Information and advice for schools

The audit is a necessary component of the VCAA’s management of quality. All schools delivering the VCE are audited for at least one VCE study each year (where eligible). Schools will not be audited for more than four studies over the course of one academic year, other than in exceptional circumstances. The selection of studies for audit is random, except in instances where:

• a school did not meet requirements in the previous audit cycle and is required to undergo audit again
• a school is offering a study either for the first time or there has been a gap of three or more years since the study was last offered.

The audit process supports schools to identify areas for improvement and provides a basis for professional conversations about teaching and learning. Feedback from the audit can inform teachers about how they implement assessment, and in many cases, the feedback provided by the Audit Panel can confirm the understanding already held by teachers. Many teachers find the opportunity to gain external feedback and talk with the VCAA Curriculum Manager about specific concerns useful and empowering. Feedback can stimulate discussions about what is the most effective way to deliver authentication and assessment – particularly in large schools.

By sampling a range of schools each year, the VCAA can collect useful information about how well teachers understand and are implementing each VCE study design. This feedback is extremely useful when study designs are reviewed but can also signal particular areas where additional resourcing or support might be required.

The study I teach wasn’t selected for audit in Unit 3. Does that mean I won’t be audited this year?

Not necessarily. Schools may be selected for audit in either or both Unit 3 and Unit 4. Schools are notified of Unit 4 audit requirements through VASS early in Term 3. The audit process for Unit 4 is identical to that for Unit 3.

Schools are notified of their Units 3 and 4 audit requirements through a general notification email and through VASS. The screen in VASS where schools can access the list of studies selected for audit is: School program > VCE > School-based Assessment Audit.

The school VASS Administrator should forward the audit information to the teacher/s of the studies being audited. School Principals and VCE Coordinators should be informed of the VCE studies being audited and should support their teachers through the audit process.

In 2024, schools will be notified of their Unit 3 School-based Assessment Audit requirements on 20 February. Schools will be notified of their Unit 4 School-based Assessment Audit requirements on 23 July. The audit process commences early in Term 1 (for Unit 3) and Term 3 (for Unit 4) to ensure that the VCAA can provide timely advice and support if there are issues with school-based assessment practices.

Outcomes of the School-based Assessment Audit are available on the following screen in VASS:

School program > VCE > School-based Assessment Audit.

Schools receive a generic notification email when audit outcomes are made available. This email is delivered to the email address listed for the school at the top of the School Details page on VASS.

An Audit Report containing feedback on each audit submission is also available for download through VASS; in VASS downloads, search the keyword ‘AUDIT’.

All dates pertaining to the School-based Assessment Audit are published in the annual VCAA Important Administrative Dates.

We are not offering the VCE study selected for audit - what should we do?

The study was selected for audit because it was listed on VASS at the time of selection as being offered by the school. If you have not done so already, please remove the study from VASS and send an email to school.assessment.vcaa@education.vic.gov.au to notify the VCAA that you are not offering the study chosen for audit. The school will be withdrawn from the audit for this study and may be allocated a new study for audit.

Please note that students who are undertaking a VCE study at another school are enrolled on VASS through a different process. Please contact VASS Support on 1300 623 681 if you require support with enrolment.

The teacher of VCE study being audited completes an online study-specific audit questionnaire on behalf of their school. If there is more than one teacher teaching Units 3 and 4 of the VCE study, the teachers may work together to complete the school’s audit response. Schools should ensure that no more than one audit response per study is submitted.

The VCAA conducts audits of schools, not of individual teachers. Although the audit questionnaire is completed by the relevant teacher/s of the VCE study, Principals and VCE Coordinators should support their teachers through the audit process.

Given the timing of the audit, the VCAA understands that some information provided by the school may not be final at the time of submission. Responses to the audit questionnaire should provide a clear picture of planned assessment practices within the study based on the best current information.

The VCAA allocates Unit 3 audits as close as possible to the commencement of the audit process. This is to ensure the audit selection is based on the most up-to date enrolment and registration data for the year as entered into VASS.

In extenuating circumstances, schools may be provided with a short extension to complete the audit questionnaire or to provide further evidence.

To apply for an extension, please email school.assessment.vcaa@education.vic.gov.au explaining why an extension is required.

Please note that extensions are provided at the discretion of the Manager, School-based Assessment Audit, in conjunction with the Curriculum Manager. Applying for an extension does not guarantee that the school will receive one, and where extensions are provided, they may be for a shorter period of time than was requested.

Units 3 and 4 School-based Assessment Audits require the completion of an audit questionnaire that contains questions about school-based assessment practices. Questionnaires are completed online and accessed via the School-based Assessment Audit webpage.

Each audit questionnaire contains study-specific questions relating to each outcome and generic questions about the administration of school-based assessment. Questions about administration of school-based assessment should be completed in consultation with the VCE Coordinator.

A PDF version of each study-specific questionnaire can be accessed through the downloads page in VASS – search ‘AUDIT’. If your VASS Administrator is unavailable or unable to access the PDF audit questionnaire, a copy of the PDF can be requested by emailing school.assessment.vcaa@education.vic.gov.au. These PDFs are for reference purposes only. All audits must be completed online using the link provided on the School-based Assessment Audit webpage.

When completing the study-specific audit questionnaire, the following should be accessible:

1. VCAA provider number

This is a five-digit number that will lead with ‘0’ or ‘1’ (e.g. 01234). If you are unsure of your school’s VCAA provider number, please ask your VASS Administrator.

2. The relevant study design

The study design is the main source of information for assessment. As you complete the questionnaire, take the opportunity to review planned assessment against the specifications set out in the study design.

3. Assessment timeline for the unit

As you complete the questionnaire, review your proposed assessment timeline to ensure it allows adequate opportunity for students to develop the required key knowledge and key skills for the outcome and to receive feedback on their performance.

4. Developed SAC tasks or plans/outlines of SAC tasks for the unit

The questionnaire offers the opportunity to upload developed SAC task/s for one or more outcomes. If you do not have a developed SAC task/s to upload, you will be asked to provide a detailed description of the task/s used to assess each outcome within the unit.

5. Developed marking guides or marking schemes

If not using the VCAA performance descriptors, schools are asked to upload the marking rubric/assessment criteria for each task.

6. School policies relating to VCE school-based assessment

The questionnaire requires schools to provide information about their policies regarding authentication of student work, redemption of an N result, and cross-marking and moderation. Policy and administration aspects of the audit questionnaire should be completed in consultation with the school’s VCE Coordinator. School policies for the administration of VCE school-based assessment should align with the requirements set out in the VCE Administrative Handbook.

7. Any commercial materials used in school-based assessment

If any commercial materials (such as commercially produced tasks, textbooks, or teacher network and subject association materials) have been included in school-based assessment, you will have the opportunity to upload these materials alongside your own developed SAC task.

Please note that any commercial materials included in school-based assessment must be sufficiently modified to ensure that the SAC task:

• meets the requirements of the current VCE study design
• is unique to the school, ensuring student work can be authenticated
• caters to the needs of the particular cohort of students.

If you do not have a developed SAC task ready to upload, or if you do not wish to provide the commercial materials used, you will be asked to describe in detail how the commercial material has been modified. You will also be asked to provide publication details (publisher/author/year of publication) for any commercial materials used.

8. Any SAC tasks from previous years used in the current year’s school-based assessment

If this year’s SAC task has been based on a task/s that has been used by the school in a previous year, you will have the opportunity to upload the previously used task/s alongside this year’s SAC.

If you do not have a developed SAC task from the current year to upload, or if you do not wish to provide the SAC task/s from a previous year, you will be asked to describe in detail how the previously used material has been modified. This is to ensure that student work can be authenticated and that this year’s SAC task meets the requirements of the current study design and the needs of the current cohort of students.

The purpose of the School-based Assessment Audit is to ensure that school-based assessment is conducted in line with the VCE assessment principles as well as the requirements of the relevant VCE study design and the VCE Administrative Handbook.

The Audit Panel checks that:

• SAC tasks and SATs are in line with the specifications and requirements set out in study designs
• the instruments for the conduct of assessment match those listed in study designs
• administrative and assessment procedures are fair for students and adhere to the guidelines set out in the VCE assessment principles and the VCE Administrative Handbook.

The Audit Panel can only make a judgment on the material provided by the school in their submission to the audit. The school is therefore recommended to provide as much information as possible in response to each of the questions.

While teachers complete the audit questionnaire, they are doing so on behalf of the school. Schools should have internal processes for managing all stages of the audit and for supporting teachers who are undertaking the audit. Teachers are encouraged to consult with their Principal and VCE Coordinator throughout the audit process. Administrative sections of the questionnaire should be completed in consultation with the VCE Coordinator.

A PDF copy of the full online audit questionnaire is available through VASS downloads – search the keyword ‘AUDIT’. You can use the PDF to gather the resources needed to complete the online questionnaire. You can also use the PDF to prepare your responses in a Word document prior to completing the online audit questionnaire to avoid losing information if your internet connection drops out. When you are ready to complete the online questionnaire, these responses can then be copied and pasted across. (However, please note that it is not recommended to copy and paste a task in its entirety into a response box as the formatting will be lost and it may no longer make sense.) If your VASS Administrator is unavailable, you can request a PDF copy of the audit questionnaire by emailing school.assessment.vcaa@education.vic.gov.au.

To move forward or backward through the online audit questionnaire, use the [PREVIOUS PAGE] and [SAVE AND CONTINUE] buttons displayed in the bottom corners of each page.

Do not use the arrows in your web browser as this can exit you out of the audit without saving.

The audit can be completed over multiple sessions; however, you must ensure you are using the same computer, internet browser (e.g. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox) and IP address (i.e. the same internet/WiFi connection). If you commence the questionnaire using your laptop at home, you will not be able to access your saved progress if you recommence the questionnaire using the same laptop at work. Ensure you use the [SAVE AND CONTINUE] button located in the bottom right-hand corner of each page to save entered information before exiting.

Generally, ‘lost’ responses can be recovered. If you lose your saved progress, please contact the School-based Assessment Audit team on:

tel.: +61 3 9059 5166
E: school.assessment.vcaa@education.vic.gov.au
We recommend using the Google Chrome web browser to complete the online audit.

Many questions require responses to be entered into an input box. If you require additional space for your response, the size of most input boxes can be extended by dragging the handle in the bottom right-hand corner of the input box. The handle looks like two diagonal lines. If you wish to submit additional information or documents and you are not able to enter or upload them using the audit questionnaire, please contact the School-based Assessment Audit team.

Once the [PREVIEW RESPONSE] button is pressed at the conclusion of the online audit, a full preview of the responses you have provided will be shown.

You can go back by using the [PREVIOUS PAGE] button to edit any of the responses provided.

If a document is uploaded to the audit, it will not be able to be viewed in the response preview. Please check the document prior to uploading. If the wrong document is uploaded, simply upload the correct document over the top of the existing one.

At this stage, you will also have the opportunity to download a full PDF copy of your completed responses for your records. If at any stage after submitting the audit questionnaire you require a copy of your responses, please email school.assessment.vcaa@education.vic.gov.au.

Once the submission is received by the VCAA, it is reviewed by a study-specific Audit Panel. On the basis of the information provided, the panel determines if VCAA standards and requirements are being met.

All schools that have undergone audit will receive an Audit Report. Audit Reports can be accessed through VASS downloads – search the keyword ‘AUDIT’. Please note that access to download the reports is restricted to VASS Administrators.

VASS Administrators are responsible for passing on Audit Reports to teachers. If you are a teacher of a study being audited and you have not received an Audit Report by the date for delivery of audit outcomes (as stated in the VCAA Important Administrative Dates), please contact your VASS Administrator. If your VASS Administrator is not available, you may request a copy of the Audit Report by emailing school.assessment.vcaa@education.vic.gov.au.

The Audit Report will contain an outcome statement, specify any actions required by the school, indicate any items of further evidence required for submission (if applicable), and provide feedback from the Audit Panel on the evidence received.

Where it is determined that VCAA requirements have been met, the school will be instructed that no further action is required at this time. The Audit Report may include some recommendations to enable schools to improve their tasks and/or policies in future years.

Where it is determined that VCAA requirements have been met with conditions noted, the school will be instructed to refer to the issues noted in the Audit Report and advised that requirements have been met, on condition those issues are addressed in future. No further action is required at this time, but the school may be selected again for audit during the accreditation period of the study design.

Where it is determined that VCAA requirements have not yet been met, the school may be asked to provide further evidence or to arrange a time to speak with the VCAA Curriculum Manager for further support.

Further evidence may also be requested if the audit submission is incomplete or does not provide enough detail for the Audit Panel to determine that all requirements have been met. Further evidence may also be requested if the initial submission indicates that some aspect of assessment design or practice does not comply with VCAA requirements.

The Audit Report will outline what items of further evidence are required and will provide feedback on the response to the audit questionnaire. The Audit Report will also provide instructions on how to submit items of further evidence.

Items of further evidence are submitted through an online form, which is accessible through the School-based Assessment Audit webpage. The form will ask for the school name and VCAA provider number as well as contact details of the person coordinating the audit process at the school, but does not contain any additional questions about assessment practices at the school.

Once the requested further evidence has been submitted, items are reviewed by the Audit Panel. Outcomes are communicated to schools using VASS and a generic notification email on the dates specified in the VCAA Important Administrative Dates.

Tips for submitting further evidence

• When sending in further evidence, ensure all requested items are included.
• Do not send copies of VCAA publications such as excerpts from VCE study designs and the VCE and VCAL Administrative Handbook.
• If you are concerned that the further evidence documentation may not in itself provide a full explanation of the issues raised by the Audit Panel, you may use the space provided at the end of the Further Evidence questionnaire to include additional comments for the Audit Panel’s consideration.
• Where further evidence has been requested regarding use of commercial materials in SAC tasks, you will likely be asked to submit both the SAC task itself and any commercial materials that have been included in the task. Where this is the case, it is recommended to clearly indicate to the Audit Panel how the commercial materials have been modified to ensure that student work can be authenticated. This may involve highlighting and/or annotating modified questions.

In the event that VCAA requirements have not been met after providing further evidence, the school will proceed to the next stage of the audit. This may require the resubmission of tasks reflecting any changes that were recommended by the Audit Panel. If requirements have not been met at the conclusion of the Unit 3 audit, the school will be required to undergo audit for the same study in Unit 4 of the same year. If requirements have not been met at the conclusion of the Unit 4 audit, the school will progress to the Unit 3 audit in the following year.

Where a school has not met VCAA requirements for four or more consecutive stages of the audit (i.e. one Unit 3 audit consisting of two stages: an initial submission and further evidence, and one Unit 4 cycle consisting of the same), the school will be required to follow a tailored support program as generated by the VCAA Curriculum Manager in conjunction with the VCE State Reviewer.

The tailored support program may involve:

• a resubmission of the School-assessed Coursework task/s containing the amendments as recommended by the VCAA
• teachers being connected with other expert teachers and resources in their local area
• the Curriculum Manager visiting the school.