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FAITH WISDOM
INTEGRITY COMPASSION |
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Senior : Curriculum : da Vinci
Program Aims | Program Placement | Course Acceleration
Acceleration of a course normally completed in Years 11 and 12 forms part of the da Vinci Program, to support the learning needs of all students by providing challenging and rewarding educational programs. Students apply to accelerate a course with the aim of completing the HSC course earlier than had they completed it with the rest of their cohort. Students who accelerate at Knox do so in accordance with the Board of Studies guidelines for acceleration of students, available from the Board of Studies website www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au.
Acceleration courses in different subject areas feature a common approach to learning and teaching, focusing on both independent learning skills and collaborative learning. There is clear articulation and enforcement of required standards of student performance with compression of preliminary course content, the minimum content necessary to demonstrate the outcomes of the preliminary course and full coverage of HSC course content.
In the best interests of the students, the School reserves the right to screen for entry and to move students from acceleration courses into mainstream classes if some or all of the following occur:
- There is clear evidence the acceleration program is not appropriate for an individual student
- Required student outcomes are not being or have not been met by the published deadlines, or
- Required student outcomes are not being or have not been met at a standard of Band 4 or higher.
Students apply for entry into an acceleration course under a set of criteria. A student entering the program would usually be high achieving and motivated, seeking academic challenge and looking to make every unit in the Preliminary Course count (especially two units that might not otherwise have been continued into Year 12). They would be studying 12 units. Students enter an acceleration course with the aim of performing at a very high level and challenging themselves academically in a subject which interests them but which may not have been one of their first ten units. They should also aim to lift the standard and focus of all their senior work, developing their study and independent learning skills. Further objectives include gaining an early experience of HSC study in a safe, structured environment as well as being selected for and completing advanced placement university courses while still at Knox.
Research indicates many students who accelerate perform at a very high level, while a minority may under-perform. Students should begin an acceleration course with high ambitions and a realistic understanding of the possibility their level of performance in Year 10 or 11 may not be as high as it might be, had the subject been sat in Year 12.
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