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All Victorian year 12 students to be granted ‘special consideration’ due to COVID-19

The pandemic has disrupted learning for thousands of VCE students.

The pandemic has disrupted learning for thousands of VCE students. Photo: Getty

Every Victorian year 12 student will be individually assessed so that the impact of coronavirus can be reflected in their Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank.

Education Minister James Merlino made the announcement as Victoria reported a further 450 coronavirus cases and 11 deaths on Friday.

The latest deaths take the state’s total from the pandemic to 181. They were a woman in her 50s, two men in their 70s, three men and three women in their 80s and two women in their 90s.

Seven of the latest deaths are linked to aged-care.

There are 607 Victorians in hospital with COVID-19, including 41 in intensive care.

The state has 7637 active cases, of which 1548 are linked to aged-care and 911 are healthcare workers, an increase of 139.

Victoria has 2454 “mystery” cases – suspected community transmissions for which no source can be identified – an increase of 66 since yesterday.

Mr Merlino said the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority would oversee a process to calculate VCE scores, taking into account disruptions to students’ learning caused by the pandemic.

He said the process would consider factors such as school closures and absences, increases in family responsibilities and the impact on students’ mental health.

Schools will be asked to provide the VCAA with information on every one of their year 12 students.

Victorian year 12 students returned to remote learning this week. Photo: ABC

To calculate students’ results, the VCAA will consider a range of data alongside exam results, including a student’s expected achievement levels before the pandemic, school assessments completed prior to remote and flexible learning, the General Achievement Test and a range of statistical analyses, the government said.

Mr Merlino also announced $28.5 million in additional mental health support, including training for more than 1500 school staff to help them identify at-risk students.

All specialist schools with secondary aged students will receive funding to recruit a school-based mental health practitioner to provide support to students and families.

-more to come

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