By Mrs Anna Hardy, Assistant Principal Curriculum 

NAPLAN

We extended our best wishes to all Year 7 and year 9 students who participated in NAPLAN assessments from Wednesday, 13 March until Monday, 18 March 2024. Catch up tests are scheduled from Tuesday 19 March to Thursday 21 March, 2024. It's important to note that any student present at school during this window who has missed a test will be required to complete the NAPLAN assessment.
Testing occurred within students' core classrooms, providing a consistent environment and familiarity for all participants. NAPLAN, the National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy, evaluates skills in reading, writing, spelling, punctuation, grammar, and numeracy. These assessments offer insight into students' performance and complement our ongoing classroom assessment practices. Additionally, they provide valuable data for informing teaching strategies tailored to the needs of our student body.
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) develops the tests and associated marking standards, while the QCAA (Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority) coordinates administration, marking, and reporting of NAPLAN tests within Queensland.
Should you have any enquiries regarding the NAPLAN testing process, please don't hesitate to contact us at the College office.

Extension Process for Assessment

As we progress through the term, it's essential to understand the extension process for assessments, particularly for Years 7-10 students. To assist you, we've provided a flowchart below outlining the steps in our assessment policy.
For Years 7-10 students, extensions require a note from home to support their application, whereas Years 11-12 students necessitate a medical certificate or explanation of extenuating circumstances, including misadventure. It's crucial to note that this process encompasses exam periods as well.
Unforeseen circumstances such as illness, injury, incidents on the assessment day, family circumstances, or bereavement may warrant an extension. However, it's important to remember that technology failure is not considered an unforeseen circumstance, as students are expected to maintain backups of their work on OneDrive.
The QCAA has specific criteria for illness and misadventure extensions, including demonstrating that the situation was beyond the student's control and could not have been anticipated or chosen. If an illness or misadventure affects internal assessment, supporting documentation will be required, including diagnosis, onset date, symptoms, and the probable impact on assessment participation.
For non-medical claims, written evidence from relevant independent professionals or third parties may be necessary.
Should you require further clarification on the extensions process, please feel free to reach out to us.