When using NESA’s advice for the RoSA, schools should reference the department’s Curriculum, planning and programming, assessing and reporting to parents K–12 policy and associated policy standards.

All staff should read the NESA official notices and subscribe to NESA news.

Information regarding the NSW Department of Education approved elective courses could be useful when considering the Stage 5 curriculum. These courses will not be listed on the RoSA.

RoSA advice for principals

The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) issues the Record of School Achievement (RoSA) to eligible students who leave school before completing the Higher School Certificate (HSC).

The RoSA is a cumulative credential and contains a student’s record of academic achievement up until the date they leave school. This could be at the end of Year 10 or up until and including the end of Year 12.

The RoSA records completed Year 10 and Year 11 courses and grades, and Year 12 HSC results for students not eligible for the HSC. It also records participation in any uncompleted Year 11 or Year 12 courses and the date of leaving school.

The RoSA is useful to students leaving school prior to the HSC because they can show it to potential employers or places of further learning. All Year 12 students in NSW must reach a minimum standard of literacy and numeracy to receive their HSC. If they meet the eligibility requirements, the RoSA is also available to students who have not demonstrated they meet the minimum standard of literacy and numeracy, through the minimum standard online tests. For more information on this, please see Stronger HSC Standards and HSC minimum standard. Additionally, refer to ACE 4060, ACE 4061 and ACE 4062.

Students who subsequently (in the 5-year accumulation period) become eligible for the HSC by demonstrating they have met the HSC minimum standard will be issued with a Higher School Certificate testamur and have their results reissued on a Record of School Achievement.

While the RoSA credential is for school leavers, all Year 11 and 12 students are able to access and print a Student eRecord via their NESA Students Online account. The eRecord is not a formal NESA credential but has the same information as a RoSA. The Student eRecord is also available to schools via Schools Online. Schools can generate an eRecord to check the student’s course information is correctly recorded. This online eRecord can be used as an interim result report until the formal RoSA credential is delivered to the student’s Students Online account. Further information about eRecords is available on NESA’s Record of School Achievement webpage.

For further information refer to the links in Section 2: RoSA implementation support.

Eligibility for a RoSA

To be eligible for a RoSA, students must have:

• completed the mandatory curriculum requirements for a course of study in Years 7-10
• attended a government school, an accredited non-government school or a recognised school outside NSW
• completed courses of study that satisfy NESA curriculum and assessment requirements for the RoSA
• complied with the requirements of the Education Act 1990.

RoSA grades and reporting of student achievement

The RoSA includes an A to E grade for Year 10 and Year 11 NESA developed and endorsed courses of study that the student has satisfactorily completed. Grades are:

• based on student achievement in their assessment work
• due for submission to NESA in Term 4
• monitored by NESA for fairness and consistency.

NESA provides schools with information about the historical allocation or patterns of grades awarded by that school over recent years. This helps guide the allocation of grades to current students.

Vocational Educational and Training (VET) and Life Skills courses are reported differently to graded courses.

NSW Department of Education approved elective courses are reported internally by schools and will not be listed on the RoSA.

VET

Students who have undertaken a VET course as part of their pattern of study will be issued with additional VET certification documentation that recognises their achievement towards a nationally recognised Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) VET qualification.

NESA generates VET certification documentation on behalf of school system Registered Training Organisations (RTO).

Life Skills

For every successfully completed Life Skills course, an accompanying Profile of Student Achievement is included with the RoSA.

The Profile of Student Achievement lists all the Life Skills outcomes achieved by the student in each Life Skills course completed. NESA issues the profile to school leavers along with their RoSA.

Where students satisfactorily complete a Life Skills course, the course is listed on the RoSA with the annotation Refer to Profile of Student Achievement.

Students ineligible for a RoSA

Students who leave school before finishing Year 10 are not eligible for a RoSA. If students leave after Year 10 and still do not meet RoSA requirements, they will be issued with a Transcript of Study.

The Transcript of Study is a record of courses satisfactorily completed.

Students who transfer from overseas or interstate to a NSW school during Stages 5 and 6 may still be eligible for a RoSA. Refer to Section 2: RoSA implementation support.

Requesting a RoSA or Transcript of Study

School requests for a RoSA credential or Transcript of Study must be placed with NESA before a student signs out of school. Schools should enter all relevant data before applying.

Schools request a RoSA or Transcript of Study through the enrolments section in Schools Online. NESA will send a PDF of the RoSA or Transcript of Study to the Students Online account of the individual student, usually within 48 hours of the request.

Students cannot directly request a RoSA or Transcript of Study themselves.

Key considerations for school leavers

Students planning to leave school before the HSC may need additional opportunities to prepare for a smooth transition to the next stage of learning, training or employment, or a combination of these.

It is good practice to:

• provide some information to students in hard copy about leaving school, the RoSA, the optional literacy and numeracy tests and the NESA Up2now website
• hold information sessions for students and their parents to ensure they understand the eligibility requirements and optional opportunities listed below (access to interpreting and translations services is available if required)
• complete collaborative personalised post-school transition planning for students, including those with disability.

up2now

Many employers and places of further education are interested in more than just academic results. The Up2now website is a great place for secondary students to share information about their learning and extracurricular activities and to capture personalised transition planning.

The website allows students to create an online portfolio, where they can present their broader learning, awards and achievements, community service and volunteering experience, showcase their artwork, and create resumes. Students can create multiple portfolios and export them to PDF, share a portfolio online with prospective employers or use it to access other education and training pathways.

Careers advisers and class teachers employed in schools can use up2now to work with students intending to leave school prior to the HSC.

Only schools can register to access up2now. Once registered, schools receive further details about how to enrol students.

Compliance with RoSA requirements

Ongoing monitoring of RoSA candidates should be an allocated responsibility within the school to ensure students maintain their eligibility for the RoSA until they leave.

Principals should ensure that:

• courses of study offered by the school for RoSA candidates are being taught and assessed in accordance with the requirements of NSW syllabuses and related documents
• school procedures are in place to ensure that all students at the school who may be eligible for the RoSA
  • are entered into the correct courses of study in Schools Online
  • sign their Confirmation of Entry form
  • have satisfactorily completed the HSC: All My Own Work program (or its equivalent) if entered for at least one Year 11 course
  • activate their Students Online account
• school procedures are in place to ensure compliance with requirements for
  • student entries
  • student arrivals, leavers, transfers, and exchange students
  • study with an outside tutor or external provider
  • credit transfer and recognition of prior learning
  • accelerated progression and accumulation of courses
  • satisfactory completion and non-completion of courses
  • submission of grades
• where a student in Years 9–12 undertakes a VET course delivered by the school, the school has procedures in place to ensure
  • the VET course is delivered in accordance with the Public Schools NSW RTOs Training and Assessment Strategy
  • the student’s Unique Student Identifier (USI) is verified and uploaded to Schools Online
  • course and competency entries and reporting of outcomes are completed in accordance with NESA timelines and procedures (including for students who withdraw)
  • relevant Course Information Guide checklists are completed and submitted to the Registered Training Organisation (RTO) by the end of Term 1
  • any work placement is carried out in accordance with the department’s Workplace Learning policy and procedures
• where a student in Years 9–12 undertakes a VET course that is not delivered by the school, the school has procedures in place to ensure they fulfil the school’s responsibilities detailed in the document ‘VET User Guide for Schools Online’ which can be found in the ‘Memos and Documents’ section in Schools Online.

Appendix: Excerpts – Education Act

The following information from the Education Act 1990 No 8 underpins NESA’s rules and regulations with regard to the RoSA. In the legislation, ‘the Authority’ refers to NESA. The numbers ‘11’, ‘94’ and ‘95A’ refer to the corresponding sections of the legislation.

11 Curriculum for Record of School Achievement candidates

(1) The curriculum during Year 7 to Year 10 for students who are candidates for the Record of School Achievement must meet the following requirements:

(a) courses of study in each of the 8 key learning areas for secondary education are to be provided for each student,

(b) courses of study in the key learning areas of English, Mathematics, Science and Human Society and its Environment are to be provided during each Year, but the courses of study in the other key learning areas need not be provided during each Year,

(c) courses of study in a key learning area are to be taught in accordance with a syllabus developed or endorsed by the Authority and approved by the Minister.

(2) (Repealed)

(3) This section does not limit any requirement imposed under section 94 (Record of School Achievement).

94 Record of School Achievement

(1) Records of School Achievement are to be granted by the Authority to students:

(a) who:

(i) have attended a government school, or

(ii) have attended a registered non-government school to which a current certificate of accreditation for presentation of candidates for the Record of School Achievement applies, or

(iii) have attended a school outside New South Wales recognised by the Authority, and

(b) who have participated, to the Authority’s satisfaction, in courses of study which have been determined under this Act as appropriate to be undertaken by candidates for the Record of School Achievement, and

(c) who have been accepted by the Authority as having satisfactorily completed those courses of study, and

(d) who have, to the Authority’s satisfaction, undertaken the requisite examinations or other forms of assessment, and

(e) who have complied with any requirements prescribed by the regulations or any requirements imposed by the Minister or the Authority, and

(f) who have completed Year 10.

(2) The requisite examinations or other assessments may be conducted on a school-basis, but are to be moderated on a State-wide basis in the learning areas and in the manner determined by the Authority.

(3) The Authority may refuse to grant a Record of School Achievement to a student whose attendance or application at school has been of such an unsatisfactory character that the granting of a Record of School Achievement would not, in the opinion of the Authority, be justified.

(4) Records of School Achievement are to be granted in the manner determined by the Authority.

95A Award of Record of School Achievement or Higher School Certificate to students following special course of study

(1) The Authority may dispense with the requirement in section 94 that a candidate for the Record of School Achievement undertake an examination or other assessment referred to in section 94 if the Authority is satisfied that:

(a) the candidate has special educational needs, and

(b) the candidate has completed a course of study:

(i) developed by the Authority and approved by the Minister for candidates with special educational needs, and

(ii) adapted by the school that the candidate attends to cater for the special educational needs of the candidate, and

(c) the principal of the school has submitted a written report to the Authority that the candidate has achieved the outcomes required by the Authority of candidates undertaking the course of study.

(2) The Authority may dispense with the requirement in section 95 that a candidate for the Higher School Certificate undertake a public examination referred to in section 95 (2) if the Authority is satisfied that:

(a) the candidate has special educational needs, and

(b) the candidate has completed a course of study:

(i) developed by the Authority and approved by the Minister for candidates with special educational needs, and

(ii) adapted by the school that the candidate attends to cater for the special educational needs of the candidate, and

(c) the principal of the school has submitted a written report to the Authority that the candidate has achieved the outcomes required by the Authority of candidates undertaking the course of study.

Further support and professional learning

• Curriculum, planning and programming, assessing and reporting to parents K-12 policy
• Curriculum requirements guide - Secondary RoSA (staff only)
• Record of School Achievement (NESA)
• Record of School Achievement (ACE)
• Translated documents