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Previously Information sheet 06 Eligibility for enrolment — languages at continuers level
Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese language subjects at continuers level are designed for students who wish to study one or more of these languages as a second language. Students, typically, will have studied the language at junior secondary level in a school in Australia. Such students will have studied the language for 300 to 400 hours by the time they have completed Stage 1, and 400 to 500 hours by the time they have completed Stage 2.
For eligibility purposes ‘Chinese’ refers to spoken Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, or any regional Chinese dialect, and to characters in traditional form and simplified form.
For eligibility purposes speakers of Indonesian and Malay are considered to be speakers of both.
Procedure
In order to enrol in the designated language subjects at continuers level, a student must be determined eligible based on the criteria. Students should apply to their school principal or principal’s delegate using Form 8.
Eligibility is determined by the principal or the principal’s delegate of the teaching school of the subject. To be deemed eligible for a subject, a student must meet all the eligibility criteria for the subject at the time of enrolment in the subject.
The principal or the principal’s delegate should advise each student of the outcome of his or her application in writing, by providing a signed copy of the application form.
Where eligibility is not easily determined, the school may seek policy advice from the SACE Board.
Schools are responsible for collecting and verifying documentation in order to support a student’s application. If the student was born overseas or has resided overseas, documented evidence of education and residence must accompany Form 8. Appropriate evidence may include photocopies of school records, passports, visas, and certificates of citizenship.
Completed forms (Form 8) and any supporting documentation should be kept at the school. This information may be requested by the SACE Board for auditing purposes.
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Eligibility criteria
Eligibility for continuers-level Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese is determined on the basis of the student’s country of birth, country of residence, linguistic and cultural background, and education undertaken in a country where the language to be studied is a major language of communication or a medium of instruction.
Students who have had more than 1 year’s education from the age of 5 years (pre-school, primary, secondary) in a country where the language to be studied is a major language of communication or a medium of instruction are not eligible to enrol in a continuers-level program unless it can be demonstrated that special circumstances apply.
In the case of Chinese, students who have had more than 1 year’s education from the age of 5 years in China, Hong Kong, Macao, or Taiwan are not eligible to enrol in a continuers-level program unless it can be demonstrated that special circumstances apply.
Applications for enrolment in Chinese (continuers) from students who have had more than 1 year’s education in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, or Singapore will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
In the case of Indonesian, students who have had more than 1 year's education from the age of 5 years in Indonesia or Malaysia are not eligible to enrol in a continuers-level program unless it can be demonstrated that special circumstances apply.
Approval for enrolment in a continuers-level language should not be granted on the basis of a student’s level of proficiency in writing, reading, speaking, or listening to the language.
Important enrolment advice
The following groups of students must complete Form 8:
- Students intending to enrol in a designated Stage 1 language subject at continuers level
- Students intending to enrol in a designated Stage 2 language subject at continuers level without having undertaken study of the same language at Stage 1
- Students who have undertaken a designated Stage 1 language subject at continuers level and are resuming their study at Stage 2 after a gap of 12 months or more.
All students are entitled to enrol in language subjects at background speakers level; no Form 8 is required.
Appeal process and breach of rules
Students who believe that their application for eligibility to enrol in a designated language subject at continuers level has been inappropriately assessed by the school may appeal in writing to the SACE Board.
It is a breach of the rules if students provide incorrect, misleading, or incomplete information in support of their eligibility for enrolment application. Such students may be withdrawn from the subject or have their result in the subject removed from official SACE Board records.
For more information on eligibility to enrol in language subjects at continuers level, contact the relevant SACE officer.
Guide to eligibility for continuers languages
Eligibility applications must be approved for all students for continuers level Chinese, Indonesian Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese before enrolling in the language.
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Forms
The completed form and any supporting documentation should be kept at the school. This information may be requested by the SACE Board for auditing purposes for up to 2 years from the date of this application.