

A major project to improve the online presence of the BOSTES commenced during the reporting period and will gather momentum during 2014 and 2015. The project will be reviewing and revitalising content in a new information structure as well as reviewing back-end technology and processes. A major remit of the project is to raise accessibility levels across all websites to a level of compliance with WCAG 2.0 to AA Standard, so that members of the community with all ability levels are able to access our information and transact with the BOSTES online.

The re-development of the former NSW Institute of Teachers website was completed and the new BOSTES Teacher Accreditation website was launched on 15 May 2014.

User research, undertaken as part of the website re-development project, indicated the information needed to be easy to find and written in plain English. Accordingly, the website:

is organised by key user groups, such as future or returning teachers, current teachers and professional development providers, and

clearly outlines the requirements and processes for teacher accreditation in NSW.

The new website received more than 89 800 visitors from 15 May to 30 June 2014 – a 40 per cent increase on the same period last year. Feedback received from more than 50 teachers, teacher accreditation authorities and principals has commended the user-friendliness of the new site.

Years 10 and 11 students were also invited to open a Students Online account this year, previously only available to Year 12 students. To accommodate the new cohorts, the website was refreshed to include content relevant for each Year group. The changes have meant that Students Online has become the main channel for student-specific information.

Students Online offers students access to their study details in their personal account and features a range of publicly available content about senior study, from choosing courses in Year 10 through to how to get their HSC results. Information is now presented according to a student’s progression through senior study; from choosing a senior study path, completing assessments, undertaking exams and earning a credential.


http://www.nswteachers.nsw.edu.au/

Digital resources for the new NSW K–10 syllabuses incorporating the Australian curriculum

In June 2013 the NSW Minister for Education, the Hon Adrian Piccoli MP, celebrated the 12-month anniversary of the online application Program Builder at Llandilo Public School in Western Sydney. Program Builder is designed to assist teachers to adapt the content of these syllabuses to a format suitable for classroom lessons in order to create innovative teaching strategies. As at 30 June 2014, over 50 000 NSW teachers were using the application.

BOSTES website – HSC multiple-choice self-testing system

www4.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au

The HSC multiple-choice online self-testing service, established by the then Board of Studies in 2001 as a trial, has since become one of the most popular internet services developed by the Board.

Students have access to around 5000 multiple-choice questions from 33 HSC course examinations in an online self-testing service on the BOSTES website.

In the weeks leading up to the Higher School Certificate, the site is heavily used by students practising for their HSC examinations. The online multiple-choice testing system also provides the BOSTES with a ‘test bed’ for its online eAssessment high-speed test delivery application development.

Frequency of access to BOSTES websites

Websites Sessions* Page views**

Aboriginal Resource Centre 39 006 92 982

ANZAC Day Teaching and Learning 8 744 22 275

ARTEXPRESS (HSC Showcase) 13 014 24 965

Assessment Resource Centre (ARC) 470 077 2 763 928

Board News 394 041 672 981

Board of Studies NSW 7 881 449 26 841 560

ENCORE (HSC Showcase) 10 501 30 205

HSC: All My Own Work 177 722 2 009 293

K–6 Education 641 785 1 409 846

Multiple-choice self-testing 760 777 4 414 954

School Registration 22 455 48 744

Schools Online 393 410 3 538 395

Students Online 1 190 394 5 655 363

Sydney Harbour Bridge 59 204 105 173

WriteOn competition 14 918 24 119

* Total number of sessions within the date range. A session is the period of time a user is actively engaged with the website, application, etc. All usage data (Screen Views, Events, Ecommerce, etc.) is associated with a session.

** Page views are the total number of pages viewed. Repeated views of a single page are counted.


Web partnerships

During the reporting period, the BOSTES continued its successful partnership with other organisations, industry groups and government agencies to produce educational websites that support and promote BOSTES curriculum materials, and add to the quality of curriculum support available on the internet for students and teachers everywhere. In particular, through a partnership with the Commonwealth Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the BOSTES has continued developing these historical educational websites.

Partner sites Sessions Users* Page views

AMEB ameb.nsw.edu.au 204 715 75 143 431 916

ACACA acaca.bos.nsw.edu.au 13 612 11 973 31 561

Teaching Heritage www.teachingheritage.nsw.edu.au 33 359 27 474 47 811

The Kokoda Track kokoda.commemoration.gov.au 170 013 105 667 396 531

Australians on the Western Front 1914–1918 ww1westernfront.gov.au

147 253 114 620 322 023

Australia’s involvement in the Korean War korean-war.commemoration.gov.au

60 328 50 496 95 476

Australia and the Vietnam War vietnam-war.commemoration.gov.au 263 740 176 805 593 378

Australian involvement in South-East Asian conflicts se-asia.commemoration.gov.au

14 315 11 652 27 660

Australia’s War 1939–1945 ww2australia.gov.au 210 539 210 539 1 320 163

Australians at War (ABC Television series) australiansatwar.gov.au

34 240 27 347 113 374

Commemoration – Australia’s wartime heritage commemoration.gov.au

3 537 3 033 4 162

Gallipoli and the Anzacs anzacsite.gov.au 497 758 348 201 1 134 053

Making Multicultural Australia www.multiculturalaustralia.gov.au 151 111 116 996 321 932

WriteOn writeon.bos.nsw.edu.au 14 918 10 620 24 119

* Users who have had at least one session within the selected date range. Includes both new and returning users.


BOSTES Communications

SMH HSC Study Guide

Each year the BOSTES contributes to the content of the Sydney Morning Herald HSC Study Guide. In 2014, the Guide was published in the Sydney Morning Herald on 16 June and in digital format on the paper’s website.

HSC Media Guide

The Higher School Certificate attracts considerable media attention and the BOSTES prepares an HSC Media Guide to provide the media with accurate and timely information on the Higher School Certificate. The 2013 HSC Media Guide was published online on the Board of Studies website.

The 2013 HSC Media Guide includes:

A ‘good luck’ message from the BOSTES President to 2013 HSC students HSC statistics and historical data HSC timetable, information on examination setting and marking, results release and merit

lists Guidelines for media attending schools Advice on how the BOSTES assists students Rules and regulations.

Schools

BOSTES Bulletin

Each week during school term, the BOSTES emails the BOSTES Bulletin electronic newsletter to over 28 000 subscribers. The BOSTES Bulletin includes Official Notices, news items, key dates and staff vacancies. All Official Notices and news items also appear on the News section of the BOSTES website.

In addition to principals, teachers and parents across all sectors, the BOSTES invites all members of the community to subscribe to the Bulletin.

Twitter

Increasingly, the BOSTES engages with its stakeholders by Twitter. The volume and frequency of Twitter use increased over the reporting period. The BOSTES now has 5167 Twitter followers and has sent 1957 tweets since the account was opened in 2009, including 86 during the reporting period.

Student communication

The BOSTES uses online and printed channels to communicate important HSC updates and information to senior secondary students. Year 12 students who have provided an email address receive a series of email newsletters relevant to the progress of the HSC year. Email communication is being expanded to Years 10 and 11 students. Each cohort also receives a series of guides with information and advice about different stages of senior study.

Students Online website

Students Online is a website designed to provide Years 10, 11 and 12 students with information and advice about Grades for the Record of School Achievement, the Higher School Certificate, as well as to provide access to a student’s personal study details.


Communication with parents

To extend the reach of its messages beyond the education community, the BOSTES Media Unit provided articles to stakeholder publications, including parent organisation newsletters, on a range of topics including the Record of School Achievement and the availability of Literacy and Numeracy tests for students.

Acknowledging outstanding student achievements

HSC First in Course Awards

These awards were presented to 2013 HSC students by the NSW Minister for Education, the Hon Adrian Piccoli MP, at a ceremony held at the Australian Technology Park on 17 December 2013.

To be eligible for this award, students achieved first place in their course and received a result in the highest band possible for that course.

From the HSC Class of 2013, 121 students received a First in Course Award across 112 HSC courses. Equal first place was awarded in nine courses, and three students received more than one First in Course award.

Premier’s Award for Excellence in the HSC

This award is made to HSC students who receive results in the highest band possible for at least 10 or more units of their HSC. In 2013, 1235 students received this award. These students received a Certificate signed by the Premier of NSW.

Brother John Taylor Memorial Prize

The Brother John Taylor Memorial Prize is awarded to a student, or students, who overcome significant disability or disadvantage to achieve academic excellence in the Higher School Certificate.

Nominations for the Prize are made by schools, and recipients are selected by the Brother John Taylor Memorial Prize Trustees. The Prize was established in memory of Brother John Taylor, a teacher, principal and Executive Director of Catholic Education, and a longstanding and highly respected member of the former Board of Studies.

Two recipients were awarded the Prize from the 2013 HSC – Alana Galasso from Meriden and Benjamin Jones from Granville College of TAFE. Both students were placed on the Distinguished Achievers List for at least three of their HSC courses.

The Prize was awarded at an event hosted at Governor Macquarie Tower in March 2014. Mr Charles Cascuscelli MP, Member for Strathfield and Mr Tony Issa, Member for Granville, presented the prizes to the recipients at the ceremony on behalf of the Minister for Education.

Aboriginal Studies Awards

Each year, the BOSTES and the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc. (AECG) acknowledge the achievements of the highest achieving Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students who have completed the 2-unit Aboriginal Studies HSC course.

In 2013, the highest achieving Aboriginal student in the course was Laura Gordon from Kotara High School. The highest achieving non-Aboriginal student was Chloe Fisher from Cheltenham Girls’ High School.

These awards were announced at the AECG annual general meeting in March 2014.


Management of our organisation 3

Chief Executive Service (CES) and Senior Executive Service (SES) staff

Number of CES and SES Officers

Band 2014

Female Male Band 4

Band 3 1 1

Band 2 0 3

Band 1 7 7

Band Range $

Average remuneration

$

Band 4 422 501–488 100 na

Band 3 299 751–422 500 324 400

Band 2 238 301–299 750 252 909

Band 1 167 100–238 300 173 551

2.7% of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW employee-related expenditure in 2014 was related to senior executives.

BOSTES CES/SES staff academic qualifications

President Mr Tom Alegounarias, BEc, DipEd Chief Executive Ms Carol Taylor, BA, DipEd, MEd Executive Director Regulation and Governance / Registrar of Schools Mr David Murphy, BBus (Acc/Econ), MALP, CPA Executive Director Curriculum, Teaching and Assessment / Registrar of Teachers Mr Paul Hewitt, MA, Grad Dip Ed Studies, DipTeach Acting Executive Director Research, Policy and Reporting Mr Paul Martin, BA Hons, DipEd


BOSTES Executive Directorate descriptions

Curriculum, Teaching and Assessment / Registrar of Teachers

Executive Director: Paul Hewitt

The Curriculum, Teaching and Assessment executive directorate encompasses a broad range of functions that affect the quality of education in NSW schools. This includes:

K–12 curriculum and assessment approval of Initial Teacher Education programs examination and credentials approval of teacher professional development provider digital services and publishing, and innovation and program improvement.

Regulation and Governance / Registrar of Schools

Executive Director: David Murphy

The Regulation and Governance executive directorate is responsible for School Registration and Accreditation, including:

the registration and accreditation of non-government schools approving providers of courses for overseas students, and registration of children for home schooling.

The executive directorate also performs the following corporate governance functions:

change management developing and oversighting agency efficiency improvement programs and the

implementation of Government-mandated and other management reforms financial management human resources and industrial relations administrative and other office services, and Information and Communications Technology infrastructure development, maintenance and

support.

Research, Policy and Reporting

Acting Executive Director: Paul Martin

The Research, Policy and Reporting executive directorate encompasses a broad range of strategic functions and initiatives that affect the quality of support from the BOSTES for high-quality education in NSW, including:

policy analysis, evaluation and development research, analysis and reporting strategic and external relations strategic and operational planning development of annual and other corporate reports secretariat services and support to the Board and its standing committees coordination of the ministerial correspondence and briefings programs.


BOSTES Directorate and Branch descriptions

Curriculum, Teaching and Assessment / Registrar of Teachers Executive Directorate

The following directorates and branches belong within the Curriculum, Teaching and Assessment / Registrar of Teachers Executive Directorate

Kindergarten–Initial Teacher Education (K–ITE) Curriculum and Assessment

Director: Howard Kennedy

Assistant Director (ITE): John Healey

This directorate is responsible for:

developing and supporting the Kindergarten to Year 12 school curriculum the approval of alternative education programs for children of compulsory school age the approval of initial teacher education courses and programs the conduct of the events and exhibitions program of the BOSTES.

This directorate comprises the previous Board of Studies NSW Curriculum and Assessment Branch, National Programs Unit, and the previous NSW Institute of Teachers Initial Teacher Education Branch, including their management and staff.

Examinations, Reporting and Credentials

Director: Anthony Drew


conducting the Record of School Achievement and Higher School Certificate programs administering the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) in

NSW schools conducting Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) examinations in NSW.

This directorate comprises the previous Board of Studies NSW Examination Operations, Examining and Testing, NAPLAN, Quality Processing and Reporting and Student Support Services Branches, and AMEB (NSW) including their management and staff.

Teaching Standards and Professional Learning

Director: Robyn Mamouney


the development, content and application of professional teaching standards the accreditation of teachers the approval of continuing teacher education courses and programs.

This directorate comprises the previous NSW Institute of Teachers Standards and Accreditation and Professional Learning Branches, including their management and staff.


Digital Strategies and Services

Director: Stephen Fyfe (Acting)


the development of the digital curriculum of the BOSTES, teaching and assessment support materials and services

the delivery of online and other publishing programs the marketing and sales of BOSTES commercial products and services.

This directorate comprises the previous Board of Studies NSW Publishing Unit in the Communications and Publishing Branch and staff from the Digital Strategy, eSyllabus and up2now teams.

Innovation and Program Improvement

Director: Vacant

The functions of this directorate are new. This directorate is responsible for the identification of the:

complementary activities and synergies and the subsequent effective integration of the responsibilities for curriculum, teaching and assessment standards of the BOSTES

opportunities for the BOSTES at a national and international level.

Further information about the staffing and organisation of the Innovation and Program Improvement Directorate will be developed during further planning for the BOSTES implementation.

Regulation and Governance / Registrar of Schools Executive Directorate

The following directorates and branches belong within the Regulation and Governance / Registrar of Schools Executive Directorate.

School Registration and Accreditation

Director: Anne Keenan


the registration and accreditation of non-government schools approving providers of courses for overseas students the registration of children for home schooling.

The directorate comprises the previous Board of Studies NSW Registration and Accreditation Branch, and the Liaison Officer Unit from the Communications and Publishing Branch, including their management and staff.


Accreditation Authority Regulation

Director: Judith Page


developing guidelines for the teacher accreditation authorities in relation to statutory compliance

monitoring and reporting on the teacher accreditation process across all schools.

The directorate comprises the previous NSW Institute of Teachers Teacher Eligibility Branch and Corporate Services Senior Policy Coordinator, Support Officer and Liaison Officer.

Change Management

Director: Jane Compton (Acting)


the development and oversight of agency efficiency improvement programs the implementation of Government-mandated and other management reforms.

The directorate comprises the previous Board of Studies NSW Project Management Office.

Finance and Administration

Manager: Greg Logan

This branch is responsible for:

financial management human resources and industrial relations administrative and other office services.

The branch comprises the previous Board of Studies NSW Finance and Administration Branch and the previous NSW Institute of Teachers Chief Financial Officer and financial and administrative operations corporate services staff.

Information Technology and Business Systems and Chief Information Officer

Manager: Mitra Bhar

This branch is responsible for information and communications technology infrastructure development, maintenance and support.

The branch comprises the previous Board of Studies NSW Information Technology and Services Branch and the previous NSW Institute of Teachers Chief Information Officer and information technology staff.


Research, Policy and Reporting Executive Directorate

The following directorates and branches belong within the Research, Policy and Reporting Executive Directorate.

Policy Analysis, Evaluation and Development

Director: Jill Heinrich & David Cranmer (Acting)


data integration and analysis related to standards arising from the BOSTES curriculum, teacher quality and accreditation, assessment and regulatory programs

management of the strategic policy development cycle across the policy domains of the BOSTES analysis and preparation of reports related to Ministerial councils, Commonwealth and other

State agencies and advisory bodies.

The directorate comprises the previous Board of Studies NSW Policy Unit in the Strategic Policy and Planning Branch and the previous NSW Institute of Teachers Corporate Services policy officers.

Data integration and analysis is one this directorate’s functions. The Research Directorate also has this function in relation to the research it conducts and commissions.

Strategic and External Relations

Manager: Kathy Connell


analysis and preparation of Ministerial and the President’s briefings and correspondence liaison with Commonwealth and other NSW education agencies and key stakeholders professional and administrative support to the Chief Executive and Senior Executives.

The branch comprises the previous Board of Studies NSW Manager, Communications and Publishing, and the Policy and Research Officer and administrative officers in the Strategic Policy and Planning Branch.

The Events and Exhibitions Program and staffing have been transferred from K–ITE Curriculum and Assessment Directorate to Strategic and External Relations Branch.

Research

Director: Andrew Goodyer


development of data and other exchange of information protocols liaison with other agencies involved in research and the analysis of data including the

Centre of Education Statistics and Evaluation (CESE) the management of the BOSTES Research and Development Committee and an annual

research and development program to meet the priorities of the BOSTES development and conduct of national and international benchmarking studies to inform the

adoption of best practice by the BOSTES.

The branch comprises the previous Board of Studies NSW Manager, Strategic Policy and Planning, Principal Research Officer and Research and Information Analyst and the previous NSW Institute of Teachers Corporate Services research officer.


Strategic and Operational Planning

Manager: David Cashman


preparation and monitoring of BOSTES strategic and operational plans annual and other reporting preparing information for the development of performance agreements and reporting for

BOSTES executives.

The branch comprises the previous Board of Studies NSW Head, Planning and Executive Support and planning staff in the Strategic Policy and Planning Branch.

Board and Committee Support

Manager: Annabel Bleach (Acting)

This branch is responsible for the management of the secretarial functions associated with meetings of the Board, Quality Teaching Council and other committees.

The branch comprises the previous Board of Studies NSW secretariat and committee support staff in the Strategic Policy and Planning Branch and the previous NSW Institute of Teachers Policy Officer, Executive Services.

Management and governance of the BOSTES

BOSTES Strategic and Operational Planning

The Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW (BOSTES) was formed on 1 January 2014 following the amalgamation of the Board of Studies NSW and the NSW Institute of Teachers.

A new five-year BOSTES Strategic Plan (2014–2019) and associated Operational Plan (2014–2015) have been developed to set broad future strategic directions for the BOSTES. The new plans, which take effect during the next reporting period, will play a central role in guiding the focus and work of the BOSTES towards fulfilling its purpose and supporting the achievement of the NSW State Plan targets and other government policy initiatives within an ever-changing context of significant global and national developments.

During the current reporting period, the work of the BOSTES was guided by an Interim BOSTES Operational Plan drawing from existing detailed plans covering the full range of functions and responsibilities of the previous Board of Studies NSW and NSW Institute of Teachers. The interim operational plan comprised a full range of strategic activities, key milestones and timeframes, accountabilities and targeted deliverables related to the functions and responsibilities of the BOSTES. Progress towards the achievement of these priorities was actively monitored by the senior executive and formally reviewed at a dedicated meeting of the BOSTES executive staff each month.

The interim operational plan also provided the basis for the individual performance agreements for BOSTES Senior Executive Service officers, Corporate Development Plans, the Management Plans for each Executive Directorate, Directorate and Branch, the BOSTES Annual Report to Parliament and a range of other reporting requirements. The plan is a ‘living document’ that was continually updated to reflect any changing priorities and timelines as they arose.


Delivering the Plan

The Chief Executive provided leadership and oversight of the implementation of the Interim BOSTES Operational Plan through the following corporate governance committees and meetings:

Audit and risk Finance Information and physical security Information management and

technology Board matters Program planning and review

eServices projects Examinations and credentials Curriculum and assessment Directors Senior executive Management

Executive Development Day – 14 March 2014

In March 2014 an Executive Development Day for Executive Directors, Directors and Managers provided the opportunity for senior staff to meet new colleagues from across both BOSTES offices. The opening session from the President Tom Alegounarias provided an overview of the scope of the BOSTES Charter and the likely key strategic initiatives and directions for the BOSTES during the remainder of 2014 and beyond. In other sessions of the day, the NSW Public Sector reforms and associated implications for the BOSTES organisation were explored and senior officers received a detailed presentation on progress towards the development of a Staff Building and Managing Performance Program and the associated development of effective performance management plans.

Strategic Planning Day – 9 May 2014

A Strategic Planning Day was held on 9 May 2014 to explore the activities and priorities of the BOSTES for the coming years. The planning day was attended by members of the Board and senior BOSTES officers. A number of briefing papers on strategic issues were prepared for the day and served as the basis for the discussions. The strategic initiatives and directions identified during the day formed a basis for the development of the new BOSTES Strategic Plan (2014–2019) that will commence implementation during the next reporting period.

Building and Managing Performance Program

In 2013–2014, BOSTES responded to the reforms identified in the Government Sector Employment Act 2013.

A working group was established to adapt the Public Service Commission materials to suit organisational culture and context, creating a Building and Managing Performance (BMP) program. Particular emphasis has been given to the use of the Capability Framework as a driver for building workforce capacity.

A BMP policy and implementation package was developed that includes a common process for performance management across the organisation. Key components include:

Establishment of a BMP intranet site BMP policy ‘Getting Started’ Implementation Pack ‘Getting Started’ meetings for staff Staged cyclic program for staff to engage in performance management process Performance Development Plan template and support materials Collection of key documents.


Recruitment

During 2013–2014, the full-time equivalent (FTE) staffing of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW was 283.8. Over the course of the preceding year the FTE of a further 491.03 casual staff were engaged principally to assist with the peak periods associated with the Higher School Certificate programs.

BOSTES full-time equivalent (FTE) staff 2013–2014*

2014

CES/ SES

Other Total

Senior Executive 5 5

Aboriginal Education Consultative Group 5 5

Accreditation Authority Regulation 13 13

Australian Music Examinations Board 9.8 9.8

Board and Committee Support 4 4

Change Management Directorate 2.7 2.7

Digital Strategies and Services 15.6 15.6

Examination Operations 32 32

Examining and Testing 14 14

Finance and Administration 26 26

Information Technology 30 30

K-ITE, Curriculum and Assessment Directorate 30.3 30.3

Media 4 4

NAPLAN 6.4 6.4

Policy Analysis, Evaluation and Development 7 7

Quality Processing and Reporting 13 13

Registration and Accreditation 29.4 29.4

Research 4 4

Strategic and External Relations 6 6

Strategic and Operational Planning 2 2

Student Support Services 7.6 7.6

Teaching Standards and Professional Learning 17 17

Totals 5 278.8 283.8

* Given that the BOSTES was established on and from 1 January 2014, the requirement to show FTE staffing for previous years is not applicable


Workforce Diversity

Table A Trends in the representation of Workforce Diversity Groups

Workforce Diversity Group Benchmark or target %

2012 %

2013 %

2014 %

Women 50 69.6 65.1 66.8

Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders 2.6 3.3 2.1 2.3

People whose first language as a child was not English 19 22.0 21.4 21.3

People with a disability n/a 1.3 1.7 1.5

People with a disability requiring work-related adjustment 1.5 0.9 1.3 1.2

Table B Trends in the distribution of Workforce Diversity Groups

Workforce Diversity Group Benchmark or target %

2012 %

2013 %

2014 %

Women 100 90 89 90

Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders 100 n/a n/a n/a

People whose first language as a child was not English 100 91 96 93

People with a disability 100 n/a n/a n/a

People with a disability requiring work-related adjustment 100 n/a n/a n/a

Note 1: A Distribution Index of 100 indicates that the centre of the distribution of the Workforce Diversity Group across salary levels is equivalent to that of other staff. Values less than 100 mean that the Workforce Diversity Group tends to be more concentrated at lower salary levels than is the case for other staff. The more pronounced this tendency is, the lower the index will be. In some cases the index may be more than 100, indicating that the Workforce Diversity Group is less concentrated at lower salary levels.

Note 2: The Distribution Index is not calculated where Workforce Diversity Group or non-Workforce Diversity Group numbers are less than 20.

Key Workforce Diversity Strategies for 2014–2015

Development of a training program for managers and supervisors that reflects merit selection using the capability framework and revised selection tools.

Development of a merit selection training program for all staff that is based on the capability framework and revised selection tools.

Implementation of a new performance management model that provides for positive feedback and recognition of the contribution each member of staff makes to the achievement of organisational goals and which identifies opportunities for individuals to train and develop.

A review of all human resource management policies and practices in line with changes to the GSE Act, Regulations and Rules, to ensure they meet both the diverse needs of employees and the business and service goals of the BOSTES.


Workforce Diversity Achievements for 2013–2014

Maintenance of representation of workforce target groups during the merger.

Revision of all executive director, director and manager role descriptions to ensure accountability for the promotion of an equitable, diverse and inclusive workforce.

Workplace Health and Safety performance

The BOSTES complies with the consultative requirements of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. The BOSTES Health and Safety Committee acts as the cornerstone of these consultative requirements.

Injuries

Permanent staff Casual staff

Fall 0 Fall 1

Lifting 0 Lifting 1

Strain 0 Strain 0

Other 1 Other 1

Public interest disclosures

Details of public interest disclosures received for the period 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014

Number of public officials who have made a public interest disclosure to the BOSTES: 0

Number of public interest disclosures received by the BOSTES by category:

Corrupt conduct 0

Maladministration 0

Serious and substantial waste of public money 0

Government information contraventions 0

Number of public interest disclosures finalised by the BOSTES: 0

The BOSTES has established public interest disclosures policy and procedures that are available to all staff on its intranet site. The President has ensured that all staff are aware of the policy and procedures by undertaking internal briefings, training new staff, email messages and circulars.

Audit and risk management

The approach of the BOSTES to audit and risk management complies with the requirements of Treasury Circular TC 09/08 Internal Audit and Risk Management Policy.

During the reporting period, the BOSTES’s Audit and Risk Committee comprised Mr Brian Suttor (Independent Chair), Dr Gul Izmir (Independent Member) and Mr Paul Hewitt (Executive Member). Mr Brian Ward (Independent Member) joined the Committee on 5 February 2014.


The Audit and Risk Committee met six times during the reporting period. Matters for consideration included the implications of the merger of the Board of Studies NSW with the NSW Institute of Teachers, the risk register, risk management review, Finance Committee papers and minutes, Business Continuity Plans, Work, Health and Safety and internal audit plans. In addition, the 1 January 2014 audits of the Office of the Board of Studies and the NSW Institute of Teachers, the 2013–2014 unaudited and audited financial statements, the associated management representation letter and response, and audit and risk committee responsibilities.

The internal audit reports reviewed by the Committee during the reporting period included those relating to Taxation Compliance and HSC Results Delivery.

ISO (International Standards Organisation) 27001 Information Security Management Certification

An ISO 27001 based Information Security Management System (ISMS) is a set of integrated processes that enables organisations to align with global standards of best practice management of information security programs, policies and procedures. ISO 27001 is globally recognised as the standard against which organisations can be certified.

It offers organisations a practical framework and functional guidelines to establish, maintain and improve the security of assets such as financial information, intellectual property, employee details or information entrusted to organisations by third parties.

The then Board of Studies NSW applied for and obtained whole-of-organisation certification in 2011 and has successfully maintained its certification through six-monthly audits, the latest audit occurring in March 2014. The BOSTES will be audited in September 2014 to maintain the international certification as a new organisation.

Digital Information Security Annual Attestation Statement for the 2013–2014 Financial Year for the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW

I, Tom Alegounarias, President, am of the opinion that the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards had an Information Security Management System in place during the financial year being reported on consistent with the Core Requirements set out in the Digital Information Security Policy for the NSW Public Sector.

I, Tom Alegounarias, President, am of the opinion that the security controls in place to mitigate identified risks to the digital information and digital information systems of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW are adequate for the foreseeable future.

I, Tom Alegounarias, President, am of the opinion that all Public Sector Agencies, or part thereof, under the control of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW with a risk profile sufficient to warrant an independent Information Security Management System have developed an Information Security Management System in accordance with the Core Requirements of the Digital Information Security Policy for the NSW Public Sector.

I, Tom Alegounarias, President, am of the opinion that, where necessary in accordance with the Digital Information Security Policy for the NSW Public Sector, certified compliance with AS/NZS ISO/IEC 27001 Information technology - Security techniques - Information security management systems - Requirements had been maintained by all or part of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW and all or part of any Public Sector Agencies under its control.

Tom Alegounarias President

13 October 2014


Overseas travel

BOSTES Officers

Mr Tom Alegounarias President Suva, Fiji (July 2013) Attended the meeting of the Secretariat of the Pacific Board for Educational Assessment (SPBEA)

Mr Peter Thompson Inspector, Technology Education Orlando, Florida, USA (26–29 March 2014) Attended the Technological and Engineering Literacy Core Connections Conference

HSC Markers

The markers listed below attended the Australian International School, Singapore to mark HSC Drama and Music performances as well as Visual Arts bodies of work and Design and Technology major projects. The School met the cost of these visits.

Mr John Montgomery (Supervisor of Marking, Drama) Ms Marilyn Bayley-Sainsbury (Assistant Supervisor of Marking, Drama)

Singapore, 4–6 September 2013

Mr Barry Marler (Assistant Supervisor of Marking, Visual Arts)

Mr Craig Malyon (Senior Marker, Visual Arts)

Singapore, 22–25 October 2013

Mr Mark Graham (Senior Marker, Music)

Ms Joanne Gray (Senior Marker, Music)


Mr Craig Jeffery (Pilot Marker, Design and Technology) Mr Carl Doran (Senior Marker, Design and Technology)


The markers listed below attended the Australian International School, Hong Kong to mark HSC Drama and Music performances as well as Visual Arts bodies of work and Design and Technology major projects. The School met the cost of these visits.

Mr Craig Jeffery (Pilot Marker, Design and Technology)

Mr Carl Doran (Senior Marker, Design and Technology)

Hong Kong, 11–13 September 2013

Mr Richard Caws (Senior Marker, Music)

Ms Kim Irik (Senior Marker, Music)


Ms Marion Johnson (Senior Marker, Drama)

Ms Elizabeth Peachey (Senior Marker, Drama)


Ms Mary Costello (Senior Marker, Visual Arts)

Ms Katie Vanderbent (Senior Marker, Visual Arts)

Hong Kong, 23–25 October 2013


The markers listed below attended the Australian International School, Malaysia to mark HSC Music performances. The School met the cost of these visits.

Mr Mark Graham (Senior Marker, Music)

Ms Joanne Gray (Senior Marker, Music)

Malaysia, 18–19 September 2013

The marker below attended Norfolk Island Central School to mark HSC Industrial Technology major projects.

Mr Glen Barker (Senior Marker, Industrial Technology)

Norfolk Island, 16–19 August 2013

Representing the BOSTES or Minister on external committees

Mr Tom Alegounarias President: Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) Board Australian Teacher Regulatory Authorities (ATRA) Dean’s Advisory Board, Faculty of Education and Social Work, The University of Sydney Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Advisory Committee, University of Technology, Sydney Legal Information Access Centre (LIAC) Advisory Board of the State Library of New South

Wales Non-government Schools Advisory Council (NGSAC) NSW Schools Advisory Council (SAC) Pacific Board for Educational Assessment (PBEA) Teacher Education Advisory Board (TEAB) of The University of Sydney

Ms Carol Taylor Chief Executive: Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW

Australasian Committee of Chief Executive Officers of Curriculum, Assessment and Certification Authorities (ACACA)

NSW Vice-Chancellors’ Conference Technical Committee on Scaling Quality Teaching Council – NSW Institute of Teachers

Mr Paul Hewitt Executive Director: Curriculum, Teaching and Assessment / Registrar of Teachers

ACARA F–12 Curriculum Reference Group Schools Consortium (Vocational Education and Training in Schools)

Mr David Murphy Executive Director: Regulation and Governance / Registrar of Schools

Public Service Commission Separate Agency Reference Group

Mr Howard Kennedy Director: Kindergarten–Initial Teacher Education (K–ITE) Curriculum and Assessment

ACARA Directors Curriculum Group


Ms Rhonda Clarke Principal Project Officer: Curriculum and Assessment Standards

Premier’s Contemporary Asian Art Scholarship

Ms Anne Keenan Director: Registration and Accreditation

Cross-sectoral Attendance Working Party Tripartite Meeting National Non-government School Program Managers Meeting

Ms Jane Compton Acting Director: Change Management

Public Service Commission Separate Agency Reference Group

Dr Jennifer Lawless Board Inspector: Human Society and Its Environment (HSIE)

Premier’s History Teachers’ Scholarship Committee National Archives of Australia Consultative Forum Premier’s Gallipoli Student Scholarship Committee Community Learning Panel, State Library of New South Wales

Mr Stan Browne Board Inspector: Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE)

Premier's Teachers Health Fund Health Education Scholarship

Mr Howard Jacobs Board Inspector: Languages

Collaborative Curriculum and Assessment Framework for Languages Reference Group (CCAFL)

NSW Community Languages Schools Board

Ms Gina Grant Board Inspector: Science

Premier’s Macquarie Capital Science School STANSW School Animal Care and Ethics Committee Australian Museum Eureka Prizes – Science Teaching Award Panel

Ms Catherine Tucker Acting Board Inspector: Vocational Education and Training

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) National Panel for National Trade Cadetship (NTC) Years 11–12

Australasian Curriculum, Assessment and Certification Authorities (ACACA) Vocational Education and Training (VET) Sub-group

NSW Department of Education and Communities VET Consultative Forum NSW Health VET Pathways Implementation Committee NSW Schools Consortium (Vocational Education and Training in Schools) TAFE NSW Accreditation Council 2014 Premier’s Commonwealth Bank Vocational Education Scholarship


Ms Natali Fry Acting Principal Project Officer: Vocational Education and Training

2014 Premier’s TAFE Scholarships

Dr Christine Evans Chief Education Officer, Aboriginal Education

Member, Corroboree Sydney 2014 – Education Reference Group Member, National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA)

Mr Kerry Sheehan Senior Project Officer, Science

STANSW Young Scientist Judge UTS Inspiring Science Teaching Advisory Committee 2014 DEC School Animal Care and Ethics Committee

Payment of accounts

Payment performance indicators – Year Ended 30 June 2014

The accounts payable procedures of the BOSTES are carried out in accordance with the Government’s payment of accounts policy as required by the Treasurer’s Directions and the Public Finance and Audit Regulation 2010.

Aged analysis at the end of each quarter

Quarter Current (ie within due date) $’000

Less than 30 days overdue $’000

Between 30 and 60 days overdue $’000

Between 60 and 90 days overdue $’000

More than 90 days overdue $’000

All suppliers

September 12 668 385 33 14 43

December 29 782 1 068 161 7 12

March 12 471 434 47 36 69

June 14 461 458 76 8 26

Small business suppliers

September 467

December 282

March 228

June 286


Accounts due or paid within each quarter

Measure Sep 2013 Dec 2013 Mar 2014 Jun 2014

All suppliers

Number of accounts due for payment

1885 2793 2190 1963

Number of accounts paid on time 1734 2502 1970 1851

Actual percentage of accounts paid on time (based on number of accounts)

92% 90% 90% 94%

Dollar amount of accounts due for payment

$13 144 326 $31 030 216 $13 057 747 $15 029 526

Dollar amount of accounts paid on time

$12 668 372 $29 782 429 $12 471 460 $14 460 750

Actual percentage of accounts paid on time (based on $)

96% 96% 96% 96%

Number of payments for interest on overdue accounts

0 0 0 0

Interest paid on overdue accounts 0 0 0 0

Measure Sep 2013 Dec 2013 Mar 2014 Jun 2014

Small business suppliers*

Number of accounts due for payment to small business

75 52 53 68

Number of accounts due to small business paid on time

75 52 53 68

Actual percentage of small business accounts paid on time (based on number of accounts)

100% 100% 100% 100%

Dollar amount of accounts due for payment to small business

$466 997 $281 869 $227 706 $285 688

Dollar amount of accounts due to small business paid on time

$466 997 $281 869 $227 706 $285 688

Actual percentage of small business accounts paid on time (based on $)

100% 100% 100% 100%

Number of payments to small business for interest on overdue accounts

0 0 0 0

Interest paid to small business on overdue accounts

0 0 0 0

* The identification of small business suppliers is an ongoing process. Suppliers have been advised of the new policy via purchase orders and selected identification from vendor and payment records.


Exceptional movements in employee wages, salaries or allowances

Administrative and clerical staff employed under the Crown Employees (Public Sector – Salaries 2008) Award received a salary increase of 2.27% effective from 5 July 2013.

Education Officers employed under the Crown Employees (Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards – Education Officers) Salaries and Conditions Award received a salary increase of 2.27% effective from 3 January 2014.

Personnel policies and practices

BOSTES staff are employed under the Government Sector Employment Act 2013.

The salaries and conditions of employment of these staff are determined by the Crown Employees (Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards – Education Officers) Salaries and Conditions Award or the Crown Employees (Public Sector – Salaries 2008) Award.

Industrial relations policies and practices

Industrial relations policies and practices at the BOSTES accord with the direction and guidance provided by the Industrial Relations Branch, NSW Department of Finance and Services, the Public Service Commission, the Department of Premier and Cabinet and relevant government policies.

Recreation leave and extended leave liability

The monetary value of extended (long service) leave and recreation leave as at 30 June 2014 for the BOSTES was:

Extended leave $10 872 000

Recreation leave $3 221 486

Contracting and market testing

The BOSTES market-tests and contracts out a wide range of services and activities.

The BOSTES initiated and concluded a number of strategic contracts following a process of market testing. These included:

continued implementation of an information and communication technology infrastructure plan adopting current government policy for acquisition of these assets

continued market testing of suppliers for the procurement of a wide range of information computer technology and equipment advice

procurement of various goods and services continued management and expansion of printing contracts for the provision of publishing

services to the BOSTES procurement of corporate training requirements.


Consultancies

Consultancies equal to or more than $50 000 There were no consultancies equal to or more than $50 000

Consultancies equal to or less than $50 000 There were no consultancies less than $50 000

Major works in progress

The BOSTES had three major works in progress related to the asset acquisition program.

Information Communication Technology Replacement Program. Expenditure in 2014 was $374 000

Examination System Application Development. Expenditure in 2014 was $334 000 RoSA System Applications Development. Expenditure in 2014 was $325 000.

Code of Conduct and Ethics

The BOSTES is committed to ethical conduct. The commitment is reflected in its Code of Conduct and Ethics that sets the standards of behaviour expected of employees and provides guidance to all staff in being responsive to the needs of customers and key groups. The Code has been distributed to all staff and is provided to new staff as part of the induction process. A revised Code of Conduct and Ethics was implemented in March 2014.

Commitment to service

Our clients

The Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW (BOSTES) has identified the following clients:

The Minister for Education

The Minister for Education can expect the BOSTES to respond to government priorities for education and to maximise the efficient use of government funds.

The BOSTES and its committees

The BOSTES Board and its committees can expect the BOSTES to provide high-quality and appropriate resources to support the activities of the Board and its committees.

Schools and systems

Schools and systems can expect that the BOSTES will have a full appreciation and understanding of school and system needs and that officers will meet these needs equitably and continue to consult with schools and systems in the development of BOSTES policies, procedures, resources and programs.


The teaching profession

The BOSTES is responsible for promoting and supporting the continuing development of a high-quality NSW teaching profession through assuring the quality of initial teacher education programs and of continuing professional learning, and accrediting NSW teachers against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

Teachers themselves are entitled to expect that policies, procedures and support materials published by the BOSTES are of the highest quality, that they will be effective in the classroom and can be taught within the available school and school system resources.

Parents

Parents can expect the curriculum to provide their children with challenge and stimulation across all areas of learning, and that teacher accreditation policies, procedures and programs lead to the improved quality of teaching and teachers.

Students

Students are entitled to expect that the curriculum will be relevant to their needs. They are also entitled to credentials that adequately and accurately reflect their achievement. Students are also entitled to attend schools that have access to high quality teaching and teachers.

Employers

Employers are entitled to expect that students will receive a range of secondary education credentials that accurately and comprehensively report achievement. They may also expect that the curriculum will provide students with skills and knowledge relevant to the workplace.

Tertiary education sector The tertiary education sector can expect curriculums that will provide students graduating from school with the skills and knowledge to prepare them for further study, and a credentialling system that accurately reports student achievement. Tertiary providers of teacher education can expect fair, equitable and expeditious dealings with BOSTES staff in ensuring programs satisfy accreditation requirements.

Community

The centrality and strength of the NSW economy and the capabilities of its workforce make it pivotal to Australia’s cultural and economic well-being and future development. Our work to promote high-quality teaching and improved educational standards in NSW is therefore vitally important for the development and productivity of the broader community.

Standards of service

While the specific expectations of clients may vary, all can expect the BOSTES to respond to their needs in ways that are quality driven, reflective of client needs, timely and resource efficient.

Implementing standards of service

The BOSTES meets community expectations for high standards of client service by:

providing three full-time liaison officers in metropolitan Sydney and six across regional New South Wales to address the specific needs of local communities and schools

encouraging and addressing feedback from teachers and the wider community on BOSTES policies and decisions


researching community opinion on particular initiatives and policies responding to correspondence within two weeks responding to all requests for publications within five working days ensuring that all publications for the general public are in plain English and that they are

appropriate for their intended audience providing a range of relevant publications in community languages providing accurate and timely responses to public and media inquiries providing a comprehensive range of value-for-money commercial services and products.

Complaints management

Central to the management of complaints by the BOSTES, is its policy of devolving accountability for its resolution to line managers and staff at the point of delivery of services. As a result, the BOSTES is able to directly remedy or resolve problems at the source as they arise. The service standards act as a reference point for both customers and staff in this process.

Most direct involvement with the public occurs in relation to matters of a personal nature, such teacher accreditation issues, the disability provisions for examinations, the illness/misadventure applications program and the home schooling program, and in responding to correspondence, including email. Complaints arising from these are addressed in accordance with service standards or via structured appeals mechanisms.

Waste reduction and recycling

The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) approved the former Office of the Board of Studies Waste Reduction and Purchasing Policy (WRAPP) Plan in June 1999. The BOSTES has included WRAPP principles in its corporate plans and operational policies and practices.

The BOSTES have been fully committed to recycling its paper and cardboard waste since 1993. Recycling is part of the ‘Waste Reduction Hierarchy’ and is one of the waste minimisation strategies included in the BOSTES WRAPP Plan. The BOSTES has continued its commitment to recycling its paper and cardboard waste during the reporting period, during which time the total volume of recycled waste, including recycled paper and cardboard, for the BOSTES Clarence Street premises was 129.89 cubic metres.

Improving waste avoidance and recycling systems across the BOSTES

Waste avoidance

The BOSTES has made significant progress in its efforts to avoid paper waste by developing and enhancing its online services. The areas in which the BOSTES was successful in applying technology to completely replace usage of paper are Students Lists as well as Entry and Confirmation of Entry for Higher School Certificate students.

Since 1998, when the former Board of Studies’ WRAPP Plan strategies were first introduced, the following technologies have been used to avoid waste:

use of intranet and email systems to reduce the overall in-house use of paper, with electronic publishing of internal newsletters using the email system

moves that increased the percentage of external publications available in electronic online formats, replacing hard copies

use of electronic records in the TRIM records management system electronic registration and accreditation of non-government schools.


Recycling

Waste separation to reduce waste going into landfill

In October 2006, the owners of the head office premises, in partnership with the then Office of the Board of Studies, altered the system of refuse collection in the head office premises to focus on recycling over waste going to landfill. This initiative has proved very successful, with the amount of waste being recycled averaging 84.70 percent of total waste produced daily, beating our previous peak of 84.03 percent in July 2010.

Toner cartridges

Since 2001, the Office of the Board of Studies and the BOSTES have successfully engaged a contractor who accepts all types and brands of empty toner cartridges for recycling.

PC monitors and equipment

The BOSTES continues to recycle the majority of written-off electronic equipment via auction. This policy will continue in the future.

Increasing the range and quantity of recycled content materials being purchased

The former Office of the Board of Studies and the BOSTES have been purchasing a wide range of recycled paper products for several years, predominantly green recycled paper, a product made with wastes produced in Australia. This office paper is certified carbon neutral under the National Carbon Offset Scheme.

Government Energy Management Program

The BOSTES is committed to achieving and sustaining reduced greenhouse gas emissions and energy cost savings through improved energy management, greater use of ‘green’ energy technologies and more efficient energy-related purchasing.

This commitment is demonstrated by the consistent purchase of energy, which includes 6 percent green power from an accredited energy supplier, and a reduction in cost as well as consumption over the 1995 base year by an average 31 percent of cost and 63 percent of consumption.

In 2013, the Office achieved a 5 star NABERS (National Australian Built Environment Rating System) energy efficiency rating for its head office in Clarence Street, Sydney, before green power considerations.


Appendixes 4

Appendix 1 – Standing Committees of the Board

The Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW (the BOSTES) was established 1 January 2014 following the passage of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards Act 2013 (the Act) through the NSW Parliament.

Under the Act, the BOSTES assumes the current functions of the Board of Studies NSW and the NSW Institute of Teachers and brings together the educational cornerstones of curriculum, student assessment and teacher quality in one educational body.

Section 11 of the Act states that “the Board may, with the approval of the Minister, appoint such committees and members of committees as the Board considers appropriate to assist the Board in the exercise of its functions”. Section 11 also notes that the Quality Teaching Council (QTC) is established under the Teacher Accreditation Act 2004 to advise the Board in relation to its functions under that Act.

The QTC reports to the Board and other standing committees report to the Board either directly or via the QTC. The structure reflects the previous committees operating under the former Board of Studies NSW and the QTC, with committees either exercising functions delegated by the Board or serving as advisory.

Quality Teaching Council (QTC)

Established under the Teacher Accreditation Act 2004 to advise the Board in relation to its functions under that Act. Membership comprises the BOSTES President, 10 members elected by teachers and 10 members appointed by the Minister.

The following 3 committees advise the Quality Teaching Council:

Initial Teacher Education Committee (ITEC)

Oversees the process of approval of initial teacher education programs delivered in NSW. The Committee consists of members covering a range of expertise and balance of interests, including nominees of the Quality Teaching Council, representatives of the NSW Vice-Chancellors’ Committee and the NSW Council of Deans of Education, and sector representatives.

Professional Learning Endorsement and Advisory Committee (PLEAC)

Makes endorsement recommendations and monitors endorsed provision of professional development. Membership features a balance of representatives from government, Catholic and independent school sectors, the union and professional teaching associations.

Moderating and Consistency Committee (MCC)

Supports consistent teacher accreditation decisions by considering accreditation submissions along with their recommendations from Teacher Accreditation Authorities. Membership comprises primary and secondary school teachers, principals, and representatives from Teacher Accreditation Authorities.

Appendices 3 and 4 contain a detailed overview of the role, composition and membership of the QTC and its sub-committees.


Registration and Accreditation Committee

On delegation from the Board, provides advice and makes recommendations to the Minister on the registration of non-government schools and decides applications made by non-government schools for accreditation to present courses of study leading to the award of the Board’s credentials. Membership consists of up to four Board members and six other persons with appropriate expertise to make a valuable contribution to the committee.

Membership of this committee:

Board Members

Mr T Alegounarias

Mr D Fitzgerald

Non-Board Members

Mr J Healey Manager, Initial Teacher Education, NSW Institute of Teachers (until 1 January 2014)

Ms K Campbell Head, Policy and Corporate Services, Catholic Education Office, representing the Catholic Education Commission NSW

Mr M Graham Deputy Chief Executive, External Relations Policy, NSW Department of Education and Communities

Dr G Newcombe Executive Director, Association of Independent Schools

Mr M Northam NSW/ACT Independent Education Union

Mrs N Taylor Principal, representing NSW State Council of Christian Parent Controlled Schools Ltd

VET Advisory Committee

Advises the Board on matters relating to vocational education and training (VET) including the development of VET courses as part of the HSC. The committee is chaired by the BOSTES President and membership includes Board members and representatives of school system authorities, principals and teachers.


Board Members

Mr T Alegounarias

Mr L Grumley (since March 2014)


Non-Board Members

Ms R Booth Director-TAFE Policy, NSW Department of Education and Communities

Mr D Buchanan Director, Professional Learning, Association of Independent Schools NSW

Mr G Delany State Coordinator, Vocational Education, Catholic Education Commission of NSW

Ms K Esson Executive Officer, NSW Skills Board

Dr M Fogarty Research Officer, NSW Teachers Federation

Mr B Fozzard NSW Parents Council

Mr l Hyam Assistant Director, Senior Pathways, NSW Department of Education and Communities

Ms D Joyce Executive Officer, Automotive Training Board NSW representing the NSW Joint Industry Training Advisory Board (ITABs)

Mrs R Maxworthy VET Coordinator, McCarthy Catholic College, representing the NSW/ACT Independent Education Union

Ms E McNally Principal, representing the Secondary Principals Council

Mr M Morey Assistant Secretary, Unions NSW

Ms M Sharkey Assistant General Secretary (Post School School Education), NSW Teachers Federation

Mr I Wake Principal, representing the Association of NSW Catholic Schools Principals

Associate Professor P Wormell Chair of Academic Senate UWS, representing the NSW/Territories Committee of Chairs of Academic Boards and Senates

Vacant Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG)

Vacant Employer Representative

Vacant Parents and Citizens’ Association


Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee

This committee advises the Board on broad policy issues relating to Aboriginal education. It is chaired by the President of the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc. (who is also a member of the Board) and consists of representatives from the NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs, the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group, the Department of Education and Communities, the Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training, the Catholic Education Commission, the Independent Education Union, the NSW Teachers Federation and the Higher Education Network Aboriginal Corporation. It also has representation from the Aboriginal Teachers’ Membership Committee (one secondary teacher and one primary teacher).


Board Members

Mr T Alegounarias

Ms C Berwick

Non-Board Members

Ms L Buxton NSW Independent Education Union

Ms C Eatock Department of Aboriginal Affairs (on leave until November 2014)

Ms C Emzin-Boyd NSW Teachers Federation

Ms N Hill NSW Teachers Federation, being a primary government school teacher (other than a principal)

Mr C Hoskins NSW Department of Education and Communities (from 14 November 2013)

Mr B Matthews Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (Commonwealth)

Associate Professor J Mooney Higher Education Network Aboriginal Corporation

Ms D Murdoch Catholic Education Commission, NSW (from 20 December 2013)

Ms B Ndegwa NSW Teachers Federation, being a secondary government school teacher (other than a principal)

Mr N Perkins NSW Department of Education and Communities (from 14 November 2013)

Ms K Proctor NSW Department of Education and Communities (from 14 November 2013)

Ms G Provest NSW Department of Education and Communities

Ms M Senj Catholic Education Commission, NSW


Vacant NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc.

Vacant NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc.

Primary Curriculum Advisory Committee

Advises the Board on strategic issues relating to primary education in NSW. The Committee currently consists of three Board members and representatives from education and parent bodies.


Board Members

Mr T Alegounarias (until 1 January 2014)

Mr P Cooke

Professor S Dockett

Mr J Mularczyk

Non-Board Members

Mr G Brown Headmaster, representing Association of Independent Schools

Mr S Collins Primary school teacher, representing the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group

Ms D Costello Primary school teacher, representing the NSW/ACT Independent Education Union

Dr A Fraser Head, Professional Learning and Development, Catholic Education Office, representing the Catholic Education Commission NSW

Mrs L Kumulia representing the NSW Parents’ Council

Ms M McKay Principal, representing Special Education

Dr J McLeod Senior Lecturer, School of Education, University of Newcastle, representing the NSW Vice-Chancellors’ Committee

Mrs C Zurowski representing Council of Catholic School Parents

Dr D Cullen Director, Early Learning and Primary Education NSW Department of Education and Communities


Special Education Advisory Committee

Advises the Board on special education issues and on syllabus development from Kindergarten to Year 12 in relation to students with special education needs. The committee is chaired by a Board member, Dr Meredith Martin, and includes representatives from the Department of Education and Communities, the Association of Independent Schools, the Catholic Education Commission, the Australian Association of Special Education, the NSW Teachers Federation and the Independent Education Union.


Board Members

Dr M Martin

Non-Board Members

Ms J Campbell NSW Independent Education Union

Ms M Clements Department of Education and Communities

Ms G Gray Catholic Education Commission NSW

Ms S Grocott NSW Parents’ Council

Ms J Mace NSW Teachers Federation

Ms M Muller NSW Teachers Federation

Ms H Martin Australian Association of Special Education (AASE)

Ms M McKay Association of Independent Schools

Existing sub-committees to support the Examinations and Curriculum programs

HSC Consultative Committee

On delegation from the Board, approves the final band cut-off marks for HSC courses, and any other adjustments required. The Consultative Committee receives documentation and advice from subject representatives – usually judges, the chief examiner and the supervisor of marking – regarding the standards-setting for each course. Membership consists of selected Board members and non-Board members, chosen for their expertise in educational measurement – appointed annually.



Non-Board Members

Dr J Bennett

Professor G Cooney

Emeritus Professor M Cooper

Associate Professor P Coutts (School of Education, Macquarie University)

Dr P Southwell-Keely

Dr D Tacon

Professor J Tognolini (Pearson Research and Assessment)

Professor N Weber (School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sydney)

Dr R Wilson (Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney)

Associate Professor R Yager (Department of Mathematics, Macquarie University)

Technical Advisory Group

This is a small group of experts in statistics and educational measurement who meet, when needed, to advise the Board on statistical and measurement issues associated with HSC assessment procedures.

Membership of this committee: Non-Board Members

Professor G Cooney

Associate Professor P Coutts (School of Education, Macquarie University)

Professor J Tognolini (Pearson Research and Assessment)

Professor N Weber (School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sydney)

Examination Rules Committee

On delegation from the Board, this committee considers all allegations of malpractice and breaches of examination rules relating to HSC examinations. The committee determines penalties under delegation from the Board. In 2013, the committee considered 20 cases.

The committee also makes determinations and applies penalties for examination projects that are unable to be certified by the principal, or for non-serious attempts at an examination.

In 2013, 40 students received reduced or zero marks for submitting a project that was late or contained unoriginal content. A further 463 students had one or more courses cancelled for not making a serious attempt at the examination.

Membership of this committee for the 2013 Higher School Certificate examinations:

Board Members

Mr L Grumley

Mr G Johnson

Dr M Martin


Board Appeals Committee

On delegation from the Board, reconsiders decisions made under delegation (by the Examination Rules Committee or senior Board officers) in relation to the award of the HSC, determines procedures for meetings and the recording of deliberations. Membership is convened from a pool of eligible members as required, having regard to the inclusion of highly experienced principals, drawn from across the government and non-government sectors, with a sound understanding of the rules of the Board. For the 2013 HSC, two appeals were referred to the committee.

HSC Examination Committees

Have no delegation and are responsible, through the Chief Examiner, to the Board for writing the examination brief with the Chief Examiner, setting examination papers, responding to all issues raised in the evaluation of the paper, preparing marking guidelines, preparing answers for objective questions and sample solutions/answers, mapping the examination to course outcomes and content, and providing English translations for Languages Papers of all foreign language passages included in the examination.

Membership consists of two academics and two teachers, one of whom is from a non-metropolitan area. Members are appointed annually, and can serve a maximum of five years. Chief Examiners are appointed for a two-year period, and can serve a maximum of six years.

There were 85 HSC Examination Committees for the 2013 Higher School Certificate.

Board Endorsement Panels

On delegation from the Board, endorse school proposals for Board endorsed courses for Years 7–12 in accordance with guidelines developed by the Board and approved by the Minister, and determine procedures for meetings and the recording of deliberations. Membership consists of Board officers (ex-officio) who are appointed annually.

Board Curriculum Committees (BCCs)

Have no delegation and are established by the Board for a specific project or set of projects, as the Board determines. BCCs monitor the progress of a project to ensure the quality of the product and the integrity of the process.

The membership is as follows:

1–2 members of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW 2 tertiary sector nominees, nominated by the NSW/Territories Committee of Chairs of

Academic Boards/Senates 3 NSW Department of Education and Communities nominees (2 with school backgrounds

and 1 with a TAFE background for Years 7–12 projects) 2 NSW Teachers Federation nominees 1 NSW/ACT Independent Education Union nominee 1 NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc. nominee 1 Catholic Education Commission of NSW nominee 1 NSW Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations nominee 1 Association of Independent Schools of NSW nominee 1 representative with a background in Special Education 1 Professional Teachers’ Council NSW nominee 1 NSW Parents’ Council/Council of Catholic School Parents NSW nominee 1 NSW Primary Principals’ Association Inc. nominee (for K–6 projects) 1 NSW Federation of School Community Organisations Inc. nominee (for K–6 projects)


Board Curriculum Committee (BCC) Membership for K–10 Australian curriculum

Membership of each K–10 BCC for the development of the Australian curriculum in NSW is as follows:

1 member of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW (Chair) 1 tertiary sector nominee, nominated by the NSW/Territories Committee of Chairs of

Academic Boards/Senates 2 NSW Department of Education and Communities nominees 1 NSW Department of Education and Communities nominee with TAFE background 1 NSW Teachers Federation nominee 1 Association of Independent Schools of NSW nominee 1 Catholic Education Commission of NSW nominee 2 NSW Teachers Federation nominees (one K–6 nominee and one Years 7–10 nominee) 1 NSW/ACT Independent Education Union NSW/ACT nominee 1 NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc. nominee 1 NSW Federation of Parents and Citizens Associations nominee 1 representative with a background in Special Education 1 representative with a background in primary education nominated by the Primary

Curriculum Committee of the Board 1 Early Childhood Australia NSW nominee 2 nominees from the learning area professional association, one nominee for K–6 and one

nominee for Years 7–10 nominated by the Professional Teachers’ Council 1 NSW Parents’ Council/Council of Catholic School Parents NSW nominee 1 NSW Primary Principals’ Association nominee 1 Secondary Principal nominated by the Board 1 Early Childhood Australia NSW nominee

Other(s) deemed necessary by the Board: Executive Officer(s) – BOSTES Inspector, Project Manager and member of National Projects Unit.

VET Advisory Committee

This committee advises the Board on matters relating to vocational education and training (VET), including the development of VET courses as part of the HSC. It ensures a consistent approach across VET curriculum frameworks.

The membership comprises the following:

1–2 members of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW Director of Curriculum, Teaching and Assessment (BOSTES) or nominee 2 NSW Department of Education and Communities nominees (1 with a school background,

1 with a TAFE NSW background) 1 Catholic Education Commission of NSW nominee 1 Association of Independent Schools of NSW nominee 1 tertiary sector nominee (nominated by the NSW/Territories Committee of Chairs of

Academic Boards/Senates) 1 NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc. (AECG) nominee 1 NSW Industry Training Advisory Board (ITAB) nominee 1 Unions NSW nominee 1 employer representative practising teachers (2 representing the NSW Teachers Federation [1 TAFE NSW and 1

school], and 1 representing the NSW/ACT Independent Education Union) 1 representative from the NSW Federation of Parents and Citizens’ Associations 1 Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA) nominee 1 Association of Catholic School Principals NSW nominee 1 NSW Secondary Principals’ Council nominee 1 NSW Parents’ Council nominee.


Industry Curriculum Committees

These committees guide the development of each VET industry curriculum framework. They act as a reference point for the views and interests of the industry, training, university and schools sectors. Each committee focuses on a particular industry area.

The membership of each committee is as follows:

2 industry nominees: - 1 ITAB NSW representative - 1 employer representative

4 NSW Department of Education and Communities nominees: - 1 TAFE NSW – Training and Education Support portfolio - 2 Office of Schools from Senior Pathways, including VET Teacher Training - 1 State Training Services – Apprenticeships and Traineeships

1 Catholic Education Commission of NSW nominee 1 Association of Independent Schools NSW nominee 1 private provider, if appropriate to the industry 1 university representative from a related industry area 3 practising teachers:

- 1 TAFE NSW representing the NSW Teachers Federation - 1 school representing the NSW Teachers Federation - 1 representing the NSW/ACT Independent Education Union

Other(s) deemed necessary by the Board.


Appendix 2 – Board meetings and attendance of members

Member 2013 2014

6/8 17/9 29/10 10/12 25/2 8/4 20/5 24/6

Mr Tom Alegounarias ap

Mr John Azarias n/a n/a n/a n/a ap ap ab

Ms Cindy Berwick ap ap ap ap ap ap ab

Mr Philip Cooke

Dr Brian Croke

Ms Janet Davy

Prof Sue Dockett **

Mr Denis Fitzgerald ap

Hon Patricia Forsythe n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Mr Larry Grumley

Mr David Hope n/a n/a n/a n/a

Mr Gary Johnson ap

Ms Leslie Loble ap

Assoc Prof Jacqueline Manuel ap n/a n/a n/a n/a

Dr Meredith Martin

Mr John Mularczyk ap n/a obs ap

Ms Jennifer Neary **

Prof John Pegg ap

Mr Gregory Prior ap

Prof Jo-Anne Reid n/a n/a n/a n/a

Dr Angela Schulz ap

Dr Michael Spence n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a ap ap

Dr Dan White ** **

Dr Timothy Wright ap

Member 2013 2014

6/8 17/9 30/10 4/12 25/2 8/4 20/5 24/6

Martin Graham (on behalf of Leslie Loble)

ap Apology ab Absent obs Observer ** Leave of absence


Appendix 3 – Quality Teaching Council and attendance of members

Quality Teaching Council (QTC)

The Quality Teaching Council (QTC) was established under the Teacher Accreditation Act 2004 to provide advice on accreditation and education issues to the then NSW Institute of Teachers. The QTC now advises the Board on accreditation and education issues.

The QTC provides advice to the Board on the following:

the development, content and application of the professional teaching standards any of the Minister’s functions under the Act (including the function of approving persons or

bodies as teacher accreditation authorities in relation to non-government schools or the suspension or revocation of any such approval)

teacher accreditation authorities and accrediting persons under the Act the accreditation process across all schools ensuring that the professional teaching standards are applied fairly and consistently the approval by the Minister of initial and continuing teacher education courses or programs

that are relevant for the purposes of accreditation under the Act the approval by the Minister of persons or bodies that may provide professional

development in accordance with the requirements of the professional teaching standards.

The Council is composed of the President of the BOSTES, 10 members elected by teachers and 10 members appointed by the Minister. The elected teachers must be accredited at least at the level of Proficient Teacher, and are broadly representative of sector statistics. A person may hold office as a member of the Council for terms totalling not more than 6 years.

Elections for the QTC are governed by the Teacher Accreditation Regulation 2010.

Elections and appointments for the third term of the Council occurred in the second half of 2012. The current term will end on 31 December 2015. Elections will take place for the fourth term of the Council in 2015.

Four Council meetings took place from 1 July 2013 before the Institute was dissolved on 1 January 2014. Two Council meetings have taken place following the establishment and commencement of the BOSTES on 1 January 2014.

Emeritus Professor Philip Foreman’s appointment as Chair of the NSW Institute of Teachers, and thus the Quality Teaching Council, concluded on 4 December 2013. The Acting Chief Executive of the Institute, Carol Taylor, chaired the December Council meeting. The current Chair of the Council is Tom Alegounarias, President of the BOSTES.

Carol Taylor was the nominee of the Board of Studies NSW to the Council. Following the merger of the NSW Institute of Teachers with the Board of Studies NSW, Professor Sue Dockett was appointed in April 2014 as the nominee of the Board. She attended her first Council meeting on 28 May 2014.


Members of the Quality Teaching Council

Appointed Members Elected Members

Position 2013–2015 Electoral College

President Mr Tom Alegounarias

Government school teachers

Mr Ben Ballard Ms Carly-Jane Borland Ms Jennifer Dive Mr David Roach Mr Luciano Vaccaro

Nominee of the NSW Teachers Federation

Mr Maurie Mulheron

Government primary school principals

Ms Margaret Charlton

Nominee of the NSW/ACT Independent Education Union

Mr Mark Northam Government secondary school principals

Mr Brian Miller

Nominee of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standard NSW (from April 2014)

Professor Sue Dockett

Catholic systemic school teachers

Ms Michelle O’Keefe

Nominee of the Director-General of Education and Communities

Ms Jane Simmons Catholic systemic school principals

Dr Peter Webster

Nominee of the Catholic Education Commission, NSW

Ms Elizabeth O’Carrigan

Independent school teachers and principals

Mr Alexander Wharton

Nominee of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW

Dr Frances Whalan

Nominee of the Minister representing the interests of parents of school-age children

Mr Wayne Chaffey

Nominee of the NSW Council of Deans of Education

Associate Professor Peter Aubusson

Two nominees of the Minister representing the interests of teachers (at least one a member of the Professional Teachers’ Council of NSW)

Ms Nerina Pretlove Mr Denis Murphy


Quality Teaching Council meetings and attendance of members

Member July 2013

August 2013

October 2013

December 2013

March 2014

May 2014

Mr Tom Alegounarias n/a n/a n/a n/a Professor Peter Aubusson ap ap

Mr Benjamin Ballard ap Ms Carly-Jane Borland Mr Wayne Chaffey Ms Margaret Charlton ap ap Ms Jennifer Dive Professor Sue Dockett n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Emeritus Professor Phil Foreman (Chair of NSWIT)

n/a n/a n/a

Mr Brian Miller Mr Maurie Mulheron ap ap ap

Mr Denis Murphy ap Mr Mark Northam ap Ms Elizabeth O’Carrigan ap

Ms Michelle O’Keefe Ms Nerina Pretlove ap Mr David Roach Ms Jane Simmons ap ap Ms Carol Taylor ap Chair ap n/a

Mr Luciano Vaccaro ap

Dr Peter Webster ap Dr Frances Whalan Mr Alexander Wharton ap

ap Apology


Appendix 4 – Sub-committees of the Quality Teaching Council

The Quality Teaching Council is supported by the work of three sub-committees.

Initial Teacher Education Committee (ITEC)

The ITEC has responsibility on behalf of the Quality Teaching Council to:

oversee the process of approval of ITE programs delivered in NSW consistent with the Accreditation of Initial Teacher Education Programs in Australia: Standards and Procedures

oversee Accreditation Panels to review applications for the approval of programs make recommendations through the President of BOSTES to the Minister for the approval

of programs monitor and moderate the process of the approval of programs to support consistency of

processes and outcomes investigate and resolve identified areas of concern in relation to the approval of programs advise and support teacher education providers in relation to the Graduate Teacher

Standards and/or application for approval and accreditation of an ITE program collect data and promote research with a local, national and international focus in relation to

demonstration of the Graduate Teacher Standards advise the QTC on its work in approving programs and broad matters related to initial

teacher education

The ITEC is appointed by the QTC. To ensure informed advice is provided to the Council the ITEC is comprised of members covering a range of expertise and a balance of interests.

The Chair of the ITEC is appointed by the QTC from the membership of the ITEC.

The current membership of the ITEC comprises:

nominees of the QTC a representative of the NSW Vice-Chancellors’ Committee representatives of the NSW Council of Deans of Education practising teachers with understanding of professional experience in ITE programs,

ensuring breadth of representation; for example, primary, secondary, government and non-government, rural and socio-economic status

a representative of an employing authority the Deputy Director Initial Teacher Education, or another member of BOSTES staff, as

executive officer.

There were six ITEC meetings between 1 July 2013 and 30 June 2014. During the reporting period, a total of 38 separate ITE programs were recommended to the NSW Minister for Education for approval and accreditation.

Ms Margaret Charlton, a representative of the QTC, advised in May 2014 that she was unable to continue her role on the ITEC. Mr Benjamin Ballard was appointed as her replacement to represent the QTC on the ITEC.


Membership of the ITEC 2013–2015

Name Representing Organisation

Professor Peter Aubusson (Chair)

NSW Council of Deans of Education University of Technology Sydney

Mr Benjamin Ballard Nominee of the QTC Department of Education and Communities, Aboriginal Education, Learning & Engagement Officer

Professor Peter Beamish

NSW Council of Deans of Education Avondale College

Ms Carly-Jane Boreland

Nominee of the QTC Elizabeth Macarthur High School

Associate Professor Ian Brown

NSW Council of Deans of Education University of Wollongong

Ms Margaret Charlton (until May 2014)

Nominee of the QTC Newport Public School

Professor Chris Davison

NSW Council of Deans of Education University of New South Wales

Dr Kerin Gorton Practising teacher St Phillips Christian College

Mr Jim Green Practising teacher Trinity Catholic College Lismore

Mr Peter Johnson Employing authority DEC

Dr Brian Kean NSW Council of Deans of Education Southern Cross University

Professor Lori Lockyer

NSW Council of Deans of Education Macquarie University

Professor Margie Maher

NSW Council of Deans of Education University of Notre Dame

Mr Brian Miller Nominee of the QTC Chester Hill High School

Professor Andrew Parfitt

NSW Vice-Chancellors’ Committee University of Newcastle

Ms Jan Partridge Practising teacher Barnsley Public School

Moderating and Consistency Committee (MCC)

The role of the Moderating and Consistency Committee (MCC) is to support consistent accreditation decisions by considering accreditation submissions along with their recommendations from Teacher Accreditation Authorities (TAAs) in a state-wide context. All submissions are considered by a cross-sectoral committee comprising representatives of various stakeholder groups.

The MCC provides accreditation advice with regard to each submission. This advice is based on the appropriateness and adequacy of the evidence in the submission in relation to the Standards and the Evidence Guides and a comparative analysis of a range of reports.


Briefing sessions and guidelines are provided to all Committee members. The guidelines are designed to support an understanding of the Standards and Evidence Guide as the common objective criteria that will be applied with regards to accreditation submissions.

Strict protocols govern the conduct of the meeting. Each member adheres to objective criteria and agreed benchmarks with regards to their analysis of each submission.

All submissions are accompanied by a detailed description of the teacher’s current and past school contexts. While achievement of all the Standards is required, the Committee takes the teaching context into account in their deliberations.

Where the Committee’s advice is not to accredit a teacher, feedback and constructive advice are provided to the relevant TAA (A/L) and the teacher.

To minimise the workload on individuals, the stakeholders represented on the Committee can nominate a small pool of nominees who could be on a roster to attend committee meetings.

In 2011 the Quality Teaching Council determined the membership to be four teachers, three principals and three representing TAAs, plus the non-voting Director, Teaching Standards and Professional Leadership. The President of the BOSTES appoints the Chair of the MCC.

When the membership positions were filled through the agreed process, it was apparent that only one member had a background in primary education. It was also not possible at this point to include accredited teachers as members. The Quality Teaching Council subsequently agreed on an additional three teacher positions, which have been filled with teachers accredited at Professional Accomplishment or Leadership.

Guiding principles include that membership of the Committee:

requires current/recent successful teaching or school leadership experience requires knowledge of the Professional Teaching Standards in relation to accreditation provides for appropriate representation of employing authorities.

Appointment to the Committee occurs as follows:

Individuals apply to be on the Committee. Each applicant needs to meet common selection criteria – the selection criteria is designed to select those with expertise relevant to accreditation applications

The selection process is advertised through stakeholders as well as in relevant publications and on the website

Three QTC Members join a selection panel to consider each application.

The Chair of the MCC was previously the Chair of the NSW Institute of Teachers. Following the creation of the BOSTES, the February and May 2014 meetings were chaired by Ms Robyn Mamouney, Director, Teaching Standards and Professional Learning. At the QTC meeting of 28 May 2014, the President of the BOSTES appointed Mr Brian Miller to be Chair of the MCC, commencing with the July 2014 meeting.


Membership of the Moderating and Consistency Committee

Member Membership

Mr Brian Miller Chair (from June 2014). Nominated by the BOSTES President

Ms Robyn Mamouney Director, Teaching Standards and Professional Learning (non-voting)

Mrs Leanne Clarke teacher – Catholic. Accredited at Lead Teacher Mr Paul Dolan TAA representative – Catholic Mrs Betty Harper principal – government Ms Anne Hastings principal – non-government Mrs Samantha Jackson teacher – government Mrs Belinda Judd teacher – government. Accredited at Highly Accomplished Ms Lyn Kirkby teacher – independent Mrs Michelle Laing teacher – Catholic Ms Jo McLean TAA representative – independent Ms Kerry Poole principal – government Ms Jane Simmons TAA representative – government Ms Lucie Vandeven teacher – government. Accredited at Lead Teacher Mr Richard Wiseman teacher – government

Professional Learning, Endorsement and Advisory Committee (PLEAC)

The purpose of the Professional Learning, Endorsement and Advisory Committee (PLEAC) is to ensure that appropriate advice is available to the Board regarding registered professional development.

The PLEAC has the following responsibilities:

to maintain confidentiality and declare any conflict of interests in relation to all PLEAC business

to make endorsement recommendations after considering provider applications to monitor and evaluate BOSTES-registered continuing professional development including

participating in review or audit activities to provide strategic advice to the Board on quality continuing professional development to

the benefit of teachers maintaining accreditation at Proficient, Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher levels.

The PLEAC monitors endorsed provision of professional development and provides advice to the Quality Teaching Council in the following areas:

research and knowledge in the area of professional learning research regarding the evaluation of continuing professional development evaluation of the quality of registered continuing professional development provision for the

purpose of improved student learning outcomes identification of gaps and overlap in the overall provision of continuing professional

development brokering for access to courses that support teachers in addressing the professional

teaching standards monitoring of teacher input and evaluation data regarding professional learning.


The Quality Teaching Council appoints the PLEAC and ensures the committee is made up of suitably qualified members with experience in the development and delivery of high-quality professional development drawn from key stakeholders. PLEAC members serve a minimum term of three years. A new PLEAC is formed at the direction of the Council in line with the latter’s election cycle.

The current PLEAC comprises:

The Chair, appointed by the President of the BOSTES Three members of the Quality Teaching Council with experience in the development and

delivery of high-quality professional development One person drawn from each of the government school, Catholic school and independent

school sectors One accredited teacher drawn from each of the government school, Catholic school and

independent school sectors One teacher accredited at the higher levels drawn from each of the government school,

Catholic school and independent school sectors.

The capacity to co-opt up to three people with relevant expertise and/or experience with the standards and professional development is available, should this be required.

Overall, there should be a balance of accredited teachers from government, Catholic and independent school sectors as well as members of the Professional Teachers Council, NSW Teachers Federation, the Independent Education Union and teacher educators. An officer from Teaching Standards and Professional Learning is to be the executive officer to the PLEAC.

Previously the Chair of the PLEAC had been the Chair of the NSW Institute of Teachers. Following the merger, the February 2014 meeting was chaired by Ms Robyn Mamouney, Director, Teaching Standards and Professional Learning. The April meeting was chaired by Mr Darryl Buchanan, a PLEAC member. The President of the BOSTES appointed a new Chair in May 2014, and Dr Frances Whalan chaired her first meeting in June 2014.


Membership of the PLEAC 2013–2015

Positions Appointments

Chair – Appointed by the President of BOSTES

Dr Frances Whalan (from June 2014)

Three members of the Quality Teaching Council with experience in the development and delivery of high-quality continuing professional development

Ms Jennifer Dive Ms Nerina Pretlove Mr David Roach

One person drawn from each of the government school, Catholic school and independent school sectors with experience in the development and delivery of high-quality continuing professional development

Mr Daryl Buchanan (Association of Independent Schools) Mr Eric Jamieson (Department of Education and Communities) until June 2014. Replaced by Ms Shanti Clements Mrs Frances Sullivan (Catholic Education Office, Sydney)

One teacher drawn from each of the government school, Catholic school and independent school sectors with experience in the development and delivery of high-quality continuing professional development.

Mrs Kathryn Bellach, Granville East Public School Mr Martin Pluss, Loreto, Normanhurst (Independent School Teacher) Mrs Michelle Rolfe, Our Lady Help of Christians Primary School

One teacher accredited at the higher levels drawn from each of the government school, Catholic school and independent school sectors with experience in the development and delivery of high-quality continuing professional development.

Dr Gregory Cunningham, Barker College Ms Janine Marcus, Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College, Berkeley Vale College Vacant, Catholic school teacher (to be filled in 2014)

Three co-opted members with experience and expertise in the Standards and continuing professional development.

Ms Gemma Ackroyd, Principal, Lane Cove Public School Dr Karen Maras, NSW/ACT Australian Catholic University Ms Nicole Stojanovski, Accredited - Professional Competence, Primary School Teacher, Corpus Christi Primary School


Appendix 5 – NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Incorporated

NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Incorporated (NSW AECG Inc.)

Mission and goals

The NSW AECG Inc. is recognised as the principal advisory body to both state and commonwealth governments on all matters relating to Aboriginal people from preschool to higher education.

The vision of the NSW AECG Inc. is to:

be the political voice of Aboriginal people in regards to quality education provide advice on all matters relevant to education and training with the mandate that this

advice represents the Aboriginal community viewpoint promote respect, empowerment and self-determination. The NSW AECG believes the

process of collaborative consultation is integral to equal partnership and is fundamental to the achievement of equality

advocate cultural affirmation, integrity and the pursuit of equality to ensure that the unique and diverse identity of Aboriginal people is recognised and valued.

The aim is to provide opportunities for Aboriginal people to be actively involved in all decision-making that is relevant to education and training through a collaborative consultative process.

This is central to developing the highest level of informed decision-making to ensure culturally appropriate delivery of education and training programs for Aboriginal learners and to ensure that all Australians are better informed on Aboriginal history, culture and relevant current issues.

The President of the NSW AECG Inc. is a member of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards (BOSTES). This follows the convention, which has operated since 1990, that a Board position be held by an Aboriginal person nominated by the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group. Thus, the NSW AECG Inc. is involved in all aspects of the Board’s planning, policy and strategy.

The President of the NSW AECG Inc. chairs the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee. The degree of responsibility and accountability of this committee has continued to broaden and it now advises the Board and the position of General Manager.

Board Curriculum Committees

AECG participation on Board Curriculum Committees is of paramount importance. It ensures that curriculum effectively meets the needs of Aboriginal students and promotes awareness and understanding of Aboriginal Australia by all students.

The NSW AECG Inc. continues its representation on BCCs and provides advice on all relevant matters pertaining to inclusive curriculum and the implementation of Aboriginal perspectives in syllabus, curriculum and teaching.

Connecting to Country

The Connecting to Country program is an intensive professional development program for principals and teachers consisting of a 3-day cultural immersion program facilitated by local and/or regional AECGs. In 2013–14, an increasing number of government, Catholic and independent schools participated in the program.


Aboriginal Languages and Culture

The NSW AECG Inc. continues to support the revitalisation, reclamation and maintenance of Aboriginal Languages and Culture throughout NSW.

Throughout the year the NSW AECG Inc. continued to support the BOSTES and was instrumental in ensuring that Aboriginal communities contributed to the significant content of the Aboriginal Languages K–10 scope and sequence.

Contact details

NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Incorporated Secretariat 37 Cavendish Street, Stanmore NSW 2048

Telephone: (02) 9550 5666 Fax: (02) 9550 3361 Email: [email protected] Website: www.aecg.nsw.edu.au


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.aecg.nsw.edu.au/

Appendix 6 – Multicultural Policies and Services Program

The BOSTES is committed to the principles of multiculturalism as contained in and required by the Community Relations Commission and Principles of Multiculturalism Act 2000 (NSW).

During the reporting period, the BOSTES promoted these multicultural principles through the following initiatives and programs.

Key Achievements 2013–2014

Languages Education

An extensive range of Language courses was maintained, with 17 K–10 Language courses offered and 63 Board Developed Courses in 34 languages available for students in Years 11 and 12. All 63 language courses were examined for the 2013 Higher School Certificate.

Included in the HSC suite of languages are 24 courses for small-candidature community languages, which include the recently developed Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese and Korean Heritage Language courses. These community languages courses are offered through the national Collaborative Curriculum and Assessment Framework for Languages (CCAFL), a program under the auspices of the Australasian Curriculum, Assessment and Certification Authorities (ACACA).

The BOSTES Inspector, Languages, continues to be a member of the NSW Community Languages Schools Board. The NSW Community Languages Schools Board advises the NSW Minister for Education and Communities to ensure that community languages schools provide a high-quality education. This includes providing quality teaching, curricula, programs as well as assessment and reporting of students' achievements.

Languages Review

Throughout the reporting period the BOSTES continued its review of languages education in NSW schools.

From October to December 2013, widespread consultation was held on six proposals for a broader, more inclusive languages education for NSW students which were developed by the then Board of Studies after initial research and consultation with key stakeholders. Findings indicated widespread support in both the education and community sectors for the development of a dynamic, inclusive languages education policy for NSW.

A consultation report along with a series of recommendations arising from the research and consultation were developed and approved by the Minister and in June 2014 the Minister announced the establishment of an expert Languages Advisory Panel reporting to the Minister through the BOSTES that will oversee the development of a new languages education policy for NSW.

Curriculum

New prescriptions for Extension courses in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Modern Greek and Spanish, and Stage 6 Background Speakers courses in Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese and Korean will be examined for the first time in the 2014 HSC.

New course prescriptions were published for the Greek Continuers and Extension courses and the Classical Hebrew Continuers and Extension courses.


The new Russian Continuers syllabus was published in July 2013 after the NSW Minister for Education approved the development of a Russian Continuers course to replace the existing Russian Background. The new syllabus will be examined for the first time in the 2015 HSC. In July 2014, a new Punjabi Continuers syllabus was published and will be examined for the first time in the 2016 HSC.

Advice about supporting students of English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D) is included in the new NSW K–10 English, Mathematics, Science and History syllabuses.

The senior secondary English as a Second Language course is specially designed for EAL/D students.

Lists of prescribed and suggested English texts developed by the BOSTES include texts that provide perspectives on other cultures as well as texts written by international authors.

Multicultural content is embedded in all Years 7–10 syllabuses. The new NSW K–10 English, Mathematics, Science and History syllabuses include Learning across the curriculum content that promotes the development of intercultural understanding as they learn to value their own cultures, languages and beliefs and those of others.

HSC Examination Papers

The BOSTES Principles for Setting HSC Examinations specify that ‘the language used in examination questions will be accessible to all candidates’ and that ‘questions must be free of culture or gender bias, stereotyping or tokenism’. These principles were applied when developing the 2013 HSC examinations.

A number of 2013 HSC examination papers were provided with an additional review by an expert in literacy and English as a Second Language (ESL) to ensure that the papers were accessible to ESL students in appropriate subject areas.

Recognition of Overseas Teachers’ Qualifications

The accreditation eligibility team of the BOSTES provides overseas-trained teachers with timely and accurate advice about their eligibility to be accredited to teach in a NSW school.

Prospective teachers whose overseas qualifications do not meet the criteria required are also provided with advice concerning additional study options that will enable them to become eligible to teach in NSW.

The BOSTES is part of a project to establish a national database of overseas teachers’ qualifications. This will increase consistency in teaching eligibility decisions and enhance the portability of overseas teachers’ qualifications.

Initial Teacher Education

A draft policy was developed confirming requirements that initial teacher education providers seeking accreditation in NSW demonstrate how their programs ensure that graduates have the required knowledge and skills to teach students with English as an additional language or dialect.

Making Multicultural Australia website

In support of the NSW government’s Multicultural March activities and Harmony Day, an article was published in the BOSTES Bulletin in March 2014 promoting the Making multicultural Australia for the 21st century website.

The website is one of Australia’s leading sources of quality educational materials in multiculturalism. The BOSTES developed the site in partnership with the Multicultural Programs Unit of the NSW Department of Education and Communities and the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS).


The article encouraged teachers to make use of the extensive quality educational materials available on the website to support the teaching of multiculturalism in the classroom and to explore Australia's cultural diversity, tolerance and anti-racism.

The Community Relations Commission’s 2014 Multicultural March Events Calendar also made reference to the value of the Making multicultural Australia for the 21st century website.

Translated documents

A range of useful documents for parents and caregivers is published on the BOSTES website in several community languages including:

Parents Guide to the NSW Primary Syllabuses Using A–E grades to report student achievement HSC assessments and submitted works – Advice to parents

BOSTES website links

Links to other websites that provide information for ethnic community groups: - The HSC Online Parents’ Information website, developed by Charles Sturt University

and the NSW Department of Education and Communities, provides advice to parents in community languages on how to support their HSC student during Year 12.

- The Racism, No Way website is a national response to countering racism in Australian schools, managed by the Multicultural Programs Unit of the NSW Department of Education and Communities. It provides resources and practical strategies for use by school communities.

Priorities for 2014–2015

NSW Languages Education Review

The BOSTES will continue its significant work towards developing a NSW Languages Policy throughout the next reporting period.

The expert NSW Languages Advisory Panel announced by the Minister for Education in June 2014 will have high-level representation and expertise from key education sectors, community organisations, industry and business. The Panel will be a standing committee of the Board and will be chaired by the President of the BOSTES. The Panel will report to the Minister for Education through the Board and the NSW Schools Advisory Council and will progress work towards developing a long-term and sustainable NSW Languages Policy over the next 12 months.

Languages Course Prescriptions

Consultation with key stakeholders on draft prescriptions for Latin Continuers and Extension courses will be undertaken in Term 3, 2014.

The BOSTES is already seeking text nominations for the 2019–2023 HSC course prescriptions for both the Extension courses in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Modern Greek and Spanish as well as the Background Speaker courses in Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese and Korean. Languages teachers, academics and professional associations are invited to contribute text nominations through an online survey until May 2015.


Appendix 7 – Disability Action Plan

The continued commitment of the BOSTES to the objectives of the Government’s Disability Policy Framework is demonstrated by the:

development of additional course options in Years 7–10 and Stage 6 for students undertaking Life Skills outcomes and content

review and update of support materials to assist teachers to implement courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content in schools

review and update of advice in line with current disability legislation, in relation to meeting the needs of students with disabilities within the curriculum

Board’s Special Education Committee, which continues to provide advice on issues pertaining to students with special education needs

representation of students with disability on the Board’s student advisory group continuing evaluation and response to the needs of students with a disability assessment of the impact of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 on its registration

requirements and the inclusion of necessary amendments to school manuals.

The BOSTES is also concerned to ensure that it complies with the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet’s circular, C2012-08 NSW Government Website Management, which requires all NSW government websites to comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) by 31 December 2014.

WCAG 2.0 compliance of the BOSTES website content will be achieved in a staged approach by prioritising areas according to the nature of material and its level of traffic.

The BOSTES continues to refine and update its Disability Action Plan in line with changes to legislation and any revised policy guidelines issued by the NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC).


Appendix 8 – Government Information (Public Access) (GIPA)

These statistics are set out in accordance with the provision of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (the Act).

TABLE A: Number of applications by type of applicant and outcome

Access granted in full

Access granted in part

Access refused in full

Information not held

Information already available

Refuse to deal with application

Refuse to confirm/ deny whether information is held

Application withdrawn

Media 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Members of Parliament 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Private sector business 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Not for profit organisations or community groups

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Members of the public (application by legal representative)

2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Members of the public (other) 2 1 2 1 0 0 0 0

Total 4 1 2 1 0 0 0 0

TABLE B: Number of applications by type of application and outcome

Access granted in full

Access granted in part

Access refused in full

Information not held

Information already available

Refuse to deal with application

Refuse to confirm/ deny whether information is held

Application withdrawn

Personal information applications

2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Access applications (other than personal information applications)

2 1 2 1 0 0 0 0

Access applications that are partly personal information applications and partly other

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total 4 1 2 1 0 0 0 0


TABLE C: Invalid applications

Reason for invalidity Number of applications

Application does not comply with formal requirements (section 41 of the Act)

0

Application is for excluded information of the agency (section 43 of the Act)

0

Application contravenes restraint order (section 110 of the Act)

0

Total number of invalid applications received 1

Invalid application that subsequently became valid applications 0

TABLE D: Conclusive presumption of overriding public interest against disclosure: matters listed in Schedule 1 of the Act

Number of times consideration used

Overriding secrecy laws 0

Cabinet information 0

Executive Council information 0

Contempt 0

Legal professional privilege 3

Excluded information 0

Documents affecting law enforcement and public safety 0

Transport safety 0

Adoption 0

Care and protection of children 0

Ministerial code of conduct 0

Aboriginal and environmental heritage 0

Total 3


TABLE E: Other public interest considerations against disclosure: matters listed in table to section 14 of the Act

Number of occasions when application not successful

Responsible and effective government 0

Law enforcement and security 0

Individual rights, judicial processes and natural justice 0

Business interests of agencies and other persons 0

Environment, culture, economy and general matters 0

Security provisions 0

Exempt documents under interstate Freedom of Information legislation 0

TABLE F: Timeliness

Number of applications

Decided within the statutory timeframes (20 days plus any extensions) 8

Decided after 35 days (by agreement with applicant) 0

Not decided within time (deemed refusal) 0

Total 8

TABLE G: Number of applications reviewed under Part 5 of the Act (by type of review and outcome)

Decision varied Decision upheld Total

Internal review 0 1 1

Review by Information Commissioner 0 0 0

Internal review following recommendation under section 93 of Act 0 0 0

Review by Administrative Decisions Tribunal (ADT) 0 0 0

Total 0 1 1


TABLE H: Applications for review under Part 5 of the Act (by type of applicant)

Number of applications for review

Applications by access applicants 0

Applications by persons to whom information the subject of access application relates (see section 54 of the Act) 0

Clause 7(a) of the GIPA Regulations requires the BOSTES to report on the following categories:

Details of how the agency carried out the review required by section 7(3) of the GIPA Act of its program for proactive release of the information held.

BOSTES program for the proactive release of information has involved the formulation of an Open Access Information Advisory Group. The Group met to review, determine and prioritise information for open access.

Total number of formal access applications the BOSTES received during the reporting year, including withdrawn applications (but not invalid applications).

During the reporting period 2013/2014, 17 applications were received. Of those 17 applications:

11 applications were granted in full 2 applications were granted in part, as the BOSTES did not hold the other information the

applicants wanted 1 application was refused in part under Section 14, 1 (c) (d) (f) (h) and 2 (b). 1 application for internal review was refused under Section 14, 1 (c) (d) (f) (h) and 2 (b). 1 application was invalid, not for the BOSTES. The application was forwarded to the

appropriate Department 1 application was withdrawn.

The total number of formal access applications the BOSTES received during the reporting year that the BOSTES refused, either wholly or partially, because the application was for information for which there is conclusive presumption of an overriding public interest against disclosure (information listed in Schedule 1 of the GIPA Act).

No applications were refused under Schedule 1 of the GIPA Act.


Appendix 9 – Major assets

The following major assets were acquired:

Property, plant and equipment $'000

IT network computer equipment 374

Office furniture 83

Security system upgrade –

Office fit-out 75

Total 532

Intangibles $'000

Examination system applications 334

RoSA system applications 325

KIMS Development 125

Program Builder application 208

Mark Manager development 262

Total 1254


Appendix 10 – Statutory disclosure requirements

Funds granted to non-government community organisations

The BOSTES did not grant funds to non-government community organisations.

Legal Change

On and from 1 January 2014, pursuant to the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards Act 2013 the former Board of Studies NSW and the former NSW Institute of Teachers were dissolved and in their place the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW was established. A number of organisational changes were made to the Education Act 1990 and the Institute of Teachers Act 2004, including renaming the latter statute as the Teacher Accreditation Act 2004.

The former Office of the Board of Studies and the Institute were replaced by the Office of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards. Subsequently, with the commencement of the Government Sector Employment Act 2013 on and from 24 February 2014 that Office was replaced by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards Staff Agency.

Economic/other factors affecting the achievement of operational objectives

There were no specific economic factors affecting the achievement of objectives. Other factors are covered on the body of this report.

Land disposal

The BOSTES does not hold title to any land or buildings and was not involved in the disposal of land by other agencies.

Subsidiaries, partnerships, joint ventures and other associations

The BOSTES joint ventures with other organisations are listed in the Sponsorships section of this Report.

Investment management performance

The BOSTES is an authority listed in Schedule 2 to the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983 (PFA Act) and as such, has authority to invest as set out in Schedule 4 Part 2 of the PFA Act. Part 1 of Schedule 4 of the PFA Act authorises among other investments, deposits with a bank or the Treasury Corporation.

The BOSTES invests money held in the Fund in the Treasury Corporation and in term deposits of up to 12 months' duration, offered by major Australian banks and rated ‘A1+’ by Standards and Poor.

Liability and management performance

The BOSTES does not have a level of debt at or above the level determined by the Treasurer. Accordingly, the relevant sections of the Annual Report Acts and Regulations do not apply.


Executive remuneration

The following information is supplied regarding remuneration of level 5 and above Senior Executive

Service officers:

Position title and SES level President, BOSTES SES Level 6 Name of occupant Mr Tom Alegounarias Total remuneration package $336,850 Position title and SES level Chief Executive, BOSTES SES Level 6 Name of occupant Ms Carol Taylor Total remuneration package $318,314

Internal Audit and Risk Management Attestation for the 2013–2014 Financial Year for the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards

I, Tom Alegounarias, President am of the opinion that the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards has internal audit and risk management processes in operation that are, in all material respects, compliant with the core requirements set out in Treasury Circular NSW TC 09/08 Internal Audit and Risk Management Policy.

I, Tom Alegounarias, President am of the opinion that the Audit and Risk Committee for the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards is constituted and operates in accordance with the independence and governance requirements of Treasury Circular NSW TC 09/08. The Chair and Members of the Audit and Risk Committee are:

Independent Chair Mr Brian Suttor (appointed 1 March 2014 to 28 February 2017)

Independent Member 1 Dr Gul Izmir (appointed 1 March 2014 to 28 February 2017)

Independent Member 2 Mr Brian Ward (appointed 1 March 2014 to 28 February 2017)

Non-independent Member 1 Mr Paul Hewitt

These processes provide a level of assurance that enables the senior management of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards to understand, manage and satisfactorily control risk exposures.

As required by this policy, I have submitted an Attestation Statement outlining compliance with the policy to Treasury on behalf of the Treasurer.

Tom Alegounarias President

8 October 2014


Additional matters

There were no additional matters arising after 30 June 2014 and prior to the submission of the Annual Report that were expected to have a significant effect on the operations or clientele of the BOSTES.


Appendix 11 – Corporate card compliance

The President of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW certifies that corporate card usage in the BOSTES has met best practice guidelines in accordance with the Premier’s Memoranda and Treasurer’s Directions 205.1 to 205.8.


Appendix 12 – Privacy Management Plan

The BOSTES maintains a Privacy Management Plan in compliance with the requirements of the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (the PPIP Act). The plan explains how the BOSTES manages personal information in line with the PPIP Act and health information under the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (HRIP Act).

The purpose of the plan is to:

maintain a current listing of personal information collected by the BOSTES identify the policies and strategies that the BOSTES uses to ensure compliance with the

PPIP Act provide a mechanism for periodic review of BOSTES practices in relation to the handling,

maintenance and security of personal and health information.

Information collected by the BOSTES includes student data in relation to HSC, Year 11, and RoSA candidates. Personal data concerning employees of the BOSTES is also collected.

A copy of the plan is available on the BOSTES website for ease of access. It is also generally available to staff via the intranet.


Appendix 13 – Acronyms

ACACA Australasian Curriculum, Assessment and Certification Authorities ACARA Australian Curriculum and Assessment Reporting Authority ACT Australian Capital Territory AEAC Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee AECG Aboriginal Education Consultative Group AHISA Association of Heads of Independent Schools Australia AIS Association of Independent Schools AITSL Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership AMEB Australian Music Examinations Board APST Australian Professional Standards for Teachers AQF Australian Qualifications Framework ARC Assessment Resource Centre ATAR Australian Tertiary Admission Rank ATPDF Australian Teacher Performance and Development Framework BCC Board Curriculum Committee BEAEP Board Endorsed Alternative Education Program BMP Building and Managing Performance BOSLO BOSTES Liaison Officer BOSTES Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW CCAFL Collaborative Curriculum and Assessment Framework for Languages CEC Content Endorsed Course CES Chief Executive Service CRICOS Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students DEC Department of Education and Communities EAL/D English as an Additional Language or Dialect ESL English as a Second Language GIPA Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 GTIL Great Teaching, Inspired Learning HSC Higher School Certificate HSIE Human Society and Its Environment ICT Information Communications Technology ITAB Industry Training Advisory Board ITE Initial Teacher Education ITEC Initial Teacher Education Committee K–ITE Kindergarten to Initial Teacher Education KLA Key Learning Area MCC Moderating and Consistency Committee NCAT NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal NAPLAN National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy NSW New South Wales PD Professional development PDHPE Personal Development, Health and Physical Education PIP Personal Interest Project


PLEAC Professional Learning and Endorsement Advisory Committee PRA Pearson Research and Assessment QTC Quality Teaching Council RE&D Research, Evaluation and Development RoSA Record of School Achievement SAG Student Advisory Group SCSEEC Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood SDBEC School Developed Board Endorsed Courses SES Senior Executive Service TAA Teacher Accreditation Authority TAA Test Administration Authority (NAPLAN) TEMAG Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group UAC Universities Admissions Centre UDBEC University Developed Board Endorsed Course UTS University of Technology, Sydney VET Vocational Education and Training VETBEC Vocational Education and Training Board Endorsed Course WCAG Web Content Accessibility Guidelines


Appendix 14 – Financial Statements

Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards

For the period 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2014

Pursuant to Section 41C(1B) of the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983, I state that:

(a) the accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the applicable Australian Accounting Standards, the requirements of the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983, the Public Finance and Audit Regulation 2010, the Financial Reporting Directions published in the Financial Reporting Code for Budget Dependent General Government Sector Agencies, the Treasurer's Directions and other authoritative pronouncements of the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB).

(b) the Statement of comprehensive income presents a true and fair view of the results of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards for the period 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2014;

(c) the Statement of financial position gives a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards as at 30 June 2014; and

(d) there are no circumstances which would render any particulars included in the financial statements to be misleading or inaccurate.

Tom Alegounarias President Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards 19 September 2014


Page 1

BOARD OF STUDIES, TEACHING AND EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS

Financial Statements30 June 2014

CONTENTS

Page No.

Statement of comprehensive income 2

Statement of financial position 3 Statement of changes in equity 4

Statement of cash flows 5

Service group statements 6

Notes to the financial statements

1 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies 772 Budget Review 133 Expenses Excluding Losses 144 Revenue 165 Gain / (Loss) on Disposal 176 Current Assets - Cash and Cash Equivalents 1177 Current / Non-Current Assets - Receivables 1178 Current Assets - Inventories 189 Current Assets - Other Financial Assets 118

10 Non-Current Assets - Property, Plant and Equipment 11911 Intangible Assets 2012 Current Liabilities - Payables 2113 Current / Non-Current Liabilities - Provisions 22114 Current / Non-Current Liabilities - Other 22215 Increase / Decrease in Net Assets from Equity Transfers 22316 Commitments for Expenditure 22517 Contingent Liabilities 2518 Reconciliation of Cash Flows from Operating Activities to Net Result 25

19 Non-cash Financing and Investing Activities 22520 Financial Instruments 2621 Service Groups of the Entity 33122 Restricted Assets 3123 Events after the Reporting Period 331

Page 2

Notes EEconomic ParentEntity Entity2014 2014$'000 $'000

Expenses excluding losses

Operating expenses Employee related 3(a) 21,169 - Personnel Services 3(b) - 19,141 Other operating expenses 3(c) 16,291 16,291Depreciation and amortisation 3(d) 1,411 1,411Finance Costs 3(e) 2 2

TOTAL EXPENSES EXCLUDINGLOSSES 38,873 36,845

Revenue

Sale of goods and services 4(a) 9,567 9,567Investment revenue 4(b) 335 335Grants and contributions 4(c) 27,469 27,469Acceptance by the Crown Entity of employee benefits and other liabilities 4(d) 2,028 -Other revenue 4(e) 637 637

Total Revenue 40,036 38,008

Gain / (loss) on disposal 5 (4) (4)

Net result 1,159 1,159

Other comprehensive income

Total other comprehensive income - -

TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE INCOME 1,159 1,159

The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements.

Page 2


Statement of comprehensive income for the period 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2014

Page 3


ASSETS

Current AssetsCash and cash equivalents 6 13,421 13,421Receivables 7 6,626 6,583Inventories 8 1,795 1,795Other financial assets 9 9,250 9,250

Total Current Assets 31,092 31,049

Non-Current AssetsReceivables 7 176 176Property, plant and equipment- Leasehold Improvements 1,575 1,575- Plant and equipment 2,373 2,373Total property, plant and equipment 10 3,948 3,948Intangible assets 11 3,594 3,594

Total Non-Current Assets 7,718 7,718

Total Assets 38,810 38,767

LIABILITIES

Current LiabilitiesPayables 12 8,667 8,667Payables - Employee Related 12 1,136 -Payables - Personnel Services 12 - 1,093Provisions - Employee Related 13 4,603 -Provisions - Personnel Services 13 - 4,603Other 14 578 578 Total Current Liabilities 14,984 14,941

Non-Current LiabilitiesProvisions - Employee Related 13 72 -Provisions - Personnel Services 13 - 72Provisions - Others 13 100 100Other 14 578 578

Total Non-Current Liabilities 750 750

Total Liabilities 15,734 15,691

Net Assets 23,076 23,076

EQUITYAccumulated funds 23,076 23,076

Total Equity 23,076 23,076

Statement of financial position as at 30 June 2014


Page 4

Economic Entity Notes AAccumulated

Funds Total$'000 $'000

Balance at 1 January 2014 - -

Net result for the period 1,159 1,159 Other comprehensive income - -Total other comprehensive income - -Total comprehensive income forthe period 1,159 1,159

Transactions with owners in their capacity as ownersIncrease / (decrease) in net assets from equity transfers 15(b) 21,917 21,917 Balance at 30 June 2014 23,076 23,076

Parent Entity Notes AAccumulated

Funds Total$'000 $'000


Net result for the period 1,159 1,159 Other comprehensive income - -Total other comprehensive income - -Total comprehensive income forthe period 1,159 1,159

Transactions with owners in their capacity as ownersIncrease / (decrease) in net assets from equity transfers 15(b) 21,917 21,917 Balance at 30 June 2014 23,076 23,076



Statement of changes in equity for the period 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2014

PPage 4

Page 5


CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

PaymentsEmployee related (21,082)Personnel Services (21,082)Other (17,902) (17,902) Total Payments (38,984) (38,984)

ReceiptsSale of goods and services 9,495 9,495Interest received 165 165Grants and contributions 28,662 28,662Other revenue 1,605 1,605

Total Receipts 39,927 39,927

NET CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATINGACTIVITIES 18 943 943

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIESTerm Deposits 27 27Purchases of plant and equipment, leasehold improvements and intangibles (1,781) (1,781)

NET CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTINGACTIVITIES (1,754) (1,754)

NET INCREASE / (DECREASE) IN CASH (811) (811)Cash transferred in / (out) as a result of administrative restructuring 15(b) 14,232 14,232CLOSING CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS 6 13,421 13,421


Statement of cash flows for the period 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2014


Page 6

EEconomic Entity Economic Entity Economic Entity Economic EntitySService Group 1* Service Group 2* Service Group 3* Not Attributable Total

EENTITY'S EXPENSES & INCOME 2014 2014 2014 2014 2014$$'000 $'000 $'000 $'000 $'000

EExpenses excluding lossesOperating expenses• Employee related 5,450 12,813 2,906 - 21,169 • Other operating expenses 2,038 13,536 717 - 16,291 Depreciation and amortisation 262 1,070 79 - 1,411 Finance costs 1 - 1 - 2 TTOTAL EXPENSES EXCLUDING LOSSES 7,751 27,419 3,703 - 38,873 RRevenue* Sale of goods and services 726 6,432 2,409 - 9,567 Investment revenue - - - 335 335 Grants and contributions 683 - - 26,786 27,469 Acceptance by the Crown Entity of employee - benefits and other liabilities 507 1,185 336 - 2,028 Other revenue - 637 - - 637 TTotal revenue 1,916 8,254 2,745 27,121 40,036

Gain / (loss) on disposal (2) (2) - - (4)

NNet result (5,837) (19,167) (958) 27,121 1,159

OOther Comprehensive Income Increase / (decrease) in asset revaluation reserve - - - - - Other - - - - - TTotal Other Comprehensive income - - - - -

TTOTAL COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (5,837) (19,167) (958) 27,121 1,159

EENTITY'S ASSETS & LIABILITIES

CCurrent AssetsCash and cash equivalents - - - 13,421 13,421 Receivables 427 4,990 929 280 6,626 Inventories 897 898 - - 1,795 Other financial assets - - 9,250 9,250 TTotal current assets 1,324 5,888 929 22,591 31,092

NNon-current Assets Receivables 37 134 5 - 176 Property, plant and equipment 733 2,996 219 - 3,948 Intangibles 247 3,313 34 - 3,594 TTotal non-current assets 1,017 6,443 258 - 7,718

TTOTAL ASSETS 2,341 12,331 1,187 22,951 38,810

CCurrent liabilitiesPayables 788 6,132 2,845 38 9,803 Provisions 1,242 2,650 711 - 4,603 Other 139 387 52 - 578 TTotal current liabilities 2,169 9,169 3,608 38 14,984

NNon-current liabilities Provisions 80 49 43 - 172 Other 139 387 52 - 578 TTotal non-current liabilities 219 436 95 - 750

TTOTAL LIABILITIES 2,388 9,605 3,703 38 15,734

- NNET ASSETS (47) 2,726 (2,516) 22,913 23,076

* The names and purposes of each service group are summarised in Note 21.Expenses and income, except for investment revenue have been allocated on an actual basis . Assets and liabilities have been allocated on an actual basis or by staffing numbers except for cash which is not attributable.

SSupplementary Financial StatementsSService group statements for the period 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2014

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BOARD OF STUDIES, TEACHING AND EDUCATIONAL STANDARDSNotes to the financial statements for the period 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2014

1 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

(a) Reporting entity

The Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards ('BOSTES') was created by the Board ofStudies, Teaching and Educational Standards Bill 2013.The entity commenced operation on 1 January 2014. On the same date, the Board of Studies and its controlledentity ('OBOS') and the NSW Institute of Teachers ('NSWIT') and its controlled entity were dissolved. Their assets,rights and liabilities were transferred to the entity. See Note 15 for details of this transfer.

and it has no cash-generating units. The reporting entity is consolidated as part of the NSW Total State Sector Accounts.

BOSTES as a reporting entity comprises all the entities under its control, namely the Board of Studies, Teachingand Educational Standards Staff Agency ('BOSTES Staff Agency').

All the operating activities of the entity are under the control of BOSTES which includes supporting the servicesrequired by the Australian Music Examinations Board and the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group. The BOSTES Staff Agency provides personnel services to BOSTES. In the process of preparing the consolidated financial statements for the economic entity, consisting of the controlling and controlled entities, all inter-entity transactions and balances have been eliminated.

These consolidated financial statements for the period 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2014 have been authorisedfor issue by the President on 19 September 2014.

(b) Basis of preparation

The entity's financial statements are general purpose financial statements which have been prepared inaccordance with: - applicable Australian Accounting Standards (which include Australian Accounting Interpretations) - the requirements of the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983 and Regulation and - the Financial Reporting Directions published in the Financial Code for NSW General Government Sector Entities or issued by the Treasurer.

The current reporting period is less than 12 months: from 1 January to 30 June 2014.

Plant and equipment and leasehold improvements are measured at fair value. Other financial statementitems are prepared in accordance with the historical cost convention.

Judgements, key assumptions and estimations management has made are disclosed in the relevant notes to the financial statements.

All amounts are rounded to the nearest one thousand dollars and are expressed in Australian currency.

(c) Statement of compliance

The financial statements and notes comply with Australian Accounting Standards, which includeAustralian Accounting Interpretations.

(d) Administered activities

The entity has no administered activities.

BOSTES is a NSW government entity. BOSTES is a not-for-profit entity (as profit is not its principal objective)

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(e) Insurance

The entity's insurance activities are conducted through the NSW Treasury Managed Fund Scheme of selfinsurance for Government entities. The expense (premium) is determined by the Fund Manager basedon past claim experience.

(f) Accounting for the Goods and Services Tax (GST)

Income, expenses and assets are recognised net of the amount of GST, except that the: - amount of GST incurred by the entity as a purchaser that is not recoverable from the Australian Taxation Office is recognised as part of the cost of acquisition of an asset or as part of an item of expense and - receivables and payables are stated with the amount of GST included.

Cash flows are included in the statement of cash flows on a gross basis. However, the GST componentsof cash flows arising from investing and financing activities which are recoverable from, or payable to, theAustralian Taxation Office are classified as operating cash flows.

(g) Income recognition

Income is measured at the fair value of the consideration or contribution received or receivable. Additional comments regarding the accounting policies for the recognition of income are discussed below.

(i) Grants and contributions

Grants and contributions are generally recognised as income when the entity obtains control over the assets comprising the grants / contributions. Control over grants and contributions is normally obtained upon the receipt of cash.

The entity receives its funding via grants from the Department of Education and Communities.

(ii) Sale of goods and services

Revenue from the sale of goods is recognised as revenue when the entity transfers the significant risksand rewards of ownership of the assets.Only those fees that are attributable to the current financial year are recognised as income. Fees that relate to future periods are shown in the Statement of financial position as current liabilities. (iii) Rendering of services

Revenue is recognised when the service is provided or by reference to the stage of completion (basedon labour hours incurred to date).

(iv) Investment revenue

Interest revenue is recognised using the effective interest method as set out in AASB 139 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement.

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(h) Assets

(i) Acquisitions of assetsThe cost method of accounting is used for the initial recording of all acquisitions of assets controlled bythe entity. Cost is the amount of cash or cash equivalents paid or the fair value of the other considerationgiven to acquire the asset at the time of its acquisition or construction or, where applicable, the amount attributed to that asset when initially recognised in accordance with the requirements of other Australian Accounting Standards.

Assets acquired at no cost, or for nominal consideration, are initially recognised at their fair value at the date of acquisition (see also assets transferred as a result of an equity transfer - Note 1(l)).

Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset in an orderly transaction between marketparticipants at measurement date.

Where payment for an asset is deferred beyond normal credit terms, its cost is the cash price equivalent; i.e. the deferred payment amount is effectively discounted at an asset-specific rate.

(ii) Capitalisation thresholdsProperty, plant and equipment and intangible assets costing $5,000 and above individually (or forming part of a network costing more than $5,000) are capitalised.

(iii) Revaluation of property, plant and equipmentPhysical non-current assets are valued in accordance with the "Valuation of Physical Non-Current Assets at Fair Value" Policy and Guidelines Paper (TPP 14-01). This policy adopts fair value in accordance with AASB 13 Fair Value Measurement, AASB 116 Property, Plant and Equipment.

Property, plant and equipment is measured at the highest and best use by market participants that is physicallypossible, legally permissible and financially feasible. The highest and best use must be available at a period that is not remote and take into account the characteristics of the asset being measured, including any socio-political restrictions imposed by government. In most cases, after taking into account these considerations, the highest and best use is the existing use. In limited circumstances, the highest and best use may be a feasible alternative use, wherethere are no restrictions on use or where there is a feasible higher restricted alternative use.

Fair value of property, plant and equipment is determined based on a market participants' perspective, using valuation techniques (market approach, cost approach, income approach) that maximise relevant observableinputs and minimise unobservable inputs. Non-specialised assets with short useful lives are measured at depreciated historical cost, as a surrogatefor fair value.

(iv) Impairment of property, plant and equipmentAs a not-for-profit entity with no cash-generating units, impairment under AASB 136 Impairment of Assets is unlikely to arise. As property, plant and equipment is carried at fair value, impairment can only arise in the rare circumstanceswhere the costs of disposal are material. Specifically, impairment is unlikely for not-for-profit entities given that AASB 136 modifies the recoverable amount test for non-cash generating assets of not-for-profit entities to the higher of fair value lesscosts of disposal and depreciated replacement cost, where depreciated replacement cost is also fair value.

(v) Depreciation of property, plant and equipmentDepreciation is provided for on a straight line basis for all depreciable assets so as to write off the depreciable amount of each asset as it is consumed over its useful life to the entity.

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All material separately identifiable components of assets are depreciated over their useful lives.Useful lives of each major category of depreciable assets are:

Plant and Equipment Computer hardware 3 - 4 years Office furniture 10-15 years Office equipment 3 - 5 years Plant and machinery 10 years Motor vehicles 7 years

Leasehold Improvements Unexpired period of the lease

(vi) Restoration costsThe estimated cost of dismantling and removing an asset and restoring the site is included in the cost of an asset, to the extent it is recognised as a liability.

(vii) MaintenanceDay-to-day servicing costs or maintenance are charged as expenses as incurred, except where they relateto the replacement of a part or component of an asset, in which case the costs are capitalised and depreciated.

(viii) Leased assetsOperating lease payments are charged to the statement of comprehensive income in the periods in whichthey are incurred. The entity has no finance leases.

(ix) Intangible assetsThe entity recognises intangible assets only if it is probable that future economic benefits will flow to the entity and the cost of the asset can be measured reliably. Intangible assets are measured initially at cost. Where an asset is acquired at no or nominal cost, the cost is its fair value as at the date of acquisition.

All research costs are expensed. Development costs are only capitalised when certain criteria are met.

The useful lives of intangible assets are assessed to be finite.

Intangible assets are subsequently measured at fair value only if there is an active market. As there is no active market for the entity’s intangible assets, the assets are carried at cost less any accumulated amortisation.

The entity’s intangible assets are amortised using the straight line method over a period of 3-10 years for software intangibles.

Intangible assets are tested for impairment where an indicator of impairment exists. If the recoverableamount is less than its carrying amount, the carrying amount is reduced to recoverable amount andthe reduction is recognised as an impairment loss.

(x) ReceivablesReceivables are non-derivative financial assets with fixed or determinable payments that are not quotedin an active market.Receivables are recognised initially at fair value, usually based on the transaction cost or face value. Subsequent measurement is at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method less an allowancefor any impairment of receivables. Any changes are recognised in the net result for the year when impaired,derecognised or through the amortisation process.Short-term receivables with no stated interest rate are measured at the original invoice amount where the effect of discounting is immaterial.

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An allowance for impairment of receivables is established when there is objective evidence thatthe entity will not be able to collect all amounts due. The amount of the allowance is the differencebetween the asset’s carrying amount and the present value of estimated future cash flows, discountedat the effective interest rate. Bad debts are written off as incurred.

(xi) Inventories

Inventories held for distribution are stated at cost, adjusted when applicable, for any loss of servicepotential. A loss of service potential is identified and measured based on the existence of a currentreplacement cost that is lower than the carrying amount. Inventories (other than those held fordistribution) are stated at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Cost is calculated using theweighted average cost or "first in first out" method.

The cost of inventories acquired at no cost or for nominal consideration is the current replacement cost as at the date of acquisition. Current replacement cost is the cost the entity would incur to acquirethe asset. Net realisable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of businessless the estimated costs of completion and the estimated costs necessary to make the sale.

(xii) Impairment of financial assetsAll financial assets, except those measured at fair value through profit and loss, are subject to an annualreview for impairment. An allowance for impairment is established when there is objective evidencethat the entity will not be able to collect all amounts due.

(xiii) Derecognition of financial assets and financial liabilitiesA financial asset is derecognised when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the financial assets expire; or if the entity transfers the financial asset: - where substantially all the risks and rewards have been transferred or - where the entity has not transferred substantially all the risks and rewards, if the entity has not retained control.Where the entity has neither transferred nor retained substantially all the risks and rewards or transferred control, the asset is recognised to the extent of the entity’s continuing involvement in the asset.A financial liability is derecognised when the obligation specified in the contract is discharged or cancelled or expires.

(i) Liabilities

(i) PayablesThese amounts represent liabilities for goods and services provided to the entity and other amounts, including interest. Payables are recognised initially at fair value, usually based on the transaction cost or face value. Subsequent measurement is at amortised cost using the effective interest method. Short-term payables with no stated interest rate are measured at the original invoice amount where the effect of discounting is immaterial.

(ii) Employee benefits and other provisions(a) Salaries and wages, annual leave, sick leave and on-costs

Liabilities for salaries and wages (including non-monetary benefits), and paid sick leave that aredue to be settled within 12 months after the end of the period in which the employees render the service are recognised and measured in respect of employees' services up to the reporting dateat undiscounted amounts based on the amounts expected to be paid when the liabilities are settled.

period in which the employees render the related service. As such, it is required to be measured at presentvalue in accordance with AASB 119 Employee Benefits (although short-cut methods are permitted).Actuarial advice obtained by Treasury has confirmed that the use of a nominal approach plus the annual leave on annual leave liability (using 7.9% of the nominal value of annual leave) can be used to approximate the present value of the annual leave liability. The entity has assessed the actuarial advice based on theentity's circumstances and has determined that the effect of discounting is immaterial to annual leave.

Annual leave is not expected to be settled wholly before twelve months after the end of the annual reporting

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Unused non-vesting sick leave does not give rise to a liability as it is not considered probable thatsick leave taken in the future will be greater than the benefits accrued in the future.

The outstanding amounts of payroll tax, workers’ compensation insurance premiums and fringebenefits tax, which are consequential to employment, are recognised as liabilities and expenses whereemployee benefits to which they relate have been recognised.

(b) Long service leave and superannuation

The entity's liabilities for long service leave and defined benefit superannuation are assumed by the Crown Entity. The entity accounts for the liability as having been extinguished, resulting in the amount assumed being shown as part of the non-monetary revenue item described as "Acceptance by the CrownEntity of employee benefits and other liabilities".

Long service leave is measured at present value in accordance with AASB 119 Employee Benefits. This is based on the application of certain factors (specified in NSWTC 14/04) to employees with five or more years of service, using current rates of pay. These factors were determined based on an actuarial review to approximate present value.

The superannuation expense for the financial year is determined by using the formulae specified in theTreasurer's Directions. The expense for certain superannuation schemes (i.e. Basic Benefit and First StateSuper) is calculated as a percentage of the employees' salary. For other superannuation schemes (i.e. State Superannuation Scheme and State Authorities Superannuation Scheme), the expense is calculated as a multiple of the employees' superannuation contributions.

(iii) Other Provisions

Other provisions exist when: the entity has a present legal or constructive obligation as a result of a pastevent; it is probable that an outflow of resources will be required to settle the obligation; and a reliable estimate can be made of the amount of the obligation.If the effect of the time value of money is material, provisions are discounted at 3.25%, which is apre-tax rate that reflects the current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specificto the liability.

(j) Equity and reserves

(i) Accumulated FundsThe category "Accumulated Funds" includes all current and prior period retained funds.

(k) Equity TransfersThe transfer of net assets between entities as a result of an administrative restructure are designatedor required by Australian Accounting Standards to be treated as contributions by owners and recognised as an adjustment to 'Accumulated Funds'. This treatment is consistent with AASB 1004 Contributions and Australian Interpretation 1038 Contributions by Owners Made to Wholly-OwnedPublic Sector Entities.

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Equity transfers are recognised at fair value, except for intangibles. Where an intangible has been recognised at (amortised) cost by the transferor because there is no active market, the entity recognisesthe asset at the transferor's carrying amount. Where the transferor is prohibited from recognising internally generated intangibles, the entity does not recognise that asset.

(l) Comparative information

The current reporting period is less than twelve months (1 January to 30 June 2014). As this is the firstfinancial report for BOSTES there are no comparative amounts.

(m) New Australian Accounting Standards issued but not effective

(i) Effective for the first time in 2013-14

The accounting policies applied in 2013-14 are consistent with those of the previous financial year exceptas a result of the following new or revised Australian Accounting Standards that have been applied for the first time in 2013-14.

AASB 13 Fair Value MeasurementAASB 119 Employee Benefits

(ii) Issued but not yet effective

NSW public sector entities are not permitted to early adopt new Australian Accounting Standards, unlessTreasury determines otherwise.

The following new Australian Accounting Standards have not been applied and are not yet effective:

AASB 9 Financial Instruments (application date 1 July 2017);AASB 1055 Budgetary Reporting (application date 1 July 2014);AASB 2010-7 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards arising from AASB 9(application date 1 July 2017);AASB 2012-3 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards - Offsetting Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities [AASB 132] (application date 1 July 2014);AASB 2012-6 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards - Mandatory Effective Date of AASB 9 and Transitional Disclosures (application date 1 July 2017);AASB 2013-3 Amendments to AASB 136 - Recoverable Amount Disclosures for Non-Financial Assets (application date 1 July 2014)AASB 2013-5 - Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards - Investment Entities ( application date 1 July 2014)AASB 2013-8 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards - Australian Implementation Guidance for Not-for-Profit Entities - Control and Structured Entities [AASB 10, AASB 12 & AASB 1049] (application date 1 July 2014)AASB 2013-9 - Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards - Conceptual Framework, Materiality and FinancialInstruments (application date 1 July 2014)AASB 1031 - Materiality (application date 1 July 2014).

Management cannot assess the impact of the applications of the new standards on the entity's financial statements.

2 Budget Review

No budgets were published covering the newly created entity. Therefore no budget versus actual comparisonsor variances are able to be quantified.

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3 Expenses Excluding Losses Economic ParentEntity Entity2014 2014$'000 $'000

(a) Employee related expenses

Salaries and wages (including recreation leave) 16,681 - Superannuation - defined benefit plans 519 - Superannuation - defined contribution plans 1,026 - Long service leave 1,707 - Workers' compensation insurance 159 - Payroll tax and fringe benefit tax 1,077 -

21,169 -

(b) Personnel services

Personnel services - 19,141- 19,141

(c) Other operating expenses include the following:

Auditor's remuneration - audit of the financial statements 60 60

Computing expenses 1,138 1,138 Couriers 4 4 Fees for services 639 639 Furniture and equipment 255 255 Insurance 34 34 Legal fees 32 32 Maintenance 503 * 503 * Marking centre rental 180 180 Motor vehicles 151 151 Operating lease rental expense - minimum lease payments 2,026 2,026

Other contractors 8,512 8,512 Other expenses 773 773 Postage 263 263 Printing and publishing 658 658 Security 239 239 Staff development 82 82 Stationery and consumables 148 148 Telephones 143 143 Travel and accommodation 451 451

16,291 16,291

* Refer to Reconciliation - Total maintenance

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Economic ParentEntity Entity2014 2014$'000 $'000

* Reconciliation - Total maintenanceMaintenance expense - contracted labour and other(non-employee related), as above 503 503Employee related maintenance expense included in Note 3(a) - - Total maintenance expenses included in Note 3(a) +3(b) 503 503

(d) Depreciation and amortisation expense

Depreciation Leasehold improvements 304 304 Plant and equipment 829 829

1,133 1,133

Amortisation Software intangibles 278 278

278 278

Total depreciation and amortisation expense 1,411 1,411

(e) Finance costs

Unwinding of discount rate 2 22 2

Notes to the financial statements for the period 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2014

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4. Revenue Economic ParentEntity Entity2014 2014$'000 $'000

(a) Sale of goods: Publication and copyright fees 767 767 Rendering of services: Higher School Certificate user charges 167 167 NAPLAN user charges 4,123 4,123 Australian Music Examinations Board fees 853 853 Information & Comm. Technology fees 290 290 Exhibition fees 545 545 Accreditation fees 2,812 2,812 Other 10 10

9,567 9,567

(b) Investment revenue Interest 335 335

(c) Grants and contributions Aboriginal education 131 131

Vocational education and training 172 172 Department of Education and Communities 26,785 * 26,785 * Road Safety Education 379 379 Other 2 2 * Refer to Note 1(g) 27,469 27,469

(d) Acceptance by the Crown Entity of employee benefits and other liabilities Superannuation - defined benefit 422 - Long service leave 1,586 - Payroll tax 20 -

2,028 -

(e) Other revenue Project Services 558 558 Other 79 79

637 637

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5. Gain / (Loss) on Disposal Economic ParentEntity Entity2014 2014$'000 $'000

Gain / (loss) on disposal of plant and equipment: Proceeds from disposal - - Written down value of assets disposed (4) (4)

Net gain / (loss) on disposal of plant and equipment (4) (4)

6. Current Assets - Cash and Cash Equivalents Economic ParentEntity Entity2014 2014$'000 $'000

Cash at bank and on hand 13,421 13,421 13,421 13,421

For the purposes of the statement of cash flows, cash and cash equivalents include cashat bank and cash on hand.

Cash and cash equivalent assets recognised in the statement of financial position arereconciled at the end of the financial year to the statement of cash flows as follows: Cash and cash equivalent (per statement offinancial position) 13,421 13,421

Closing cash and cash equivalents(per statement of cash flows) 13,421 13,421

Refer to Note 20 for details regarding credit risk, liquidity risk and market risk arising fromfinancial instruments.

7. Current / Non-Current Assets - Receivables Economic ParentEntity Entity2014 2014$'000 $'000

Sale of goods and services 3 3 Accreditation Fees receivable 1,858 1,858 Less: Allowance for impairment of debts (1,260) (1,260) Sundry government debtors 865 865 NSW Treasury long service leave receivable 31 31

3,939 3,939 Other debtors 364 364 Prepayments - Current 826 783 Prepayments - Non-Current 176 176

6,802 6,759

Accrued NAPLAN fees

Page 18


Movement in the allowance for impairmentBalance at 1 January 2014 1,088 1,088 Amounts written off during the year (189) (189)Amounts recovered during the yearIncrease / (decrease) in allowance recognised in profit or loss 361 361 Balance at 30 June 2014 1,260 1,260

Details regarding credit risk, liquidity risk and market risk, including financial assetsthat are either past due or impaired, are disclosed in Note 20.

8. Current Assets - Inventories Economic ParentEntity Entity2014 2014$'000 $'000

Held for distribution Publications stock - at cost 1019 1019

1,019 1,019 Held for resale

Publications stock - at cost 776 776776 776

1,795 1,795

A provision for obsolescence of $0.125m is included in the above amounts.

9. Current Assets - Other financial assets Economic ParentEntity Entity2014 2014$'000 $'000

Bank Term Deposit 9,250 9,250 9,250 9,250

Refer to Note 20 for further information regarding fair value measurement, credit risk, liquidity risk and market risk arising from financial instruments. Bank Term Deposits form part of the BOSTES Fund and restrictions apply. See Note 22 for detail.

Page 19


10. Non-Current Assets - Property, Plant and Equipment

Leasehold Plant and

Improvements Equipment Totall $'000 $'000 $'000

At 1 January 2014 - fair valueGross carrying amount 6,522 11,536 18,058Accumulated depreciation andimpairment (4,718) (8,786) (13,504)Net carrying amount 1,804 2,750 4,554

At 30 June 2014 - fair valueGross carrying amount 6,598 11,407 18,005Accumulated depreciation andimpairment (5,023) (9,034) (14,057)Net carrying amount 1,575 2,373 3,948

ReconciliationA reconciliation of the carrying amount of each class of property, plant and equipment at the beginning and end of the current reporting period is set out below:

Period ended 30 June 2014Net carrying amount at start of periodAcquisition through administrative restructure 15(b) 1,804 2,750 4,554Additions 75 457 532Work In Progress - - - Disposals - (5) (5)Depreciation expense (304) (829) (1,133)Net carrying amount at end of period 1,575 2,373 3,948

Page 20


11. Intangible AssetsSoftware Total

$'000 $'000At 1 January 2014Cost (gross carrying amount) 10,568 10,568Accumulated amortisation and impairment (7,950) (7,950)Net carrying amount 2,618 2,618

At 30 June 2014Cost (gross carrying amount) 11,822 11,822Accumulated amortisation and impairment (8,228) (8,228)Net carrying amount 3,594 3,594

Period ended 30 June 2014Net carrying amount at start of periodAcquisition through administrative restructure 15(b) 2,618 2,618Additions 1,254 1,254Amortisation (recognised in "depreciation and amortisation") (278) (278)Net carrying amount at end of period 3,594 3,594

Page 21


12. Current Liabilities - Payables Economic ParentEntity Entity2014 2014$'000 $'000

Accrued salaries, wages and on-costs 1,136 - Creditors 4,252 4,252 Relief staff costs 103 103 Unearned revenue 4,274 4,274 Personnel Services - 1,093 Other 38 38

9,803 9,760

Details regarding credit risk, liquidity risk and market risk, including a maturity analysisof the above payables are disclosed in Note 20.

13. Current / Non-Current Liabilities - Provisions Economic ParentEntity Entity2014 2014$'000 $'000

EEmployee benefits and related on-costs Recreation leave 3,222 - Long service leave on-costs 845 - Payroll tax on LSL payable 608 - 4,675 -

OOther Provisions Personnel Services - 4,675 Restoration costs 100 100

100 4,775

Total Provisions 4,775 4,775

Aggregate eemployee benefits and related on-costs Provisions - current 4,603 - Provisions - non current 72 - Accrued salaries, wages and on-costs (Note 12) 1,136 -

5,811 -

The total for recreation leave above includes $1.470m expected to be settled after more than twelve months.

Movements in provisions (other than employee benefits) Movements in each class of provisions during the period 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2014, other than employee benefits are set out below:

RestorationCosts

2014 $'000 Carrying amount at the beginning of the period 100 Reversal of provision - Carrying amount at end of the period 100

Page 22


14. Current / Non-Current Liabilities - Other Economic ParentEntity Entity2014 2014$'000 $'000

Property Lease Incentive Liability - Current 578 578 Property Lease Incentive Liability - Non-Current 578 578

1,156 1,156

Page 23


15. Increase / Decrease in Net Assets from Equity Transfers

Administrative restructure

The entity commenced operation on 1 January 2014. On the same date, the Board of Studies and its controlledentity collectively ('OBOS') and the NSW Institute of Teachers ('NSWIT') and its controlled entity were dissolved. Their assets, rights and liabilities were transferred to the entity.

a. Statement of Comprehensive Income

Notes NNSWIT OBOS TOTALEntity Entity 2014 2014 2014$'000 $'000 $'000


Operating expenses Employee related 2,544 65,338 67,882 Other operating expenses 1,030 19,448 20,478 Depreciation and amortisation 71 1,353 1,424 Finance costs 2 - 2

TOTAL EXPENSES EXCLUDING LOSSES 3,647 86,139 89,786

Revenue

Sale of goods and services 2,559 5,920 8,479 Investment revenue - 109 109 Grants and contributions 2,865 80,208 83,073 Acceptance by the Crown Entity of employee benefits and other liabilities - 1,143 1,143 Other revenue 245 1,132 1,377

Total Revenue 5,669 88,512 94,181

Gain / (loss) on disposal (1) - (1) Other gains / (losses) (242) - (242)

Net result 1,779 2,373 4,152

Other comprehensive income 1,284 - 1,284

Total other comprehensive income - - -

TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE INCOME 3,063 2,373 5,436

Page 24


b. Assets and liabilities transferredNSWIT OBOS TOTAL

EEntity Entity 2014 2014 2014$'000 $'000 $'000

ASSETS

Current AssetsCash and cash equivalents 3,771 10,461 14,232Receivables 848 1,898 2,746Inventories - 1,925 1,925Other financial assets 9,164 - 9,164

Total Current Assets 13,783 14,284 28,067

Non-Current Assets Receivables - 176 176Property, plant and equipment - Leasehold Improvements 63 1,741 1,804- Plant and equipment 146 2,604 2,750Total property, plant and equipment 209 4,345 4,554Intangible assets 46 2,572 2,618

Total Non-Current Assets 255 7,093 7,348

Total Assets 14,038 21,377 35,415

LIABILITIES

Current Liabilities Payables 239 6,233 6,472Accreditation fees in advance 944 - 944Deferred income 70 - 70Provisions 482 3,892 4,374Other - 616 616 Total Current Liabilities 1,735 10,741 12,476

Non-Current Liabilities Provisions 98 58 156Other - 866 866

Total Non-Current Liabilities 98 924 1,022

Total Liabilities 1,833 11,665 13,498

Net Assets Transferred 12,205 9,712 21,917

Page 25


16. Commitments for Expenditure Economic ParentEntity Entity2014 2014$'000 $'000

(a) Operating Lease Commitments

Future non-cancellable operating lease rentals not provided for and payable: Not later than one year 6,983 6,983 Later than one year and not later than five years 7,223 7,223 Later than five years. - - Total (including GST) 14,206 14,206

Operating lease commitments relate to office accommodation and motor vehicles.

The total "Operating Lease Commitments" above includes input tax credits of $1.291m that are expected to be recoverable from the Australian Taxation Office.

(b) Capital Commitments

Aggregate capital expenditure for the acquisition of goods and services contracted for at balance dateand not provided for:

Not later than one year - - Total (including GST) - -

17. Contingent Liabilities

Management expects to offer voluntary redundancies over the coming twelve months as part of its restructure.The estimated value of this program is $1.545m.The entity is unaware of any other contingent liabilities existing as at 30 June 2014.

18. Reconciliation of Cash Flows from Operating Activities to Net Result Economic Parent

Entity Entity2014 2014$'000 $'000

Net cash used on operating activities 943 943 Depreciation and amortisation (1,411) (1,411) Decrease / (increase) in provisions 45 45

Increase / (decrease) in receivables 3,733 3,733 Decrease / (increase) in creditors (2,017) (2,017)

Increase / (decrease) in inventories (130) (130) Net gain / (loss) on sale of plant & equipment (4) (4)

Net Result 1,159 1,159

19. Non-cash Financing and Investing Activities Economic ParentEntity Entity2014 2014

$'000 $'000

Liabilities and expenses assumed by the Crown Entity 2,028 -2,028 -

Page 26


20. Financial Instruments

The principal financial instruments of the economic and parent entity are outlined below. These financialinstruments arise directly from the operations of the economic and parent entity or are required to financethe operations of the economic and parent entity. The economic and parent entity do not enter into or tradefinancial instruments, including derivative financial instruments, for speculative purposes.

The main risks of the economic and parent entity arising from financial instruments are outlined below, together with the objectives, policies and processes for measuring and managing risk of the economic andparent entity. Further quantitative and qualitative disclosures are included throughout these financial statements.

The Audit and Risk Committee (the Committee) has overall responsibility for the oversight of risk management and reviews and agrees policies for managing each of these risks. Risk managementpolicies are established to identify and analyse the risks faced by the economic and parent entity, to set risk limits and controls and to monitor risks. Compliance with policies is reviewed by the Committee and internal auditors on a continuous basis.

(a) Financial instrument categories

Financial Assets Note Category Carrying Carrying Amount Amount EEconomic Parentt

Entity Entity2014 2014

$$'000 $'0000 Cash and cash equivalents 6 N/A 13,421 13,421Receivables * 7 Loan and

Receivable at amortised cost 5,472 5,472

Other financial assets 9 9,250 9,250

* Excludes statutory receivables and prepayments (ie not within the scope of AASB 7).

Financial Liabilities Note Category Carrying Carrying Amount Amount EEconomic Parentt

Entity Entity2014 2014

$$'000 $'0000 Payables * 12

Financial Liabilities measured at amortised cost 5,269 5,269

* Excludes statutory payables and unearned revenue (ie not within the scope of AASB 7)

(b) Credit RiskCredit risk arises when there is the possibility of the debtors of the economic and parent entity defaulting on their contractual obligations, resulting in a financial loss to the economic and parent entity. The maximum exposure to credit risk is generally represented by the carrying amount of the financial assets (net of any allowance for impairment).

Credit risk arises from the financial assets of the economic and parent entity, including cash, receivables, and authority deposits. No collateral is held by the consolidated economic and parent entities. The economic and parent entities have not granted any financial guarantees.

Page 27


Credit risk associated with the financial assets, other than receivables of the economic and parent entities, is managed through the selection of counterparties and establishment of minimum credit rating standards. Authority deposits heldwith NSW TCorp are guaranteed by the State.

CashCash comprises cash on hand and bank balances within the NSW Treasury Banking System. Interest is earned on daily bank balances at the monthly average NSW Treasury Corporation (TCorp) 11am unofficial cash rate, adjusted for a management fee to NSW Treasury and/or at a commercial rate determined by the bank. The TCorp hour-glass cash facility is discussed in paragraph (d) below.

Term depositsThe economic and parent entities have placed funds on a fixed term deposit basis with various major Australianbanks, and these short term deposits have been rated 'A1+' by Standard and Poor's. The interest rate payableby the banks is negotiated initially and is fixed for the term of the deposit. The deposits at balance date wereearning an average weighted rate of 3.795%. None of these assets are past due or impaired.

Receivables - fees receivableAccreditation fees receivable are recognised as amounts receivable at balance date. Collectability of fees receivable is reviewed on an ongoing basis. Debts which are known to be uncollectible are written off.An allowance for impairment is raised when there is objective evidence that the economic and parent entitieswill not be able to collect amounts due. This evidence includes past experience and current expected changesto the accreditation process that generates the collection of fees. Accreditation fees are usually billed on30-day terms.

The economic and parent entities are exposed to a concentration of credit risk to a major group of debtorsdue to the legislative restrictions limiting the economic and parent entity to billing accreditation fees fromNew Scheme Teachers and voluntary accreditation fees from practising teachers in NSW. This exposure is deemed to be material.

The debtors of the economic and parent entities represent a large number of individual teachers whose particular credit ratings will vary and are unknown to the economic and parent entities.

Past due but 1,2 Considered 1,2

Total 1,2 not impaired impaired$'000 $'000 $'000

2014Economic Entity < 3 months overdue 56 56 - 3 months - 6 months overdue 78 29 49 > 6 months overdue 1,850 692 1,158

2014Parent Entity < 3 months overdue 56 56 - 3 months - 6 months overdue 78 29 49 > 6 months overdue 1,850 692 1,158

Notes:1. Each column in the table reports 'gross receivables'.2. The ageing analysis excludes statutory receivables, as these are not within the scope of AASB7 and excludes receivables that are not past due and not impaired. Therefore, the "total" will not reconcile to the receivables total recognised in the statement of financialposition.

Page 28


Receivables - trade debtorsAll trade debtors are recognised as amounts receivable at balance date. Collectability of trade debtors is reviewed on an ongoing basis. Procedures as established in the Treasurer's Directions are followed to recover outstanding amounts, including letters of demand. Debts which are known to be uncollectible arewritten off. An allowance for impairment is raised when there is objective evidence that the entity will not be able to collect all amounts due. This evidence includes past experience, and current and expected changes in economic conditions and debtor credit ratings. No interest is earned on trade debtors. Sales are made on 30-day terms.

The economic and parent entities are not materially exposed to concentrations of credit risk to a single trade debtor or group of debtors. Based on past experience, debtors that are not past due ($543,117) and less than 6 months past due ($58,868) are not considered impaired. Together these represent 100% of the total trade debtors. There are no debtors which are currently not past due or impaired whose terms have been renegotiated.

The only financial assets that are past due or impaired are 'sales of goods and services' in the 'receivables'category of the statement of financial position.

Past due but 1,2 Considered 1,2

Total 1,2 not impaired impaired$'000 $'000 $'000

2014Economic Entity < 3 months overdue 59 59 - 3 months - 6 months overdue - - - > 6 months overdue - - -

2014Parent Entity < 3 months overdue 59 59 - 3 months - 6 months overdue - - - > 6 months overdue - - -

Notes:1. Each column in the table reports 'gross receivables'.2. The ageing analysis excludes statutory receivables, as these are not within the scope of AASB7 and excludes receivables that are not past due and not impaired. Therefore, the "total" will not reconcile to the receivables total recognised in the statement of financialposition.

(c) Liquidity riskLiquidity risk is the risk that the economic and parent entities will be unable to meet its payment obligations when they fall due. The economic and parent entities continuously manages risk through monitoring future cash flows and maturities planning to ensure adequate holding of high quality liquid assets. The objective is to maintaina balance between continuity of funding and flexibility through the use of overdrafts, loans and other advances.Liquidity risk is assessed as low.

During the current year there were no defaults on payment obligations. No loans have been made and no assets have been pledged as collateral. The economic and parent entities' exposure to liquidity risk is deemed insignificant based on current assessment of risk. The liabilities are recognised for amounts due to be paid in the future for goods or services received, whetheror not invoiced. Amounts owing to suppliers (which are unsecured) are settled in accordance with the policyset out in NSW TC 11/12. For small business suppliers, where terms are not specified, payment is made no laterthan 30 days from the date of receipt of a correctly rendered invoice. For other suppliers, if trade terms arenot specified, payment is made no later than the end of the month following the month in which an invoice or a statement is received. For small business suppliers, where payment is not made within the specified timeperiod, simple interest must be paid automatically unless an existing contract specifies otherwise. Forpayments to other suppliers, the Chief Executive may automatically pay the supplier simple interest.During the year no penalty interest payments were made.

Page 29


(d) Market riskMarket risk is the risk that the fair value of future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because ofchanges in market prices. The exposure of the economic and parent entities to market risk is primarily throughprice risks associated with the movement in the unit price of the TCorp Hour Glass facilities. The economic andparent entities have no exposure to foreign currency risk and do not enter into commodity contracts.

Interest rate riskThe economic and parent entities have minimal exposure to interest rate risk from its holdings in interest bearingfinancial assets. The economic and parent entities do not account for any fixed rate financial instruments at fair value through profit or loss or as available-for-sale. Therefore, for these financial instruments, a change in interest rates would not affect profit or loss or equity. A reasonably possible change of +/- 1% is used, consistent with trends in interest rates. The basis will be reviewed annually and amended where there is a structural change in the level of interest rate volatility. The exposure to interest rate risk of the economic and parent entities is set out below.

$'000 Carrying -1% 1%

Amount Profit Equity Profit Equity2014 Financial assets Cash and cash equivalents 13,421 (134) - 134 - Receivables 5,472 (55) - 55 - Other financial assets 9,250 (93) - 93 - Financial liabilities Payables 5,269 53 - (53) -

Other price risk - TCorp Hour Glass FacilitiesExposure to 'other price risk' primarily arises through investment in the TCorp Hour Glass Investment facilities,which are held for strategic rather than trading purposes. The economic and parent entities hold units in HourGlass investment trusts:

Facility Investment Sectors

Cash FacilityCash, money market instruments

Strategic cash facility

Cash, money market and other interest rate instruments

The unit price of each facility is equal to the total fair value of net assets held by the facility divided by the totalnumber of units on issue for that facility. Unit prices are calculated and published daily.

NSW TCorp is trustee for each of the above facilities and is required to act in the best interest of the unit holdersand to administer the trust in accordance with the trust deeds. As trustee, TCorp has appointed external managers to manage the performance and risk of each facility in accordance with a mandate agreed by the parties. However,TCorp acts as manager for part of the Cash and Strategic Cash facilities. A significant portion of the administrationof the facilities is outsourced to an external custodian.

Investment in the Hour Glass facilities limits the exposure to risk of the economic and parent entities, as it allowsdiversification across a pool of funds, with different investment horizons and a mix of investments.

4491.5 years to 3 years

Up to 1.5 years

Investment Horizon

449

Economic Entity ($000)

Parent Entity ($000)

1,395 1,395

Page 30


NSW TCorp provides sensitivity analysis information for each of the Investment facilities, using historically basedvolatility information collected over a ten-year period, quoted at two standard deviations (ie 95% probability).The TCorp Hour Glass Investment facilities are designated at fair value through profit or loss and therefore anychange in unit price impacts directly on profit (rather than equity). A reasonably possible change is based onthe percentage change in unit price (as advised by TCorp) multiplied by the redemption value as at balancedate each year for each facility (balance from Hour Glass Statement).

Change in unit priceHour Glass Investment - Cash Facility +/- 1%Hour Glass Investment - Strategic Cash Facility +/- 1%

(e) Fair value compared to carrying amountFinancial instruments are generally recognised at cost, with the exception of TCorp Hour Glass facilities, whichare measured at fair value. The value of the Hour Glass Investments is based on the economic and parententities' share of the value of the underlying assets of the facility, based on the market value. All of the Hour Glass facilities are valued using 'redemption' pricing.

The amortised cost of financial instruments recognised in the statement of financial position approximates the fairvalue, because of the short-term nature of many of the financial instruments.

(f) Fair value recognised in the statement of financial positionThe economic and parent entities use the following hierarchy for disclosing the fair value of financial instrumentsby valuation technique:

- Level 1 - Derived from quoted prices in active markets for identical assets / liabilities- Level 2 - Derived from inputs other than quoted prices that are observable directly or indirectly- Level 3 - Derived from valuation techniques that include inputs for the asset / liability not based on observable market data (unobservable inputs)

Financial assets at fair value Level 1 $000Level 2 $000

Level 3 $000

2014 Total $000

TCorp Hour-Glass Investment Facility - 1,844 - 1,844

Impact on profit/loss

Period ended 1 January 2014 ($'000)+/- 14

+/- 4

Page 31


21. Service Groups of the Entity

Service Group 1: Curriculum and Teaching Standards Development and Support.Objectives: This service group covers providing relevant high-quality syllabuses, courses and supportmaterials that promote high standards of primary (K-6) and secondary (Years 7-12) education for a full range ofstudents and initial teacher education and accreditation standards and professional learning for teachers.

Service Group 2: Examinations, Assessments and CredentialsObjectives: This service group covers conducting School Certificate (SC) tests to 2011, Higher School Certificate (HSC) examinations, Australia Music Examinations Board (AMEB) examinations, administeringthe new Record of School Achievement from 2012 and being the test administration authority for the NationalAssessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) from 2013.

Service Group 3: Registration and AccreditationObjectives: This service group covers registering and accrediting non-government schools, registeringhome schooling, approving course providers for students from overseas, the regulation of teacheraccreditation authorities, and assessing the qualifications of teachers to meet the requirements for provisional or conditional accreditation.

22. Restricted Assets

The Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards Act 2013 ('the BOSTES Act') at Section 15established the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards Fund ('the BOSTES Fund') intowhich is to be paid teacher accreditation fees. The value of this fund at 30 June 2014 is $13.376m.

Section 15(3) of the BOSTES Act stipulates that only costs incurred by BOSTES for the accreditation ofteachers and the oversight, maintenance and development of teacher quality are to be paid from the BOSTESFund. Such costs include employee related expenses, operating expenses and other expenditure incurredby the BOSTES in relation to those functions under that Act.

All teacher fees and charges are deposited into the BOSTES fund for which a separate operating bank account is held. Interest earned from the investment of money in the BOSTES Fund is reinvested in the BOSTES Fund.

Section 15 (4) provides that BOSTES may invest the money held in the Fund, as applicable, either as authorised by the Public Authorities (Financial Arrangements) Act 1987 (PAFA Act) or in accordance with with the Trustee Act1925 (Trustee Act), or as approved by the Minister in concurrence with the Treasurer.

BOSTES is an authority listed in Schedule 2 to the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983 (PFA Act) and as such, has authority to invest as set out in Schedule 4 Part 2 of the PAFA Act. Part 1 of Schedule 4 of the PAFA Act authorises among other investments, deposits with a bank or the Treasury Corporation.

BOSTES invests money held in the Fund in the Treasury Corporation and in term deposits of up to 12 months' duration, offered by major Australian banks and rated ‘A1+’ by Standards and Poor.

The entity holds monies donated for the Brother John Taylor Memorial Trust ($37,090) and for the Mary Besley Biology Teachers award ($612). The Brother John Taylor Memorial Trust recognises a HSC student who has overcome significant disadvantage to achieve academic excellence. The Mary Besley Biology Teachers award recognises outstanding achievement in Biology. Interest earned from the investment of these assets is used to provide cash awards to the recipients.

23. Events after the Reporting Period There are no events occurring after reporting date which provide new information that relates to conditions existing at reporting date.

End of audited financial statements

Page 1

CONTENTS

Page No.

Statement of comprehensive income 2

Statement of financial position 3 Statement of changes in equity 4

Statement of cash flows 5

Notes to the financial statements

1 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies 662 Expenses Excluding Losses 993 Revenue 94 Current / Non-Current Assets - Receivables 995 Current Liabilities - Payables 996 Current / Non-Current Liabilities - Provisions 1107 Commitments for Expenditure 1108 Contingent Liabilities 1109 Reconciliation of Cash Flows from Operating Activities to Net Result 110

10 Financial Instruments 11111 Events after the Reporting Period 112

BOARD OF STUDIES, TEACHING AND EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS STAFF AGENCY

Financial Statements30 June 2014

Page 2

Notes

2014 $'000


Operating expenses Employee related 2(a) 21,169

TOTAL EXPENSES EXCLUDINGLOSSES 21,169

Revenue

Personnel Services 3(a) 19,141Acceptance by the Crown Entity of employee benefits and other liabilities 2,028

Total Revenue 21,169

Net result -

Other comprehensive income

Total other comprehensive income -

TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE INCOME -


Statement of comprehensive income for the period 1 January to 30 June 2014


Page 3

Notes

2014 $'000

ASSETS

Current AssetsReceivables 4 5,811

Total Current Assets 5,811

Non-Current AssetsReceivables -

Total Non-Current Assets -

Total Assets 5,811

LIABILITIES

Current LiabilitiesPayables 5 1,136Provisions 6 4,603 Total Current Liabilities 5,739

Non-Current LiabilitiesProvisions 6 72

Total Non-Current Liabilities 72

Total Liabilities 5,811

Net Assets -

EQUITYAccumulated funds -

Total Equity -



Statement of financial position as at 30 June 2014

Page 4

Notes AAccumulated Funds Total$'000 $'000


Net result for the period - - Other comprehensive income - -Total other comprehensive income - -Total comprehensive income forthe year - -

Transactions with owners in their capacity as ownersIncrease / (decrease) in net assets from equity transfers - - Balance at 30 June 2014 - -


Statement of changes in equity for the period 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2014


Page 5

Notes

2014 $'000

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

PaymentsEmployee related -Personnel Services -Other - Total Payments -

ReceiptsSale of goods and services -Accreditation fees -Interest received -Grants and contributions -Accreditation fees -Transfers to the Crown Entity -Other -

Total Receipts -

NET CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATINGACTIVITIES -

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIESTerm Deposits -Proceeds from sale of plant and equipment -Purchases of plant and equipment, leasehold improvements and intangibles -

-NET CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTINGACTIVITIES -

NET INCREASE / (DECREASE) IN CASH Opening cash and cash equivalents -

CLOSING CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS -



Statement of cash flows for the period 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2014

Page 6

BOARD OF STUDIES, TEACHING AND EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS STAFF AGENCYNotes to the financial statements for the period 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2014

1 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

(a) Reporting entity

The Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards ('BOSTES') was created by the Board ofStudies, Teaching and Educational Standards Bill 2013.

The entity commenced operation on 1 January 2014. On the same date, the Board of Studies and its controlledentity ('OBOS') and the NSW Institute of Teachers ('NSWIT') and its controlled entity were dissolved. Their assets,rights and liabilities were transferred to the entity.

The Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards Staff Agency ('BOSTES Staff Agency') is a separate Public Service agency listed in Part 3 of Schedule 1 of the Government Sector Employment Act 2013 (GSE Act). Under Section 21 of the GSE Act, the BOSTES Staff Agency provides personnelservices to BOSTES by employing staff to enable BOSTES to exercise its functions. The BOSTES Staff Agency is a not-for-profit (as profit is not its principal objective), with no cash-generating units.It is consolidated as part of the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards and the NSW Total State Sector Accounts. These financial statements for the period 1 January 2014 to 30 June 2014 have been authorised for issueby the President on 19 September 2014.

(b) Basis of preparation

The entity's financial statements are general purpose financial statements which have been prepared inaccordance with: - applicable Australian Accounting Standards (which include Australian Accounting Interpretations) - the requirements of the Public Finance and Audit Act 1983 and Regulation and - the Financial Reporting Directions published in the Financial Code for NSW General Government Sector Entities or issued by the Treasurer.

Financial Statement items are prepared in accordance with the historical cost convention.

Judgments, key assumptions and estimations management has made are disclosed in the relevant notes to the financial statements.

All amounts are rounded to the nearest one thousand dollars and are expressed in Australian currency.

(c) Statement of compliance

The financial statements and notes comply with Australian Accounting Standards, which includeAustralian Accounting Interpretations.

(d) Income recognition

Income is measured at the fair value of the consideration or contribution received or receivable. Revenue from the rendering of personnel services is recognised when the service is provided and only to the extent that the associated recoverable expenses are recognised.

(e) Insurance

The entity's insurance activities are conducted through the NSW Treasury Managed Fund Scheme of selfinsurance for Government entities. The expense (premium) is determined by the Fund Manager basedon past claim experience.

Page 7


(f) Receivables

Receivables are non-derivative financial assets with fixed or determinable payments that are not quotedin an active market.Receivables are recognised initially at fair value, usually based on the transaction cost or face value. Subsequent measurement is at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method, less anallowance for any impairement of receivables. Any changes are recognised in the net result for theyear when impaired, derecognised or through the amortisation process.

Short-term receivables with no stated interest rate are measured at the original invoice amount where the effect of discounting is immaterial.

(g) Payables

Payables include accrued wages, salaries and related on-costs (such as payroll tax, fringe benefitstax and workers compensation insurance) where there is certainty as to the amount and timing ofsettlement.Payables are recognised initially at fair value, usually based on the transaction cost or face value. Subsequent measurement is at amortised cost using the effective interest method. Short-term payables with no stated interest rate are measured at the original invoice amount where the effect of discounting is immaterial.

(h) Employee benefits and other provisions

(a) Salaries and wages, annual leave, sick leave and on-costs

Liabilities for salaries and wages (including non-monetary benefits), and paid sick leave thatare due to be settled within 12 months after the end of the period in which the employees render the service are recognised and measured in respect of employees' services up to the reporting date atundiscounted amounts based on the amounts expected to be paid when the liabilities are settled.

period in which the employees render the related service. As such, it is required to be measured at presentvalue in accordance with AASB 119 Employee Benefits (although short-cut methods are permitted).Actuarial advice obtained by Treasury has confirmed that the use of a nominal approach plus the annual leave on annual leave liability (using 7.9% of the nominal value of annual leave) can be used to approximate the present value of the annual leave liability. The entity has assessed the actuarial advice based on theentity's circumstances and has determined that the effect of discounting is immaterial to annual leave.

Unused non-vesting sick leave does not give rise to a liability as it is not considered probable thatsick leave taken in the future will be greater than the benefits accrued in the future.

The outstanding amounts of payroll tax, workers compensation insurance premiums and fringebenefits tax, which are consequential to employment, are recognised as liabilities and expenses whereemployee benefits to which they relate have been recognised.

(b) Long service leave and superannuation

The entity's liabilities for long service leave and defined benefit superannuation are assumed by the Crown Entity. The entity accounts for the liability as having been extinguished, resulting in the amount assumed being shown as part of the non-monetary revenue item described as "Acceptance by the CrownEntity of employee benefits and other liabilities".

Annual leave is not expected to be settled wholly before twelve months after the end of the annual reporting

Page 8


Long service leave is measured at present value in accordance with AASB 119 Employee Benefits. This is based on the application of certain factors (specified in NSWTC 14/04) to employees with five or more years of service, using current rates of pay. These factors were determined based on an actuarial review to approximate present value.

The superannuation expense for the financial year is determined by using the formulae specified in theTreasurer's Directions. The expense for certain superannuation schemes (i.e. Basic Benefit and First StateSuper) is calculated as a percentage of the employees' salary. For other superannuation schemes (i.e. State Superannuation Scheme and State Authorities Superannuation Scheme), the expense is calculated as a multiple of the employees' superannuation contributions.

(c) Other Provisions

Other provisions exist when: the entity has a present legal or constructive obligation as a result of a pastevent; it is probable that an outflow of resources will be required to settle the obligation; and a reliable estimate can be made of the amount of the obligation.If the effect of the time value of money is material, provisions are discounted at 3.25%, which is apre-tax rate that reflects the current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specificto the liability.

(i) New Australian Accounting Standards issued but not effective

(i) Effective for the first time in 2013-14

The accounting policies applied in 2013-14 are consistent with those of the previous financial year exceptas a result of the following new or revised Australian Accounting Standards that have been applied for the first time in 2013-14.

AASB 13 Fair Value MeasurementAASB 119 Employee Benefits

(ii) Issued but not yet effective

NSW public sector entities are not permitted to early adopt new Australian Accounting Standards, unlessTreasury determines otherwise.

The following new Australian Accounting Standards have not been applied and are not yet effective:

AASB 9 Financial Instruments (application date 1 July 2017);AASB 1055 Budgetary Reporting (application date 1 July 2014);AASB 2010-7 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards arising from AASB 9(application date 1 July 2017);AASB 2012-3 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards - Offsetting Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities [AASB 132] (application date 1 July 2014);AASB 2012-6 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards - Mandatory Effective Date of AASB 9 and Transitional Disclosures (application date 1 July 2017);AASB 2013-3 Amendments to AASB 136 - Recoverable Amount Disclosures for Non-Financial Assets (application date 1 July 2014)AASB 2013-5 - Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards - Investment Entities ( application date 1 July 2014)AASB 2013-8 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards - Australian Implementation Guidance for Not-for-Profit Entities - Control and Structured Entities [AASB 10, AASB 12 & AASB 1049] (application date 1 July 2014)AASB 2013-9 - Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards - Conceptual Framework, Materiality and FinancialInstruments (application date 1 July 2014)AASB 1031 - Materiality (application date 1 July 2014).

Management cannot assess the impact of the applications of the new standards on the entity's financial statements.

Page 9


2 Expenses Excluding Losses

2014$'000

(a) Employee related expenses

Salaries and wages (including recreation leave) 16,681 Superannuation - defined benefit plans 519 Superannuation - defined contribution plans 1,026 Long service leave 1,707 Workers compensation insurance 159 Payroll tax and fringe benefit tax 1,077

21,169

3. Revenue

2014$'000

(a) Sale of goods: Personnel Services 19,141 Acceptance by the Crown Entity of employee benefits and other liabilities 2,028

21,169

4. Current / Non-Current Assets - Receivables

2014$'000

Employee benefits 5,8115,811

Details regarding credit risk, liquidity risk and market risk are disclosed in Note 10.

5. Current Liabilities - Payables

2014$'000

Accrued salaries, wages and on-costs 1,1361,136

Details regarding credit risk, liquidity risk and market risk, including a maturity analysisof the above payables are disclosed in Note 10.

Page 10


6. Current / Non-Current Liabilities - Provisions 2014$'000

EEmployee benefits and related on-costs Recreation leave 3,222 Long service leave on-costs 845 Payroll tax on LSL payable 608 4,675

Total Provisions 4,675

Aggregate eemployee benefits and related on-costs Provisions - current 4,603 Provisions - non current 72 Accrued salaries, wages and on-costs (Note 5) 1,136

5,811

The total for recreation leave above includes $1.470m expected to be settled after more than twelve months.

7. Commitments for Expenditure

The entity does not have any capital or operating lease commitments.

8. Contingent Liabilities

The entity is unaware of any contingent liabilities existing as at 30 June 2014.

9. Reconciliation of Cash Flows from Operating Activities to Net Result

2014$'000

Net cash used on operating activities - Depreciation and amortisation - Decrease / (increase) in provisions -

Increase / (decrease) in receivables - Decrease / (increase) in creditors and provisions -

Increase / (decrease) in inventories - Net gain / (loss) on sale of plant & equipment -

Net Result -

Page 11


10. Financial Instruments

The principal financial instruments of the entity are outlined below. These financialinstruments arise directly from the operations of the entity or are required to financethe operations of the entity. The entity does not enter into or tradefinancial instruments, including derivative financial instruments, for speculative purposes.

The main risks of the entity arising from financial instruments are outlined below, together with the objectives, policies and processes for measuring and managing risk of theentity. Further quantitative and qualitative disclosures are included throughout these financial statements.

The Audit and Risk Committee (the Committee) has overall responsibility for the oversight of risk management and reviews and agrees policies for managing each of these risks. Risk managementpolicies are established to identify and analyse the risks faced by the economic and parent entity, to set risk limits and controls and to monitor risks. Compliance with policies is reviewed by the Committee and internal auditors on a continuous basis.

(a) Financial instrument categories

Financial Assets Note Category Carrying Amount 22014 $$'000

Receivables * 4

Loan and Receivables at amortised cost 5,768

* Excludes statutory receivables and prepayments (i.e. not within the scope of AASB 7).

Financial Liabilities Note Category Carrying Amount 22014 $$'000

Payables * 5

Financial Liabilities measured at amortised cost 922

* Excludes statutory payables and unearned revenue (i.e. not within the scope of AASB 7)

(b) Credit RiskCredit risk arises when there is the possibility of the debtors of the entity defaulting on their contractual obligations, resulting in a financial loss to the entity. The maximum exposure to credit risk is generally represented by the carrying amount of the financial assets (net of any allowance for impairment).

Credit risk arises from the financial assets of the entity, being receivables.No collateral is held by the entity. The entity has not granted any financial guarantees.

There is no credit risk associated with the financial assets other than receivables.

Page 12


ReceivablesPersonnel Services receivable are recognised as amounts receivable at balance date. All receivablesare deemed to be collectible. No receivables are past due and there is no allowance for impairment.

The entity is not exposed to credit risk as the only debtors of the entity are the Board of Studies, Teachingand Educational Standards and the Crown Pool.

(c) Liquidity riskLiquidity risk is the risk that the entity will be unable to meet its payment obligations when they fall due. The only payment obligations recognised by the entity relate to accrued salaries andlong service leave pool contributions which are non-interest bearing and have a maturity date of lessthan one month. As such it is considered that the entity has no liquidity risk.

(d) Market riskMarket risk is the risk that the fair value of future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because ofchanges in market prices. Due to the specific nature of the entity's financial instruments, it is considered that the entity has no exposure to market risk.

(e) Fair value measurementThe amortised cost of financial instruments recognised in the Statement of Financial Position approximatesthe fair value.

11. Events after the Reporting Period There are no events occurring after reporting date which provide new information that relates to conditions existing at reporting date.

End of audited financial statements

Index

Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee (AEAC) . 147

Aboriginal Languages K–10 ..................................... 61

Aboriginal Studies awards ...................................... 119

Aboriginal Studies syllabuses and digital exhibition .. 61

Acknowledging outstanding student achievements 119

Acronyms ............................................................... 180

Additional matters .................................................. 177

Address details .......................................................... 1

Appendixes ............................................................ 143

Assessment for the RoSA ........................................ 73

Assessment Resource Centre (ARC) ....................... 59

Assessment support materials for Preliminary .......... 60

Audit and risk management ................................... 131

Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) ......... 79

Best-practice policies and processes in the regulation of non-government schools ............................... 105

Board Appeals Committee ..................................... 151

Board Curriculum Committee (BCC) Membership for K–10 Australian curriculum ............................... 152

Board Curriculum Committees (BCCs) ................... 151

Board Endorsed Alternative Education Programs (BEAEPs) ............................................................ 54

Board Endorsed Courses ......................................... 53

Board Endorsed VET courses .................................. 56

Board Endorsement Panels ................................... 151

Board meetings and attendance of members ......... 154

BOSTES Bulletin ................................................... 118

Brother John Taylor Memorial Prize ....................... 119

Building and Managing Performance program ....... 128

CES/SES staff academic qualifications .................. 121

Code of Conduct and Ethics................................... 139

Commitment to service .......................................... 139

Communication ...................................................... 118

Complaints management ....................................... 141

Consultancies ........................................................ 139

Consultation and engagement ............................... 114

Content Endorsed Courses (CECs) ......................... 53

Continuing professional development ...................... 94

Contracting and market testing .............................. 138

Corporate card compliance .................................... 178

Curriculum and assessment ..................................... 40

Curriculum development .......................................... 44

Curriculum support for student safety ....................... 47

Digital BOSTES ..................................................... 115

Digital Information Security Annual Attestation Statement ......................................................... 132

Directorate and branch descriptions ....................... 123

Disability Action Plan ............................................. 169

Economic/other factors affecting the achievement of operational objectives ....................................... 175

Examination Rules Committee ............................... 150

Examinations and credentials .................................. 66

Exceptional movements in employee wages, salaries or allowances .................................................... 138

Executive directorate descriptions .......................... 122

Executive remuneration ......................................... 176

Financial statements .............................................. 182

Flexible curriculum pathways ................................... 53

Full-time equivalent (FTE) staff 2013–2014 ............ 129

Funds granted to non-government community organisations .................................................... 175

Government Energy Management program ........... 142

Government Information (Public Access) (GIPA) ... 170

Grading workshops .................................................. 60

Great Teaching, Inspired Learning (GTIL) ................ 82

GTIL achievements .................................................. 83

History elective Years 7–10 syllabus ........................ 46

Home schooling ..................................................... 109

Home schooling statistics ....................................... 109

HSC anomalous results inquiries ............................. 72

HSC candidature 2013 ............................................. 67

HSC Consultative Committee................................. 149

HSC Country Transfer of Duty Marking program ...... 68

HSC disability provisions.......................................... 70

HSC disability provisions applications ...................... 70

HSC entries 2014 .................................................... 72

HSC examination committees ................................ 151

HSC examination setting.......................................... 67

HSC examinations 2013 .......................................... 67

HSC First in Course Awards .................................. 119

HSC Illness and Misadventure applications ............. 71

HSC marking ........................................................... 68

HSC marking opportunities ...................................... 63

HSC Media Guide .................................................. 118

HSC metropolitan and regional day marking ............ 68

HSC post-results services ........................................ 71


HSC reporting and credentialling ............................. 66

HSC Results Inquiry Centre ..................................... 71

HSC showcases and exhibitions .............................. 64

HSC Student eedback Survey ................................ 114

HSC–University Pathways for Talented Students ..... 54

Implementation of recommendations of the Report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody .............................................................. 62

Implementing the Australian curriculum for NSW students .............................................................. 40

Industrial relations policies and practices ............... 138

Industry Curriculum Committees ............................ 153

Industry Curriculum Frameworks.............................. 55

Initial teacher education ........................................... 85

Initial Teacher Education Committee (ITEC) .. 144, 158

Internal Audit and Risk Management Attestation .... 176

Internet address ......................................................... 1

Investment management performance ................... 175

ISO 27001 Information Security Management Certification ....................................................... 132

K–6 support for students with special education needs ........................................................................... 46

Key stakeholders and the community ..................... 114

Land disposal ......................................................... 175

Legal change ......................................................... 175

Legislation and the establishment of the BOSTES ..... 9

Liability and management performance.................. 175

Literacy and numeracy tests .................................... 74

Major works in progress ......................................... 139

Management and governance of the BOSTES ....... 127

Management of our organisation ............................ 120

Members of the Board ............................................. 16

Members of the Quality Teaching Council .............. 156

Membership of the Board ......................................... 12

Membership of the ITEC ........................................ 159

Membership of the Moderating and Consistency Committee ........................................................ 161

Membership of the PLEAC ..................................... 163

Moderating and Consistency Committee (MCC).... 144, 159

Monitoring of Stage 6 and Stage 5 grades ............... 73

Multicultural Policies and Services Program .......... 166

NAPLAN test participation 2014 ............................... 75

NAPLAN test results 2013 ....................................... 75

NAPLAN tests 2014 ................................................. 75

National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) .......................................... 74

New examination technologies ................................. 69

NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Incorporated ...................................................... 164

NSW curriculum ....................................................... 43

NSW Higher School Certificate ................................ 66

Number of CES and SES officers .......................... 121

Organisation of the curriculum K–12 ........................ 44

Our achievements .................................................... 39

Our key responsibilities ............................................ 10

Our organisation and governance .............................. 8

Our purpose, responsibilities and values .................... 9

Our values and principles ......................................... 11

Overseas travel ...................................................... 133

Overseas visitors to the BOSTES .......................... 113

Payment of accounts ............................................. 136

Personnel policies and practices ............................ 138

Policy development, consultation and engagement 111

Premier’s Award for Excellence in the HSC ........... 119

President’s message .................................................. 3

Primary curriculum (Early Stage 1 to Stage 3) .......... 45

Primary Curriculum Advisory Committee ................ 148

Privacy management plan ...................................... 179

Professional development courses provided by the BOSTES ........................................................... 100

Professional development workshops ...................... 64

Professional Learning, Endorsement and Advisory Committee (PLEAC).................................. 144, 161

Promoting best-practice assessment and reporting .. 59

Public interest disclosures ...................................... 131

Quality schooling and regulatory compliance ......... 101

Quality teaching and regulatory compliance ............. 82

Quality Teaching Council (QTC) ............................ 155

Quality Teaching Council meetings and attendance of members ........................................................... 157

Record of School Achievement (RoSA).................... 72

Recreation leave and extended leave liability ......... 138

Recruitment ........................................................... 129

Registration and Accreditation Committee ............. 145

Registration statistics ............................................. 106

Release of HSC results ............................................ 71

Representing the BOSTES or Minister on external committees ....................................................... 134

Research, evaluation and development ................. 111

Review of Languages education ............................ 112

RoSA Data for Universities program ...................... 113

RoSAs issued for 2013–2014................................... 73


School Developed Board Endorsed Courses (SDBECs) ........................................................... 53

SMH HSC Study Guide .......................................... 118

Special Education Advisory Committee .................. 149

Stage 5 Board Endorsed VET courses ..................... 57

Stage 6 Board Endorsed VET courses - Early commencement of Year 9 and 10 students ........ 58

Stage 6 Community and Family Studies ................... 49

Stage 6 Dance Course Prescriptions ....................... 49

Stage 6 Drama Course Prescriptions ....................... 50

Stage 6 English – Answers to Frequently Asked Questions ............................................................ 48

Stage 6 English Extension 2 course ......................... 47

Stage 6 English Prescriptions .................................. 48

Stage 6 Languages .................................................. 50

Stage 6 Mathematics ............................................... 49

Stage 6 Society and Culture syllabus ....................... 49

Stage 6 syllabus amendments ................................. 51

Standards of service .............................................. 140

Standards-setting operation ..................................... 69

Standing committees of the Board ................... 15, 144

Statutory disclosure requirements .......................... 175

Strategic and operational planning ......................... 127

Strategic planning and goals .................................... 27

Structure and staff of the BOSTES ........................... 25

Student Advisory Group ......................................... 114

Student support services for the HSC ...................... 70

Students Online website ........................................ 118

Students with special education needs .................... 67

Sub-committees of the Quality Teaching Council ... 158

Submission letter to the Minister ................................ 2

Subsidiaries, partnerships, joint ventures and other associations ...................................................... 175

Supervisor of Marking briefings ................................ 70

Support for schools in allocating grades – work samples .............................................................. 60

Support for students with special education needs ... 50

Support materials for parents ................................... 46

Support materials for primary teache ....................... 45

Supporting Aboriginal education .............................. 61

Supporting rural and remote education .................... 63

Supporting the Years 11–12 (Stage 6) curriculum .... 47

Supporting the Years 7–10 (Stages 4 and 5) curriculum ........................................................... 46

Syllabus development process ................................. 45

Syllabus evaluation .................................................. 45

Syllabus evaluation report ........................................ 51

Table of contents ....................................................... 5

Teacher standards and accreditation ....................... 87

Technical Advisory Group ...................................... 150

TES Australia ......................................................... 115

The Board and its committees.................................. 12

The BOSTES Charter ................................................ 9

The HSC portfolio .................................................... 66

Transitional BOSTES organisational structure ......... 26

University Developed Board Endorsed Courses (UDBECs) ........................................................... 54

up2now website ................................................. 55, 74

VET - Top 20 Industry Areas for Stage 5 VET .......... 58

VET Advisory Committee ............................... 145, 152

VET Ccurses ........................................................... 55

VET pathways for Years 11 and 12 .......................... 56

VET pathways for Years 9 and 10 ............................ 57

Waste reduction and recycling ............................... 141

Web partnerships ................................................... 117

Website developments 2013–2014 ........................ 115

Workforce diversity ................................................ 130

Workplace health and safety performance ............. 131

Year 10 entries 2014 ................................................ 73


© BOSTES NSW 2014

Presented by

Board of Studies, Teaching andEducational Standards NSW

and NSW Department ofEducation and Communities

Recorded live 2014

Sydney Opera House

Concert Hall

Engineers: Tony David Cray

and Jason Blackwell

HSC 2013

Concert Hall Sydney Opera House

24 March 2014

ENCORE

All rights reservedReproduction of this discin any form prohibited

DISC 1

P

BBBoardd of Studies, TeTT aEEEduccaational Standa

andd NSW DepaEEEEEEddddduuuucccaatioonn and Com

oooorrrrrdddddeeeeedddd livvve 20014eeeeyyyyyy OOOOOOOppppppeeerraaa Hoouse

rrttttrrrr HHHHHaaaalllllrrsss::: TTTToooTTTT nnyyy DDDavviidd Cr

nnn BBBBBBBllaaaaacccckkkkwwwwkkk ell

Sydney Opera24 March

© BOSTES NSW 2014

Presented by

Board of Studies, Teaching andEducational Standards NSW and

NSW Department of Educationand Communities

HSC 2013

Concert Hall Sydney Opera House

24 March 2014

ENCORE

All rights reservedReproduction of this disc

in any form prohibited

DISC 2

Recorded live 2014

Sydney Opera House

Concert HallEngineers: Tony David Cray

and Jason Blackwell

B O S T E S P U B L I C A T I O N S

The Digital Strategies and Services Directorate (DSS) published 1170 documents in the reporting period – an average of more than four items per day – incorporating the work of graphic designers, editors, website and copyright staff . In line with the continuing increase in the use of digital publishing, more documents were published on the BOSTES websites and partner websites than in previous years.

Printed publications included syllabuses, support documents, timetables in various formats, commercial marketing fl yers, performance programs for OnSTAGE, ENCORE and the AMEB NSW, and the 2014 DesignTECH seminar program booklets. Printed products also included credential certifi cates and awards, posters, banners, rules and procedure booklets and a wide range of general stationery. Most publicly available printed documents can also be accessed on the BOSTES websites.

Commercial publications produced included Young Writers Showcase 13 (which includes a DVD), The Best of WriteOn 2013, ENCORE 2013 CD as well as a number of 2013 HSC Exam Workbooks in both print and electronic formats.

In addition, a series of booklets was produced to support parents. These included: Helping your child

learn to read, Helping your child learn to write, and Helping your child learn to do mathematics.

A wide range of documents was published on the BOSTES websites including new and updated content on the Assessment Resource Centre, as well as sample multiple-choice questions, fact sheets, reports, Marking

Guidelines, Notes from the Marking Centre, Sample Answers and examination papers from

the 2013 HSC Examinations.

Helpingyour child

learn toread

A guide for parents

Helping your child

learn to do mathematics

A guide for parents

Inspiring stories by studentsfrom Years 1 to 6

Outstanding primary schoolwriting fromthe WriteOncompetition

A wonderfulresourcefor teachers

Wri eOn 2013The Bes of

Helpingyour child

learn towrite

A guide for parents

HSC 2013

CCCCCCoooonnnncccceeeerrrrttttttrrrr HHHHHHaaaallllllllllllSydney Opera House

ENCORE

All rights reservrr edReproduction of this disc

in any form prohibited

DISC 2

Concert Hall Sydney Opera House 24 March 2014

Presented by Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW

and NSW Department of Education and Communities

ENCORE

SOUND (AWARENSound awarspoken worsounds and apart and pumanipulated

NSW SYLLABUSfor the Australiancurriculum

ENGLISHK–6

Aural discsounds (E

• recognisup of so

• segment sounds (

• segment into syllclapping

Rhymes, p(ENe-1A, E

• join in rhsongs, r

• recognis

• provide

Initial sou

• say the f

• recognissame sosound (ebeginnin

Blending s

• blend twword

• identify tis delete

• vocally ‘ch, t-r-eto suppohighlight sounds

Words (EN

• recogniswords ameaning

• segment words (ufirst)

EARLY STAGE 1 KEY SKILLS

• identify most of the sounds and name allletters in a given word

SOUND (PHONOLOGICAL)AWARENESSSound awareness is thspoken words are madsounds and that these apart and put back togmanipulated to make n


ENGLISHK–6

Knowledge of sylla(EN1-1A, EN1-6B)

• join in rhymes, poesongs

• identify and experipatterns

• replicate and invenincluding alliteratio

One-syllable words

• know that regular are made up of lettletter clusters that sounds heard

• in early phases of spoken cv (b-e), vc p-a-ck, sh-o-p) wosounds

• in early phases of sounds to form a sand cvc words)

• in early phases of from a spoken worseparately, or to mword (eg say ‘shee

• in later phases of Sconsonant blends (ccc, eg s-p-l-it) to identity of separate mp, -nt, -nd, and -explanation, with aare formed in the

• in later phases of Ssounds to form a spoken word (ccvc, egslip, clock, sneeze; cvcc, eg desk, lunch;cccvc, eg street; ccvcc, eg crust)

VISUAL (GRAPHOLOGICAL)PROCESSING

LETTER–SOUND(GRAPHOLOGICAL) AWARENESS

•

Wo

•

•

SPELLINGLearning to spell is closely linked to learningto read and write. Learnin about s ellin

HANDWRITINGLearning to form letters correctly linksclosel with learnin about letters, letter

DIGITAL TEXT PRODUCTIONLearning to recognise and select letterscorrectl links closel with learnin to s ell.

STAGE 1 KEY SKILLS

okecvccvcc,

SOUND (PHONOLOAWARENESSSound awareness is the spoken words are made sounds and that these sapart and put back togetmanipulated to make ne


ENGLISHK–6

No new skills introduced Continue to revise and cS1 skills as necessary

right• consider

words, ehomonym

• become resource

• use knowlocate infglossarie

• experimeapplicatithe limita

STAGE 2 KEY SKILLS

right• consider

words, ehomonym

• becomeresource

• use knowlocate infglossarie

• experimeapplicatithe limita

SOUND (PHONOLOGICAL)AWARENESSSound awareness is the understanding thatspoken words are made up of separatesounds and that these sounds can be pulledapart and put back together again ormanipulated to make new words.


ENGLISHK–6

No new skills introduced at this stage.Continue to revise and consolidate ES1, S1and S2 skills as necessary

VISUAL (GRAPHOLOGICAL)PROCESSINGVisual processing includes automaticrecognition of whole words and thecombining of letter sequences according tophonemic awareness and knowledge ofletter–sound relationships.

LETTER–SOUND(GRAPHOLOGICAL) AWARENESSAwareness of letter–sound relationshipsinvolves knowledge of the printed form ofletters, use of the alphabetic principle(systematic relationships between lettersand sounds), the ability to makegeneralisations about letter–soundrelationships, understanding of the differencebetween letter names and sounds,recognition that graphemes usually representmultiple sounds and skill in blending soundsfor known letters to form words.


SPELLINGLearning to spell is closely linked to learningto read and write. Learning about spellingreinforces knowledge about common lettersequences and about spelling–sound(graphophonic) relationships.

Integrated strategy use (EN3-5B)

• use a variety of spelling strategies andconventions to spell multisyllabic words

• use known word meanings and basewords when spelling unknown words,eg heal, healthy; sign, signature

• use knowledge of suffixes and prefixesto spell new words

• develop knowledge of word origins, egGreek and Latin roots (telephone,aquarium)

• use banks of known words to assist inspelling new words

• consider meaning and context whenspelling words

• understand that the pronunciation,spelling and meaning of words havehistories and change over time

• develop a knowledge of less commonletter patterns and spellinggeneralisations/rules and apply them tonew situations

Proofreading (EN3-5B)

• recognise most misspelt words in theirown writing and use a variety ofresources for correction

• consolidate and extend proofreadingskills and take responsibility for editingown work

• use competent visual and phonologicalstrategies for attempting and checkingspelling, eg correcting words that do not‘look or sound right’

• competently use various spellingresources, eg spell check, dictionary,personal spelling notebook

• demonstrate awareness of thelimitations of spell check features indigital technology

HANDWRITINGLearning to form letters correctly linksclosely with learning about letters, lettersequences and words.

Appropriate handwriting style (EN3-2A)

• use a handwriting style that is legible,fluent and automatic, and variesaccording to audience and purpose

• write fluently in NSW Foundation Styleand/or personal style:

– forming joined letters of appropriatesize and spacing

– using appropriate pressure

– varying style according to audienceand purpose

• give attention to layout and practisecalligraphic flourishes to enhancewriting in appropriate situations, egproject headings

• experiment with different instruments,eg a range of pencils, different types ofbiros and pens, ink, calligraphy pens

Writing skills (EN3-2A)

• use correct pen grip and maintain goodposture

DIGITAL TEXT PRODUCTIONLearning to recognise and select letterscorrectly links closely with learning to spell.Learning to produce effective digital andmultimodal texts is essential forcommunication in the 21st century.

Use of digital technologies (EN3-2A,EN3-5B)

• choose and experiment with digital andmultimodal resources whenconstructing texts

• experiment with language, design,layout and graphics

• use a range of software, including wordprocessing programs, learning newfunctions as required to create texts

• demonstrate confidence, accuracy andspeed in keyboard skills

• discuss issues related to the responsibleuse of digital technologies

• use and assess the reliability of digitalresources when researching topics

STAGE 3 KEY SKILLS


containing� 2013 exam questions� Marking guidelines� Marker feedback�Top-scoring student answers

ExamWorkbook

2013Higher SchoolCertificate

English (Standard)andEnglish (Advanced)Paper 1 – Area of Study

English (Advanced)Paper 2 – Modules


ExamWorkbook


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ModernHistory


ExamWorkbook


AncientHistory


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containing� 2013 exam questions� Marking guidelines� Markekk r feff edback�ToTT p-scoring student answers

ExamWoWW rkbookLegal Studies


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containing� 2013 exam questions� Marking guidelines� Markekk r feff edback�ToTT p-scoring student answers

ExamWoWW rkbookEnglish

(Standard)Paper 2 – Modules


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Contact details Board of Studies, Teaching & Educational Standards NSW117 Clarence StreetSydney NSW 2000Tel: (02) 9367 8111Fax: (02) 9367 8484www.bostes.nsw.edu.au

Postal addressBoard of Studies, Teaching & Educational Standards NSWGPO Box 5300SYDNEY NSW 2001

This report is available on the BOSTES website at www.bostes.nsw.edu.au

Offi ce hours: 8.30 am – 5.30 pm Monday to Friday

BOSTES staff are available outside these hours by arrangement.