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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi Robert, I was aware of the logic behind scaling
but my thoughts are that the degree of difficulty of the exam reflects the
anticipated cohort sitting for the paper. If that's the case then I expect
that the students who selected IT will have a subject mean that still causes
the marks to be scaled down. Unfortunately it becomes a bit of a
spiral, brighter students shy away from subjects that are scaled
down.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Oh well, maybe now that the first year of a new
subject is over we may attract more students from the top
end. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Karl Blake</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Distance Education Centre Victoria</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=robert@yinnar.com href="mailto:robert@yinnar.com">Robert Hind</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=sofdev@edulists.com.au
href="mailto:sofdev@edulists.com.au">Year 12 Software Development Teachers'
Mailing List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, December 19, 2007 4:52
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Year 12 SofDev] Subject
scaling???? Anyone know how SD andITAwere treated this year?</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>No help to you on details for this year.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Grades given for exams do not depend on the "easiness"
of the exams. My understanding is that the top ?% of students get an A+, the
next ?% get an A, etc down to UG which is obtained by a very small percentage
of students. This is the same for all subjects. The median student in every
subject gets about a bottom B grade. Initial study scores are based on these
grades. Have a look at exam marks and grades on the VCAA website.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Scaling is a computerised exercise to try to
make study scores equivalent between subjects. It is based on cross
subject comparisons for all students. So a student doing Specialist Maths is
scaled up because the students doing Specialist are essentially good and
doing better than average across the board - else why do Specialist
rather than Further Maths? </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>If ITA gets scaled down it will not be because of the
exam itself but rather because the ITA students are generally below average
across the board.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I may be wrong<FONT size=4> :-(</FONT> but this is my
understanding</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Robert Hind (Semi-retired)<BR>Ex Traralgon and
Ashwood<BR></FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=blake.karl.a@edumail.vic.gov.au
href="mailto:blake.karl.a@edumail.vic.gov.au">Karl Blake</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=sofdev@edulists.com.au
href="mailto:sofdev@edulists.com.au">Year 12 Software Development Teachers'
Mailing List</A> ; <A title=itapps@edulists.com.au
href="mailto:itapps@edulists.com.au">IT APPS IT Apps</A> ; <A
title=yr11it@edulists.com.au href="mailto:yr11it@edulists.com.au">Year 11
Information Technology Teachers' Mailing List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, December 19, 2007 4:11
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Year 12 SofDev] Subject
scaling???? Anyone know how SD and ITAwere treated this year?</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Hi All, does anyone know which way the subject
scaling was applied to SD and ITA this year?<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I had hoped that the new Study
Design would address the scaling down issue that was a problem with
Information Systems and IP&M but the exams seemed a little on the easy
side so I’m expecting the same treatment this year.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Regards,<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><st1:PersonName
w:st="on"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Karl
Blake</SPAN></st1:PersonName><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Distance Education Centre <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:State
w:st="on">Victoria</st1:State></st1:place><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><st1:Street
w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">315 Clarendon
Street</SPAN></st1:address></st1:Street><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">
Thornbury 3071<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><A
href="mailto:kblake@distance.vic.edu.ay">kblake@distance.vic.edu.ay</A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV>
<P></P>
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- Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority and <BR><A
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Information Technology Teachers Association Inc </BLOCKQUOTE><p></p><p><b>Important - </b>This email and any attachments may be confidential. If received in error, please contact us and delete all copies. Before opening or using attachments check them for viruses and defects. Regardless of any loss, damage or consequence, whether caused by the negligence of the sender or not, resulting directly or indirectly from the use of any attached files our liability is limited to resupplying any affected attachments. Any representations or opinions expressed are those of the individual sender, and not necessarily those of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.</p>
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