Is it fair to award Private schools/Selected Schools

[kenhung123]

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Do you think it is fair to scale up the SAC scores in private schools/selected schools (e.g. Mac Rob and Melbourne High)?
They contain many high performing students however how about the an individual who is better but in a public school (due to financial problems in family)? They get a lower score because their SACs get scale down because the cohort performs poorly however the individual may perform better than someone in the private schools.

Would love to hear your interpretations.

[JonathanM]

lol?

Your post is wrong from head to foot. First of all both of your example schools are public selective schools. Lots of people in them are in bad financial positions. There is a voluntary school fee for them, you get in if you're smart, not if you're rich.

And the worse your cohort does, the better for you rankings wise. You have more chance of being ranked at the top. Furthermore, your SACs aren't scaled up or down depending on how your cohort goes.

[kenhung123]

I know both of them are public selected schools, the examples are both referring to selected schools (I assume we all know what are private schools). Yes I do know the process of selection and school fees approximation.

My friend at another school said their classes A+'s get scaled up 16/100 because the overall cohort did well but their highest SAC mark was only somewhere about 80%. (other scores get scaled a different amount). I am unsure about this but I assumed it was correct. It makes sense as it can ensure a somewhat accuracy of fairness in SACs at different schools. Can anyone confirm this?

[JonathanM]

Originally Posted by kenhung123

My friend at another school said their classes A+'s get scaled up 16/100 because the overall cohort did well but their highest SAC mark was only somewhere about 80%. (other scores get scaled a different amount). I am unsure about this but I assumed it was correct. It makes sense as it can ensure a somewhat accuracy of fairness in SACs at different schools. Can anyone confirm this?

Your friend is wrong. Your study score is scaled on the basis of how well you do in the exam and how well the rest of the state goes.

[kenhung123]

Yes but how else can they control the fairness of SACs betwen different schools? This has been around for quite some time. E.g. a school with all students 100% SACs but all B+ exams and another school 80% SACs but A+ exams? Clearly the 2nd ground is smarter (VCAA assumed they are since we all sit the same exam but not same SAC and the fact that their assessments are more accurate) and their SACs are harder. So VCAA just lets it be? I don't think so...

[kazoospasm]

Originally Posted by kenhung123

My friend at another school said their classes A+'s get scaled up 16/100 because the overall cohort did well but their highest SAC mark was only somewhere about 80%. (other scores get scaled a different amount). I am unsure about this but I assumed it was correct. It makes sense as it can ensure a somewhat accuracy of fairness in SACs at different schools. Can anyone confirm this?

Exam scores are used to standardise SAC marks. The reason 3/4 of the MHS cohort get A+ SAC GAs is beacause half of them get A+ Exam scores, not beacuse of some +16 MHS bonus points scheme. Also remember SAC marks mean very little/nothing, cohort rank seems to be what is used (for the reasons you mention).

Originally Posted by kenhung123

how about the an individual who is better but in a public school (due to financial problems in family)? They get a lower score because their SACs get scale down because the cohort performs poorly however the individual may perform better than someone in the private schools.

As JonathanM said, poorer cohort means relatively higher cohort ranking. According to the most popular theory of SAC standardisation - and common sense - if you are ranked 1st, your cohort's performance isn't used, irrespective of your school.

[kenhung123]

Are you sure this is correct? I was told something like that too. So about half the class got A+, but their best SAC mark was only about 80/100 and VCAA gave someone in the cohort who paid for to see his mark or something which he was told his cohort is scaled up 16/100 for all A+ students in exam. So your saying something similar but they are not scaled an amount but to a particular score? E.g. The cohort does well, therefore all A+ exam students get A+ SAC scores?

[careyboy]

Private schools generally get scaled more because the school is ranked higher than public schools on average. TO answer ur question, it probs isnt fair but i go to a private school so im not complaining
They also take into account how schools did the previous year on average and heres a list of school rankings.
2008 VCE School Ranking

[mqabz]

I go to MHS and i've been scraping C's for my methods SACs (35-40%) but i expect some scaling to fall in my favour because i expect B/B+'s for my methods exams and those SACs were pretty hard for me. And im an average methods student lol

As long as you do well in the exam you'll be fine regardless of which school you go to. Right?

[kazoospasm]

Originally Posted by kenhung123

So your saying something similar but they are not scaled an amount but to a particular score? E.g. The cohort does well, therefore all A+ exam students get A+ SAC scores?

Sort of, but it's not that simple. I can't imagine it being a 'blanket' +16 scaling unless the relationship between SAC and exam marks was wholly linear.

Your SAC scores are derived using your own exam scores (given heavy weighting, the exam scores of classmates with exam rankings that are equivalent or higher to your SAC ranking. Having different values, the amount scaled should differ from student to student.

mqabz, your situation is, IMO, the closest this system comes to being unfair. Given the same exam score, it's better to be ranked towards the lower end of a selective school than the top of an average one.

Originally Posted by mqabz

As long as you do well in the exam you'll be fine regardless of which school you go to. Right?

Yes, but the shoddier your school the more you have to lose as far as SACs go.