Coaching our VCE students to optimise their achievements in 2024
We are committed to supporting all of our students at Tintern Grammar to reach their potential and, in particular, our VCE students to achieve the best possible outcomes from their final years of schooling. In 2023 we implemented a more focussed coaching program to maximise the growth of our VCE students, in both academic learning and development of broader personal and social capabilities, so they could better move to their desired future pathway successfully.
The Year 12 Coaching Program continues this year with all Year 12 students gathering recently at an introductory assembly where this year’s program was outlined. This was followed up with a goal setting survey, which probed areas students felt needed improvement in their approach to their VCE studies and sought possible seeds of action planning. Just last week, Year 12s met again to confirm their goals and action plans, under the guidance of their Pastoral Mentors and members of Senior Management, who had one-on-one conversations with the students to tease out the details of the steps they plan to take to achieve their goals. All Year 12s posted their goals and action plan in their ePortfolio on the portal and there will be regular check-ins by the Pastoral Mentors to gauge how they are tracking with their plans. Parents are invited to review these goals with their children and discuss ways in which they can support their child’s studies throughout this year. We trust that this will be a motivating process that fosters independence and enables optimal growth.
For some students, the goals they set might be around developing skills for the workforce, or for application to courses requiring interview, audition, or folio presentation. For others, academic achievement in their studies to enable an ATAR entry into tertiary courses will be the focus. We aim to work with each student to make these goals a reality.
NAPLAN
NAPLAN testing for our students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will commence on 13 March. Last year, parents and carers received earlier, simpler and clearer information about their child’s NAPLAN achievement based on new national standards.
Education ministers had agreed to change the way NAPLAN results are reported to parents and carers, now that all students are taking the tests online, and with the move to an earlier NAPLAN in March. New proficiency standards with 4 levels of achievement for each year level will replace the previous 10-band structure that covered all 4 levels tested and the old national minimum standard set in 2008 when tests were on paper.
Resetting the measurement scale and restarting the time series once all schools are online was a recommendation of the 2020 Independent Review of NAPLAN. NAPLAN continues to measure student achievement in numeracy, reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation. The new proficiency standard will be included on all NAPLAN reports.
The numerical NAPLAN bands and the national minimum standard will be replaced by the following 4 levels of achievement:
- Exceeding
- Strong
- Developing
- Needs additional
The descriptors for each category will make it clear to parents which level their child’s literacy and numeracy skills are sitting at the time of NAPLAN testing, and will support discussions with our teaching staff on their child’s progress.
Student Progress Meetings across all schools
Dates for your diary: Student Progress Meetings for Years 7-12 will be conducted this term on Wednesday 13 March (online from 4.00 – 8.00pm), Monday 18 March (onsite from 4.00 – 8.00pm), and Thursday 28 March (online from 9.00am – 4.00pm).
ELC and JS Student Progress Meetings will be conducted on Thursday 21 March (onsite from 3.30 – 6.00pm) and Thursday 28 March (online from 9.00am – 4.00pm). Further information regarding making bookings for these meetings will be forthcoming closer to the time.
Alison Bezaire | Director of Studies
