More than 20,000 students will start Year 11 today and become the first in their generation to undertake the new South Australian Certificate of Education Stage 1 subjects.
These students started the new SACE with the compulsory Personal Learning Plan subject in 2009 and will be the first to graduate with the new certificate at the end of 2011.
From this week, all Year 10 and 11 students will receive a new student magazine called Achieve, which highlights student achievements over the past year, to help them start their SACE journey.
Education Minister Jane Lomax-Smith says it’s the dawn of a new era of senior secondary education in Government, Catholic and Independent secondary schools.
“This important reform follows the biggest review of the State’s senior secondary education system since the SACE was first introduced in 1992, Dr Lomax-Smith says.
“The 244-page review report, completed in 2006, involved thousands of parents, teachers and business people helping to shape the new SACE.
“Its recommendations were backed with a $54.5 million investment from the Rann Government to introduce a new certificate over five years.
“The SACE Board, headed by Dr Paul Kilvert, has worked with school sectors and communities since 2006 to develop the new certificate and prepare for its introduction.
“This work has included training for thousands of teachers and SACE leaders working in Government, Catholic and Independent high schools.
“A further $3.38 million in grants has been provided to schools in 2010 to continue to prepare their teachers for the new SACE.”
Dr Lomax-Smith says the new SACE will help more young South Australians to achieve their work and life goals at a time when school retention rates are at a 15-year high.
“The new SACE has a major focus on students planning for their future, provides credits for out-of-school studies and includes more rigorous out-of-school assessment of students’ work.
“Students are required to achieve a C grade or above for all compulsory subjects, including literacy and numeracy, and required Year 12 credits. All subjects will be reported with A to E grades.”
Dr Lomax-Smith says this year’s Year 11 students have already undertaken the Personal Learning Plan and had diagnostic literacy and numeracy testing and intervention at Year 9.
“Many have also been involved in our School to Work programs, a series of four initiatives designed to better prepare students for life beyond school.
“This includes a program that encourages young people to become the first in their family to go to university.”
Chief Executive of the SACE Board of SA, Dr Paul Kilvert, says 2010 is a key year both for those who are about to enter their final school year and for those who will be the first to undertake the new Stage 1 subjects in Year 11.
“The new subject outlines are aimed to increase the capabilities of communication, citizenship, personal development, work and learning which will help students build a strong platform from which to engage in work and life,” Mr Kilvert says.
“I would like to express gratitude to the teachers who have prepared consistently over the past year to implement the Stage 1 subjects. I want to wish encouragement to those students who are due to study both Stage 1 and Stage 2 subjects in 2010.”
An information kit for teachers and the launch of the new SACE Board website this month will increase the ways that teachers, students, parents and employers will be able to easily access information about the new SACE.
For further details visit www.sace.sa.edu.au.
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