Stage 1 Information and Guidelines

2016
Published by the SACE Board of South Australia,
60 Greenhill Road, Wayville, South Australia 5034
Copyright © SACE Board of South Australia 2010
First published 2010, reissued for 2011, 2012, 2013,
2014, 2015, 2016
ISBN 978 1 74102 666 5 (online Microsoft Word version)
ref: A128485
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................................1
KEY DATES ..................................................................................................................................................2
ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN THE SACE ....................................4
QUALITY ASSURANCE IN THE SACE ........................................................................................................5
Planning ..................................................................................................................................................5
Clarifying .................................................................................................................................................7
Confirming ...............................................................................................................................................8
Improving ...................................................................................................................................... ……16
INTRODUCTION
This document complements SACE Stage 1 subject outlines by providing teachers and
principals or principals’ delegates with advice and guidance on quality assurance processes. It
supports the integrity of students’ results, ensuring community confidence in the integrity of the
SACE, by advising teachers how to:
 assess in an informed and consistent way
 treat students fairly in the assessment process.

In this document, ‘principal’ refers to the principal, or staff to whom the principal delegates
particular responsibilities. Reference to the SACE Board means staff from the Office of the
SACE Board or officers appointed by the SACE Board for particular responsibilities.
The following resources are available on the SACE website:
 SACE Assessment and Reporting Guidelines
 Stage 1 Moderation — Frequently Asked Questions
 SACE Assessment Responsibilities: SACE Board and Schools Code of Practice
 SACE Assuring Assessment Integrity Policy, in the SACE Policy Framework
 SACE Stage 1 Moderation Overview
 school assessment grade calculator
 Stage 1 English, mathematics, and the Personal Learning Plan moderation schedules
 Stage 1 subject outlines.

Each subject has its own minisite that includes operational information, guidelines, forms,
support materials, and resources referred to in this document.
The minisites are accessed from the SACE website by following the pathway Learning >
Subject list.
This document is accessed from the Stage 1 subject minisites by following the pathway
Stage 1 > Planning to teach > Subject operational information.

Stage 1 Information and Guidelines 2016 1 www.sace.sa.edu.au

KEY DATES
Term 1
Week beginning 8 February The SACE Board provides information on Stage 1 planning and
clarifying support, conferences, workshops, and meetings for
Term 1 on the SACE website
The SACE Board informs schools of the Stage 1 subjects that will
be requested for moderation in 2016*
Tuesday 15 March Stage 1 learning and assessment plans and Form 26 (if
applicable) due at the SACE Board for subjects taught in
Semester 1 or over the full year that do not have a currently
approved plan
Wednesday 6 April Due date for final enrolments in Stage 1 subjects (results due
June)
Due date for requests for moderation in an additional Stage 1
subject in 2016

Term 2
Week beginning 2 May The SACE Board confirms arrangements for Semester 1
moderation of Stage 1 English and mathematics subjects and the
Personal Learning Plan, based upon enrolments in Schools
Online*
Week beginning 9 May Schools nominate online their subject moderator for the identified
Stage 1 English or mathematics subject, or the Personal Learning
Plan (Semester 1)
Friday 13 May Online nominations due for subject moderators for Stage 1
English and mathematics subjects and the Personal Learning
Plan (Semester 1)
Wednesday 15 June The SACE Board collects from schools, by courier, student
materials for Semester 1 moderation of Stage 1 English and
mathematics subjects and the Personal Learning Plan*
Week beginning 20 June Semester 1 moderation begins for Stage 1 English and
mathematics subjects and the Personal Learning Plan (results
due June) according to the schedule on the SACE website*
Friday 24 June Cut-off date for final enrolments in Stage 1 subjects (results due
June)
Monday 27 June Schools use Schools Online to access online results sheets for
Stage 1 subjects (results due June)
Week beginning 27 June Teachers complete online results sheets for Stage 1 subjects
(results due June) and submit these to their principal or their
principal’s delegate
Wednesday 6 July Cut-off date for principals or principal’s delegates to verify and
submit final results for Stage 1 subjects (results due June) via
Schools Online

* Northern Territory (NT) schools will be advised by Curriculum, Assessment and Certification 10–12 of moderation
arrangements in the NT.

Stage 1 Information and Guidelines 2016 2 www.sace.sa.edu.au

Term 3
Week beginning 25 July The SACE Board provides information on Stage 1 planning and
clarifying support, conferences, workshops, and meetings for
Term 3 on the SACE website
Wednesday 10 August Stage 1 learning and assessment plans and Form 26 (if
applicable) due at the SACE Board for subjects taught in
Semester 2 that do not have a currently approved plan
Thursday 18 August Due date for final enrolments in Stage 1 subjects (results due
December)
Due date for requests for moderation in an additional Stage 1
subject in 2016
Week beginning 29 August The SACE Board confirms arrangements for Semester 2
moderation of Stage 1 English and mathematics subjects and the
Personal Learning Plan, based upon enrolments in Schools
Online*
Week beginning 12 September Schools nominate online their subject moderator for the identified
Stage 1 English or mathematics subject or the Personal Learning
Plan (Semester 2)
Friday 16 September Online nominations due for subject moderators for Stage 1
English and mathematics subjects and the Personal Learning
Plan (Semester 2)
Friday 30 September Requests for changes to Semester 1 results due at the SACE
Board for Stage 1 subjects

Term 4
Thursday 10 November The SACE Board collects from schools, by courier, student
materials for Semester 2 moderation of Stage 1 English and
mathematics subjects and the Personal Learning Plan*
Week beginning 14 November Semester 2 moderation begins for Stage 1 English and
mathematics subjects and the Personal Learning Plan (results
due December) according to the schedule on the SACE website*
Monday 21 November Cut-off date for final enrolments in Stage 1 subjects (results due
December)
Tuesday 22 November Schools use Schools Online to access online results sheets for
Stage 1 subjects (results due December)

From Tuesday 22 November Teachers complete online results sheets for Stage 1 subjects
(results due December) and submit these to their principal or their
principal’s delegate
Monday 5 December Cut-off date for principals or principal’s delegates to verify and
submit final results for Stage 1 subjects (results due December)
via Schools Online

* Northern Territory (NT) schools will be advised by Curriculum, Assessment and Certification 10–12 of moderation
arrangements in the NT.

Stage 1 Information and Guidelines 2016 3 www.sace.sa.edu.au

ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING OF STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT IN THE SACE
The SACE Board acknowledges and values its partnership with the school in ensuring the
quality of SACE assessment. It particularly values the important role that teachers’ assessment
of their students’ learning plays in SACE subjects.

Performance Standards
The performance standards in the subject outlines describe in detail each level of achievement
in the SACE, A to E. Teachers and assessors use these standards to decide how well a student
has demonstrated his or her learning. Each grade corresponds to a level of the performance
standards.
Performance standards offer opportunities for teachers and students to improve the quality of
their teaching and learning.
Teachers can refer to the performance standards to:
 show each student what is needed to be successful in his or her learning
 design assessment tasks that help students to demonstrate their learning at the highest
possible level of achievement
 make decisions about the quality of the learning.

Students can also refer to the performance standards to:

 show their learning in ways most appropriate to them
 monitor their progress
 understand what is expected at the end of a learning program.

For more information and guidelines refer to SACE Assessment and Reporting Guidelines.
The assessment and reporting guidelines describe the processes for using grades and
performance standards to assess and report student achievement in SACE subjects at Stage 1
and Stage 2.
They outline:
 the relationship between grades and performance standards
 how performance standards are used in the assessment process
 the role of teachers in assessing and reporting student achievement at Stage 1 and Stage 2
 the SACE Board’s role in confirming standards and reporting results
 how school assessment and external assessment are combined in Stage 2 subjects
 what happens when evidence of a student’s learning in a Stage 1 or Stage 2 subject is
missing or insufficient.

Assessment Responsibilities of the SACE Board and

Schools
The procedures for assuring the integrity of students’ results are based on the SACE Assuring
Assessment Integrity Policy, as part of the SACE Policy Framework.
The interconnected and complementary responsibilities of students, teachers, principals, and
the SACE Board are outlined in SACE Assessment Responsibilities: SACE Board and Schools
Code of Practice.

Stage 1 Information and Guidelines 2016 4 www.sace.sa.edu.au

QUALITY ASSURANCE IN THE SACE
Schools and the SACE Board use a range of quality assurance processes to assure the
community that students’ results are fair, valid, and reliable.
Quality assurance processes in the SACE are organised into a four-phase cycle that involves
the SACE Board, principals, teachers, and students. The four phases are planning, clarifying,
confirming, and improving.

Planning
Teaching, learning, and assessment opportunities are devised to enable students to
demonstrate their learning against all aspects and levels of the performance standards.

Teacher, Principal, and SACE Board Responsibilities

Teachers
 prepare a teaching and
learning program
 develop a learning and
assessment plan or select a
pre-approved plan for English
and mathematics subjects.
Principals
 consider school context and
resources
 develop processes to support
teachers’ planning
 recommend the approval and
manage the amendment of
learning and assessment plans
 encourage teachers to
participate in SACE Board
planning support.
SACE Board
 prepares and updates subject
outlines
 provides information,
guidelines, and exemplars
 facilitates planning support
 makes available pre-approved
learning and assessment plans
for English and mathematics
subjects
 approves and allocates
accession numbers.

Teachers
Teachers use the subject outline, the school context, and the school resources as the basis for
designing an effective learning and assessment plan. The learning and assessment plan
documents the learning and assessment opportunities that are intended to support students in
developing and demonstrating the knowledge, skills, and understanding required in each
subject. The Stage 1 Learning and Assessment Plan Checklist for Teachers supports
teachers in developing learning and assessment plans. For Community Studies, refer to the
Stage 1 Community Studies Learning and Assessment Plan Checklist for Teachers. Changes
to an approved learning and assessment plan are documented in an addendum as students’
learning needs emerge during the teaching and learning program.
Teachers have the option of using pre-approved or school-developed learning and assessment
plans, or a combination of these two options, for English and mathematics subjects.

Stage 1 Information and Guidelines 2016 5 www.sace.sa.edu.au

Principals (or Principals’ Delegates)
Principals develop processes to support teachers in preparing teaching and learning programs
and learning and assessment plans that meet the needs of students and are appropriate for the
school context. To be able to develop a quality learning and assessment plan for approval,
teachers need to be familiar with the subject outline, have assessment design skills, and
understand the relationship between learning and assessment.
Principals recommend and submit Stage 1 learning and assessment plans to the SACE Board
for subjects for which the school does not have an approved plan. Schools are unable to report
results in a Stage 1 subject when a learning and assessment plan has not been:
 submitted for the subject
 approved for the subject.

More information about the submission of learning and assessment plans is available in
Learning and Assessment Plan Submission — Stage 1.
Plans are submitted to the SACE Board by:
 Tuesday 15 March (Semester 1 and full-year subjects)
 Wednesday 10 August (Semester 2 subjects).

Note: Northern Territory schools submit plans to Curriculum, Assessment and Certification
10–12 for approval.
The Stage 1 Learning and Assessment Plan Checklist for School Leaders supports principals in
recommending learning and assessment plans.
Learning and assessment plans are returned to schools within 2 to 3 weeks, when submitted by
the dates listed above.
The Enrolments Against Learning and Assessment Plan Status Report available in Schools
Online can be used to identify subjects that require a new learning and assessment plan. The
Report is based on current classes that have been created by a school. The status of learning
and assessment plans for classes that have not yet been created will not be shown.
The Report can also be used to identify plans that are approved, are pending approval, or that
require amendment. The SACE Board provides advice about amendments required for plans
that cannot be approved on initial submission, and may also provide advice that can be used to
improve approved plans.
Principals manage the amendment of plans in line with SACE Board advice and, within 2 weeks
of receiving the advice, advise the SACE Board that the required amendments have been made.
Learning and assessment plans submitted in 2016 for Stage 1 subjects will be approved for up
to 3 years.
Principals encourage teachers to participate in SACE Board planning support as appropriate.

SACE Board
The SACE Board prepares, publishes, and updates guidelines, information, and exemplar
materials for all Stage 1 subjects. These are available on the subject minisites.
The SACE Board provides the following support for teachers and principals:
 a subject outline for each Stage 1 subject
 learning and assessment plan pro formas
 a learning and assessment plan exemplar for each Stage 1 subject
 pre-approved learning and assessment plans for English and mathematics subjects
 learning and assessment plan checklists for teachers and principals
 an annotated exemplar learning and assessment plan
 planning support for English and mathematics subjects and the Personal Learning Plan
(including opportunities for teachers in the early stages of teaching these subjects at Stage 1

Stage 1 Information and Guidelines 2016 6 www.sace.sa.edu.au

 to develop their understanding of performance standards in relation to the learning and
assessment plan and task design)
 general and subject-specific assessment advice.

The SACE Board provides a unique accession number for Stage 1 pre-approved learning and
assessment plans selected by a school and for Stage 1 learning and assessment plans that are
recommended for approval by principals for up to two learning and assessment plans for each
subject offered by a school.
Contact details for SACE Board officers are available on the subject minisites.

Clarifying
Teachers and assessors gain an understanding of the performance standards and how to apply
them consistently to students’ work.

Teacher, Principal, and SACE Board Responsibilities

Teachers
 discuss student work with
reference to the performance
standards
 apply the outcomes of the
discussion to task design and
the assessment of student
work.
Principals
 identify teachers of English and
mathematics subjects and the
Personal Learning Plan who
require clarifying support
 establish processes for
teachers to improve
consistency in assessment
decisions
 develop processes to ensure
the authenticity of student
work.
SACE Board
 promotes an understanding of
the performance standards so
that teachers can apply them
consistently to student work in
all schools
 provides teachers with
exemplars and online clarifying
support (English and
mathematics subjects and the
Personal Learning Plan).

Teachers
Teachers develop and maintain an understanding of the performance standards and how to
apply them consistently to student work. Teachers develop this understanding by working
collaboratively, using the performance standards and student work to make and review
assessment decisions.
Teachers of English and mathematics subjects and the Personal Learning Plan may access
online clarifying activities, available on the SACE Board website, to support them in clarifying
their understanding and application of the performance standards in the subjects they teach.

Principals (or Principals’ Delegates)

Principals provide opportunities during the teaching and learning program for teachers of all
subjects to develop an understanding of the performance standards. Principals also establish
processes for maintaining this understanding.
Principals establish processes for teachers to improve consistency with other teachers to make
assessment decisions about student work with reference to the performance standards.
SACE Board officers can assist principals in identifying and developing appropriate clarifying
activities and processes in their schools.
Note: Northern Territory schools will be advised of the arrangements for clarifying support by
Curriculum, Assessment and Certification 10–12.
Principals also develop supervision and verification processes for ensuring the authenticity of
student work, and communicate these to students.

Stage 1 Information and Guidelines 2016 7 www.sace.sa.edu.au

SACE Board
The SACE Board provides the following to support teachers in developing an understanding of
the performance standards:
 annotated work samples
 advice on appropriate clarifying activities
 online clarifying activities for English and mathematics subjects and the Personal Learning
Plan
 the Supervision and Verification of Students’ Work policy and procedures, from which schools
can develop their own guidelines.
Contact details for SACE Board officers are available on the subject minisites.

Confirming
The performance standards in each subject are applied consistently across schools to report
student achievement.

Moderation of English and Mathematics Subjects and the Personal Learning Plan
Schools participate in moderation for the Stage 1 Personal Learning Plan and for each of the
Stage 1 English and mathematics subjects offered by the school until their results are confirmed
in 2 consecutive years. Where results have been confirmed in an English or mathematics
subject or the Personal Learning Plan in 2 consecutive years (i.e. 2013 and 2014 or 2014 and
2015), a school may not be required to participate in moderation for that subject in 2015.
Schools should have processes in place to ensure that students’ results in English and
mathematics subjects and the Personal Learning Plan reflect the statewide interpretation and
application of the performance standards in that subject.
New subject outlines for Stage 1 English and mathematics subjects have been developed for
use from 2016. Schools currently on a triennial cycle for a given Stage 1 English or
mathematics subject will remain on a triennial cycle for the equivalent English or mathematics
subject in 2016 (see table below).

Subject name — 2015 Equivalent subject name — 2016

English English

English as a Second Language English as an Additional Language

English Pathways Essential English

Literacy for Work and Community Life Essential English

Mathematics Mathematics

Mathematical Applications General Mathematics

Mathematics Pathways Essential Mathematics

Numeracy for Work and Community Life Essential Mathematics

Note: SACE coordinators are advised of the Stage 1 subjects required for moderation in 2016 in
the week beginning 8 February.
Schools may also request moderation for an additional English or mathematics subject or the
Personal Learning Plan if they require support to confirm the C grade due to significant changes
in staffing or in the teaching and assessment program. Requests for moderation in an additional
subject in 2016 should be made by Wednesday 6 April for results due June or by Thursday
18 August for results due December.

Stage 1 Information and Guidelines 2016 8 www.sace.sa.edu.au

When the moderation process confirms a school’s assessment decisions in a subject required
for moderation at the end of Semester 1, a subsequent moderation in that subject is not
necessary in Semester 2.

Teacher, Principal, and SACE Board Responsibilities

Teachers
 ensure that their interpretation
and application of the
performance standards in a
subject are consistent with
those of other teachers
 identify students in the C and D
grades in English and
mathematics subjects and the
Personal Learning Plan (if
advised that moderation is
required)
 identify and prepare samples
of student work for English and
mathematics subjects and the
Personal Learning Plan (if
advised that moderation is
required).
Principals
 establish processes to ensure
that students’ results reflect a
consistent interpretation and
application of the performance
standards across all classes
for each subject in the school
 ensure that results for English
and mathematics subjects and
the Personal Learning Plan
reflect the outcomes of
moderation for subjects that
have been moderated
 verify and submit online results
sheets.
SACE Board
 provides exemplars to support
the consistent interpretation
and application of the
performance standards in each
subject
 manages the moderation
process for English and
mathematics subjects and the
Personal Learning Plan
 generates online results sheets
 checks schools’ results.

Teachers
At the end of the teaching and learning program, teachers assess student evidence and provide
a result in the range A–E, based on the performance standards for each subject. Results should
be applied consistently in all classes for each subject throughout the school.
Teachers implement the school’s supervision and verification processes to ensure the
authenticity of student materials submitted for assessment.
Teachers use Schools Online to complete online results sheets for Stage 1 subjects (results
due June) and submit these to their principal or their principal’s delegate by:
 Wednesday 6 July (Semester 1 results)
 Monday 5 December (Semester 2 and full-year results).

Moderation of English and Mathematics Subjects and the Personal Learning Plan
Teachers of subjects to be moderated in 2016 should complete their assessment program in
time to participate in the Semester 1 moderation round wherever possible.
Teachers of subjects to be moderated undertake the following additional activities to those
outlined under Confirming on pages 8 and 9:
 pre-moderation activities
 nomination of moderators
 preparation of moderation sample
 moderation procedures (nominated moderators only)
 results reporting.

Note: Northern Territory schools will be advised of moderation dates and arrangements by
Curriculum, Assessment and Certification 10–12.

Pre-moderation Activities
Teachers of subjects to be moderated plan their teaching and assessment programs to ensure
that all tasks (or all pending completion of the final task) in the approved learning and
assessment plan are completed and marked before moderation materials are collected.

Stage 1 Information and Guidelines 2016 9 www.sace.sa.edu.au

Materials for moderation of Stage 1 English and mathematics subjects and the Personal
Learning Plan are collected from schools on:
 Wednesday 15 June (Semester 1, results due June)
 Thursday 10 November (Semester 2, results due December)

Teachers identify students with results in the C and D grade, including the borderline of the
C and D grades. A borderline grade is indicated with an asterisk (*). A result of C* indicates a
student in the C grade at the borderline of the D grade. A result of D* indicates a student in the
D grade at the borderline of the C grade.

Nomination of Moderators
Schools participating in moderation for an English or mathematics subject or the Personal
Learning Plan are generally required to nominate a teacher from their school to act as a
moderator. Nominated teachers need to be available for each day of moderation according to
the schedule available on the SACE website as follows:
 Semester 1, week beginning 2 May (results due June)
 Semester 2, week beginning 29 August (results due December).

Preparation of Moderation Sample

The school submits one moderation sample for each subject requested for moderation in 2016,
irrespective of the number of classes for that subject in the school. The sample should include
the work of up to twelve students and be representative of the school’s interpretation and
application (i.e. that of all teachers) of the performance standards in the subject. The
moderation sample should comprise the work of students whom teachers identify as
demonstrating evidence of learning in the C and D grades, including results at the borderline of
C and D grades (C*, D*).
The moderation sample is selected by the school according to the following parameters. For
each subject to be moderated, the sample should comprise:
 the work of students from classes taught by each of the teachers who teach the subject in the
school
 a maximum of three sets of evidence representative of each of the C, C*, D*, and D grade
levels if available
 complete sets of evidence for each student (where possible, the work of students with missing
evidence due to special provisions, misplaced work, or failure to complete a task should not
be included in the sample).
Note: If there are no results in the C and D grades, including at the borderline of C and D
grades (C*, D*), in a subject, schools should select the work of students from the adjacent
grades for the moderation sample (up to four samples where there are more than four students
enrolled in the subject).
Schools need only provide samples of adjacent grades (e.g. B grade) if neither C nor D grades
are available.
Teachers prepare, for each student in the moderation sample, student materials for each
English and mathematics subject and the Personal Learning Plan.
Teachers ensure that the moderation sample comprises:
 one completed Stage 1 Moderation Sample Form, signed by the principal or the principal’s
delegate
 the entire marked folio (or pending completion of the final task) for each student selected
 one copy of the approved learning and assessment plan
 assessment task sheets and any associated guide for each task (e.g. marks scheme, rubric,
specific features of the assessment design criteria, solutions for skills and applications tasks
in mathematics subjects)
 the overall grade for each student at the time of moderation (using * in the C and D grades to
indicate grades at the borderline of C and D grades).

Stage 1 Information and Guidelines 2016 10 www.sace.sa.edu.au

Materials should be in a format that is accessible during moderation. Refer to Advice on
preparing Stage 1 materials.
Teachers retain, or maintain access to, student evidence for the rest of the cohort for each
subject moderated, until the SACE Board has released Stage 1 results to students.

Moderation Procedures
Schools nominate teacher(s) to act as moderators in English and mathematics subjects and the
Personal Learning Plan, as requested by the SACE Board. Nominated moderators attend
moderation at a central venue for the duration of moderation for a subject (generally 2 or 3
days), according to a moderation schedule for English and mathematics subjects and the
Personal Learning Plan.
Moderators participate in a benchmarking activity and training at the start of the moderation
process, and abide by the SACE Board’s Code of Practice. Training and benchmarking are
conducted for each subject at the moderation venue.
For details of the Stage 1 moderation procedures refer to SACE Stage 1 Moderation Overview,
Procedures and Guidelines for Stage 1 Moderators, and Stage 1 Moderation: Part 1 — Purpose
and Process [video].

Results Reporting
Teachers ensure that final results reflect the outcomes either of moderation or of the confirming
processes within the school for subjects that have not been moderated.
Results submitted at moderation may need to be adjusted to reflect:
 moderation outcomes

or
 significant achievement in the final assessment task completed (if not completed at the time of
moderation).
After moderation, teachers (in consultation with principals) may decide to use the result codes
listed in the table below, in addition to AE grades, when reporting students’ results to the
SACE Board.
Result code Explanation Implication
P Pending Students with result code P will not receive a result in that
results period, and will have their enrolment rolled over to
The result is pending. the next results period.
P may be used in English and mathematics subjects and the
Personal Learning Plan for students who cannot be
confirmed as achieving at least a C grade after moderation
(or within school confirming processes). Students with result
code P are expected to provide additional evidence to
achieve a C grade or better.
Students can then be resulted on Schools Online in the
following results period.
Note: Opportunities to produce additional evidence should
be documented on the addendum to the approved learning
and assessment plan
N No Result Students may have demonstrated some learning in the
subject, but the evidence is insufficient to meet the E grade
There is insufficient as described in the performance standards. Students with
evidence of learning to meet result code N will not be awarded any credits.
the E grade.
W Withdrawn Students with result code W will not be awarded any credits.
The student has withdrawn
from the subject.

Note: Administrative errors in students’ results may be corrected using a Change of Results
Request form. This form is not to be used to change pending results.

Stage 1 Information and Guidelines 2016 11 www.sace.sa.edu.au

Principals (or Principals’ Delegates)
Principals:
 establish and manage processes to ensure that the results teachers submit for students
reflect consistent interpretation and application of the performance standards in each subject
within the school
 develop supervision and verification processes to establish the authenticity of student
materials
 verify school assessment online results sheets and submit them to the SACE Board by
 Wednesday 6 July (Semester 1 results)
 Monday 5 December (Semester 2 and full-year results).

Moderation of English and Mathematics Subjects and the Personal Learning Plan
Principals may also request that their school participates in moderation for an additional English
or mathematics subject or the Personal Learning Plan if the school requires support to confirm
the C grade due to significant changes in staffing or in the teaching and assessment program.
Principals can monitor the need to request participation in moderation for an additional English
or mathematics subject by encouraging teachers to complete online benchmarking activities.
These activities will be available on the relevant subject minisites towards the end of term 1.
Requests for moderation in an additional subject in 2016 should be made by Wednesday 6 April
for results due June or by Thursday 18 August for results due December.
For subjects to be moderated in 2016, principals should ensure that teachers plan to complete
their assessment program in time to participate in the Semester 1 moderation round wherever
possible.
When an English or mathematics subject or the Personal Learning Plan is required for
moderation, or when a school requests moderation, principals undertake the following additional
activities to those outline under Confirming on pages 8 and 9:
 pre-moderation activities
 nomination of moderators
 preparation for moderation
 moderation procedures
 results reporting.

Note: Northern Territory schools will be advised of moderation dates and arrangements by
Curriculum, Assessment and Certification 10–12.

Pre-moderation Activities
Principals check that learning and assessment plans for the Stage 1 subjects to be moderated
have been approved before moderation takes place.
Principals ensure that:
 enrolments in English and mathematics subjects and the Personal Learning Plan are
completed by
 Wednesday 6 April (Semester 1, results due June)
 Thursday 18 August (Semester 2, results due December)
 teachers of subjects to be moderated are aware of the subject’s moderation date and plan
their learning and assessment programs to ensure that all tasks, or all except the final task,
are marked and available for moderation, as follows
 Wednesday 15 June (Semester 1, results due June); subjects are moderated according to
the schedule available on the SACE website in the week beginning 2 May
 Thursday 10 November (Semester 2, results due December); subjects are moderated
according to the schedule available on the SACE website in the week beginning 29 August.

Stage 1 Information and Guidelines 2016 12 www.sace.sa.edu.au

Nomination of Moderators
Principals nominate and release teachers to act as moderators in English and mathematics
subjects and the Personal Learning Plan, when requested by the SACE Board.
Principals may also nominate additional moderators if they have teachers with expertise in the
relevant subject area(s) who would benefit from participating in Stage 1 moderation. These
teachers are placed on a reserve list and contacted by the SACE Board at least 1 week before
moderation begins, should additional moderators be required. Nominated (and additional)
moderators attend moderation at a central venue for the duration of moderation for a subject
(generally 2 or 3 days), according to the moderation schedule for English and mathematics
subjects and the Personal Learning Plan.
Principals ensure that:
 online nominations of moderators, for subjects in which nominations are requested, are
received by the SACE Board by
 Friday 13 May for the Semester 1 moderation round (results due June)
 Friday 16 September for the Semester 2 moderation round (results due December)
 nominated teachers are aware of their nomination and released to participate in moderation
on the date(s) listed in the moderation schedule.

Preparation for Moderation

Principals ensure that:
 results presented at moderation reflect the school’s application of the performance standards
by all teachers for the subject(s) to be moderated
 for each subject to be moderated, the moderation sample is selected according to parameters
that the SACE Board determines (see page 10)
 the moderation sample comprises
 one completed Stage 1 Moderation Sample Form, signed by the principal or the principal’s
delegate
 the entire marked folio (or pending completion of the final task) for each student selected
 one copy of the approved learning and assessment plan
 assessment task sheets and any associated guide for each task (e.g. marks scheme,
rubric, specific features of the assessment design criteria, solutions for skills and
application tasks in mathematics subjects)
 the overall grade for each student at the time of moderation (using * in the C and D grades
to indicate grades at the borderline of C and D grades).
Materials should be in a format that is accessible during moderation. Refer to Advice on
preparing Stage 1 materials.

Moderation Procedures
Principals release nominated moderators to participate in moderation at a central venue for the
duration of moderation for a subject (generally 2 or 3 days), according to the moderation
schedule for English and mathematics subjects and the Personal Learning Plan. Moderators
participate in a benchmarking activity and training at the start of the moderation process, and
abide by the SACE Board’s Code of Conduct.
For details of the Stage 1 moderation procedures refer to SACE Stage 1 Moderation Overview
and Stage 1 Moderation: Part 1 — Purpose and Process [video].
The SACE Board advises principals of the outcomes of the moderation process. Principals
provide copies of the moderation feedback to all teachers of subjects that were moderated.
Principals then ensure that any necessary adjustments to students’ results are made according
to recommendations made through the moderation process.

Stage 1 Information and Guidelines 2016 13 www.sace.sa.edu.au

Results Reporting
Schools are required to have an approved learning and assessment plan for each Stage 1 subject
before reporting students’ results. Schools are unable to report results in a Stage 1 subject when:
 a learning and assessment plan has not been
 submitted for the subject
 approved for the subject
 Form 26 has not been submitted to indicate the use of a pre-approved learning and
assessment plan for English or mathematics subjects.
Principals ensure that the final results entered by teachers in Schools Online reflect the
outcomes of moderation or the confirming processes within the school for subjects that have not
been moderated.
After moderation, schools may decide to use the result codes P, N, or W, in addition to A–E
grades, when reporting students’ results to the SACE Board (see the table on page 11).
Principals develop processes to support teachers in using these codes where applicable.

SACE Board
The SACE Board provides a range of annotated assessments and folios of student work to
support confirming activities within and across schools.
SACE Board officers provide advice on appropriate processes principals can use to confirm the
consistency of grades used within the school.

Moderation of English and Mathematics Subjects and the Personal Learning Plan
For these subjects, there is a moderation process during the confirming phase. The SACE
Board undertakes the following additional activities during the confirming phase to ensure that
the performance standards in each of these subjects have been applied consistently across
schools:
 pre-moderation activities
 nomination of moderators
 preparation for moderation
 moderation procedures
 results reporting.

Note: Northern Territory schools will be advised of moderation dates and arrangements by
Curriculum, Assessment and Certification 10–12.

Pre-moderation Activities
The SACE Board advises schools of the arrangements for moderation of English and
mathematics subjects and the Personal Learning Plan in 2016 in the week beginning
8 February.
The SACE Board also manages requests from individual schools for moderation in additional
English and mathematics subjects or the Personal Learning Plan.
Moderation of Stage 1 English and mathematics subjects and the Personal Learning Plan for
Semester 1 (results due June) begins in the week beginning 20 June. Subjects are moderated
according to the schedule available on the SACE website in the week beginning 2 May.
Moderation of Stage 1 English and mathematics subjects and the Personal Learning Plan for
Semester 2 (results due December) begins in the week beginning 14 November. Subjects are
moderated according to the schedule available on the SACE website in the week beginning
29 August.
The SACE Board moderates Stage 1 English and mathematics subjects and the Personal
Learning Plan at a central location.

Stage 1 Information and Guidelines 2016 14 www.sace.sa.edu.au

The SACE Board includes a school in the moderation process for a subject in either of the
following circumstances:
 the subject is required to be moderated for the school in 2016, and the school has enrolments
in the subject in Schools Online by the due dates listed below
 the school requests moderation and has enrolments in the subject in Schools Online by
 Wednesday 6 April (Semester 1, results due June)
 Thursday 18 August (Semester 2, results due December).

Nomination of Moderators
The SACE Board advises schools of the subject(s) for which the school is required to nominate
a moderator. The SACE Board confirms the details of moderation with nominated moderators.

Preparation for Moderation

The SACE Board requests the nomination of moderators in English and mathematics subjects
and the Personal Learning Plan from schools required to attend moderation for a subject.
SACE Board officers provide advice on appropriate processes principals can use to confirm the
consistency of teachers’ assessment decisions before moderation.
The SACE Board determines the parameters for the moderation sample (see page 10).

Moderation Procedures
SACE Board officers lead the moderation process, working with the participating teachers. The
moderation process takes place at the overall subject level, with reference to the performance
standards and the marked sample of student work.
At the beginning of the moderation process, SACE Board officers lead a benchmarking activity
and training in moderation procedures for nominated moderators. Training and benchmarking
are conducted for each subject at the moderation venue.
SACE Board officers review moderators’ recommendations and:
 confirm the school’s assessment decisions when the student samples reflect the quality of
learning described in the performance standards
or
 advise the school that adjustments are necessary to ensure that students’ results reflect the
quality of learning described in the performance standards.
When the moderation process confirms a school’s pre-moderated results in a subject at the end
of Semester 1, a subsequent moderation in that subject is not necessary in Semester 2.
Moderation cannot be conducted if:
 the school does not have enrolments in the subject to be moderated
 a moderation sample is not provided.

Moderation may be postponed until the next moderation round if:

 insufficient materials are available at the time of moderation (i.e. two or more tasks from the
approved learning and assessment plan are not marked and included in the sample)
 the school does not have enrolments in the subject to be moderated by the enrolment due
dates
 Wednesday 6 April (Semester 1, results due June)
 Thursday 18 August (Semester 2, results due December).

Results Reporting
Schools will be unable to report student results in a Stage 1 subject where a learning and
assessment plan has not been submitted to and approved by the SACE Board. Online results
sheets will not be generated for Stage 1 subjects that do not have an approved plan.

Stage 1 Information and Guidelines 2016 15 www.sace.sa.edu.au

For subjects that have been moderated, the SACE Board checks that the final results submitted
by schools reflect the outcomes of moderation, including any necessary adjustments to results.
The SACE Board does not report final results for students in English and mathematics subjects
and the Personal Learning Plan if:
 moderation did not take place for a subject requested for moderation
 the final results submitted do not reflect the outcomes of moderation.

Improving
School and SACE Board quality assurance processes are monitored and analysed to develop
improvement strategies.

Teacher, Principal, and SACE Board Responsibilities

Teachers
 analyse and use the results of
their students’ learning to
strengthen their understanding
and application of performance
standards.
Principals
 analyse students’ results to
identify where assistance and
support may be provided in the
school’s teaching and learning
program and quality assurance
processes.
SACE Board
 analyses and improves its
quality assurance
 provides data and qualitative
feedback to schools.

Teachers
Teachers receive feedback from colleagues and the SACE Board as part of the quality
assurance cycle.
Teachers use data presenting the results of student learning to guide and strengthen their
understanding and application of performance standards, and improve their assessment design
and teaching.

Principals (or Principals’ Delegates)

Principals receive from the SACE Board:
 qualitative feedback about their school’s quality assurance processes
 data indicating student achievement.

Principals analyse feedback and results to identify the support and/or strategies needed to
improve student achievement.
Principals provide opportunities for teachers to discuss and analyse data.

SACE Board
To support quality assurance processes in schools and to guide improvement, the SACE Board:
 prepares, analyses, and distributes to schools statistical data about student achievements
 provides qualitative feedback that supports quality assurance processes in schools.

Stage 1 Information and Guidelines 2016 16 www.sace.sa.edu.au