56 Year 12 Exams In Victoria Have Been Compromised, Including Maths And Biology. What Does This Mean For Students?

(MENAFN- The Conversation) After more than a week of uncertainty, we now know the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) results. Not for Victoria's Year 12 students who sat the exams, but the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority responsible for running them. And the results are not good.

We now have the list of Victorian Year 12 exams that were compromised when questions and exam materials were accidentally posted online before students sat their assessments.

The exams include major subjects such as mathematics, biology, economics and legal studies. They also include ancient history, dance, drama, food studies, geography, media, physical education and English.

The new head of the assessment authority Marcia Devlin said information revealed about English exams was already in the public domain and didn't contain any of the exam questions.

What does this list, and the ongoing confusion, mean for students?

What has happened so far?

Last week, the Victorian government confirmed 56 exams had been affected by a breach this year. This is out of 116 exams for 2024.

We also saw Kylie White, the head of the Victoria's assessment authority, resign after only 12 months in the job.

The breach happened when exam questions were mistakenly published online before students did the exams, in a“hidden” section of sample assessments.

Victorian Education Minister Ben Carroll has apologised for the error and has ordered a review into what happened. On Wednesday, he said :

The bungle has led to concerns from schools some students could lose marks or get an unfair advantage in the process.

Exams are now being marked and the results are due to be released on December 12.

Victorian Education Minister Ben Carroll, pictured on November 18 2024, has apologised to students. Rachael Ward/ AAP What happens now?

This is the second consecutive year of VCE testing turmoil. In 2023, thousands of students sat exams that contained errors . In March 2024, a review into the exams made six“high-level recommendations” to improve the exam process.

But more changes are obviously needed. While the new review will seek to address these issues for next year, current Year 12 students and the community are anxious to know what happens next.

The assessment authority will use a process called“anomalous grade checking”.

It will review student responses in the 56 compromised VCE exams and identify where exam errors might have affected student marks. If student marks have been affected, the process can invalidate“faulty” questions or can award all students who sat the exam question a full mark.

How can we support students?

For Year 12 students and their families, VCE exams are already a time of considerable stress. So, supporting Year 12 students as they wait for their results is the most important thing.

Carroll has previously said the exam authority will ensure“all students are treated fairly and no student is disadvantaged”.

But students with specific concerns should speak first with their teachers, as all schools have been in regular contact with the assessment authority.

It is also a useful time to put Year 12 results and ATAR scores in context .

While these exam marks are important, they are certainly not all that matters. Completing Year 12 is an immense achievement itself. For many, this will be in spite of significant personal hardship or disadvantage.

Also, learning is a lifelong endeavour that extends far beyond school. Year 12 scores might measure performance at school, but they do not define or predict future success or happiness in life.

Focusing only on narrow definitions of success can condition current and future Year 12 students to think these marks are all that matters. Amid the current (and deserved) close scrutiny on these exams, it is also important to remind students they are always more than their exam scores.

Read more: 'Practically perfect': why the media's focus on 'top' Year 12 students needs to change

What are the compromised VCE subjects? Arts and humanities Ancient History Art Creative Practice Art Making and Exhibiting Australian Politics Classical Studies Dance Drama Geography Global Politics History Revolutions Media Music Composition Music Contemporary Performance Music Inquiry Music Repertoire Performance Religion and Society Text and Traditions Theatre Studies

English and languages English Aboriginal Languages Victoria Chinese First Language Chinese Second Language English as an Additional Language

Science and mathematics Biology Environmental Science Foundation Mathematics Mathematical Methods 1 Mathematical Methods 2 Psychology Specialist Mathematics 1 Specialist Mathematics 2

Health and physical education, design and technologies Food Studies Health and Human Development Outdoor and Environmental Studies Physical Education Product Design and Technology Systems Engineering

Business and economics Accounting Business Management Economics Industry and Enterprise Legal Studies

Digital technologies Applied Computing Data Analytics Applied Computing Software Development

Vocational and technology studies VCE VET Business VCE VET Community Services VCE VET Equine Studies VCE VET Engineering VCE VET Furnishing VCE VET Health VCE VET Hospitality VCE VET Hospitality Cookery VCE VET Information and Communications Technology VCE VET Integrated Technologies VCE VET Music Sound Production VCE VET Sports and Recreation

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