Notice 186

Notice to Schools 186/2020 – 9 December 2020

Accreditation periods for VCE studies: Effective 1 January 2021

Principals/Directors, VCE Coordinators and VCE Teachers

To support teachers to focus on the continuity of learning in their schools during 2020, the VCAA Board and the CEO of the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) approved, in May 2020, a 12-month extension to the accreditation periods for all accredited VCE study designs.

Newly reaccredited VCE study designs that were due to be delivered in schools in 2021 will be delayed by 12 months and will be delivered by schools in 2022. These VCE study designs are: Biology, Bridging English as an Additional Language, Environmental Science, Geography, History and Languages (Chinese First Language, Classical Greek, Classical Hebrew, Indonesian First Language, Japanese First Language, Korean First Language, Latin and Vietnamese First Language).
VCE study designs currently under review in 2020 will now be delivered by schools in 2023 (rather than 2022).
VCE Bengali Units 1 and 2 will commence as an accredited study, as planned, in 2021.
All VCE accredited study designs and study webpages have been updated to reflect the extended accreditation period.

For 2021, the curriculum and assessment requirements for the units in the individual VCE study are in accordance with the original, unadjusted study design. It is imperative that the revised 2020 Adjusted Study Designs are not used in the delivery of the VCE in 2021. The correct study design for 2021 can be located on each VCE study webpage identifiable by the blue box containing the link to the study design. The 2020 Adjusted Study Designs have now been removed from all VCE study webpages.

The following table provides a summary of the current accreditation periods for VCE studies as approved by the VCAA Board and accredited by the VRQA.

A list of accreditation periods for VCE study designs from December 2021 to December 2025
Accreditation period expires December 2021	Biology Bridging English as an Additional Language Environmental Science Geography History Languages: Chinese First Language, Classical Greek, Classical Hebrew, Indonesian First Language, Japanese First Language, Korean First Language, Latin, Vietnamese First Language.
Accreditation period expires December 2022	Algorithmics (HESS) Art Business Management Chemistry Chinese Language, Culture and Society Economics English and English as an Additional Language Food Studies Indigenous Languages of Victoria: Revival and Reclamation Literature Mathematics: Foundation Mathematics, General Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Mathematical Methods, Specialist Mathematics Music Physics Psychology Religion and Society Studio Arts Texts and Traditions.
Accreditation period expires December 2023	Australian and Global Politics English Language Health and Human Development Languages Collaborative Curriculum and Assessment Framework for Languages (CCAFL) – Units 1 and 2: Armenian, Auslan, Bengali, Bosnian, Chin Hakha, Croatian, Dutch, Filipino, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Karen, Khmer, Macedonian, Maltese, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Sinhala, Swedish, Tamil, Turkish, Yiddish Legal Studies Media Outdoor and Environmental Studies Physical Education Product Design and Technology Sociology Visual Communication Design.
Accreditation period expires December 2024	Accounting Applied Computing Classical Studies Dance Drama Extended Investigation Industry and Enterprise Languages: Arabic, Chinese Second Language, Chinese Second Language Advanced, French, German, Greek, Indonesian Second Language, Italian, Japanese Second Language, Korean Second Language, Spanish, Vietnamese Second Language Languages CCAFL – Units 3 and 4: Armenian, Auslan, Bosnian, Chin Hakha, Croatian, Dutch, Filipino, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Karen, Khmer, Macedonian, Maltese, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Sinhala, Swedish, Tamil, Turkish, Yiddish Philosophy Systems Engineering Theatre Studies.
Accreditation period expires December 2025	Agricultural and Horticultural Studies Foundation English.

In Term 1, 2021, all schools will be sent a study design wall chart, which provides a quick visual reference to the entire collection of accredited VCE study designs for 2021.

It is essential that teachers use the correct and current accredited study design as the basis for all course development and assessment of VCE studies. The VCAA remains the official source of advice for all VCE studies.

Action required

Principals/Directors should ensure that all VCE teachers are aware of the accreditation periods for VCE studies, effective 1 January 2021, and are using the correct and current study design for 2021.

Critical dates

N/A

Additional information

For more information, contact the VCE Curriculum Unit: (03) 9059 5134 or vcaa.vce.curriculum@education.vic.gov.au.