06 Feb 2018
Dear Parents / Grandparents / Carers,
It is very important that the following information be read carefully as it may relate to your child and his/her ability to do the very best they can, in the HSC examination this year.
If you are concerned about whether special provisions apply or could apply for your child, please contact myself, Christine Patison or our Year 12 Advisor, Simone Carlyon on 6742 0155.
The application form must be submitted by your child's school as it requires specific information about the difficulties your child may experience in a classroom or examination situation. This does not mean, however, that you should not be involved in the application process.
Special provisions for the Higher School Certificate examinations
Special provisions in the HSC are practical arrangements designed to help students who couldn't otherwise make a fair attempt to show what they know in an exam room.
The provisions granted are solely determined by how the student's exam performance is affected. Provisions may include braille papers, large-print papers, use of a reader and/or writer, extra time or rest breaks.
Who can apply for special provisions?
If your child has a significant difficulty with writing, reading, concentration, anxiety, and learning or has a physical disability, then they may be a candidate for special provisions. Depending on the level of impairment, one or more provisions may be applied for. It is important to note that if your child has a recognised diagnosis, (ADHD, autism, Cerebral Palsy, anxiety, depression etc.) then documentation will be needed to support this application. This may be from a psychologist, G.P, allied health professional or medical specialist, who will provide forms to support you application to the Board of Studies.
What provisions can be applied for?
- Rest breaks: When rest breaks are approved, the student generally receives a 5 minute rest break every half an hour with no writing allowed. Over a three-hour exam, this adds up to an extra 30 minutes of overall examination time, but the entire time does not need to be used if not needed. This provision is useful for students who have poor writing endurance or feel pain during extended writing tasks, as it allows them a chance to rest their muscles and relieve pain.
- Separate supervision: For students who have difficulties with concentration or anxiety, separate or small-group supervision may be extremely beneficial. This provision is often combined with others such as extra writing time and rest breaks, to prevent disrupting the main student group.
- Extra writing time: This provision is one that is not often approved for many students. Extra writing time is usually given at the same rate as rest-breaks, and can be used in conjunction with other provisions (i.e. separate supervision, rest breaks). Students have to display convincing evidence that they would be significantly disadvantaged without extra writing time, or have an impairment that significantly reduces their writing speed and/or endurance.
- Reader and/or writer: If your child has trouble with reading, then they may need a reader to help complete their exams and assessments. This person will read out the questions for the student in place of them trying to read from the page independently. A scribe/writer may also need to be used in conjunction with or separate from a reader. The scribe will listen as the student verbally answers a question, and write their answer down for them. This is often used by students who have extremely illegible and/or very slow writing.
- Use of a laptop: This provision allows the student to use a laptop in place of a written exam or the use of a scribe. It is very rare for this to be approved, unless the student has a significant physical injury/disability and cannot otherwise complete their exam with the use of a writer/scribe or addition of extra writing time.
Applying for special provisions
Students who wish to apply for special provisions should see the School Learning Support Teacher (Christine Patison) or Year Adviser (Simone Carlyon). The School Learning Support Teacher will complete the application form. In doing so, they will:
- Indicate the provisions for which the student is applying.
- Indicate how the problem/disability affects the student's work in the classroom and in examination situations.
- Supply evidence of the student's problem/disability.
- If the student is unable to obtain an appropriate diagnosis, then other detailed information will need to be submitted to establish the existence of a problem/disability. In this case it is necessary to provide: details as to why the student cannot obtain relevant documentation and diagnosis, a reasonable history of the student's difficulty and needs (including previous and current in-school support), and detailed teacher comments which indicate the impact of the student's condition on their classwork and in examinations..
If all the necessary information is not provided, some requested provisions may be declined due to insufficient evidence.
How does the process work?
Once the Board of Studies has received the application, a letter acknowledging receipt is available to the school. The application is processed at the Board of Studies.
The Board of Studies has a Panel of Specialists that includes medical practitioners, educational psychologists, and consultants for the visually or hearing impaired. The category of the disability and the evidence presented will determine who reviews the file.
When a decision has been made, a decision letter listing the approved and/or declined provisions is provided to the school with a copy for both the principal and the student.
Appeal procedures
Should a student wish to appeal the decision to decline a provision, the appeal must be submitted through the school within 14 days of receiving the disability provisions decision letter. The appeal must state the reason why the decision is considered unacceptable, making reference to the evidence supplied in the original application.
The appeal will need to include new supportive evidence, such as a further medical report/s, which clearly states why the student needs the provision, or additional reading, writing or spelling test results.
The Board of Studies will conduct an independent review and a decision will be made within 21 days.
Closing date for applications
Applications need to be submitted to the Board of Studies by the end of Term One (around April). Any assessments and documentation that goes with an application needs to be current (i.e. once they formally commence Year 12 work) and relevant to what provisions the student is applying for.
Notification
If after reading this information, you as a student, parent, grandparent or carer feel you or your HSC student may be eligible to apply for special provisions, please leave a message at the school and I will ring you next week to discuss the application process and requirements. Alternatively, please feel free to send me an email christine.patison@det.nsw.edu.au
As you can appreciate, gathering evidence and work samples will take a significant amount of time so I ask please that you let me know by Friday of next week, February 9, 2018 if this may be a consideration for your child.
Kind regards,
Ms Christine Patison
Learning and Support Teacher