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Requirements for SDBECs and UDBECs

Last updated:
Previous rule
Updated 02 Apr 2025

NESA has made changes to Rule 5.2.1. These changes outline:

  • application processes for Stage 5 SDBECs for braille (paragraph 9)
  • credentialling requirements for Stage 5 SDBECs for braille (paragraph 17)
View all changes

NESA is authorised under section 14(1) of the Education Act 1990 (NSW) to endorse syllabuses developed by schools or other educational bodies.

About SDBECs and UDBECs

  1. School Developed Board Endorsed courses (SDBECs) are designed by school(s) when the curriculum needs of their students cannot be accommodated by:
    1. Board Developed courses, or
    2. Content Endorsed courses (CECs), or
    3. VET Board Endorsed courses (VET BECs).
  2. University Developed Board Endorsed courses (UDBECs) supplement and extend the HSC curriculum in areas not covered by:
    1. Board Developed courses, or
    2. other types of Board Endorsed courses.

Categories

HSC (curriculum)K–10Life SkillsPreliminaryRoSA

SDBEC applications

  1. NESA has specific criteria for accepting and endorsing School Developed Board Endorsed course (SDBEC) applications for Stage 5 and Loading .
  2. SDBECs:
    1. must not duplicate or overlap with existing NESA courses, and
    2. must be rigorous and of high quality, and provide strong foundations for future learning and life beyond school, and
    3. are endorsed for a specified period of time.
  3. School(s) must:
    1. submit SDBEC proposals by the due date published on NESA’s website
    2. ensure that proposals satisfy NESA’s Loading  (course rationale and student need), and include supporting evidence, and
    3. take responsibility for knowing that renewal of endorsement is not automatic, and reapply before the end of the endorsement period.
  4. NESA will:
    1. form a Board Endorsement Panel to review the SDBEC applications, and
    2. endorse SDBECs for a maximum period of 2 years, with a possibility of an extension for another 2 years.

Stage 5 requirements

  1. Schools may develop their own Stage 5 courses, but these courses will not be endorsed by NESA nor reported on the RoSA or HSC.
  2. NESA will only consider Stage 5 SDBEC applications for braille, which will be subject to NESA’s endorsement process. 
  3. Schools must submit applications for Stage 5 braille courses by emailing curriculum@nesa.nsw.edu.au.1 

Stage 6 requirements

  1. School(s) may propose a Loading  for NESA endorsement if the curriculum needs of their students cannot be accommodated by:
    1. Board Developed course(s), or
    2. Content Endorsed course(s) (CECs), or
    3. VET Board Endorsed course(s) (VET BECs).
  2. Schools must submit applications for Stage 6 SDBECs in Loading .
  3. All applications must satisfy one of the following Loading :
    1. evidence of student demand of at least 100 students per year over the approval period, or
    2. meet the needs of students with disability, or
    3. meet the need for a community language not available as a Board Developed course.

Student demand

  1. Schools must provide evidence of predicted or actual enrolments of at least 100 students per year over the approval period, either from one school or several schools (group proposal), except in circumstances approved by the NESA Board.

Students with disability

  1. SDBEC applications must:
    1. be specifically designed to only meet the needs of students with disability, and
    2. have a clear rationale on the basis that there are no existing NESA courses that their students with disability can access.

Community language

  1. SDBEC applications must be for a community language not available as a Board Developed course.

Credentialling SDBECs

  1. SDBECs are reported on the RoSA and HSC under a separate heading.
  2. Stage 5 SDBECs for braille are reported with a grade based on the Common Grade Scale. 
  3. Stage 6 SDBECs delivered in the HSC year are reported with an unmoderated school assessment mark, with the exception of Life Skills which are reported without a mark and with the annotation ‘completed’.

Online resources

Related ACE Rules

For further information

Please contact Board Endorsed Courses and Programs by email at curriculum@nesa.nsw.edu.au.

Footnotes

  1. Contact the SDBEC Program Manager on (02) 9367 8333 for the application form.

Categories

HSC credentialHSC (curriculum)PreliminarySchools Online

UDBEC applications

  1. NESA has specific criteria for accepting and endorsing Loading  (UDBEC) applications for Stage 6.
  2. UDBECs are intended for high achieving students for study in Year 11 and/or Year 12, in curriculum areas not accommodated by Board Developed course(s) and other Board Endorsed course(s) (CECs and VET BECs).
  3. UDBECs are endorsed for a specified period of time.
  4. Universities must:
    1. take responsibility for knowing and adhering to NESA’s criteria that proposals must supplement and extend HSC curriculum, and
    2. submit UDBECs proposals by the due date published on Loading , and
    3. ensure that proposals satisfy NESA’s Loading , and
    4. take responsibility for knowing that renewal of endorsement is not automatic, and reapply before the end of the endorsement period.
  5. NESA will:
    1. form a Board Endorsement Panel to review the UDBEC applications, and
    2. endorse UDBECs for a maximum period of 2 years, with a possibility of an extension for another 2 years.

Credentialling UDBECs

  1. UDBECs are reported on the HSC Record of Achievement without a mark, and with the annotation ‘Refer to university documentation’.
  2. Universities must:
    1. inform the school principal in writing if at any time it appears that a student is at risk of receiving an ‘N’ determination, and
    2. report final assessment of the student’s performance directly to the student, and
    3. advise the school principal in writing when a student has satisfactorily completed the course.
  3. Schools must:
    1. enter students into the UDBEC in Loading  by the due date published in the Loading  once a student has been accepted into the course, and
    2. follow the appropriate warning procedures for an ‘N’ determination if a student is demonstrating they are not satisfactorily completing the course, and
    3. withdraw the student from the UDBEC in Schools Online if a student chooses to discontinue the course. This should be done no later than the date for the submission of school assessment marks.

Online resources

Related ACE Rules

For further information

Please contact Board Endorsed Courses and Programs by email at curriculum@nesa.nsw.edu.au.

Board Developed course (BDC)

A course developed by NESA, that includes general education courses, Life Skills courses and VET Industry Curriculum Framework courses.

Board Endorsed course (BEC)

A course that caters to the learning needs of students in specific areas of need not served by Board Developed courses. Before they can be taught in NSW schools, they must be endorsed by NESA. These courses count towards the HSC but do not have an HSC exam and do not contribute towards the calculation of the ATAR. There are four types: Content Endorsed courses (CECs), School Developed Board Endorsed courses (SDBECs), University Developed Board Endorsed courses (UDBECs), and VET Board Endorsed courses (VET BECs).

Board Endorsement Panel

Formed by NESA to assess Board Endorsed course proposals for endorsement against specific criteria.

Content Endorsed course (CEC)

A course developed by NESA, that caters to the learning needs of students in specific areas of need not served by Board Developed courses.

HSC Record of Achievement

A cumulative record of all Preliminary and HSC courses satisfactorily completed by a student. Issued to students who fulfill the requirements for the award of the HSC. It details a student's HSC Stage 6 results, Preliminary Stage 6 grades, and, if applicable, Stage 5 grades; and personalised course reports for relevant HSC courses.

School Developed Board Endorsed course (SDBEC)

A course designed by school(s) and endorsed by NESA to meet curriculum needs of students that cannot be accommodated by Board Developed courses, or Content Endorsed courses (CECs), or Vocational Education and Training Board Endorsed courses (VET BECs). Once the course proposal is endorsed by NESA, SDBECs count as Board Endorsed unit credit for the HSC but do not contribute towards an ATAR.

University Developed Board Endorsed course (UDBEC)

A course designed by a university and endorsed by NESA that supplements and extends HSC curriculum in areas not covered by Board Developed courses or other types of Board Endorsed courses. Intended for high-achieving students in Stage 6 (Year 11 and/or Year 12). UDBECs count as Board Endorsed unit credit for the HSC but do not contribute towards an ATAR.

VET Board Endorsed course (VET BEC)

A course endorsed by NESA that is based on an AQF VET qualification in industry areas not covered by Board Developed Framework courses. VET BECs count as Board Endorsed unit credit for the HSC but do not contribute towards an ATAR.