Frequently Asked Questions

What is meant by the term 'essential learning'?

The starting point for a curriculum for essential learning is the question: what do students need to know and be able to do to succeed in the future? The VCAA refers to 'essential learning' as the set of knowledge, skills and behaviours which will prepare students for success in further education, life and work. The Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) identify three essential capacities which all students need to develop to succeed beyond the compulsory years of schooling: managing themselves as individuals and in relation to others; understanding the world in which they live; and acting effectively in that world.

The essence of the VELS is that all three capacities are required to prepare students for the future. Importantly, these capacities form three core, interrelated strands which provide purpose for what is taught and assessed in curriculum for Prep to Year 10. These strands are:

• Physical, Personal and Social Learning
• Discipline-based Learning
• Interdisciplinary Learning.

Standards are contained in each of these strands.

It is intended that in constructing their programs, schools will focus on developing students' depth of understanding of core concepts and interdisciplinary knowledge and skills needed to be adaptive, to transfer learning to new contexts and to prepare for learning throughout life.

How were the VELS developed?

The VCAA developed the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) for all Victorian schools in both government and non-government sectors as part of the student learning strategy in the Blueprint for Government Schools (Department of Education and Training, 2003).

The VCAA began the development process with a review of fourteen national and international curriculum documents. The findings of the review are in Curriculum Victoria: Foundations for the Future (VCAA 2003).

Drawing on the review, and in consultation with Victorian teachers, the VCAA developed the Victorian Curriculum Reform 2004 Consultation Paper which informed schools and the wider community about the VCAA's proposal for a new framework of essential learning. The Consultation Paper invited schools, teachers, parents and the wider community to give feedback via a questionnaire available on the VCAA website during Term 2, 2004.

The VCAA received feedback to the consultation paper from over 1200 respondents, including schools, organisations and members of the wider community. The Victorian Curriculum Reform 2004: Report on Consultation provides an analysis of those responses and valuable feedback that helped shape the VELS.

In developing the VELS, many teachers from all sectors across the state contributed to its development through their participation in VCAA reference groups. Throughout the writing stages, these expert practitioners provided valuable input to the content of the domains, support materials and the design and functionality of the website. Fourteen schools participated in a project to develop and trial standards in domains in the Physical, Personal and Social Learning and the Interdisciplinary Learning strands.

How does the VELS benefit schools?

In its consultations with schools in 2003 and 2004, the VCAA identified a number of concerns which have been addressed in the development of the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS). These concerns include a need for greater school control over the content of the curriculum, the ability for schools to use innovative and flexible teaching styles to achieve the best outcomes for students, a significant reduction in the number of specific learning outcomes, an increased focus on key knowledge and skills and a greater focus on fostering students' depth of understanding.

The VELS describe essential knowledge, skills and behaviours in each of three core and interrelated strands that allow teachers to focus on deeper learning for students. They allow schools to continue developing innovative programs designed to meet local needs. Schools will continue to have flexibility and ownership in the scope and delivery of curriculum.

The VELS also provide clearer assessment and reporting strategies to better inform parents about student achievement, and guide further learning.

What are the implications for schools using the VELS?

The Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) are designed to be used for whole school curriculum planning. School teams will decide how best to meet the standards. For some standards this may be through explicit teaching focused on a particular standard and for others it may be by creating units of work which address standards in a number of domains at the same time.

The Essential Learning Standards do not provide an organisational template for school structures or timetables. What is important is that all domains are mapped and included appropriately in a whole school curriculum plan. In individual classrooms, teachers will use the whole school plan to incorporate the strands and domains into their teaching areas to ensure the relevant standards are addressed.

Schools can make decisions about innovations they wish to adopt in keeping with current policies and educational research. Specific programs, such as the Early Years and the Middle Years, are important teaching and learning approaches that support the Victorian Essential Learning Standards.

What subjects do schools offer?

The Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) require an interwoven approach to curriculum across the three strands and their learning domains. All the strands and domains include knowledge, skills and behaviours, and are essential to student learning. Schools decide how best to structure subjects but may continue to organise curriculum around existing subject selections. Some examples of how schools might approach curriculum planning are provided below.

Schools take account of any guidelines or policies that are in place for specific curriculum requirements, for example, government schools are required to deliver a specified amount of physical education and/or sport from Prep to Year 10.

How are the two dimensions in the Science domain related? Can I teach and assess the dimensions separately?

The Science domain has two dimensions, Science knowledge and understanding and Science at work. The two dimensions are interdependent and each is used to introduce and support the other. Student tasks could also explore or assess particular aspects of one dimension only. As Science includes knowledge, processes, applications and skills, tasks should reflect or illustrate how the dimensions are dependent on each other.

There are no standards in Science at Levels 1 and 2. How is science included in the curriculum in the early years at school?

Although Science standards are not introduced until Level 3, students in the early years of school can have valuable learning experiences in science. For example, science can provide the context to develop student literacy and numeracy, their ability to work in teams or use technology in Information and Communications Technology, Design, Creativity and Technology and the Arts.

How is science related to the other domains?

Science is linked to many other domains and units of work can be developed with a science context that addresses learning across the three strands. For example, through analysis of science issues in the media (English), collecting and presenting information (Communication), using technology (Information and Communications Technology, Design, Creativity and Technology), analysing data (Mathematics), working in teams (Interpersonal Development) and participating in community sustainability programs (Civics and Citizenship).

What resources are available to assist me assess student work?

The teaching support section of the VELS website provide a range of resources to assist teachers in implementing the VELS.

Our school has an elective program for Years 9 and 10. How will this impact on reporting against the Science standards?

If schools have an elective program it is important that the program provides students with opportunities to achieve the Level 6 standards in Science.

When do I report student achievement against the Science standards?

Different school sectors have different reporting requirements for schools and the relevant education authorities should be contacted for guidelines in this area.

How can the domain of Design, Creativity and Technology be implemented within school programs?

Design, Creativity and Technology is a domain within the Interdisciplinary Learning strand of the Victorian Essential Learning Standards. This is an essential domain with a unique set of knowledge and skills. The most defining and distinctive characteristics of the Design, Creativity and Technology domain are the integrative powers which bring design knowledge and awareness, creativity in planning and producing together with applications in a wide variety of media, materials and settings. In effect, the interdisciplinary nature of this domain means that Design, Creativity and Technology has a clear relationship with domains across all three strands.

School programs must identify how Design, Creativity and Technology can be appropriately delivered. The domain will not necessarily be identifiable on the school timetable as there are a number of ways schools can structure programs. Design, Creativity and Technology could be used as either the basis for designing delivery of discrete courses and units or as an integrated program. Schools decide how best to structure subjects but, of course, may continue to organise curriculum around their current subject selections. 

How can outdoor education be developed in school programs using the Victorian Essential Learning Standards?

There are many ways to link outdoor education programs with the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) across the three organising strands of the curriculum. The domains of Health and Physical Education, Interpersonal Development, Thinking Processes and The Humanities – Geography, for example, can all contribute to the development of an outdoor education program.

The domain of Health and Physical Education addresses the development of skills to participate in physical activity and improve fitness; and motivates students to participate in physical activity; risk taking and harm minimisation. Outdoor education in a curriculum program traditionally links with learning outcomes in health and physical education. The VELS continue this tradition so Health and Physical Education can be used as the basis to develop an outdoor education program.

The new curriculum approach includes standards in the domain of Interpersonal Development which specifically address student capacities to work effectively as part of a team and build positive social relationships. These types of knowledge, skills and behaviours provide a significant focus for any school’s outdoor education program. For example, at Level 5 students could ‘work cooperatively to achieve a shared purpose within a realistic timeframe’ when planning an outdoor education activity for a specific date which requires the use of specialised equipment.

Thinking is an integral part of a student’s development. An outdoor education program focuses on problem solving and decision making as well as identifying and synthesising information readily related to the thinking processes. These are all highlighted as essential aspects of the Thinking Processes domain.

The Humanities – Geography includes the investigation of environmental issues as well as the use of geographical tools and skills such as the interpretation of scale, grid references, legend and direction when using maps. Teachers of outdoor education programs with a strong environmental focus are encouraged to consider the standards in the Humanities – Geography domain.

These examples are some of the many links to domains identified in the VELS that relate to an outdoor education program. Schools are encouraged to explore other links to match the focus of individual school programs.

Why do LOTE standards begin at Level 4?

Languages Other Than English (LOTE) standards begin at Level 4 in order to promote flexibility in the organisation of school programs in Prep to Year 4. However, there is provision in the LOTE standards for assessment and reporting in Prep to Year 4 and schools are strongly encouraged to offer LOTE prior to Level 4. All schools are required to report on students’ achievement in a LOTE at Level 4, at the end of Year 6.

Students gain most benefit from the study of a LOTE if they begin in the early years, but it is acknowledged that some schools introduce LOTE programs at different year levels. Three sets of progression measures have been devised for Prep to Year 4. These measures provide a typical sequence of second language development leading to completion of Level 4 at the end of Year 6.

To support schools that provide LOTE programs prior to Level 4 and to assist them to report effectively on student achievement, the LOTE domain includes three sets of progression measures (Parts A, B and C).

Why are six categories of languages identified in LOTE?

In the study of Languages Other Than English (LOTE) six categories of languages have been identified. These are Roman alphabetical languages, non-Roman alphabetical languages, character languages, sign language classical languages and Aboriginal Languages. These categories provide standards which acknowledge that students require different amounts of time to achieve literacy depending on which language they are studying. These categories are not referred to for the skills of listening and speaking.

A student whose first language is English will generally progress more rapidly in reading and writing skills in languages which use the same alphabet as English as compared with languages which do not share the Roman alphabet. This does not mean students complete less work in any LOTE class, it simply means that more practice is required to reach comparable levels in reading and writing. Character-based languages require more hours of study to reach a similar level of written fluency, simply because the concept of characters is new and time is required to learn stroke order, memorise characters and so on. Auslan is the language of the Deaf Community and, being a sign language, is not spoken at all.

Of course many students also bring an in-depth knowledge of a LOTE to school with them. They may have a LOTE as their first language or have lived in a country where the LOTE is spoken.

How much time is needed to implement the LOTE standards effectively in schools?

The recommendations of ‘Languages for Victoria’s Future’ which can be found at the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development website (www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/lote/research.htm) are consistent with the requirements to deliver a program that meets the standards.

It is not possible to demonstrate the achievement of the Level 4 standards at the end of Grade 6 with a limited time allocation such as 30-minutes a week. Teachers are advised to refer to the recommendations mentioned above when planning LOTE programs.

What does interdisciplinary mean for Information and Communications Technology?

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is one of four domains in the Interdisciplinary Learning strand of the VELS.

The Interdisciplinary Learning strand focuses on ways of thinking, communicating, conceiving, and realising ideas and information. The knowledge, skills and behaviours in the ICT domain enable students to use ICT to access, process, manage and present information; to model and control events; to construct new understandings, and to communicate with others.

As an interdisciplinary learning domain, ICT can be applied across all strands. For students this means applying ICT knowledge and skills to:

• develop understanding of domain-specific knowledge and skills (ICT for visualising thinking dimension)
• demonstrate understanding of domain-specific content and concepts (ICT for creating dimension)
• share understanding of domain-specific knowledge and skills with known and unknown people (ICT for communicating dimension).

Can stand-alone ICT classes be included within our school program?

Students use their ICT knowledge and skills to transform and to enrich their learning environment. The VELS do not mandate how and where students will acquire their ICT knowledge and skills, but they do state the standards that must be demonstrated by students at progressive levels of learning. Schools should construct coherent programs that enable students to acquire and apply these ICT knowledge and skills.

Curriculum planning will identify where the centre of learning for ICT will take place. A range of options exist, and school choices are influenced by factors such as the location and quantity of computer resources, the ICT expertise of teachers, preferred teaching and learning styles and the opportunities offered by timetabling arrangements. Even within a school program, the centre of learning may vary depending on the year level.

In a broad sense, there are three main learning options: dedicated, distributed and combined, however, schools may choose any arrangement.

Dedicated learning

Schools can choose to provide instruction in dedicated ICT classes and then students apply their ICT knowledge and skills to all other areas of learning. Real success with this approach is achieved if students in the ICT classes are handling and processing data and information that is directly related to other areas of learning. Real data for real purposes fosters real learning. This warrants coordinating programs so that students acquire ICT knowledge and skills in time for them to be applied in a meaningful manner.

Distributed learning

Distributed learning is an approach which is at the opposite end of the continuum from dedicated learning. Students acquire and apply ICT knowledge and skills in other areas of learning without dedicated ICT being offered in the school program. Typically, this arrangement is supported by expert ICT teachers working with other teachers in their classrooms, often acting as mentors. Therefore, ICT is not a timetabled class instead, ICT expertise is brought into other learning environments. In many primary schools, this option is commonly adopted.

While this approach fosters integration because teachers are responsible for constructing learning programs that focus on both the acquisition and application of ICT knowledge and skills, success can be undermined by teachers lacking sufficient knowledge about key ICT concepts and conventions. Teachers may be ICT-savvy with respect to their skills, but students are expected to demonstrate more than just ICT skills at each level.

Combined learning

Between dedicated and distributed learning is a combined learning approach where some ICT teaching is delivered through dedicated offerings and the remainder becomes the responsibility of other classroom teachers. This arrangement often suits programs offered at Years 9 and 10 where the complexity of ICT knowledge and skills benefits from specialist teaching. This supports the building of pathways to VCE, VCE VET and VCAL programs.

Schools need to critically analyse the extent to which their current infrastructure can support their preferred learning approach and make modifications, where appropriate, to accommodate their preference. In some schools this requires changing the timetable and the approach to teaching and learning. ICT must be more than a presence to transform learning.

In addition to offering studies of the ICT domain, schools may also offer, particularly at Level 6, specialist ICT studies for those students who wish to develop their basic skills further or follow particular interest areas in ICT, such as robotics. By Levels 5 and 6, students are expected to be able to apply their ICT knowledge and skills in accordance with the conventions and practices commonly applied in the information and communications technology industry.

Why does the Arts domain encourage students to have access to learning in more than one arts discipline at each level?

The Arts is a domain in the Discipline-based Learning strand of the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS). Schools use the arts disciplines of Art, Dance, Drama, Media, Music, and from Level 5, Visual Communication individually and in combination to implement the domain.

Each level of the Arts domain commences with a statement outlining the range of Arts learning students should experience at each level. These suggest experiences and activities that will provide opportunities for students to work in different ways in individual arts disciplines. They also promote the value of providing opportunities for students to create and respond to works that use arts disciplines collaboratively.

This approach reflects the use of arts disciplines individually and in collaboration in traditional and contemporary arts forms associated with diverse cultural and social contexts. Engagement with a range of arts disciplines also provides opportunities for students to use different learning styles and to communicate ideas in different forms.

The learning focus statements Levels 1–6 include examples of ways that the arts disciplines can be used at that level.

What is the relationship between the two dimensions in the Arts domain?

The Arts dimensions are Creating and making and Exploring and responding. As students create and make arts works they explore and respond to ideas that emerge from a range of starting points and stimuli. Through observation, analysis and evaluation of works by other artists, students develop knowledge of ways arts works communicate ideas. They use this knowledge imaginatively and perceptively to experiment with ideas in their own arts making. Students’ responses to arts works by other artists develop their understanding of the purposes, functions and audiences that arts works are created for. Exploring the work of other artists also provides students with opportunities to develop knowledge of approaches to applying specific skills, techniques, processes, media, materials and technologies.

What are the advantages of students having continuous experience in arts disciplines?

Each of the Arts disciplines uses specific thinking and working practices that incorporate characteristic skills, techniques and processes. Engagement with these practices over an extended period allows students to develop their ability to create increasingly sophisticated works that expressively communicate ideas, experiences and feelings. By working in this way, students also develop the ability to use the language relevant to the arts disciplines they are working with to communicate ideas, concepts and reflections about their own works and the works of other artists. These experiences prepare students for arts learning in the senior secondary years and engagement with the Arts during their adult lives.

How can learning in the Arts domain be effectively interwoven with learning in other domains?

The Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) address interdisciplinary along with physical, personal and social capacities, as much as the discipline understanding with which they interact. These three components must be effectively interwoven. Following are some examples of how the Arts links with learning in other domains in the VELS.

When students create and make arts works, they use thinking and working practices to explore and communicate ideas, experiences and feelings. Making and reflecting on decisions about the ways they and other artists interpret and expressively develop real, imaginary and abstract ideas develops students’ personal learning (reflecting aspects of the Thinking Processes, Communication and Personal Learning domains).

When students create and make arts works they also demonstrate their creativity by applying imagination and lateral thinking to possibilities. Students who design arts works consider the nature and scope of the ideas they want to communicate to a specific audience or for a particular purpose (illustrating the Design, Creativity and Technology and Thinking Processes domains). Students can draw on concepts and knowledge they have initially learnt in other domains such as the Humanities, Science, Mathematics, English, Languages Other Than English, Civics and Citizenship and Health and Physical Education in making arts works. Students may use a range information and communications technology (ICT) and other thinking tools to assist them to document their research and identify ideas they may wish to communicate through their arts works.

When working collaboratively to make and/or present an arts work students work in teams to achieve goals. These processes can involve negotiation to manage and resolve conflict and accommodate individual perspectives (features of the Interpersonal Development domain).

Exploring and responding to works by other artists requires students to develop their understanding of social, cultural, political, economic and historical contexts and constructs. This exploration also encourages students to consider ways that arts works reflect, construct, reinforce and challenge personal, interpersonal and cultural values.

How does the Victorian Essential Learning Standards for Prep to Year 10 affect programs in Years 11 and 12?

The Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) provide a solid foundation for students to pursue a number of learning options in Years 11 and 12 including the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) and Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs.

By including explicit standards in the Physical, Personal and Social Learning, and the Interdisciplinary Learning strands together with the Discipline-based Learning strand the VELS prepares students more effectively for the range of educational pathways open to them in Years 11 and 12.

The standards provide schools with a planning tool to develop coherent programs of study for students in Years 9 and 10 which provide them with a range of potential pathways in their post-compulsory years.