Background

Following feedback received from schools and the community in the 2018 SACE Stage 2 Review [PDF 172KB] the SACE Board began to redesign Stage 1 Personal Learning Plan (PLP), to be replaced with Exploring Identities and Futures (EIF).

We used the SACE Board’s promise to shape education so that students thrive to reconceptualise the subject, the pedagogy, the assessment, and quality assurance procedures.

EIF will meet the requirements for SACE completion currently satisfied by PLP.

Exploring Identities and Futures (EIF)

The intention behind EIF is to assist students to recognise their individual strengths and see that the purpose and value of learning is much more than knowledge and grades. Through EIF students will:

• explore identity and belonging
• develop agency
• pursue and develop an area of interest that matters to them

In EIF students will lead their own learning and use a self-directed approach to move away from the old ‘what do you want to do’ and towards ‘who do you want to be.’

Pilot 1

Pilot 1 in semester 1 2022, tested the first version of the new EIF subject outline and the shift in teacher practice in a live environment with 19 participating government, independent and catholic schools across South Australia.

Analysis and evaluation of the pilot provided valuable insights and recognised refinements that were adapted for the second pilot. Some key learnings included: 

• pilot teachers suggested that students thrived when growing and learning occurred in an area of personal value (passion) 
• students were able to transfer their learning of new skills and capabilities into their approach with other SACE subjects 
• as pilot teachers stepped back from providing instruction and scaffolds, students stepped in and were able to authentically engage in learning that was of personal value and interest 
• assessment processes emphasised the role of the teacher in using natural evidence of learning, agency, feedback and metacognition to progress student learning. 

Pilot 2

The second pilot for EIF finished at the end of semester 1 2023. As an education community, we can draw confidence from the diversity of schools and students who participated in the extensive testing in pilot 2.

Schools, teachers and students who experienced EIF during its creation across 2022 and 2023, have told us: 

• there were more opportunities for students to deeply explore the things that matter to them
• students’ learning shifted from passive to active
• relationships between students and teachers strengthened
• the learning was deeper, more authentic, and better reflected the volume of work required for a 10-credit subject
• they were able to transfer learning to other subjects
• they were challenged to take control of their learning

Insights from the second pilot led us to co-develop a modified version of EIF in partnership with schools. In the first instance, however, we strongly encourage schools to consider whether students may be able to access learning via the non-modified version, if individual reasonable adjustments are made, so that students can access their learning entitlement with their peers.

What’s next?

Pilot evaluation, learnings and insights have informed professional learning to prepare schools for implementation.

We are excited to support you and your students in implementing EIF in your sites in 2024. We encourage you to visit our website for further subject information, implementation timelines and relevant forms. We will continue to update our site and communicate with schools about professional learning activities and subject support materials.

Professional Learning

Please visit our Preparing for Exploring Identities and Futures page for details of upcoming events.