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The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) is the credential given to students who have completed Year 11 and Year 12 of their secondary schooling, in the state of Victoria, Australia. It was developed in the 1980s and was based on former premier Joan Kirner's belief that schools must be transformed as "part of the socialist struggle for equality, participation and social change, rather than an instrument of the capitalist system". It is considered to be one of the more rigorous secondary education programs in the world and is recognised as a requisite credential for admission to universities in Australia and worldwide. Study for the VCE is usually completed over two years, but it can be spread over a longer period in some cases. It is possible to pass and obtain your VCE without completing the end of year exams, as they are only to determine your ENTER scores, required for higher levels of education, i.e. University and TAFE. The VCE structure Each VCE subject is organised into units. Students usually choose to study five or six subjects each year at the VCE level. The range of subjects depends on the school, as each individual school decides which subjects they will offer to their students. Most, but not all, VCE subjects comprise four units. A unit is studied for one semester, with Units 1 and 2 being studied in Year 11 and Units 3 and 4 being taken in Year 12. Year 11 students can 'accelerate' and study a Unit 3/4 subject early. Units 3 and 4 of any subject must be studied in sequence, whereas Units 1 and 2 can be mixed and matched in Year 11. Students are not required to complete all the units of a subject as part of the VCE course, however Units 1 and 2 usually must be studied before Units 3 and 4 of a subject can be attempted (unless 'accelerating'). On completing a Unit, a student receives an 'S' (Satisfactory), or an 'N' (Not Satisfactory). In order to receive the VCE and an ENTER, students must complete four Units of English (at least 3 of which must be passed), the only compulsory subject (although there are variations, such as English Second Language or Literature that can count towards the English requirement). The ENTER received ranges from 0 to 99.95 in increments of 0.05. An ENTER score of 60 indicates that a student has achieved a higher ENTER than 60% of the state, a score of 70 indicates a higher ENTER than 70% of the state etc.. However, students that have left school before completing Year 12 (around 15%) are 'included' in the calculation of ENTER, so the median ENTER for students who do complete year 12 is higher than 50. Twenty students receive each incremental rank. How the ENTER is calculated The ENTER is calculated from the Study Scores received for each Unit 3/4 subject successfully completed, ranging from 0 to 50. A student's top four study scores (after scaling) and 10% of their next two best study scores count towards an aggregate score, which is then ranked against the aggregate scores of other students. The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) scales the VCE Study Scores to allow for cross-study calculations. In other words, a 25 in English is equivalent to a 25 in Mathematical Methods or a 25 in any other VCE study. The scaled Study Scores are then referred to as ENTER subject scores. The ENTER is determined by using ENTER subject scores. VTAC determines an ENTER for each student who satisfactorily completes at least one study in the current year, and who has obtained VCE Study Scores in an English study and at least three other studies in an allowable combination at the unit 3 & 4 level. The ENTER is determined by the aggregate (total) calculated for each student: Assessment in the VCE (SACs and examinations) Graduation in the VCE depends on the satisfactory completion of the units which make up the VCE studies. The decision about satisfactory completion is based on a student’s ability to demonstrate the outcomes. These outcomes are specified in the study design for each VCE study. They describe the knowledge and skills that should be demonstrated by the time a student has completed a unit. There are two types of graded assessment in the VCE – school-based assessment and examinations. School assessment There are two kinds of school-based assessment. The first is called School-assessed Coursework in which students complete the assessment tasks specified in the study design. These tasks must be done mainly in class time and include essays, reports and case studies. They are commonly referred to as 'SACs'. A few studies in the visual arts and technology areas have the second type of assessment which is a School-assessed Task. This task is the same for every student enrolled in a study and the specifications are set by the VCAA. They are commonly referred to as 'SATs'. External examinations External examinations are set and marked by the VCAA. Most are held in October/November, but a small number of studies also have examinations in June. Study scores A student who satisfactorily completes Units 3 and 4 of a VCE subject and the graded assessment requirement is eligible for a study score. The study score is used by VTAC when a student applies for tertiary entrance. The General Achievement Test (GAT) The GAT is an essential part of the VCE. It provides the basis of a quality assurance check on the marking of examinations. Any student who is enrolled in a VCE or VCE VET Unit 3 and 4 sequence is expected to sit the GAT. Scaling Scaling is the process that adjusts VCE study scores into ENTER subject scores. VTAC adjusts VCE study scores to allow for any adjustments in the overall performance of groups of students taking the different studies. Once scaled, these study scores become ENTER subject scores. Scaling UP happens when the overall performance is low. Scaling DOWN happens when the overall performance is high. Comparing VCE study scores with ENTER subject scores Approximate ENTERs In 2005 an aggregate of 145.1 was higher than 80% of people in the age group, correlating to an ENTER of 80. Achieving a perfect ENTER (99.95) usually requires an aggregate of approximately over 210 due to the scaling of Language subjects and Specialist Mathamatics which can scale as high as 55 on a 0-50 scale. This is due to the relative difficulty presented to students who elect to study this course over the year. The Victorian Government, through the initiative to increase numbers in foreign langauge study, began a process to allow an average of 5 increased scaling marks to those who choose language subjects in their VCE. This is argued that it is unfair to students who do not have a family background in langauges (those that speak another language at home) and thus gives an advantage to those students, especially international, a chance to achieve higher scaling marks. However, international students are disadvantages by the compulsory English requirement which ultimately cancels out all unfairness. Entry into Higher Education Universities and TAFEs provide a Clearly-In and a Fringe ENTER for each course, denoting the range of scores required to gain a place in a course. The ENTER requirement for each subject is generally determined by supply (the supply of places provided by the universities) relative to demand (the demand for each course as determined by the number of students who apply) for each course, and does not directly relate to the difficulty or the quality of the course. Victorian Technical colleges do not require an ENTER for admission (with few exceptions). Criticisms Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of the ENTER score (from 0.00 to 99.95) as the admission filter for tertiary education. This leads many students to feel that if they do not score highly they will be marked as failures, either missing out on their chosen university degree, or finding it hard to follow their chosen career, or finding it hard to get a secure, well-paid job. Some say such a view overlooks alternative entry schemes for universities, growing numbers of trade apprenticeships and the possibilities of promotion within companies and the public service. The stress of doing the VCE also generates recurring negative media coverage, usually around exam times (May-June and October-November), with parents and doctors complaining about the health problems of students caused by overstudy. But the education authorities generally regard it as the least-worst mix of ongoing assessment and exams, designed to avoid the worst of the old system, where final grading depended solely on the performance of students in a two-week set of exams at the end of year 12. See also | |||||||
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