The Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE) is the main credential awarded to

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

students who successfully complete

senior high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

level studies (years 11 and 12 or equivalent) in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. It was introduced in 1992 to replace Tasmania's old "''High School Certificate''", and partially restructured for 2007.

Patterns of Study

The majority of students undertake TASC-accredited courses over the final two years of school, however it is possible to undertake different study patterns over different time periods or through different teaching organisations. The last two year of high school have, for many years, been completed at Colleges (schools specialising in teaching years 11 and 12) or non-government schools. In 2017, the Minister for Education announced that all government schools would offer years 11 and 12 by 2022.

Courses

The Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification (TASC) accredits and assesses all eligible courses. TASC also assesses all students for their Tertiary Entrance Score (TES) and presents any awards earned. The courses offered for study within the TCE are divided into categories according to the relevant knowledge types or skills. These reflect the nature of the subject and are similar to the way universities allocate areas of study according to

faculty Faculty may refer to: * Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage) * Faculty (division) A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject ...

. These are: The Arts; English; Health and Physical Education; Humanities and Social Sciences; Languages; Mathematics; Science; Technologies; UTAS - High Achiever Program; and UTAS - University Connections Program. The High Achiever Program (HAP) allows students who specialise in available subjects to take courses and units at the University of Tasmania (UTAS). These courses can provide credit to a UTAS degree and guarantees a place in the University. Some UTAS HAP units can contribute to a student's Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank. The admissions process for entry into the HAP is selective. The University Connections Program (UCP), formerly known as the University College Program, allows students to study university units as well as TASC courses. Unlike the HAP, the University Connections Program is accessible by any year 11 or 12 student. Some UCP units contribute to one's ATAR. Acceptance into the UCP costs; domestic students are covered by a scholarship and have their fee reduced. All available courses can be found o
TASC's website

Assessment

The Tasmanian Certificate of Education is awarded based upon a criterion based assessment. This basically means students can be assessed depending upon their meeting or successful completion of standards and criteria. These criteria usually assess knowledge, skills and competencies in differing ways to ensure a wide understanding of the course

syllabus A syllabus (; plural ''syllabuses'' or ''syllabi'') or specification is a document that communicates information about an academic course or class and defines expectations and responsibilities. It is generally an overview or summary of the curric ...

has been obtained by the student. It is felt that this is fair and more practical that just relying upon traditional examinations, although many areas of study still utilise exams in conjunction with other methods of assessment. Subjects are offered at varying levels of difficulty, ranging from a basic understanding, through to a pre-tertiary entrance qualification. The difficulty of a subject is guided by its rating as a 1-3 level subject. Subjects are also given an A, B or C rating based on the number of hours that are required for the course, C being the longest. In this way, all subjects will have a rating such as 3A, or 2C etc., depending on the time it involves and the difficulty of the work involved. C level subjects can also be offered as pre-tertiary (level 3C), and for students wishing to gain university entrance, enough points from pre-tertiary entrance subjects must be obtained to gain a Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) score above the requirements for the applied course.

Award

Upon successful completion of a satisfactory pattern of study students are awarded the "Tasmanian Certificate of Education" (TCE) by way of a

testamur A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

. This may also come with a

Tertiary Entrance Rank The Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) was a tertiary entrance score used in several Australian states, the ACT and the Northern Territory as a tool for selection to universities in Australia. As of 2010, it has been replaced by the Australian Tertiary ...

(TER) if the student has nominated to attempt a university entrance qualification, and the TER score will dictate which university courses the student is eligible to apply for.

References

{{Reflist

External links