Monitoring grades

Grades submitted to NESA are monitored before they are finalised in order to strengthen the comparability and consistent application of standards.

The overall picture of each school’s comparative data is considered, along with grade history and any known circumstances. The grade pattern for a course may be considered anomalous if it differs markedly from grade patterns in the past, patterns in other courses in the school or in relation to other relevant data for the school.

NESA contacts schools with patterns that appear anomalous and asks them to review grades before they are reported on NESA credentials.

Schools are responsible for allocating a grade to each student who completes a Stage 5 or Year 11 course, with the exception of Life Skills and courses. The grade represents that student’s achievement at the end of the course. Schools also allocate grades to students who complete the Year 12 English Studies, Mathematics Standard 1 or Numeracy CEC course. These grades are reported on the student’s Loading  or Loading .

To ensure grades on students’ credentials have consistent meaning across the state, NESA monitors the grades allocated in Stage 5, Year 11 and Year 12 courses. NESA also reviews student work samples retained by schools to ensure there is consistency in the grades allocated in these courses.

Year 11 grades are allocated using the Loading .

Course-specific achievement level descriptions are used to allocate grades in Year 12 courses.

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For Year 11 courses NESA analyses data from the school’s performance in their most recent Loading  and compares the patterns of grades of schools with similar performances in the HSC.

If it appears that a school has a noticeably higher or lower percentage of particular grades, NESA then reviews the school’s grade history for the relevant course, the grades allocated in other courses for the school cohort and any other relevant information.

For Year 12 English Studies, Mathematics Standard 1 and Numeracy CEC, we analyse comparative data and conduct reviews of student work samples to verify the school’s application of the Achievement Level Descriptions.

Stage 5 results are compared in 100 and 200-hour courses. The various 100 and 200-hour Stage 5 courses use the same course performance descriptors.

It would be reasonable to expect that students who have studied a course for 200 hours are able to demonstrate higher levels of knowledge, skills and understanding than students who have only had 100 hours of lessons.

A check is made that the school has not allocated a much higher proportion of grade As or combined grades A and B to the students studying the 100-hour course than those studying the 200-hour course.

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Principals are contacted when a grade pattern appears to be irregular or inconsistent. 

Schools then review the grades they have allocated in the nominated courses and make changes or confirm the grades allocated as appropriate. 

Further analysis of grading patterns is then undertaken to identify schools that may benefit from support in determining grades. Schools are asked to Loading  and associated tasks to assist with this process. Schools may also be contacted by NESA for permission to publish the work samples and assessment activities to help illustrate statewide standards. 

For Year 12 English Studies, Mathematics Standard 1 and Numeracy CEC, schools upload work samples and the associated assessment activities at the same time they enter grades for these courses. 

These work samples are reviewed if the grading pattern for a course appears anomalous. Schools will be asked to revise their grades if the work samples do not appear consistent with the Achievement Level Descriptions for the course. 

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Loading  can be done using the data available in Loading  and the Loading . Schools can also compare their students’ work to samples of student work aligned to grades. Sample work is located with each syllabus, where available.

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A panel of subject specialists reviews the work samples submitted by schools. These specialists are experienced teachers trained to apply their understanding of achievement of the A to E grades for the course they are reviewing to align student work samples to grades. 

The panel members make a determination about the grade each work sample best represents. Feedback is then provided to schools to confirm their understanding of the standards for a course or assist them in making adjustments. 

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