VCAL Quality Assurance Panels

VCAL quality assurance panels

This document contains information relating to the selection of panel members for the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) quality assurance process for 2015. There are vacancies in the following VCAL Quality Assurance (QA) regions: Gippsland, Hume, Grampians (Horsham and Ballarat end) Barwon South West (Geelong end) Loddon Mallee (Bendigo end) and Western Metropolitan Region (WMR).

VCAL QA ensures that assessment tasks selected by VCAL providers will achieve the VCAL learning outcomes for which they are designed and that a student’s work is at the appropriate VCAL level. A QA panel comprising the VCAL Liaison Teacher (VLT) as panel leader and four VCAL practitioners will be established in each VCAL QA region. All panel members must have a good understanding of the VCAL curriculum.

Detailed information on the 2015 VCAL QA process will be forwarded to schools early in Term 1 2015. However, to assist teachers to make a decision about joining a VCAL QA panel in 2015, an outline of the proposed VCAL QA process is provided below. The 2015 VCAL QA process includes the following features:

·  VCAL providers in each VCAL QA region will be required to submit up to two VCAL units for quality assurance nominated by the VCAA. New VCAL providers in 2015 will be required to submit additional units for VCAL QA.

·  After submission of the VCAL QA templates, VCAL providers will be allocated to one of three QA categories.

·  Each provider will submit the lowest level of the VCAL unit being delivered e.g. a provider in the Grampians VCAL QA Region that delivers Foundation and Senior Personal Development Skills (PDS) units will be required to submit the Foundation PDS unit for VCAL QA.

·  Providers can determine which PDS unit is submitted, for example, PDS Unit 1 or 2.

·  Providers who do not participate in the regional VCAL QA process may be required to submit their VCAL units for an audit by the VCAA.

The VCAL QA process provides an excellent opportunity for teacher professional development. The VCAA encourages experienced VCAL teachers to consider joining a VCAL QA panel.

The role of a VCAL QA panel member is to:

·  establish regional benchmarks for consistency in the design and assessment of VCAL units

·  confirm that the students work is at the appropriate VCAL level

·  provide advice to VCAL teachers that will enable them to design VCAL unit assessment tasks and to make assessment judgments about successful achievement of the learning outcomes for VCAL units

·  allocate VCAL providers to one of three VCAL QA categories

·  attend meetings associated with the VCAL QA process

·  support the work of the VCAL Liaison Teacher in organising Stage 1 and 2 meetings

·  select exemplars of VCAL units for publication on the VCAA website.

VCAL QA panel members will receive an allowance of $1,200. In 2015 each VCAL QA region will receive 26 days of CRT release to support the work of the QA panel.

The VCAA invites interested VCAL teachers to lodge an expression of interest to fill the following vacancies in regional VCAL QA panels. The VCAL QA regions are based on the previous DEECD regions.

VCAL QA region / Number of panel vacancies
Barwon South West (Geelong) / One
Gippsland / Three
Grampians (Ballarat and Horsham) / Two– one at each end of the region
Hume / One
Loddon Mallee (Bendigo) / One vacancy
WMR / One

Expression of interest can be submitted online by accessing the SSMS website. If assistance is required to lodge an application, call the SSMS helpdesk on (03) 9225 2305.

Applications close on Friday 19 September 2014. Successful applicants will be notified by the VCAA. For further information, contact David Gallagher, VCAL Manager on (03) 9032 1727 or by email:

Notice 83/2014