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tanya
13 years ago

First time teach 3/4 theatre studies – how can I access past exam reports etc? I have the general ones from VCAA website, are more detailed ones school specific? What a shame about the wretched bell curve – do they take into account if you have special needs students in class?

Naomi
13 years ago

I actually haven’t seen the exam, as my students sat it at another school. How can I get a copy???

Most of my kids got A or B+ on the exam. Considering I think I was MOST terrified of teaching the exam, I was thrilled!

Justin Cash
13 years ago

Hey, thanks Borbs. Holy Guacamole, man! 5 students above 40 is damn impressive! HT was definitely noticed in the papers as one of the best performing schools this year. Merry Christmas from me to all, too.

Borbs
13 years ago

Hey Guys,

I haven’t been keeping up with my blog reading lately Cashy … got some catching up to do! I was very happy this year. 49, 46, 45, 42, 41, at least 2 top class invites (as far as I know). This has placed HT 4th in terms of the sum of scores above 40. The rankings were:

Ranking (School + Sum of scores above 40)

1 Strathcona Baptist Girls’ Grammar 301
2 Methodist Ladies’ College 286
3 Kilbreda 269
4 Huntingtower 223
5 Macrobertson Girls’ High 217
6 Ruyton Girls’ School 209

Spot the odd one out! The rest are all private or selective girls’ schools with student numbers 3 or 4 times that of HT, and they run Drama from 7-12 (usually as a full blown elective from 10-12), whilst my kids do one class a week for one semester from 8-9 and VCE 1/2 in Year 10 and 3/4 in Year 11. I think it’s a very pleasing achievement considering the odds.

Well done to all, and may you all have a Merry Xmas and a happy NY, especially you Cashy, I know you have had a massive year in many ways, so put your feet up and enjoy a well earned rest! Hairspray again?! 🙂

Justin Cash
13 years ago

Michael, you’re in Bali on holidays. Nice to see you checking in. Methinks you should be on the beach, mate!

Great stuff with your 43 and 42 in Drama, plus those A+ solos! They’re so hard to get.

It’s funny, but in the days after the written exam for Drama this year, everyone I spoke to thought it was fairly easy. I went over it a few more times and it seems I was one of the few people who thought it was actually a rigourous paper. I didn’t think it was easy at all. Consequently, I was expecting a few nasty grades. I’d set myself a goal to improve my students’ written exam grades in 2010 (I was bold enough to tell the class this on the first day of the year) and in the end I was very pleased.

The weird thing this year was that the number of my students’ high grades in the written exam was more than I had expected, while the opposite happened with my students’ solo grades this year. My knowledge, skills and judgement as a teacher has not changed – only the content of these exams did. It keeps on moving. To be fair, the number of very high solo grades last year was above my expectations. Sooner or later there will be a year when everything seems about right.

If the written paper is “easy”, the VCAA still have to have their bell curve, so even though it shifts every year, like with the solo, roughly the same percentage of students receive the A+s and A’s. If too many students get high grades, they will be moderated down, but the opposite happens on a tough paper, with students getting moderated up, too. The marking of the paper, itself, remains the same standard. Hell, if my Year 12 English exam grade wasn’t moderated up, I would never have passed my HSC (ouch! it hurts not saying VCE).

I had a small class of 10 students and in the end got a 48 and a 45 for Drama. Wrapt with the 48, as I also had a 48 last year. Beyond my expectations with the written exam grades. One Top Class invite for the solos.

Michael
13 years ago

Hello all,

I had two over 40 @ Loyola.

43 and a 42, plus 4 x A+’s in the solos. Currently in Bali so not sure how many of my students got Top Class invites?

I was dissapointed in my Written Exam grades. People tell me becuase the exam was ‘easier’ that this has an effect. Is this really true?

Justin Cash
13 years ago

Borbs, if you are reading this, congratulations on your students’ 49 and 46 study scores for Drama! Awesome effort mate! Must be something in the water in Mount Waverley!

Did anyone’s students get Top Class Drama or Top Class Theatre Studies invitations from the VCAA?

Justin Cash
13 years ago

Naomi, I agree, it can be disappointing. Worse still, 3 x A’s for Drama can translate to a 39 or less. On the surface, you’d think this would at least place a student in the 40+ range, but it is only a select few at the top end. Sounds like you’ve done well though, with your first ever VCE Drama class. Congrats!

Naomi
13 years ago

This was my first ever VCE Drama class, and I was so pleased with my students letter grades (nothing below a C), but found it depressing that this translated to no better than a 35 study score :/