From Term 2,  government schools will move to remote teaching and learning. By now, all schools should have undertaken learning continuity contingency planning.
This means using or adapting important features of your school to support and enable remote curriculum delivery.
The state’s Premier Daniel Andrews says “if you can learn from home, and you must learn from home”, with hundreds of thousands of students to stay in their houses when the classes resumes.
Here’s what you need to know about the changes:
What is happening to schools in Victoria?
All students at Victorian government and non-government schools must learn remotely from home where possible.
When do the changes take place?
The remote learning will begin from the start of Term 2, which is next Wednesday, April 15.
How will students learn from home?
Internal assessments will be reduced, with the GAT – a general state-wide test – delayed until October or November.
The aim is for students to sit their final exams and receive their ATAR as per “normal” – but later in the year in December, or January next year.
However, the state may consider using students’ GAT assessments, Year 12 school coursework and even Year 11 coursework to formulate an ATAR result, if students are unable to sit their VCE exams.University and TAFE offers are expected to proceed as normal early next year, however the way in which they assess students for entrance may be different.
Why has the government taken these steps?
The decision is a balancing act based on reducing the spread of COVID-19 in the state, while keeping students in school.
The Chief Health Officer has advised online remote learning is the best way forward to flatten the curve of coronavirus. Millions of students travelling around the community poses a risk to spreading the virus.