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ACE Rules

Clarified ACE Rules came into effect on 14 October 2024. These rules apply to students commencing HSC courses from Term 4 2024, for students sitting for HSC exams in 2025, and for students receiving the RoSA from October 2024.

For students sitting for HSC exams in 2024, the previous ACE Online rules continue to apply.

To learn more about how NESA has clarified the ACE Rules, refer to the information sheets.

External provider

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NESA is authorised under sections 20A(2), 94 and 95 of the Education Act 1990 (NSW) to exercise functions in connection with the school curriculum and the RoSA and the HSC:

  • determining whether students have satisfactorily participated in and satisfactorily completed courses of study, developed or endorsed by the NESA Board
  • entering students into courses of study
  • making decisions in relation to student eligibility to undertake courses of study approved by the Minister.

About external providers

  1. An external provider is a separate entity to the school and delivers an entire course to student(s).
  2. These courses may be delivered on school premises or elsewhere.
  3. External providers include:
    1. NSW government schools, including:
      1. the NSW School of Languages
      2. Department of Education's Secondary College of Languages, and
      3. distance education centres
    2. NSW registered and accredited non-government schools
    3. TAFE NSW, including TAFE Digital
    4. registered training organisations (RTOs)
    5. universities, and
    6. other external providers with appropriate qualifications and expertise.
  4. Schools have primary responsibility for the delivery of curriculum for their students.
  5. However, NESA allows principals to approve the delivery of specified courses by external providers to students enrolled at the school. 
  6. Students must seek approval from their principal to study courses with an external provider.

Categories

HSC (assessment)HSC credentialHSC (curriculum)K–10Life SkillsPreliminaryRoSAVET

Roles and responsibilities of schools outsourcing courses to external providers

  1. Schools outsourcing the delivery of courses to an external provider remain primarily responsible for monitoring course delivery and for duty of care for students undertaking study with an external provider.
  2. Schools must retain records of courses delivered by external providers for 24 months including:
    1. course name(s)
    2. name(s) of external providers delivering the course, and
    3. name(s) of students undertaking the course.
  3. Schools must also retain records of monitoring student progress and attendance for 24 months.

Determining the suitability of external providers

  1. Schools must determine the suitability of external providers that are not:
    1. NSW government schools
    2. NSW registered and accredited non-government schools
    3. TAFE NSW
    4. NSW school system/sector registered training organisations (RTOs), or
    5. University Developed Board Endorsed course (UDBEC) providers.
  2. For external providers not in the list above, schools must:
    1. retain an agreement with the external provider, specifying the respective responsibilities of the school and the provider, and
    2. retain records that demonstrate how an external provider’s suitability was determined to deliver a specified course to a student or group of students.
  3. Records must demonstrate that each external provider:
    1. will comply with curriculum and child protection legislation, regardless of whether the course is being delivered:
      1. on school premises, or at premises other than the school’s premises; and
      2. during or outside school hours, and
    2. has the appropriate qualifications and expertise to deliver the course, including certification by an appropriate agency (where relevant), and
    3. has the capacity to teach and assess the course in accordance with NESA’s syllabuses, and
    4. has provided evidence of a verified Working with Children Check for each person directly involved in the delivery of a specified course, and
    5. will meet curriculum requirements.
  4. Schools must retain the agreement with the external provider and records of determining the suitability of the external provider, for 24 months.

Limitations on study with an external provider for courses that contribute to the RoSA and/or HSC

  1. For schools outsourcing the delivery of courses that contribute to the RoSA and/or HSC, the outsourced courses must comprise a minority of the total number of courses studied by a student in any given stage of learning.
  2. In exceptional circumstances, registered and accredited non-government schools may seek approval from NESA to outsource more than a minority of courses.

Related ACE Rules

For further information

Registered and accredited non-government schools seeking approval from NESA to outsource more than a minority of courses, must contact the School Registration Unit on (02) 9367 8866 or by email at schoolrego@nesa.nsw.edu.au

For enquiries about entering student data in Schools Online for students undertaking study with an external provider, please contact Student Records on (02) 9367 8001 or by email at records@nesa.nsw.edu.au.

Categories

K–10Life SkillsRoSASchools OnlineVET

Roles and responsibilities of principals in approving Stage 4 and Stage 5 courses with an external provider

  1. Principals:
    1. may approve students to undertake study of one or more courses with external provider(s) that comprise a minority of the total number of courses studied by a student in any given stage of learning
    2. may approve the study of languages with an external provider, and
    3. must ensure students are entered in the course being delivered by the external provider in Loading....

Roles and responsibilities of external providers delivering non-VET courses

  1. External providers are responsible for entering Stage 5 grades and/or Life Skills outcomes in Loading..., however, where unable to do so, external providers must coordinate entries with the school where the student is enrolled.
  2. External providers must:
    1. deliver the course in accordance with the relevant syllabus
    2. determine Stage 5 grades and/or Life Skills outcomes in accordance with the relevant syllabus
    3. submit Stage 5 grades and/or Life Skills outcomes in Loading... by the due date outlined in the Loading... or provide Stage 5 grades and/or Life Skills outcomes to the school, as agreed with the principal
    4. process any student appeals concerning assessment, and
    5. follow NESA’s ‘N’ determinations warning process, with support from the school where the student is not meeting course completion requirements.

Credentialling Stage 4 and Stage 5 courses studied with an external provider

  1. Courses studied with an external provider, that are part of NESA’s curriculum, are recorded on the RoSA and/or the Transcript of Study in the same way as courses studied at the school where a student is enrolled.
  2. Students may study additional courses outside NESA’s curriculum with external providers however such courses will not be reflected on the RoSA and/or HSC.

Online resources

Related ACE Rules

For further information

For enquiries about entering student data in Loading... for students undertaking study with an external provider, please contact Student Records on (02) 9367 8001 or by email at records@nesa.nsw.edu.au.

Categories

HSC (assessment)HSC credentialHSC (curriculum)K–10Life SkillsPreliminaryRoSASchools OnlineVET

Roles and responsibilities of principals approving study of Stage 6 courses with an external provider

  1. Principals:
    1. may approve students to undertake study of one or more courses with external provider(s) that comprise a minority of each student’s overall pattern of study
    2. may approve the study of languages with an external provider
    3. must ensure students are entered in the course being delivered by the external provider in Loading..., and
    4. must ensure students meet eligibility requirements for Stage 6 courses that have eligibility criteria.

Roles and responsibilities of external providers delivering non-VET courses

Preliminary courses

  1. External providers are responsible for entering Preliminary grades and/or Life Skills outcomes in Loading..., however, where unable to do so, external providers must coordinate entries with the school where the student is enrolled.
  2. External providers must:
    1. deliver the course in accordance with relevant syllabus and Assessment and Reporting information
    2. determine Preliminary grades and/or Life Skills outcomes in accordance with NESA syllabuses and Assessment and Reporting information
    3. submit Preliminary grades and/or Life Skills outcomes in Loading... by the due date outlined in the Loading... or provide Preliminary grades and/or Life Skills outcomes to the school, as agreed with the principal
    4. process any student appeals concerning individual assessment tasks or final grades
    5. follow NESA’s ‘N’ determinations warning process, with support from the school where the student is not meeting course completion requirements.
  3. Where students are studying an UDBEC, the roles and responsibilities of schools and universities differ to those noted above.

HSC courses

  1. External providers must:
    1. deliver the course in accordance with the relevant syllabus and Assessment and Reporting information
    2. determine HSC assessment results1 in accordance with the relevant syllabus and Assessment and Reporting information
    3. submit the HSC assessment data2 in Loading... by the due date outlined in the Loading... or provide the HSC assessment data to the school, as agreed with the principal
    4. process any student appeals concerning marks awarded, grades3 or rank order, and
    5. follow NESA’s ‘N’ determinations warning process, with support from the school where the student is not meeting course completion requirements.
  2. Where students are studying an UDBEC, the roles and responsibilities of schools and universities differ to those noted above.

Online resources

Related ACE Rules

For further information

For enquiries about entering student data in Loading...for students undertaking study with an external provider, please contact Student Records on (02) 9367 8001 or by email at records@nesa.nsw.edu.au. 

Footnotes

  1. For the purpose of moderation, students are considered as being part of the course candidature with the external provider where the course is being studied.

  2. Assessment data includes HSC assessment marks; and/or grades; and/or optional exam estimated marks; and/or Life Skills outcomes.

  3. English Studies, Mathematics Standard 1 and Numeracy.