Memorandum to Schools 73/2008

1 September 2008

Selection of VCAL quality assurance panel members for 2009

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) is committed to a quality assurance process for the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL). This memorandum contains information relating to the selection of panel members for the VCAL quality assurance process for 2009. The memorandum contains the following information:

the role description and application process for teachers who wish to nominate for a vacancy on a 2009 VCAL quality assurance (QA) panel
the role description and application process for teachers who wish to apply for the VCAL Liaison Teacher (VLT) in the Grampians (Ballarat end) and Gippsland, Department of Education and Early Childhood Development regions.

Quality assurance ensures that there is consistency with the design and assessment of VCAL units and that appropriate standards are maintained. A QA panel, comprising the VLT as panel leader and three VCAL practitioners will be established in each DEECD region. All panel members must have a good understanding of the VCAL curriculum.

Detailed information on the 2009 VCAL QA process will be forwarded to schools early in Term 1 2009. However, to assist teachers to make a decision about joining a QA panel in 2009 an outline of the proposed QA process is provided below. The 2009 VCAL QA process includes the following features:

providers in each DEECD region, delivering a VCAL unit, will be required to submit a VCAL unit for quality assurance from one of the VCAL strands, new VCAL providers in 2009 will be required to submit additional units for QA
the VCAA will allocate a VCAL strand to each DEECD region e.g. Northern Metropolitan Region (NMR) Personal Development Skills (PDS)
each provider will submit the highest level of the VCAL unit being delivered e.g. a provider in the NMR that delivers both Intermediate and Senior PDS will be required to submit the Senior PDS unit for QA
the provider can determine what unit is submitted e.g. Unit 1 or 2
providers who do not participate in the regional VCAL quality assurance process may be required to submit all their VCAL units to an audit by the VCAA.

The VCAL quality assurance process provides an excellent opportunity for teacher professional development. The VCAA encourages experienced VCAL teachers to consider joining a VCAL QA panel.

Role of QA Panel Members

The terms of reference for the QA panel are to:

establish regional benchmarks for consistency in the design and assessment of VCAL units and VCAL unit learning outcomes
provide advice to VCAL teachers that will enable them to design VCAL unit assessment tasks and to make assessment judgments about successful achievement of the learning outcomes for VCAL units
select exemplars of VCAL units for publication on the VCAA website.

Panel members will receive an allowance of $1,000 to cover expenses incurred in attending meetings, reviewing material and other panel requirements.

Role of the VCAL Liaison Teacher

The role of the VCAL Liaison Teacher is to:

chair the regional VCAL QA panel
collect QA sample tasks from providers and distribute to QA panel members
convene a meeting/s of the QA panel after sample tasks have been submitted by providers
follow up any provider who has not submitted sample tasks by the due date
organise the venue/s for both Stage 1 and 2 meetings
supervise and participate in the quality assurance process of VCAL units
ensure that feedback and advice is given to providers during the quality assurance process
prepare a report for the VCAA at the end of each stage of QA
forward examples of exemplars of VCAL units for publication on the VCAA website
provide advice and support to VCAL Co-ordinators and teachers in their region during the year
liaise with the VCAA central office VCAL team.

Like the QA panel members, the VLT will receive an allowance of $1,000. In addition, the VLT’s school/provider will receive an allocation of 20 days of CRT release for the year to support the work of the VLT and the QA panel and $440 for administration expenses.

The VCAA invites interested VCAL teachers to lodge an Expression of Interest to fill the following vacancies in a regional VCAL QA Panel and/or apply for a VLT position.

DEECD Region	Vacancy QA Panel Member	Vacancy VLT
Eastern Metropolitan Region	No vacancy	No vacancy
Western Metropolitan Region	No vacancy	No vacancy
Northern Metropolitan Region	Vacancy	No Vacancy
Southern Metropolitan Region	No Vacancy	No Vacancy
Gippsland Region	Vacancy	Vacancy
Hume Region	No Vacancy	No Vacancy
Loddon Mallee Region	Vacancy (2)	No Vacancy
Grampians Region (Ballarat)	Vacancy	Vacancy
Grampian Region (Horsham)	No Vacancy	No vacancy
Barwon South West Region (Geelong)	Vacancy	No Vacancy
Barwon South West (Warrnambool)	Vacancy	No Vacancy

Expression of Interest forms can be submitted online by accessing the VCAA SSMS website http://www.ssms.vic.edu.au If assistance is required to lodge an application please call the SSMS Help Desk on (03) 9225 2305.

Applications close on the 13 October, 2008. Successful applicants will be notified by the VCAA. For further information please contact David Gallagher, VCAL Manager on telephone: (03) 9651 4532 or email gallagher.david.j@edumail.vic.gov.au