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Appendix 5 - AARA
Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments (AARA) are considered on an individual basis and decisions are made in consultation with the eligible student, parents/carers, school staff and, when applicable, the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA).
Guidelines that inform procedures and decisions for AARA include:
» providing opportunities for students with disability to participate on the same basis as students without disability by
- making reasonable adjustments to assessment conditions to ensure that assessment is equitable for all students (see Disability Standards for
Education 2005, s. 3.4) and that all students have opportunities to demonstrate current knowledge and skills - identifying and minimising barriers that prevent students from demonstrating current knowledge and skills - applying relevant syllabus standards against which achievement is judged. The school is required to maintain the intent and rigour of syllabuses and any other requirements or components that are inherent or essential to a course of study (see the
Disability Standards for Education 2005, s. 3.4 (3)).
Assessment standards and instrument-specific marking guides (ISMGs) cannot be modified to suit students’ needs
» planning and negotiating AARA as early as possible so that eligible students can be provided with appropriate support to commence, participate in, and complete the requirements for a course of study » providing procedures for high-quality assessment » assessing actual achievement using evidence in student responses, not perceived ability or potential achievement » ensuring schools consult with and involve the student and, when appropriate, the student’s parents/carers and other relevant school staff in the decision-making process concerning AARA » considering how AARA affect the student, including the student’s ability to achieve learning outcomes, participate in courses of study and experience independence » ensuring that for General and Applied subjects the
AARA implemented for an eligible student for formative assessment in Units 1 and 2 are aligned to those that are available for summative assessment in Units 3 and 4. The provision of AARA for assessment in Units 1 and 2 by a school is not a guarantee that students will access the same adjustments for assessment in Units 3 and 4 » assessing whether changes are needed to the adjustment over the duration of a student’s schooling to allow for the changing needs of the student over time.
Please note: AARA are provided to remove, as much as possible, barriers for a student whose disability and/or medical conditions may affect their ability to read or respond to assessment on the same basis as other students. Students whose background is English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) may be eligible for AARA if they have disability and/or medical conditions. EAL/D students without disability and/or medical conditions are not eligible for AARA.
This policy applies to students in Years 11 and 12.
Access arrangements are available to a student with evidence of a need that is not necessarily covered by the definition of a disability eg a temporary injury or need that results in the implementation of inclusive educational strategies. Access arrangements allow a student to access assessment and demonstrate his knowledge but do not change assessment conditions.
Reasonable adjustments are available to a student with evidence of a need and who has a disability in accordance with the legal definition of disability. Reasonable adjustments allow for assessment conditions to be changed due to barriers that may be experienced by the student with the disability.
Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments are managed within the School for Units 1 & 2 but are informed by the guidelines set down by the QCAA for Units 3 & 4. The School is required to provide documentary evidence for all applications for AARA for Units 3 & 4. For any long term disability, the student must provide a medical certificate that is dated no earlier than Term 1 Year 10.
Illness and misadventure such as an injury or family bereavement may make a student eligible for AARA. Illness and misadventure, by their nature are unforeseen and beyond the student’s control with an observable adverse impact. Illness or non-attendance during an internal assessment may result in an extension for assignment based work or a comparable assessment for examinations. If a student in Years 11 or 12 is absent for an examination, he must provide the Director of Studies with a medical certificate dated on the day of the assessment which includes a diagnosis and the anticipated duration of absence.
The condition or situation cannot be of the student’s or family’s own choosing such as a family holiday
