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The Victorian Certificate of Education
(VCE) is the most commonly undertaken senior secondary
qualification in Victoria which, for most students, is completed in
Years 11 and 12. To complete the VCE, students are required to
complete a minimum of four studies, including English, from a
choice of 130. Assessment is through school based assessments and
external exams. In 2009, around 48 700 students (97 per cent)
satisfactorily completed the VCE.
The VCE is administered by the Victorian
Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA). This involves a series
of in-house and contracted tasks including developing assessment
instruments, overseeing school based assessments and a wide range
of checks and cross-checks on the reliability and validity of
student results.
The audit found that VCAA is effectively
administering the VCE, providing a high level of assurance that the
results students receive are accurate and have been marked
consistently and accurately. The audit also found that VCAA has
established strong processes and quality controls, and has
developed clear and comprehensive guidance to assist schools to
administer school based assessments. There is, however, scope
for VCAA to strengthen its security protocols and to introduce a
more systematic and data driven process of continuous
improvement.
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