There is no proposal to allow students to use mobile phones, iPods, or the internet during Higher School Certificate (HSC) examinations.

General Manager of the Office of the Board of Studies, Dr John Bennett, said strict rules govern the HSC exams which prevent students from taking such devices into the exam room.

‘This year’s HSC students must remember that if they take a mobile phone into an exam, they risk a zero mark in that course’, Dr Bennett said.

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Now available - Studying for the NSW Higher School Certificate - An Information Booklet for Year 10 Students, 2008

This booklet is produced each year to assist students who are currently in Year 10. It may also assist other HSC candidates, such as those studying part-time or resuming their studies.

Entries for the 2008 Minister’s Young Designer Awards (MYDA) are now open for students of Technology (Mandatory) in Years 7 and 8 in NSW.

Under modified arrangements, schools will be required to download entry forms and information packs. The new deadline for submitting design folios including photographic evidence demonstrating the nature and quality of the ‘design solution’ is 17 October 2008.

Read more about the criteria for judging entries, the new nomination process and other details about the awards.

How you can contribute work samples

Have you thought about contributing work samples from your own students to publish on this website? Click on the above link to read about how you can contribute.

For Years K-6 (Stages 1, 2 & 3)

Since the last update of this site in September 2007, we have added new activities for Stage 2 English, Creative Arts and PDHPE and Stage 3 English, Creative Arts and PDHPE. We have also added additional aligned work samples across the following Key Learning Areas in K–6.

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BOS 41/07 (Vol 16 No 3)

Years 7–10 syllabuses for Photographic and Digital Media, and for Visual Design: Addition of sample units of work to the support document Life Skills Years 7–10: Advice on Planning, Programming and Assessment

Additional sample units of work have been developed for the web version of the support document Life Skills Years 7–10: Advice on Planning, Programming and Assessment (2003) for both the Photographic and Digital Media Years 7–10 Syllabus and the Visual Design Years 7–10 Syllabus.

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The Office of the Board of Studies is establishing a register of reviewers to assist with the annual Key Learning Area (KLA) Review.

The KLA Review supports the non-government school registration program by reviewing the curriculum documentation submitted by non-government schools in support of applications for registration and/or accreditation.

KLA Review 2008 - Expression of Interest for KLA Reviewers

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More than 270 activities and almost 1000 work samples aligned to grades are now on the Assessment Resource Centre (ARC) for Stages 1 to 5.

Almost 500 primary work samples are now on the ARC across all key learning areas. More than 80 activities are also available on the site to assist teachers in awarding A to E grades in Semester 1 reports.

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The Board has a commitment to consultation in the syllabus development and review process, ensuring quality syllabuses that meet the needs of teachers and students.

Teachers have the opportunity to contribute to up to six syllabus reviews during Term 2: one primary and three secondary syllabus projects as well as the development of two new industry frameworks in consultation phases.

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If you are interested in following up some of the ideas presented in Dr De Nobile's paper, take a look at the Board's Respect and Responsibility website www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/respect

The site has curriculum maps of respect and responsibility in the NSW curriculum and features good-practice examples of values-teaching in NSW schools.

The curriculum maps highlight respect and responsibility within the current syllabuses, and list a range of opportunities for integrating these values in teaching and learning contexts while maintaining the integrity and authenticity of subjects.

Secondary subjects are mapped to syllabus outcomes, while each primary KLA is mapped to Foundation Statements and syllabus outcomes.

Ten schools from Parkes, Forbes and the Central West of NSW attended the region's first workshop for the teaching of the local Aboriginal language, Wiradjuri.

The Parkes High School Wiradjuri Language Program team.

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