Piccoli sets a new record

Students from Concord High School were among the first to learn that their achievements will be recognised through a new credential for those who leave school prior to completing the Higher School Certificate.

In a radical new move, NSW Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli and Member for Drummoyne, John Sidoti MP, visited the school to announce the introduction of legislation to create the Record of School Achievement (RoSA), a credential for students leaving school prior to receiving their HSC.

This is not the first major change that Mr Piccoli has made to the school system.

“In August last year I announced that the School Certificate would be abolished,” he said.

“The introduction of the RoSA represents the most significant change to secondary schooling in over a decade and will replace a credential first introduced in 1965.”

When it is fully implemented, the RoSA will be a record of the full range of student achievements right up to the day they do their HSC or leave school and provide an electronic record of achievements that students can use at any time.

It will also have the capacity to record vocational courses and students’ vocational experiences as well as citizenship and leadership achievements such as First Aid courses, community languages courses and Duke of Edinburgh awards.

The RoSA will be available electronically and as a verifiable hard copy on demand with the most up-to date information on a student’s achievements, across all subjects and a range of extra-curricular activities.

Mr Piccoli said the formal RoSA credential would be awarded to eligible students who choose to leave school prior to receiving their HSC, while still allowing students to view and download a transcript of their achievements when applying for jobs or further education or training.

Story by Mitchell Jordan