Students won’t lose out
NO Tasmanian students will have to repeat Year 12 as a result of coronavirus.
Education minister Jeremy Rockliff yesterday assured Year 11 and 12 students they would not be disadvantaged by the learning and assessment challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Rockliff met with University of Tasmania vice chancellor Rufus Black last week and announced a School Recommendation Program to enable students to apply for most undergraduate courses at UTAS. Students will be made an offer much earlier than usual, based on the recommendation of schools and teachers.
Mr Rockliff said it was nationally agreed at a special education meeting on Tuesday that certainty was needed for Year 12 students.
“More than likely, student assessments will need to be different this year, and that is the work that we are doing right now,” he said.
“It is important we recognise the challenges students this year are facing, and we respond in a flexible way to make sure that students are not disadvantaged while not compromising the integrity of senior secondary certificates.”
Mr Rockliff said flexible and alternative assessments would be required to measure the learning outcomes of subjects, like music and drama and those with a workplace requirement.
The state’s schools will remain open for onsite learning in term two for students who cannot be supported or supervised to continue their learning at home. A Department of Education spokesperson said teachers would lead online and onsite learning.
“Teachers will be in regular contact with students to provide support for learning activities, which will be a range of online and offline tasks,” they said. “Parents can still get in touch with their child’s teacher with questions and to discuss their child’s learning.”
Schools will not be required to provide student reports in term two. However, they will be providing informal feedback on student progress.
The spokesperson said teachers would be required to continue working onsite in term two to ensure the operational requirements of schools could be met.
There would be workingfrom-home options for teachers who fall into a high-risk category for COVID-19 due to health concerns, who are the primary carer and live with someone who falls into that category, or who are not require at the workplace and can perform their duties at home without affecting operations.
The situation will be regularly reviewed based on Public Health advice and updates.
Catholic Education Tasmania (CET) announced similar arrangements for Catholic schools and colleges in Tasmania.
CET executive director Dr Gerard Gaskin said parents were not expected to be teachers, only to supervise and support their children's learning at home.