[Year 12 SofDev] Scaling - renamed

Thu Sep 13 14:25:56 EST 2007

Hi David and all,

I have to agree wholeheartedly with David's comments.  This issue is
especially vital at an academic school such as ours, where it seems to be
one of the first questions students ask me.

As VITTA President, I have mentioned this fact at countless industry
meetings and forums - so can assure you that I have been lobbying for this
to be changed.  It doesn't seem to have had a big effect though - I don't
know if this year it will be any different?

The whole scaling system is itself quite derisive.  I can understand why it
is done, but what it does in students eyes - is in effect - to rank the
relative merits of subjects against each other.

Cheers,
Adrian

Adrian Janson, 
VITTA President
Director of ICT, 
Melbourne High School, 
Forrest Hill, South Yarra 3141 Australia.
Phone: 03 9826 0711 International: +61 3 9826 0711
Fax: 03 9826 8767 International: +61 3 9826 8767
E-mail: janson.adrian.a at edumail.vic.gov.au
Website: http://www.mhs.vic.edu.au

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-----Original Message-----
From: sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au [mailto:sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au]
On Behalf Of David Dawson
Sent: Thursday, 13 September 2007 1:37 PM
To: sofdev at edulists.com.au
Subject: RE: [Year 12 SofDev] Scaling - renamed

Hi Andrew
At both this and my previous school - I have had *lots* of kids who
both do Specialist and who are *really serious* about getting a great
ENTER. So serious, in fact, that the knowledge that they are going to
get scaled down for my subject stops them enroling in it.
This is the reality and I have to ask - since the subject gets
penalised - are smarter students being penalised for doing it? I really
do want a genuine public debate about this because the students who do
SD and Physics tell me that my/our subject is just as hard - some say
harder.
David

David Dawson
Head of Information Technology 
Head of Learning Technologies
St.Kilda Rd Campus
Wesley College, Melbourne
Wk 8102 6340

>>> a.shortell at braemar.vic.edu.au 13/09/2007 11:55:52 am >>>
Hi David

Scaling is an attempt to equate outcomes for the purposes of
university
entry. It is only important for students who are serious about getting
a
good ENTER.

Info Sys was scaled down because of the students who took the subject.

VCAA always assigns 30 as the mean study score with a standard
deviation
of 6. This is publicly available knowledge (not always easy to find
though!!)

It does not matter about the quality of the students - the mean is
still
30.

When you equate this to students who do Specialist and Latin who also
get a mean of 30 you can probably see that there is perhaps not an
equivalence of result. VTAC attempts to address this inequity by
scaling. If you look at last year's scaling report then you will see
that some subjects were scaled down by over 10 points (wow you might
say
- but look at the subjects. Would a student who could do Latin and
Specialist do those subjects? Seriously,  ?) 

Now think about the students who take SD (and ITA )  . Are they really
as good as the students doing Specialist and Latin ????? So they need
to
have their results processed or manipulated so that it can be seen to
have some equivalence of outcome with those who do the harder
subjects.

You can always ask me more off list - if others are interested in more
then reply on list otherwise  off list to andrew at braemar.vic.edu.au 

Cheers

Andrew Shortell

Braemar College

> -----Original Message-----

> From: sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au [mailto:sofdev-

> bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Claudia Graham

> Sent: Thursday, 13 September 2007 9:47 AM

> To: Year 12 Software Development Teachers' Mailing List

> Subject: RE: [Year 12 SofDev] Gamemaker

> 

> Hi David,

> 

> The scaling process is not VCAA but VTAC and the scaling changes
each

> year based on cohort and their abilities and results. With a
different

> style of paper this year, who knows what might happen.

> 

> Claudia

> 

> -----Original Message-----

> From: sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au 

> [mailto:sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of David Dawson

> Sent: 13 September 2007 8:56 AM

> To: sofdev at edulists.com.au 

> Subject: Re: [Year 12 SofDev] Gamemaker

> 

<snip>

> I am also curious as to whether Software Devt will be marked "down"

> like IS was. What is the actual justification for this? Can it be

> changed? When can this be reconsidered?

> 

> Is there anyone out there from the VCAA panel for this subject who
can

> respond?

> David Dawson

> 

> David Dawson

> Head of Information Technology

> Head of Learning Technologies

> St.Kilda Rd Campus

> Wesley College, Melbourne

> Wk 8102 6340

> 

<snip>

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